Prompt 3 - Forgetting Forever

Don't you remember me?

I stared out the bus window, a little shocked. I was finally home. It has been a very long time since I had been here. I had only left for two years, gone to get a good education, and now here I was. Home again. Of course, I had only come back because of the tragic accident. The car crash that had taken my parents lives.

It was strange to get out to such familiar, yet changed, sights. It was just as strange knowing that I would never see my father again, hear my mother playing the piano, or even just play baseball with them watching. They had always been watching. But not anymore. I felt the loss deeply, but something inside of me told me it wouldn't last forever.

I had only been out of the bus for a few moments before I was hit by a flying young lady, with flying blonde curls. "Oh Brad! I'm so sorry! I tried calling you just after it happened, but you wouldn't answer! Oh, I'm so happy that you could come!" She was gushing, her cheeks flushed. She had a pair of beautiful hazel eyes that would be impossible to forget ... That's probably why I just stood there, unsure of myself,

"Who are you?"

"Oh, don't!" She slapped my arm, "You know me! We dated all through High School, remember?" She was teasing, but I wasn't.

"No we didn't."

She stopped giggling and joking at that, tilting her head back to give me an appraising look, "Brad, that's not funny."

"I never said it was." I replied evenly. People at the bus stop were looking at us strangely.

"Brad?" She had a small look of fear on her face, and it grew when I didn't respond. A note of desperation crept into her voice as she said my name again, "Brad Summers!"

"Look." I finally said, "I don't know you, and I agree. This isn't funny. My parents just died, so who put you up to this? Jeremy? I'm not in the mood for pranks."

"Jeremy? Jeremy who?" The girl looked genuinely confused, and then frowned again, "Tell me you remember me Brad. This is all a joke, right? I'll forgive you if it is, but you have to tell me now."

"I don't know who you are." I repeated, "I really don't."

"Stephanie Winkle." She said it slowly, obviously waiting for me to recognize it, and then looked like she was going to cry when I didn't. "You've really forgotten?"

"I don't think I ever knew." I said honestly. Then she did cry. Great big whopping tears. I felt guilty, but I couldn't lie to her. "I'm sorry." I said.

"Don't be." She sniffed, "Your parents just died. I'm sorry. I was going to go get hot chocolate with you, ..." She looked hopeful. I finally shrugged,

"Why not?"

"Great. Let's go!" Her smile had returned, and I couldn't help but think that she had gotten over that rather quickly. She grabbed my hand and dragged me into a shop across the street from the bus stop where we quickly ordered hot chocolate.

"How do you know me?" I asked, still lost on how she knew me so well if I didn't even have the faintest memory of her.

"Well technically, I know you because you know you." She said, sipping her hot chocolate.

The waiter had looked at me strangely when I had ordered two, telling me I could always get a refill, but when I pointed to the girl and said it was for her, he understood. He was shocked though, because he had missed her when she came in. For such a unique person, she was easily overlooked. "What does that mean?" I asked.

"It means- ..." She hummed in thought, taking another sip, as if unsure however to put whatever she was about to say, "Well. You didn't have any family other than your parents, am I right?"

"Yes."

"And in high school you only had one very good friend." She seemed to be walking through my life.

"Jeremy." I nodded.

"Yeah, well he's dead too." She took a sip, as though she hadn't just said that.

"What?!" I choked on my drink a little, but managed to swallow it before continuing, "What do you mean, he's dead?!" The people around us were getting up and leaving.

"Think back." She looked at me intently, "You know he's dead."

"I- I don't-” but I did. She was right. I remember Jeremy dying my third year. Accidentally took too much pain medication after his knee surgery. How had I forgotten that? "Who are you?" I stared at this girl in a new light, if I had forgotten my best friend, how far behind could my girlfriend be?

"Stephanie Winkle." She said, taking another sip.

"Why are you here?" I asked, beginning to dread her calm. The restaurant was empty except for us now.

"To show you what you're denying." She took another sip, and for the first time, I noticed that there was still the same amount of liquid in the cup as she had started with. I became scared. "This is your last ditch attempt to bring yourself back."

"I'm not denying anything."

"Listen to yourself!" She gave a high laugh, and somewhere on the back of my mind, I heard sirens. "You're in denial! Your friend died, now your parents have died, and your girlfriend ... she died first."

"What girlfriend? I thought you were her." I was confused now, along with scared, and those sirens were getting closer.

"I'm your rationality. And the way your life is going, I'm about to die too." She said. I watched her change. She was my mom, my dad, Jeremy and then Stephanie again.

I suddenly remembered Stephanie. She looked just like the thing in front of me, but younger, and she was dead. How had I forgotten?!

"Stephanie, I-" I began, ready to make amends immidiately. That's when the I saw it. I saw it all. My girlfriend, dead. My best friend, dead. My family, dead.

Stephanie was fading, even as I felt people grabbing me, pulling me away. She was dying again, I could see it, and I cried for her. I cried for them all, then something stuck my arm, and I forgot.

Author's Note

This is for a prompt; a character returns to their hometown, and soon comes face to face with their so called 'high school' sweetheart. Only thing is, the character has no memory of this 'sweetheart'.

Reviews

[Leslie Flemons]

Wow! Very creative and suspenseful! Good work and good luck with the contest! :)

[Calibaster]

Thank you! It was a spur of the moment thing! :)

[Farrsight]

Dude, you shocked me so much, I almost used your real name. What WAS that?!

[Calibaster]

It wasn't bad?

[Farrsight]

No, but, WHAT IN THE HECK GAVE YOU THIS IDEA!???!!

[Calibaster]

It was a prompt. Why did it freak you out so much? Geez!

[Farrsight]

Ummmm... Define "Prompt"?

[Calibaster]

Read my authors note.

[Farrsight]

Who gave it to you?

[Calibaster]

It's just for a contest.

[Farrsight]

Ohhhhhhh... Keey..... I get it..... I think....?