If you could erase yourself from someone's memory to make things better, would you?

It was late. The bus was late. It was dark and cold and wandering around in nothing but a pair of skinny jeans and a too big t shirt wasn't the best thing to wear at this time. Cedrick stood on his tip toes in a miserable attempt to see if the bus came over the hills down the road, sighing and pulling out his cellphone when there was no sign of a car at all. The roads were quiet at this time of hour, and people were sitting home and watching TV shows like a real family, while Cedrick was out with his friends. He had just left the home of his best friend, Eric, and he had no one to get him home so the bus was his last option. He didn't really like taking it. It was okay when it was this late, but not at daytime when there were people sitting around him everywhere.

The familiar tune suddenly played from his cellphone as he was about to put it back in his pocket after checking the clock, and he pulled it out again only to read a message from his best friend saying that he forgot his cap.

Hurry up and run down here with it. The bus is late again.

Send.Message sent!

Cedrick sighed and once again looked towards the hills, but there was nothing there. Not a single light. After standing there for about 30 more seconds, he could hear the sound of shoes against the ground coming down the road around the corner, and he smiled when he saw Eric running with the cap in his hands. As he finally approached him he put the cap on Cedrick's head and chuckled a little, panting heavily. 'There ya' go.' He turned to look towards the hills like Cedrick did all the time, but there was still nothing. 'The bus is late again, ayye?' he asked and rolled his eyes. 'Geez, they've gotta get those times fixed if it's going to be so slow..' Cedrick laughed and agreed with his friend who waited with him. There was a problem for Cedrick though.. He had fallen in love with Eric. It was the worst kind of situation for him; he fell for a boy, which was surprising him enough, but he also knew he would never be able to compare to Eric's girlfriend, Marissa. She was so beautiful, and he was nothing but a good-looking best friend who joined in everything they did.

After a bit of chatting about seeing each other again, the bus finally arrived and they waved each other off like always. Cedrick got on the bus, plopped down in the row in the very back on the left with a heavy sigh. This pain was getting to him more and more for every time they saw each other, and he wasn't sure what to do. He would never be able to confess, not at all, so he was waiting patiently for it to fade away, but it had been going on for 5 years now. He had been in love with him ever since he was 12 years old, he was 16 — turning 17 this year, and it wouldn't stop..

As Cedrick arrived at his home, he threw himself down on his bed and grabbed his pen and paper on the nightstand, starting to draw silently. Then he heard a voice in his head, or was it..?

'Do you really love him? Eric?' the voice spoke. It was a female voice, very light. Like in animes. Cedrick sat up silently and stared around him for a while before he decided to give a silent nod. 'Aaah.. Does it hurt?' Cedrick nodded again. 'Then I can help you. You don't need to know who I am, what I am or what I do. All I can tell you is that I can erase you from his memory, and also erase him from your memory. Everything you ever did and ever talked about will be gone, replaced by someone else of your friends.. This also manipulates the mind of other people to have the same thoughts. It's like you start all over again.'

This was new to him. He frowned and thought about it.. It hurt him so much t think of it, and he groaned. 'What the hell? There's no way I'll do that!' He said a little bit too loud, but luckily his parents didn't wake up. 'Is that so? Well, this is all new to you.. Just remember..' Suddenly, out of the dark part of his room, there was a pen rolling towards the bed. He leaned down and scooped it up. 'If you click on the top of that pen, it will happen. All of your memories will be gone. Your family, your friends, Eric's friends and family.. All of their minds—Manipulated. It only works once, and cannot be changed. You are struggling, Cedrick.. And soon enough, the pain of loving someone who doesn't love you back will get to you, and you will change everything. This won't scar you or hurt you after it's all over. You'll have a whole new start.. To find someone else.'

Then it was gone in a whisper. Cedrick was left with the pen in his hands. It was a small pen that could fit in his pocket, but what if he accidentally clicked it? He found out that the button was locked by one of those typical locks where he had to press before clicking, and that made him sigh in relief before he went back to drawing. He was drawing Eric at the moment.. He made sure to get his brown, long hair fuzzy enough and his pale skin perfect, but what he concentrated most about was his eyes.. Those blue eyes that always made him stare like an idiot. This was something Eric was used to, and he admitted that his eyes were kind of different from other's, so it wasn't awkward.. Not for him at least who didn't know anything.

The next day.

Cedrick was up from bed quickly and went to get ready for the bus so he could meet up with his friends in the city. They were all going to be there; Marissa with Eric, Lyra, Lisbeth, Mark, Louie and Zane. Most of these names were just short for their real names, but that's not important now. The blonde haired boy got his cap that he almost forgot yesterday and put it on before he rushed out and caught the bus before it passed. It was crowded, and he once again felt claustrophobic and very uncomfortable..

After about ten minutes he arrived in the city, going to the cafe where his friends would be waiting. The whole group was there already since most of them lived close enough to walk while Cedrick lived far away, too lazy to ride his bike or skateboard or anything like that. As he saw Eric he immediately came to think of the pen.. He reached down and realized that it was in his pockets, frowning. He didn't put it there before he went? He was absolutely sure that he had left it back at the nightstand.. He sighed and pulled a smile as he greeted everyone, sitting down on his usual spot next to Eric who had Marissa sitting on the arm of the couch, clinging to him. Cedrick liked Marissa, but not when she was like that. He couldn't blame her.. It wasn't her fault for being in love just like he was.

The blonde tried to keep up with the conversation, but always thought of the pen. He could click it right now and everyone here would be manipulated.. He was wondering what would happen. Would they suddenly decide to introduce him to Eric? No, that was way too stupid. If the point about clicking it in the first place was to forget, he had to keep it that way and not start with it all again. He fell once, he could fall twice. Cedrick stared out of the window in silence, not sure what to do or say.. In the end, Lisbeth waved her hand in front of his face and he blinked as if he snapped out of some kind of trance.

'Cheer up, Blondie. What's gotten into you? You're usually incredibly cheery and talkative like Eric here.' She pointed at his friend with her thumb, but Cedrick didn't turn his head to look at the couple. Instead he just chuckled and got up. 'I just need to use the toilet for a bit ok?' he said and smiled before he went to the men's room. He had been lying of course.. He was pulling up the pen to stare at it, then he made sure no one else was around before he spoke. 'Are you here?' he asked out loud. 'Yes,' the same voice from yesterday responded immediately. It was close, as if they were both just standing there as two people facing each other and talking. 'Um.. I reconsidered your request. I think it sounds like a fair thing to do. He hurts me without knowing it, and so does Marissa.. I can't just.. Keep it to myself for another 5 years.. But I was wondering if you could do one more thing. Could you erase the memories of everyone here? I want to walk out of here with something else on my mind.. Like.. I went here to just get something for my mum and me? Could you do that?' he asked.

'But why would you erase all of their memories?' the voice spoke. 'I don't want to be introduced to Eric only to fall again. I don't want them to stop me when I walk out to say hi and go 'this is Eric' and all that stuff..' The voice was silent for a while before it spoke again; 'Very well. Your wish shall be granted. All you have to do now is click the pen,' the voice said before it was gone again, just like yesterday. Cedrick stared down at the normal looking pen in his hands, gulping before he pressed down the small button so it was unlocked. Now he only had to press.. All his memories with his friends would be gone in a click.. As if someone was using a remote. He would have to start over again and find new friends.. The blonde gulped again before he closed his eyes and pressed down.

It felt like he was sleeping, but it only lasted for about 3 seconds and his eyes were open again. The pen was gone, and he remembered that his mother wanted some of the coffee they sold here to be brought home to her, so Cedrick went out to get what he wanted for himself, also ordering the coffee for his mother. While he waited, he heard the laughter of a group of people, glancing over to them. There was three girls, one of them clinging to someone, and two boys. Cedrick got what he had ordered and went to get the next bus, getting a glimpse of the boy who was hidden behind the clingy girl. He was attractive. Brown, fuzzy hair as if it was never brushed.. Pale skin that fit him perfectly, and those blue eyes.. They were something to get lost in. Cedrick hurried to get to the bus so his mother wouldn't get impatient. He had ton of stuff to do as well.

As he arrived home, he gave his mother the coffee he had been struggling to not spill the whole way before he brought the salad and chocolate milk he bought for himself up to his room. While eating, he decided to go through his drawing book, finding lots of free space on all the pages. There were small drawings of hearts, broken hearts, skulls and other things, but it looked like a lot of stuff was missing. He decided to start filling it in with dragons and other creatures he could come up with, eating and drinking at the same time. The next day he had to go out and see if he could get some new friends.. It was getting awfully lonely to be stuck on his room every day.