Chapter Three

.

.

.

My mind was racing.

I surveyed the bewildering scene in silence, arguing with myself if I heard her correctly. Did she really say my name? If she did, how could I not remember her? Because with a face like hers, I definitely would remember her. I close my mouth, which had unconsciously been hanging open. As embarrassing as it was, I asked, "You know me?"

And, of course, as soon as I said that—her face clouded as she broke off the embrace. She glanced away, trying to repress any visible signs of her dismay. Then she peeked at me with those big shy eyes, "You don't remember me?"

Obviously not, but I tried so hard to. I didn't want to further hurt her as much as I already did. However, my memories failed and I was forced to tell the truth.

"No, I'm sorry."

She seemed at loss for words. Breaking someone's heart wasn't in my list of tasks today, and I was ashamed of what I just did. Maybe she already thought of me as a gloating asshole who thought so high of himself for forgetting someone like her. She breathed out, mulling over my words.

"It's me, Flaky." She declared quietly, avoiding eye contact and biting on her lower lip.

Flaky? My mind threw me in a whirlwind of images, depicting a short freckled face redhead who used to be my friend when we were young. She wore those tattered over-sized shirts that she inherited from her father, and she often used to cry over her bruises from a bad case of clumsiness.

Yeah, I remember her.

A chuckle escaped my lips when I compared my mental image of the girl I used to know with the girl before me. She heard it and sulked more.

I apologized, "I remember you. I just—" I suppressed another chuckle. "—I just didn't recognize you, that's all."

"R-Really?"

I nodded and it made her smile in relief. Then there was this awkward silence that came between us, and I realized that I was still holding her hips. She noticed it as well and said, "Umm... let me just change to my shoes."

"Ok. Where are they?" I asked, bending down to get my lighter from the ground.

"It's over there," she pointed towards the park's direction and I scowled at how far it was.

The park was at least a street away, and I wondered if I had to carry her, since letting her skate our way through was a bad idea. To my surprise, she broke free of my grasp started skating away. I raised an eyebrow and shook my head.

"You sure you wanna do that? You might fall again," I exclaimed.

"I'll be fine!"

"I sincerely doubt that,"

Just a few inches later, one of Flaky's leg went ahead of her and it caused her to lose balance. I took hurried steps, just in time to catch her by the shoulders. Stunned, she looked up at me and went scarlet with embarrassment.

I returned her look with a smug one, "Didn't I tell you?"

"OK, m-maybe I need some help after all." She admitted.

I helped her up, clutching securely on her shoulders, and making sure she wasn't going to fall again. As I did that, she titled her body to the side and gently took a hold of my arm. Glancing at her, I gave her a reassuring smile of which she returned with a timid one. We began walking our way onwards to the park, as I was basically pulling her forward and letting her skates do the work.

The establishments soon faded and replaced by a number of lined up trees so tall and healthy—that they managed to cover the sky with their leaves and branches. The sunlight pierced through every opening the leaves granted, creating rays of light that shone in contrast with the shadows. There were a few pedestrians who were walking to the opposite direction, busy and occupied with their own agendas. As we walked further, I saw two uniformed men drinking coffee by the sidewalk. One of them gave us a single look and then focused at me, glaring and following my movement with his eyes. I stared back at him with a confused look in my face, then removed my gaze when we walked past them. Mistrustful of new faces, no doubt.

"So, how have you been?" I asked with an awkward tone, feeling the need to break the silence.

Flaky turned her face to me, "Nothing much, I guess." And then trailing off into silence. She had this distant look in her eyes, as if remembering something unpleasant.

"Well, I can tell you how've you been." I paused for a moment and turned my attention to the road. "You became beautiful."

The red haired girl gasped in surprise before replying in a soft-spoken and hesitant tone. "You're telling me that I wasn't beautiful before?"

"I thought you'd be dating girls as beautiful as you are by now," I replied with a shrug. "Thinking how much of a tomboy you were back then."

"You're painfully honest," her voice had a hint of a mild laughter.

"That was a compliment, you can thank me some time."

The laughter she was trying to hold back escaped as she slapped my shoulder. I laughed as well and mouthed a "You're welcome."

Soon after, the park emerged before us and she took the lead by bringing me to the tennis court. Flaky skated along when we neared one of the benches that stood around the place. I watched her sit down and start to untie the laces of her roller skates. When she removed them and changed to her brown leather boots, I realized how small she really was. Those skates must had at least added three inches to her height. I smiled. When she was done, she tied the roller skates' laces securely around one of her knapsack's straps, then swung her bag gracefully on her shoulders to her back before standing up.

"So, when did you get back?" she asked.

"A few minutes ago," I replied. "Just before I literally bumped into you."

"I'm sorry about that again," she apologized, clutching her knapsack.

I smiled and messed up her hair with my hand, like I always did when we were younger. I usually did that to make fun of her because she had dandruff. Flaky winced when I did that, making me remember the timid ten year old girl that used to be so boyish and different. She did wince like that. I guess, some things just never change.

After that, we looked at each other, searching for words. Until her expression changed and broke the silence, "You've been gone for so long. I thought you'd never come back."

I thought so too.

"Are you... going to stay for good?"

"No,"

Then there it was. That heart quenching frown again. "But I'm going to stay for a long while," I added.

I looked around, realizing that I still had no idea about my way around town. "Can you—" my eyes flicked glance at her. "—Accompany me to my house?"

Flaky was stunned for some reason, and then replied a simple, "OK."

I walked to the other direction and when Flaky noticed it, she called my name out—making me stop dead in my tracks.

"Where are you going?" her eyes were wide in confusion.

"My house?"

"It's this way," she said, pointing to the other direction with her head.

"Of course. Yeah," I laughed nervously and scratched the back of my head. "Tell you what, why don't you lead the way?"

Flaky stiffened for a moment, blinking at me, and then she put her hands on her hips. "You don't remember the way, do you?"

I opened my mouth and darted random glances at my surroundings, searching for the right words to say, "Uh—" and then finally replying an uneasy, "—No."

Exhaling audibly, the girl took my hand and instructed me to follow her. We started walking, and I watched her intently—stealing my attention away from my surroundings again. I was mindlessly moving my legs because I was distracted by her exposed bare shoulder. I smiled, thinking that she hadn't lost her attachment to over-sized clothes, wearing that large gray sweater that hung down to her thighs. Her movement was causing it to fall even further down to her arm, and I was compelled to pull it back up to her shoulder. I don't want other people seeing more of that.

What I did prompted her to do the same, blushing slightly. "Sorry,"

I shrugged.

"By the way," her voice was almost lost beneath the clamor of people we just walked past by, "You're not planning to stay in your house, are you?"

"Can't think of anywhere else to stay," my expression went blank, not liking the idea of staying there because of my emotional baggage from that place. But still, I knew I had no choice.

"OK," She lowered her head, deep in thought.

"Why? What's wrong?" my words were hurried.

Her crimson eyes met my emerald ones, and they had this apologetic look in them. "You'll see."

It took us a long while before we arrived, passing through at least six more streets from the park where we came from. The tall facade of trees and bushes covered what lay before us, and Flaky hurried on ahead of me, kicking a few stray twigs and plants away from our path. I followed, a few steps behind with a growing anxiousness inside of me.

She stopped walking and turned to me, "Here we are."

And as I took a glimpse of the view behind her, I lowered my eyebrows as my jaw dropped in disbelief.

What the fuck happened?

.

.

.