Remember Me

14

"Oh my god, I'm gonna be fired."

I picked at my nails anxiously as I looked at the ground. "Why did I blow up on her like that? Oh my god, I need to go to a therapist again. Mel is gonna make me—"

"Ivy." Reece grabbed my hand, preventing me from destroying my remaining nails any further. "I took care of it. You're fine."

"Are you sure?" I asked, my voice shaky.

He nodded and gave me a smirk. "She won't be coming back here for a while."

He slowly let go of my hand, and at the absence, I curled my hands up. "Thanks, Reece. Seriously."

He slightly laughed and looked up at the clock above my head. "You ready to go home?"

I looked up. I hadn't even realized our shift was over. "Oh, yeah."

We packed up our things and we went outside the back door. Jesus, it's cold. I shiver and breathe out, watching the vapor leave my mouth in the night.

"Hey, what do boys want for Christmas?" I ask as subtly as possible.

He shrugs. "Depends on the guy."

I sigh. Great help, Reece. "Well, is there something all boys want?"

"We're not that picky. Who'd you get?"

I sigh, a large amount of vapor being visible as my eyelids drop. "Nobody. Is cologne okay?"

"Yeah, sure."

"Except, he already smells nice, so..."

My head jerks up to meet his as I realized what I said, and he's staring down at me with eyes like lasers.

Fuck. I forgot he would know I got him in a little while.

"Kidding. Forget I said anything."

I glanced over at him then looked away. "I'm guessing you got a boy, since you're not asking me any questions."

He shook his head. "Just because I'm not asking doesn't mean I got a boy."

"So you didn't get a boy?"

He smirks. "Doesn't mean that, either."

I roll my eyes. "Fine."

Stubborn. I don't know why I'm getting so curious. There's no chance I got him and he got me, right?

Maybe I just really want a gift from him.

Wait.

"I did get a girl, I just know exactly what she would want."

My head pops up. "Oh."

There's Reece. Slick and smooth as ever.

"Most girls aren't as complicated as someone I know," he says, leaning down so his face was close to me.

I was glad it was dark, because that meant he couldn't see the blush on my cheeks. "I'm not complicated," I deny, elbowing him.

He narrowed his eyes at me and studied me as I walked.

—

"Fuck."

I have no idea how to do any of this homework. Kill me.

Mel is currently out with a 'friend,' meaning she's probably out with Stacey and Jordan's dad. Kind of gross, but also good.

I picked up my phone and looked at the contact, not knowing what to do. Before I knew it, I was clicking the call button and held it up to my ear.

"Ivy?"

"Reece?"

"Yeah...?"

"Can you open your window? I need help with a math problem."

God, I sound lame.

"Yeah, be right there."

I hung up and went over to my window, opening it and seeing his open a second later. I went over to my bed, picking up my paper and pencil and turning around to face him. "So, we're learning about—"

"Ivy, move."

Not comprehending what he was saying, I take a step away from the window and continue talking about quadratics.

When I saw him smoothly fly into my freaking room, I look up. My eyebrows furrow.

So he can look like a prince while doing it, but I fall on top of him?

Sure, God. That's fair.

"Okay, hit me."

I sit on my bed and read the equation to him, not looking up to see what he's doing around my room. "If x is equal to zero, how the hell do I find vertex?"

I write down everything he says, slow enough for me to understand. "You have to make both sides equal, so if c is squared..."

I look up at him for a split second, finding it incredible that he could so easily tell me how to do the problem without even hesitating.

I see him looking at photo frames on my desk, but I quickly take my eyes away so I can write down what he's saying. When I was done, I looked over at him and asked if I did it right.

"Huh?" He snapped out of whatever he was looking at on my desk and turns towards me.

I squint. "Is this right?"

His eyes look clouded with thought, but it didn't seem like he was thinking about math. He took a look at my paper and nods.

"Reece!" I hear a familiar British man yell from his house.

Reece sighs and, without a word, walks over to my window and hops through his, looking at me through it. He smirks at me ever so slightly, and then shuts it, and I watch as he turns around and goes out of his room.

I stand up and walk towards my desk at the photos he was looking at.

One had been moved so that it was standing up — the one that I always kept down.

Me standing next to my first car with keys in my hand with a large smile on my face.

My face contorts. I take the frame and unclip it so that I can take the photo out. I do, immediately ripping it to shreds and gritting my teeth.

I haven't cried in a while. A long time, actually, but that picture set me off.

But once it started, I couldn't control it. I just sat on my bedroom floor and cried, throwing the shreds of the photo across the floor. I don't know what's gotten into me. Maybe I just miss them.

I miss everything. I wish I could have my god damn life back. I wish I never touched a fucking car. Those damn murder devices. Fuck you, automobiles.

I sniffle as I stare at the shreds, grabbing a pillow from my bed and hugging it close to my chest.

I sat there for a while, just staring at the floor.

I finally compose myself and stand upright, wiping my nose with my finger and getting up to look back up at the pictures on my desk.

Right smack dab in the center is a picture of me and my little brother Colin laying in the snow.

My eyes widened and they shot to my window, where Reece was no longer.

I was in snow.

I told everyone I've never seen snow before. 

"Oh, shit."