Title: Pratfall

Pairing: Spencer and Kyla

Summary: Why don't you read it? You might like it.

Rated: PG...I guess

"Move over Kierkegaard! Here comes…this guy…with muscles!" - Spencer Carlin

Chapter One

My name is Spencer Carlin.

I've become a human oddity, of sorts.

No, not as in I'm the six foot tall Man Eating Chicken. Or anything like that.

I'm a victim of the King High shooting.

Problem is, I don't remember it. Or anything.

That's why I'm the oddity.

I carry around a notebook small enough to fit in the back pocket of a pair of jeans.

I've developed this compulsion to write down everything that I do. The cereal I ate for breakfast yesterday morning and the underwear I'm wearing aren't things that I need to keep track of and write down in a notebook.

Spencer flips back several pages in her notebook.

I do though. I had Lucky Charms cereal and I'm wearing Incredible Hulk kid briefs.

Spencer pulls down the front of her pajama bottoms, and looks down at the Hulk ready to bust out.

Don't make him angry. You wouldn't like him when he's angry.

Spencer pulls up her pajama bottoms.

I just needed to make sure. I'm terrified of failing to remember even the most insignificant detail of my day. It's a healthy compulsion and I'm fully aware of the fact that it's an oxymoron. The writing helps to keep me from feeling overwhelmed, that and late night television.

Spencer turns up the television.

In the not-too-distant future. Way down in Deep 13, Dr. Forrester and TV's Frankwere hatching an Evil Scheme. They hired a temp by the name of Mike, just a regular Joe they didn't like. Their experiment needed a good test case, so they conked him on the noggin and they shot him into space. Get me down!

Spencer settles in on the living room couch for a night of television watching. She listens to the theme song of a show that she's become extremely familiar with over the last three months.

We'll send him cheesy movies. The worst we can find.

" La-la-la," Spencer 'sings' her favorite parts of the lyrics.

He'll have to sit and watch them all, and we'll monitor his mind

"La-la-la,"

Now keep in mind Mike can't control where the movies begin or end.

"La-la-la,"

He'll try to keep his sanity with the help of his robot friends. Robot Roll Call:

"Cambot,"

Show yourself!

"Gypsy,"

I'm not ready!

"Tom Servo,"

Hello there!

"Croooow."

That's one 'o'! If you're wondering how he eats and breathes and other science facts.

"La-la-la."

Just repeat to yourself, It's just a show, I should really just relax.

"For Mystery Science Theater 3000."

"Spencer," Arthur walks into the living room.

"Is the T.V. to loud?" She asks and picks up the remote.

Arthur shakes his head. "No, it's fine -- it's late though and you have school in the morning."

Spencer turns down the volume on the television. "I couldn't sleep."

He sits down on the couch next to her. "I couldn't sleep either." He points to the television. "What are you watching?"

"Mystery Science Theater 3000, it's about a guy in space forced to watch really bad movies with these robots."

"Oh, I've seen this movie -- Kitten With A Whip. Ann-Margaret," He grins.

He's the only one in this house trying to make me feel comfortable without ultimately making me feel inadequate. I think I'm hurting him the most though.

I don't remember him. I don't remember them or me. I know who they are though, but only after several hospital visits spent flipping through family photo albums and listening to them share stories about our family.

"Are there actual whips involved in this movie?" Spencer asks.

He shakes his head. "No, whips or kittens are in this movie."

"Are you still taking me to school in the morning?"

"Yeah," Arthur nods. "unless you'd rather have Glen take you."

"You won't be late for work if you drop me off?"

"No, it's on the way there."

"I don't think I'm going to be able to eat breakfast. I'm feeling -- kind of -- anxious about going back. You know -- it might jog my memory, and that's a good thing -- I guess -- as long as I don't have a fucking anxiety attack. Sorry…"

"Have you talked about this with Dr. Brownstein?"

"She wants me to think about going on anti anxiety drugs. She thinks I could benefit from taking them. I don't know. I'm not thrilled by the idea but I don't want to have some pseudo acid flashback if someone I don't remember approaches me. Anxiety attacks usually don't make a good first -- second impression in this case."

"I think we should see what happens your first day of school and we can go from there." He suggests.

"I was thinking -- how do I explain to a friend that I don't remember them?"

Do I even have any friends? The only person that came to see me in the hospital aside from my family was Chelsea, and she's off in Paris now pursuing her art and probably eating croissants and smoking cigarettes with one of those swanky yet ridiculously long cigarette holders.

I'm thinking the odds of anyone approaching me are slim to none. What kind of loser am I? Are there even 'types' of losers? Isn't a loser just a loser?

"You could open with a joke." Arthur replies, trying to relieve some of the nervousness he can read on Spencer's face.

"Yeah, I mean -- I'll just say -- do you remember that drive by shooting that happened at prom? Me neither, but apparently from what I've been told shots were fired, because that's what usually happens in a drive by shooting. Everyone ducked for cover because who wants to be shot during prom? It really puts a damper on the festivities. Before my head meets with the concrete creating frontal lobe damage that effects my memory I manage to get shot THROUGH the heart. As far as reintroductions go -- what do you think? How does that sound?" Spencer says for a laugh.

"You might want to condense that it's just a thought." He grins.

"I'll condense that and resubmit it in the morning."

"Just -- don't be too hard on yourself, Spencer, it's a process and it's going to take time." He stands up. "Try not to stay up too late. Goodnight."

"You're listening to the best of 80's alternative on 99.5 FM."

Arthur pulls into the parking lot of King High.

"Oooooh…Stop."

The opening chords of the Pixies 'Where Is My Mind' fills the car. He turns down the stereo. "Glen, will pick you up after school."

Spencer nods, and opens the car door.

"Spencer,"

"Yeah,"

"Call me -- if you want me to pick you up early."

She gets out of the car and closes the door.

"With your feet on the air and your head on the ground Try this trick and spin it, yeah Your head will collapse if there's nothing in it And you'll ask yourself."

I'm having that human oddity feeling again.

"Where is my mind? Where is my mind? Where is my mind? Way out in the water, see it swimming."

She takes a deep breath and starts to walk.

"Spencer," Aiden approaches her.

Present.

"I know you probably don't want to talk to me, but I think we should. You know -- talk."

"Uh, okay…"

Beefcake guy.

"I'm sorry about what went down at prom, Spencer, but -- I'm not sorry about how I feel."

This conversation might make a bit more sense if I knew what you were talking about…

"I think we should put what happened behind us. I was thinking,"

I don't remember you, but why do I find that thinking part hard to believe? You look so familiar…

Spencer stares at him trying to place where she'd seen him before.

Back of a milk cartoon? No. Third rate boy band that never made it? No…He's in those pictures of mine I had at home…until I get really angry I couldn't remember anyone and tossed them all out.

"Spencer, we faced death that night at prom and I realized something,"

Bullets hurt?

"life is too short not to live in the moment." Aiden continues to speak, oblivious to the glazed over look in Spencer's eyes from listening to his monotone voice.

Move over Kierkegaard! Here comes…this guy…with muscles!

"Spencer," Aiden waves his hand in her face.

Spencer shakes her head. "Yeah,"

"I'd like for us to try and be friends."

I really don't know what to say and this is getting kind of awwwkward.

Spencer shrugs. "Sure…"

I think…I guess…why not? It's not like he's asking me to go with him to the Scientology Center for an audit.

Aiden smiles. "So, no hard feelings? I guess what happened at prom puts things in perspective."

"I have to…go to class. So, I'm going to go over there and you should -- you should stay here because…I'm going over there. So, yeah…I'm going to go…now. Yeah…" Spencer walks away from him.

"Uh, okay," Aiden calls out after her. "I'm glad we had this talk." He says confused.

That went well…

Spencer stops in front of the memorial for the students that died in the shooting.

"I still can't believe it." Kyla says.

Spencer looks over at her.

I hope I'm suppose to know you.

"Yeah," Spencer nods.

"You never think that violence will touch your life in this way and then it does. I saw you talking with Aiden. Did he try to show you his crotch rocket?"

Erm…I don't think I want to see that.

Spencer makes a face.

Kyla laughs. "No, not his -- crotch rocket, but his -- crotch rocket,"

Oh, well, now that you've said it that way…

"His sport bike -- that his parent's bought him after prom." Kyla explains.

"No, he didn't show me either of his crotch rockets."

"Well, your not missing much either way. That was mean." Kyla covers her hand over her mouth to stifle her laughter.

Spencer laughs. "Yeah, but, it was funny. It's okay to laugh."

Kyla slides her hand off of her mouth and laughs.

I think this is the start of a beautiful friendship.

"It's just that -- a bullet grazed his arm -- you can barely see the scar. Did he show you his scar?"

Spencer shakes her head.

"He's milking it for sympathy when people died and others were seriously hurt. I just think it's -- he's being an asshole." Kyla says.

Spencer nods.

"You want to walk to class together? I'm trying to dodge that camera crew."

"Camera crew?" Spencer looks around.

"Yeah, for MTV's 'True Life' series. They are doing a special on school shootings with King as the focus. Madison's practically salivating to get on camera."

Spencer walks with her.

"How are things?" Kyla asks, genuinely curious.

Spencer shrugs. "Therapy is…interesting…"

I'm not getting much out of it, except for the free mints in the waiting room.

"How about you?"

"I spent the summer in Baltimore. I had to get out of L.A. I'm sorry about -- what happened to Clay."

"Thanks."

"Did you hear from Ashley while she was in Europe?"

Spencer shakes her head. "You ever see that movie 'Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind'?"

"Yeah…meet in Montauk." Kyla smiles.

"Joel has his memories of Clementine erased."

"Yeah, but only because Clementine erased her memories of him first."

"What if that happened in real life?"

"You're saying what if there was really a place like Lacuna?"

"I mean -- I know there's not, but Lucuna is derived from Lacunar amnesia, which is having amnesia about a certain event."

"Which would be the relationship in the movie. Why are we talking about 'Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind'? That seemed to come out of nowhere." Kyla laughs.

"Instead of it just being one event in particular you can't remember -- what if it were a lifetime of memories erased?"

"That would be…horrible." Kyla replies not sure where Spencer is going with this conversation.

"You remember things like the theme song to 'The Golden Girls', but you don't remember your family and friends."

"You watch 'The Golden Girls'?"

"Yeah, what else am I suppose to do at two in the morning?"

Kyla nods. "Good point."

"I took a forward pratfall at prom, damaging my frontal lobe and erasing my memories."

Kyla stops walking and stares at Spencer. "You're not kidding."

Spencer shakes her head.

"So…you don't remember anything?"

"Well, I seem to remember everything else except for the people that matter in my life and what happened at prom." Spencer explains.

Kyla looks down briefly.

Great…I've managed to weird her out.

"It's not contagious, at least I don't think it is…" Spencer jokes desperately trying to lighten the mood.

Kyla looks up and holds out her hand. "Kyla Woods,"

"Spencer Carlin," She shakes Kyla's hand.

"Nice too meet you." Kyla smiles.

The bell rings signaling the start of first period.

"We should have lunch together and I could fill in some of the blanks if you want." Kyla offers.

"Sure," Spencer nods her head.

"I'll meet you here?"

"Yeah,"

Kyla turns and walks away. Spencer watches her momentarily and walks away with a grin on her face.

Nice…