CHAPTER 32

Throughout the day, Finn got to know the rest of the Glee Club. The atmosphere of the Glee club was more cheerful than it had ever been in a while. Finn was back and healthy, however a dark cloud was still cast over the group regarding the number of people in the group. They were one, maybe even two, people short. The name 'Emily' kept coming up, but after surreptitious glances at Finn, the subject would be swiftly changed. It was infuriating to have massive gaps in his memory, not knowing who Emily was and what exactly happened between them.

That afternoon, Sarah was showing him various pictures of him from the past year. His family had been absolutely amazing and patient with his amnesia, and he owed them so much for it. Sarah took his phone and opened the camera roll to show him some more pictures.

"So this is a picture taken a couple of weeks ago during your first race of the season. It's you and…"

"Josh, right?" Finn asked. Sarah beamed and nodded.

"Yeah, how'd you know?" She asked.

"He visited me in the hospital." Finn said. "And I started to remember some memories about him. I was in Albuquerque for the race, right?"

"Yeah, you were. You won that race too." Sarah replied. She started to swipe to the next photo but Finn stopped her.

"Woah… woah… woah… hold on a second." He said, before zooming in on something in the photo. "That ring… I'm wearing it in every single photo you've shown me. What's so special about it?"

Sarah smiled faintly.

"That was actually a piece from the tungsten suspension of your first kart. You wore it every day for the past 8 years."

Finn raised an eyebrow.

"Um… huh? If I wore it so much, where is it now?" He asked. Sarah looked down at her feet.

"When you were taken to the hospital for surgery, I think the doctor's might have thrown it out. All of your clothes were kind of bloody so they threw those out, and the ring wasn't with your phone, wallet and other personal effects. I'm so sorry, Finn."

Finn sighed and nodded.

"That's fine. No harm. I don't even remember it anyways."

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In the evening, Finn went for a walk to clear his head. He found that getting fresh air in low-pressure environments was the best way to get back past memories. He sang quietly to himself as he strolled into Lima Park. It was 6 pm and the sun was just starting to set so Finn decided to sit on a bench and just admire the sunset. He watched the sunset at the horizon, spreading its largess into a grateful sky. Rich hues of red blended with oranges, purples, crimsons. The orange gold stretches far and wide, the colour of fire hearths and tangerines. It is but the reflection of the dawn, the promise of the rising sun that comes after the velvety night has had its say and the land has rested once more. Finn had learned to appreciate the little things a lot more after the accident. He was shown that everything could vanish in an instant.

As the sun began to set, Finn stood up and started walking home. However, a couple of minutes into his walk, because he was looking downwards, he didn't notice someone walking towards him the opposite way. The two of them collided and the person opposite him fell backwards. Finn gasped.

"Oh my God! I'm so sorry!" He exclaimed, holding out a hand to help her up. She took it and she stood up and faced him. Because it was midwinter, both of them were wearing coats so they couldn't see each other's faces. It was only when they stood opposite each other that they were able to see each other's faces. Finn realised that it was a teenage girl, probably no older than him. His first thought was that she was absolutely gorgeous. No one else in the world even compared to her natural beauty. But what captivated Finn most was that there was an aura of deja vu about her. It was almost as though he had known her in another lifetime. Suddenly, something else caught his eye…

On her finger was an extremely familiar black tungsten ring. His ring! The ring he had supposedly worn for 8 years and was in every single memory and photograph he had. The feeling that he had met this woman before intensified. But before he could get answers, she saw his face and her eyes widened and her face paled. She let go of his hand and stumbled backwards as if he was on fire. She turned to run away and was about to start running when Finn finally found his voice.

"Ma'am! Ma'am!" He exclaimed. "I think that's my ring! How do you have my ring?" He asked. She didn't answer. Instead, she turned on her heel and sprinted away. However, Finn wasn't getting this far and not getting any answers.

"Wait! Wait! Stop!" Finn shouted, running after her. "How do you know me? How do you have my stuff?"

Still, she ran faster. Finn thanked god that he had been gifted with the ability of sprinting. He easily caught up with her, but she didn't say a word.

"Please. Tell me how you know me." Finn begged. "Ever since I woke up… I lost all of my memories of the past year. It's like the past year of my life has been completely scrapped. I've lost people I loved. Memories I've made. But the worst part is seeing the looks on people's faces. They look at me with so much sympathy, like I'm some helpless kid who was diagnosed with terminal cancer. But under that infuriating pity and sympathy, I can see the hurt and anger in their eyes. Like I somehow hurt them in the past. You have exactly that look in your eyes. I hurt you, didn't I, during my forgotten time?"

The girl didn't respond, but a tear ran down her cheek as she trembled. Tears started to run freely down Finn's face as he continued.

"Look, whatever I did, I am… truly, truly sorry. I don't know who I am anymore. It's like someone else was living my life. Do you have any idea how painful it is?"

Once again, no answer. Finn sighed. Maybe he just wasn't going to get any answers from her. He forced himself to continue.

"Every day I wake up, and I think maybe today I'll get my memories back. Maybe today will be the day I finally know who I am. But I end up going to sleep at night, crying myself to sleep, angry that I can't remember who I am, and that the past me even put me in this situation in the first place. After all, what's the point in even living if you don't know who you are? I've thought about… doing bad things to myself. I thought about all the people I must have hurt in the past, and all the people I did hurt when I lost my memory. I'm guessing you're on that list. Please… you don't have to forgive me. Just tell me how you know me, and tell me how you have my ring."

Then, without warning, the girl leaned forward and kissed him…

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It had been the worst week of Emily's life. First of all, she had been beaten the crap out of. Then, the love of her life almost died. After that, he managed to remain alive, but he didn't remember her. She didn't even have the courage to see him in the hospital, and when he went back to school, she took the days off school. She couldn't face him. She couldn't look at him, knowing that he had no idea who she even was.

After another rough day at home, she decided to go for a short walk. It was pretty cold due to it being winter, but the thin layer of snow led to a gorgeous view. As she walked down the street, she pondered her current situation. How was she going to move on with her life? Finn was once such a huge part and to think that he was gone… that thought petrified her. In the midst of her thoughts, she ended up walking into a massive guy, and was sent tumbling to the ground. The man helped her up and when the hood of his coat slipped a little, Emily's eyes widened…

It was Finn!

Emily's mind was racing. Finn was literally 2 feet in front of her! Normally, she would be peppering his face with kisses, but she kept her distance for several reasons. First, he probably had no idea who she was. Second, even if he did know who she was, they were technically broken up. She tripped over her own feet as she stumbled backwards and started to run. It was the only thing she thought to do. She was too scared to actually face him. However, being the extremely athletic guy he was, he easily caught up with her. He then started to talk to her quietly…

He told her about all of the hardships he was facing, and how it was a challenge to even get out of bed every morning and keep living. She had no idea how hard it was for him. She had been so preoccupied with her own feelings and well-being that she didn't realise how tough it would be for Finn. After all, Quinn might have beaten her up a little, but Sam very nearly killed Finn. Her heart broke as she saw tears trickle down Finn's face as he pleaded with her to tell her who she was, and how he knew her, and he begged her to tell him how she had his ring. She had stolen the ring from the hospital the night Finn was admitted. In the 50% chance that Finn ended up dying that night, she wanted something to remember him by. A memento to remind her of the sweet brunette who stole her heart…

Eventually, she could contain her feelings no longer. She hadn't yet regained her voice after the shock so she didn't speak to him. It was like her mouth wasn't responding to her brain. Instead, she leaned forward and kissed him…

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As soon as their lips touched, Finn's head seared in pain and he fell backwards. Memories cascaded into his mind like a tsunami, burning his brain. Memories of him, Emily, the Glee Club, his family, racing and Lima piled on. Finn felt like his brian was being stabbed by a razor-sharp blade and being scorched by a blowtorch at the same time. He collapsed on the ground and Emily sprinted over, extremely concerned.

"FINN!" She screamed, kneeling down next to him. "Finn! Are you okay?"

Finn didn't respond. He just clutched his head in pain as the memories rushed back. Eventually, after a couple of seconds of Finn being in complete agony, Emily took out her phone, prepared to call 911. Finn knocked the phone out of her hand though, and he managed to shake his head. The pain was starting to finally subside, leaving him with all of his old memories, even the ones that haunted him.

When Finn realised who was standing over him, it was his turn to act as Emily did when she saw him. He slowly stood up and stumbled backwards from her.

"Emily?"