Lost Memory by Jacqueline Cortez

Chapter Six: Alejandro

"How has life been?"

"You know busy...actually...a little weird...the other day at the subway I heard someone call me which was a guy's voice but when I turned around it was a little boy about 11 I think" Was it the time I saw her disappear?

"When was this?"

"Like a few months ago," I notice she is still holding my sleeve as we walk.

"The trees in the spring or summer must be prettier because they are bold right now" I point at the trees.

"The trees are bold?" She laughs.

"What is that not how you say it?"

"I mean you could say all the leaves have fallen off" She continues to laugh.

"Oh," I say laughing also.

"And you know months ago when we were at your place, your eyes did glow when we touched but not as bright as this morning"

"What do you think it could be?"

"I don't know. This morning...when I had a bad dream, I didn't know what was happening and why I held onto you" She scratches her head nervously.

"But are you okay?" I ask seeing her look down as her fists pull harder on my sleeve.

"Why?" She looks up at me. A tear falls down her face. When she feels the warm tear fall down her face with her hand. She turns her head away from me.

"Hey hey..." I nudge her shoulder a little "Do not cry...You can tell me what is wrong"

"..."

"...you can trust me..." She shrugs her shoulders. "I feel like there is more to you than to what meets the eye. You are someone unique and I think you know that"

"That is the most reassuring thing someone has ever said to me" She zips up my jacket letting go of my sleeve, "Don't get a cold now..." She blinks making tears leave her eyes. She stares at the zipper of my jacket. She lets out a deep breath.

"About 5 years ago, My first best friend died, her name was Bo-A. We were on a subway here in New York and It was going to be my first day on the job and she came to accompany me so I wouldn't go alone. She was worried about me so she was going to be with...T-then" Her head drops as she walks to a tree and I follow.

"Take your time" I place my hand on top of her head, patting it.

"...the lights of the sub-...The lights of the subways were being weird and the subway started shaking...at Broad Street and there is a dead-end there. The Subway wouldn't stop so the doors of the subway opened and she told me to go and catch her...but she couldn't jump because she was scared. I told her to 'jump, please'. She didn't and in a blink of an eye she was gone..." falls against a tree as she crouches and buries herself not showing her face. "She didn't jump...Why didn't she jump?" I crouch down.

"Hey hey...Gwen...look up at me...please" She looks up at me. Her face full of tears as if she has kept her pain inside."It was not your fault," We just look at each other for a few seconds, a few minutes. She gives me an innocent smile. This is the moment I fell in love with her. This very minute, this very second, I felt a connection with her. If only she felt the same. As the moment ends, I help her up.

"Thank you for saying that Alejandro...I needed it...I mean it" She says holding onto my sleeve again. I felt sad because I could feel her pain. I lost someone too, my mom. "I am going to catch up with the others now, catch you later," She says as she walks to Oliver.

She left me again.

"I see how you look at Gwen" Azul teases me as she walks next to me.

"Is it that noticeable?"