Lexiheartspeace, now I feel pressured to make this story at least half as good as the book for ya lol. Enjoy (:
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Oliver came to visit every day accompanied by Mya. For the last few days, Mya no longer came and Oliver said things like "she says hi". I didn't mind because I knew there was a load of catching up I had to do with just him. How was school? How was life? How had this whole getting a huge crush on him thing turn out over the last five years? Kind of a biggie.
"I still can't believe you lost your balance. Is that really what happened?" He asked as we shared a plate of cookies my mom had asked him to bring.
I shrugged, "I don't know. I guess."
"Well, what trick were you possibly performing that it threw you off that bad?"
I frowned at him. Oliver may have changed dramatically physically, but his brain was still slowly catching up. "Oliver, I have amnesia. I don't remember anything past the end of 6th grade. As far as I'm concerned the last trick I know how to do are the slides and grinds you taught me."
He started to smile but shook his head, "Wow that was a long time ago. You're… you're much better than that now."
This unwillingness to portray too much joy and hesitance between statements were things I had to get used to over the last few days. It kind of irritated me because it always made me feel like I was constantly out of the loop on something.
I stared at a cookie solemnly, "Oliver… what am I like? I mean, before my amnesia."
I looked up at him but he refused to maintain eye contact for more than a few seconds at a time, "You're… you, except older I guess." I raised my eyebrows. And finally, he smiled without restraint. "Don't worry about it, Lils."
I sighed, "Okay. What are you like?"
"Lilly…" he groaned.
"Oliver, I am missing five years of my life. No matter what the doctors say, I can't just get up and go on as if nothing had happened." Not to mention that where I'm at in time, I've fallen for you. He looked down and nodded. "What about Mya? Who exactly is she?"
His eyes widened for only a mere moment, like a flash, and he looked out the window. "Well, what did she tell you?" He tried to make this sound humorous, and as much as I didn't think it was I couldn't help chuckle.
"Well for a few minutes she was my second cousin." I finally got to hear what his laugh sounded like and for a bit it made me feel like we were both 12 again. "But that was only to get in the ambulance. Other than that I just know we go to school together."
He nodded, "What do you think of her?"
"Nothing, really. Well besides the fact she took part in saving my life that is."
He smiled again, and I was really enjoying those. "This amnesia thing may not be that bad you know. I find it fascinating you get to re-meet people. Give them a second chance."
I narrowed my eyes, "Why do I need to give her a second chance?"
He glanced at me and shook his head, "No, I didn't necessarily mean her. I meant in general. You get to see people a different way."
I rolled my eyes and figured out this was another one of those questions he was going to try his best not to answer. "Sure."
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Walking through the hallways on the first day of my senior year—senior!—was more awkward than I could have myself imagined. Students either tried their best to avoid eye contact or they creepily stared at me as if I'd descended from another planet. I felt like a new student again, the only problem is that to them I wasn't. They knew me more than I knew myself and held expectations of me from the last three or more years… which I had no memory of. Every one out of about 20 students, I would recognize someone from elementary, but none I necessarily felt like talking to so I stuck with Oliver—and by default Mya.
"Why are you squinting so much?" Mya asked me as we walked to our lockers. Well, it was more like me following them to theirs because I still had no idea what I was doing. There were no lockers in 6th grade. And right now, it'd be recess not time for another ridiculously long class that I cared absolutely nothing about.
"I feel like I'm constantly staring straight into the sun. The doctor said that my injury would make things appear brighter but I didn't think he meant this bright; it's killing me."
Mya shrugged it off, "Gee, that sucks"—
I didn't listen to the rest of her statement as Oliver handed me his beanie. "Here, wear this it'll create a shadow over your eyes." Mya twisted her face in disapproval. I didn't quite know what there was to disapprove of so I thanked him. "Don't worry, I've got these," he added fetching a pair of pilot sunglasses from his locker. I shrugged; I didn't know why he found it absolutely necessary to constantly cover his face somehow. Though it did help in mission 'Become the 17-year-old Lilly that has apparently gotten over her crush on her best friend', also simply known as mission 'Get memory back'.
My next class was AP Spanish, the first and only class I seemed to have with Oliver. I didn't know what to find more bizarre—the fact that I was in the advanced class when I failed at learning languages or the fact that Oliver and I had only managed to get one class together.
I didn't get to ponder this as I was ambushed by people's long, obnoxious stares. Even those who'd at first attempted to avoid all eye contact were suddenly intrigued in the staring contest. Most of their eyes seemed to dash towards Oliver's beanie resting on my head, so I lowered it over my eyes. I always wore (or used to wear, I don't know) Oliver's clothes, I didn't know when or why it had suddenly became such a huge deal.
As Oliver escorted me to the cafeteria at lunch I decided to ask him about it. "Why are people staring at me so much?"
"They don't know what to tell you, Lils. It's like you're a new student but"—
I interrupted his repetition of my earlier thoughts. "No, I've gotten used to that. I mean, ever since I borrowed your beanie this morning, people have just been…weird."
He fixed his sunglasses and then flipped his hair. I noticed the flip kind of failed in comparison to what it did back in sixth grade. But I didn't mind because that was one of the things that usually gave me butterflies. He chuckled, "They're just so used to seeing me with it."
I realized he was right. Ever since the hospital, I don't remember a day without him wearing it. I made a mental note to wash it if I managed to take it home with me, and grinned.
The lunch lady growled, "Next!" but her face suddenly lit up when we stepped in front of her.
"Is that supposed to be normal too?" I mumbled towards Oliver.
"Uhh," he stuttered. He glanced back and forth between the lunch lady and me, and then removed his guiding hand from my back, "I'm gonna go join Mya at our lunch table outside. Come on out when you're done, okay?" He stuck his hands in his pockets and shuffled out before I could follow the situation.
I sighed and just got some fruit because my hunger was disturbed by my constant confusion. I easily spotted Oliver and Mya because their table was the only one lucky enough to be under a tree. The air already felt cold the moment I stepped outside, even though it was early September, so under the shade I was freezing. "Are you sure you guys don't want to sit inside?"
"Are you kidding, it's boiling hot in there," Mya said and Oliver nodded.
"Why, are you cold?" Oliver asked anyways.
I was getting colder by the second. "Nah, I'm fine."
From there on lunch pretty much lacked in interesting conversation. Well, Oliver and Mya were deep in many conversations but I had no idea what they were talking about half the time so I stopped paying attention and focused on stopping my shivering. Eventually Oliver also noticed this and offered me his jacket. As cold as I was, I refused—I didn't really intend on causing some sort of revolution around campus considering it was now apparently illegal to wear your best friends clothes. Sheesh, high schoolers and their rules.
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I woke up—I didn't even know I had fallen asleep—to Oliver asking me if I wanted a ride home. I realized I'd completely missed my pre-calculus class and wondered when he'd walked in. I smiled, "Sure, thanks. I guess my injury makes me reidiculously tired. It sucks that all this time I've wanted to know how to drive, and once I do, I forget how."
"Guess that's why I'm here, huh." I smiled and noticed Mya walking our way. "Hey Mya, I'm gonna give her a ride home since, you know, she can't drive anymore. I'll, uh, we'll talk to you later," he said all of this before Mya even opened her mouth so she just nodded, waved goodye to me and kept walking.
Oliver used to always be a step behind things and that was what I used to make fun of him but now he constantly seemed to rush things, and it was getting annoying. Which is good, because annoying wasn't a likeable trait, right? And I needed to get over him. Or did I? Honestly I had no idea where we stood nowadays?
"You know," I started once we got into his car. Seeing him in the driver's seat kind of killed the not-liking-him idea because I always had a thing for a guy who could drive. "You never told me what we turned out like."
I noticed his grip on the steering wheel tightened. 'What do you mean?"
I shrugged. I knew what I meant but I couldn't get to it without making it awkward. "Things happen. Even to the closest of best friends. Especially in five years. So I was wondering… if anything happened to us. You know, in our friendship," I quickly added.
He slowly shook his head and then exhaled, but didn't answer for a while. The whole time I impatiently stared at him, and when I was about to ask again he turned into my driveway. "Like you said, things happen. But we'll always be friends," he finally looked at me since we'd left the school and smiled.
I ignored his smile and concentrated on his tone. Secrets were hidden deep inside that sentence and I knew I had to get them out before I burst. "Aren't you going to come inside?" I asked, standing outside the passenger door. It felt unnatural that I actually had to ask him to come in when usually I'd be pushing him out the door. Something had happened to our friendship, and he couldn't keep it away from me for too long.
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"Um, -é, -aste, -ó, -amos, -astaís, -aron…?" I listed with my eyes closed.
"Perfect," he clapped.
"Oh my gosh, finally!" I cheered joyfully. We'd resorted to fitting in some study time in the living room, which was a lot considering I was mentally six grades behind. Because AP Spanish was the only class we shared that's what we started with. When Oliver and I would ever resort to studying and actually stick to it, I don't know, but for the moment I decided to just roll with it because he seemed comfortable with it.
"I guess I'm that great of a teacher," he grinned—a first since about a week now.
"Whatever," I jokingly rolled my eyes. I tilted my head as I admired him.
He caught my eyes and I gave him my best smile. I know, I know, the point was to get over him but flirting a little wouldn't hurt! I'm technically twelve thus immature, leave me alone. "I'm thirsty," he suddenly said.
I lifted my head, flinging my hair in the process, and raised my eyebrows. "Okay…"
"You want me to…" He pointed towards the kitchen.
"Well, you know where everything is—or at least, you did. Either way, with my mom, everything's still the same even five years later."
"Okay." He took the Spanish book off his lap but before he stood up I noticed my pencil was missing. I glanced his way about to ask him if he'd seen it but I solved the mystery before I opened my mouth. I reached for his ear before he stood, but he instantly backed up as his body froze.
I frowned. "I'm sorry… I was just getting my pencil," I said as I untucked it from behind his ear. "I see that hasn't changed," I tried to loosen him up but I could tell it hadn't really worked as he hastened himself to the kitchen. I sighed and shut my notebook as I waited for him to come back.
He sat back down tossing a soda can beside him as he texted someone—for the hundredth time since we'd been here.
I forgot to wipe off my annoyed look as he finished and looked up, "Oh, um, Mya says hi."
I raised my eyebrows and nodded. "Mya, she's interesting. If I didn't know you, I'd say you guys are related you look so alike sometimes," I lightly chuckled.
"Huh," was his reply. Or grunt.
"How'd we meet her?" I asked as nonchalantly as possible.
"We, uh... at a party."
I slowly nodded. So I was a partying teenager. Fun… I guess. He got another text. I was getting tired of this, "Not to sound rude because I'm really only wondering but… why are we friends with her, again?"
He looked up when he finished reading and sighed. He looked around for a second and then finally looked right into my eyes as I tried my best to ignore the stupid butterflies I was getting, he softly said, "Lils, Mya's my girlfriend."
It was my turn. My body, butterflies and all, completely froze but I couldn't take my eyes off his as mine suddenly teared up.
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And that's why Miley couldn't be Mya. I couldn't get myself to write her as Oliver's girlfriend. This is getting harder than I thought because I sometimes forget that Lilly is technically supposed to be 12, so I tried to sprinkle that in here and there. Hope you liked it! Review? xoxCamy