Double Sided

"Joshua, are you ready to go?" Tyler yelled back to my room. I finished buttoning up my red flannel shirt.

"Yep." I grabbed my timberlands, my messenger bag, and keys and walked to the front of the house.

"Shall we?" The buzz cut boy pushed up his glasses and opened the door.

"We shall." I got behind the driver seat in our small car and Tyler got in the passenger seat. "We are going to be a little late."

"That's okay, Mark should be there to open up anyway." Tyler buckled up in his seat. I pulled out and headed downtown where Tyler and I's coffee shop was. Tyler and I have been best friends as long as I can remember, which actually isn't that long in my mind, you see, I was in an accident awhile back and I don't remember anything father back then when I turned twenty five, I'm twenty six now. Anytime I ask about what happened before the accident, Tyler just tells me not to worry about it, that nothing too important happened. I don't know why but sometimes I feel like this isn't real. That my whole life is just a show or an illusion. The doctors said that my source of reality was just jacked up after the accident, but I don't know if I believe them. I mean, they won't even tell me what happened to me.

"Here we are." I put the car in park and walked into the small building with a sign that read, "Screamin' Beans and Steamin' Mugs". There were a few people there, not packed but that's typical for a Wednesday morning. "Good morning, Mark." I smiled at the boy.

"Good morning, Joshua. Tyler." He waved at us. We both went back to our small offices in the back of the shop to work on our individual projects. Tyler does a blog about his own life also about inspirational and motivational things. I write books, or at least that's what I was told I do. I feel like I blink and I've written an entire chapter, half the time I don't even remember what I wrote about.

"Hey Joshua, you ready to go?" I looked up from my laptop to see Tyler.

"But we just got here." I argued.

"Dude, we got here," he looked at his watch, "seven hours ago."

"Oh." I looked back down at my laptop which was now closed and in my hands. I put the laptop in my bag then left with Tyler.

"I'll drive." He took the keys from me. "Are you okay?" He looked over at me once I was in the car.

"Yeah, why?"

"I don't know, you just have seemed weird since your accident."

"What even happened to me?"

"Joshua, we've been over this. You don't need to worry about it."

"Okay, but Tyler, I do need to worry about it. What happened to me? Also, why does everyone call me Joshua? I want to be called Josh."

"Since when do you want to be called Josh?" Tyler chuckled.

"Since! Well, since now! Joshua is dumb! So is this shirt! Why am I wearing a button up shirt? Why is that all I own?"

"Because it's who you are."

"But it's not who I should be. There has to be something I'm missing. Something isn't right."

"What do you mean? This is how we've always lived." Tyler put the car in park and we went in the house.

"Something is just... wrong." I whispered.

"Now, I'm fixing myself a salad for dinner. Do you want one?"

"I guess." We walked into the small house and I followed Tyler to the kitchen.

"Here you go." He handed me a bowl full of greens.

"Thanks." I ate my dinner in silence then took a shower. What was wrong with me? I looked in the mirror at my plain brown hair and freshly shaven face. Something is off. Every since this supposed accident. I opened the door and peered into the living room, "Goodnight, Tyler." I walked out of the living room and back to my room. There was a note laying on my bed.

"Dear Josh, there is more."

There was no signature at the bottom just the five words written in neat cursive ink. "Tyler!"

"Yeah?"

"Did you leave me a note?" I yelled.

"No? Why?"

"Never mind. Goodnight."

"Goodnight." I put the note in my nightstand drawer and laid down. How'd that note get here? There's no one with our house key except the two of us and neither of us were home all day. My brain was running wild trying to figure out what had happened. I tossed and turned for the rest of the night I didn't get any sleep at all. It was already 6:00 so I decided to get up. I opened up my closet to reveal a rack of button up shirts "Why though?" I mumbled to myself. I pulled out a black and white flannel that I found in the back of my closet and dug around until I found some black skinny jeans. I put them on, then looked for some shoes. I found a pair of old converse and put them on.

"What's up with all the black today?" Tyler laughed.

"Just felt like wearing this." I shrugged at the boy in blue skinny jeans and a orange button up.

"Alright, well we should head out so we aren't late."

We got to Screamin' Beans and Steamin' Mugs and walked in. Not long after Tyler got a phone call.
"Hello?... Yeah... okay that's fine. Feel better." He hung up then looked at me, "Mark is sick. We need to find someone to cover his shift."

"I can."

"Are you sure?"

"Absolutely." I smiled.

"Alright, I'll be in the back if you need me." I cleaned up all the supplies then started some coffee, not too long after quite a few people started showing up.

"Alright, will that be all for you?"

"Yes sir." The young women in a suit answered.

"Alright give me just a second." I poured her plain black coffee then handed it to her. "It's on the house today."

"Really? Thank you so much!"

"Anytime." I waved as the last customer of the morning rush hour exited. I sat back in a brown leather seat while I waited for more people. Eventually a younger looking girl came into the shop, I walked behind the counter to take her order. "What can I get for you today?"

"Are you Josh?" The blonde asked.

"Yes ma'am. Do I know you?"

"Yes. I'm Jenna."

"Jenna?"

"Jose- um Jenna Black."

"Are you sure I know you?"

"Yes. You know me you just don't know that you know me yet."

"Wait what?"

"You were in an accident. This isn't what is supposed to happen."

"Hey Josh." Tyler walked in.

"Yeah?"

"Who are you talking to?"

"Jen-" I turned back around to see the blonde girl had disappeared. "Um, no one. What did you need?"

"I was just wondering what you wanted for lunch?"

"Whatever you get is fine."

"Okay. I'll be back." And with that Tyler left.

"Jenna?" I said quietly. "Jenna? Why am I whispering? No one else is here. Jenna?" I said louder this time. "That's it, I'm loosing it." I sat back down in my brown seat and waited for Tyler or another customer to show up.

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This is a slow start to something that I'm hoping will turn out great?

~ Peteywentzy