Sorry I haven't updated in FOREVER, but hey I have a life, and thankfully it's finally not as hectic so I can finally write as I please :)
~Enjoy!~
Massie looked down at the adorable blonde-haired guy that she recognized from the hospital in shock, wondering why in the world would he be risking coming over if it was evident that her "dad" didn't him anywhere near her.
She pleaded with herself, trying to get her brain to remember something, anything, about him. Massie had no idea what he was to her. Was he an ex-boyfriend? A friend? There had to be a reason why he showed up at the hospital, and why everyone was so hostile towards him.
"I wanted to make sure you were ok." He said, shaking her from her thoughts.
He obviously cares, or else he wouldn't be here, Massie thought, but why is he not supposed to be here?
She wondered if he would be able to tell her who he was, and why her parents were keeping her in the dark about him. But at the same time, she wasn't sure if she wanted to know who he was. If she found out he was a boyfriend or even just a friend, she knew she wouldn't be able to remember anything about him, which would most likely only make him feel pain.
I'm going to have to find out sooner or later, Massie decided.
"Hang on, I'll be down in a second!" She whisper-yelled down at him, catching the faintest of a smile tugging at his lips from the corner of her eyes as she turned away.
She grabbed her relaxed grey Vince sweater and quickly put it on over her Hanro tank top, knowing it was chilly out.
She looked over at the sleeping black pug on her bed before turning the knob slowly, and tried to open the door without it creaking. Thankfully it didn't, even as she quietly closed it behind her. She tiptoed down that hall and down the stairs.
When she reached the bottom step, she realized she had no idea how to navigate through the house. She didn't know where the nearest door to the backyard was, and she certainly had no idea how she would find it. It would be hard enough to look in the middle of the day, but it was pitch black. The only thing she knew for sure was that she was in the foyer.
She thought back to earlier that day when she had first arrived, remembering that there were double glass doors that lead to practically the same exact spot she needed to go to. But how did she get to the kitchen?
Massie decided to walk through the archway that was under the double-staircase, thinking that it lead to the living room.
So far so good, she thought as she slowly walked through the spacious and luxuriously furnished living room.
"Oof!" Massie quietly gasped as she bumped into a burgundy armchair. She stood there for a second, looking straight forward, waiting for her eyes to adjust a little more before she continued. The last thing she needed was to bump into a table and break something, waking up the house keeper or the people who claimed to have given her life.
When she could finally make out some of the furniture she continued, finally reaching a set of wooden French doors. She opened them, realizing that she was now in the dining room, which looked like it was never used because it just seemed too... fancy. She doubted that her "mother" would want to dirty it up with food.
She was thankful that the windows at the end of the room weren't covered by curtains like the windows had been in the foyer and living room. The moonlight provided the room with enough silvery light for her to see her way. She spotted another set of identical French doors on the opposite side of the room and speed towards them as quietly as she could.
She sighed with relief when she opened the doors, reveling the large kitchen. She looked out the window and saw the boy patiently standing in the same spot with his hands stuffed in his pockets, rocking back and forth on his heels.
Massie didn't realize she was smiling until she found herself staring at him. She shook her head, trying to stay focused. But the way his sweatshirt showed off the muscles in his arms and his broad shoulders made her train of thought de rail.
When she opened the glass door he quickly turned to her, and she could see the concern in his warm brown eyes as she took a few steps towards him. Her stomach felt like it was fluttering and her palms were beginning to sweat.
Why is he so cute?
"Hey." She whispered when she stood before him as if they were familiar friends greeting each other, which they might have been, but now he was a stranger to her.
He didn't say anything. Instead, he wrapped her arms gently around her, as if he might break her. Although there was a small part of her that was alarmed by the hug, another part of her felt comforted by it. She bit her lip, wondering why his arms felt more familiar than anything else had ever since she was released from the hospital. While his embrace was consoling, she wasn't sure if she should wrap her own arms around him since she didn't know who he was, but it was awkward stiffly standing there as he held her.
He seemed to sense that she was starting to feel uncomfortable, since he pulled back and mumbled, "Sorry."
"It's fine." She said quietly, looking down at the ground.
"How are you feeling?" He asked in a voice that sounded strained.
She thought about his question, the same question that everyone had been asking her for two weeks. She was miserable. Ever since she had been brought to this place she had felt trapped, like a bird in a cage. While she admitted it was a beautiful cage, she felt watched. Kendra and William would constantly check in on her, try to talk to her, see if they could force her to remember anything, and it often lead to her feeling even more disconcerted. The only person in the house who gave her some space was Inez. At least in the hospital the doctors and nurses would leave her alone, never pushing her beyond her limits.
"Confused, angry, annoyed." As much as she didn't want him to see her cry, her feelings were just too much and were starting to boil over, the tears flowing down her cheeks. She wrapped her skinny arms around herself, but a sharp pain quickly spread through her ribs, making her bite her lip from the distress, "And pain."
He opened his mouth to say something, but he shut it again.
"So you still don't remember anything?" He asked, looking distressed. There was a strong urge in her to comfort him, but she decided that it would only make things weirder.
Massie shook her head sadly.
"And my parents are only making things worse." She admitted, not sure why she was even telling him since she didn't know who he was.
She could see a flash of anger in his eyes before they softened again, "Are they the reason for making you angry and annoyed."
She nodded, "Yeah," All of the sudden, she had a compelling feeling that she had to tell someone about all of the chaotic thoughts that were bouncing around in her head. She had to get everything off of her chest, "They're awful! They won't leave me alone unless I pretend to be asleep! They constantly grill me about what I can remember, which isn't a lot."
"I can remember TV episodes from a month ago, and books I've read, but I can't remember any names or faces." She said so softly that it came out as soft as a whisper, "They keep showing me pictures, expecting me to all of the sudden remember who they and everyone else is the second I look at it."
She took a deep breath, which hurt her ribs, but it was nothing compared to the pain her sobs were causing, "It's as if they're refusing to accept the fact that I don't remember them as my parents."
"Your parents are assholes." He mumbled, looking irritated, "I can't believe they would pressure you to remember stuff."
"Them and pretty much everyone else," She said, wiping her tears with the back of her hand, "A few people have come by today saying that they were friends with me in school, and they would either try to make me remember them or just quietly sit there. Everyone thinks that if I just sit back and listen to them, I'll remember them but I don't even know who I am..."
She peaked up at him, noting that he looked as if he was trying not to cry.
"Who came by?" He asked, his voice cracking.
"Someone named Jacqueline, two girls named Claire and Kristen, Ricky, and Veronica" Massie thought about the others that had come over, what were their names? "And there were two guys but I can't remember what they said their names were."
"Josh and Dempsey?" He asked with a hint of annoyance in his tone.
"Yeah!" She said finally having names to match to their faces in her head, "Do you know them?"
"Unfortunately yes." He said dryly.
"Why is that unfortunate?"
"It's a long story." He said simply. He stuffed his hands back into his pockets, looking suddenly uncomfortable.
So he doesn't get along with my parents or my friends?
"Can I ask you a question?" She asked, wanting to get the information she had originally come for before he closed himself off.
"You just did." He smirked, and she could see the playfulness in his eyes. It managed to make her smile, and she playfully smacked his arm, causing him to lightly chuckle, "Of course you can."
"What were you to me?" Massie asked, playing with her hair nervously, "I mean, my family doesn't like you and you don't seem to like them or my so called friends, so were we friends ... or something more."
He looked down at her, and she could see the battle he was fighting within his head. She wasn't sure what he was struggling with, but it was quite obvious that he was debating on telling her something.
"Honestly, it would be hard to answer that even if you had your memory back." He sighed.
"So were we friends with benefits or something?" She asked in horror.
"No!" He said quickly, shocked that she had asked that, "Our families used to be friends... and I guess you can say we were too for a while, but then we..."
"We what?"
"We went our separate ways until recently."
No wonder he didn't want to tell me, Massie thought, it sounds confusing.
"But we can start over if you want." He said, a small but sad smile started to form on his face, "That way you can get to know me instead of me trying to remind you."
Massie thought about it. Starting over with someone she supposedly already knew? He knew things about her, but she knew nothing about him... other than the fact that he was hot. She could slowly get to know him without feeling pressured to remember who he was, which at the moment sounded great...
"I would like that." She softly smiled back.
"Derrick Harrington." He gave her a smile that made her knees feel weak, and offered his hand.
"Massie Block." She shook his hand, smiling shyly back at him.
"Pleased to meet you."
I'm sorry that the story unexpectedly went on hiatus, but with school and stuff I couldn't add writer's block to the list of things that were stressing me out! But school is calm now and I no longer have writer's block, YAY! I had the main points of the story planned in my head, but now I have a complete and detailed outline for the rest of the story so be prepared for lots of drama!
Next chapter is LOOOONG has Derrick, Claire, and Alicia's POVs :)