I would like to quickly point a mistake in the previous chapter. Love Remains the Same is by Gavin Rossdale. Not 'The Cure'. That was an editing error, sorry.

I'd just gotten out of first period and now exchanged books at my locker—which I finally could operate on my own. My mom dropped me off this morning because she had a later start so I had yet to see Oliver. I wasn't sure if I wanted to yet though; I still didn't know what to tell him after listening to 'Love Story' all night.

Somehow I snapped out of my thoughtful trance, just in time to see Mya turn the corner. She glanced back and caught my stare and narrowed her eyes a bit—she knew I knew. Nonetheless she suddenly turned around and walked to me.

"Look, I know you know you should hate me. But does that really mean you have to? I wouldn't mind continuing pretending to be your friend if"—

I smiled and nodded, signaling that I agreed with the friendship deal. I quickly jumped to what currently occupied my mind, "Oliver made me a CD… to explain stuff. I haven't listened to all of it yet but it sounds interesting so far."

"Yeah, he does that. In fact, that was part of how he asked me out." I raised my eyebrows; part of me didn't really care to hear this but I listened anyways. "He put the song 'Love Story'—you probably don't know it, it's relatively new—by Taylor Swift on a loop 10 times on a CD and was like 'If you don't get it after 10 times, I don't know if I wanna date you anymore'." She giggled.

And I laughed too. But, unlike her, I was laughing because I very well knew the song 'Love Story'. Kind of had become fairly familiar with it in the last 12 hours, I'll say.

This made me wonder even more what it meant. Is he saying he asked me out at some point in time?? Or was this just about when he asked Mya out? Either way, I knew better than to mention it to her until I had it figured out.

--

A month had passed by and I hadn't really attained any success in my missions—one trying to figure out the CD and the other getting over my childhood crush on my best friend who had a girlfriend. I swore that second one just got more complex as time passed.

"What do you want to do?" I asked aimlessly as we sat in his car recently parked in my driveway.

"What do you mean?" he asked his rearview mirror as he fixed his hair—something he was then paranoid about and now absolutely obsessed with.

"Let's go do something, it's a beautiful day!" I turned to face him.

He chuckled, "Okay… wanna get a smoothie?"

I rolled my eyes, "Nah, I think I've had my fair share of smoothies lately." It seemed every time I suggested we do something it was automatically either Rico's or—

"So you wanna go skate?"

--that. With Mya involved every other time.

"No Oliver, there are other things we did besides drink smoothies and ride our boards!"

He raised his eyebrows and tilted his head in thought, "I… guess…"

I sighed as I went through another typical moment of 'How freakin' deteriorated has our friendship gotten?!?!?' "Let's go to the park!" I tried to say gleefully.

He finally fully turned to face me as he burst out laughing. "The park? Really? How much of your head is injured right now?"

"Hey, watch it!" I playfully smacked his arm. "And what's wrong with hanging out at the park?"

He stared at me with a wide grin I'd finally managed to regularly get on his face. "Nothing. Let's go."

--

It was now sunset and I skillfully turned around in my swing so as to watch it.

"This makes it kind of impossible to push you, Lils," Oliver said backing up so my legs wouldn't hit him. Besides wanting to watch the sunset, I wanted to talk to him which I knew we couldn't do seriously if I wasn't facing him.

"I can swing on my own you know."

"I know, but I was having fun. Now stop trying to injure me, and keep your legs down; I'll push your knees."

"Fine." I leaned my head against the chain as I felt the pressure against my knees—occasionally missing and getting my thighs—every few seconds. "You're missing a wonderful sunset."

He watched me and smiled as I swung back down, "I'll live."

For a while I just watched him watch me watch the sunset—which I obviously wasn't doing if I was watching him, but he didn't need to know that. He'd never regained his beanie from me so now he always wore his sunglasses. Because it was dark though, he had them hanging on the neck of his navy v-shirt which extended the peak of his bare skin just a bit. The purplish light angelically shined against his jet black hair somehow making his chocolaty eyes pop out more. And I'm not even going to describe the tingles I felt each time his hands missed my knees.

"Why don't we hang out as much?" I asked nonchalantly also trying to distract my mind.

"What makes you think that?"

"It's been nearly a month now, yet each time I ask you to hang out you sound so surprised as if I'd never ask you to do such a thing."

"Well, we go to Rico's and skating all the time. The park… yeah, that's a little more… out there," he chuckled. He looked like he was thinking about something again.

"What are you thinking about?"

"Huh?"

"Oliver…" I glared at him. I really hoped he wouldn't try to avoid the situation again.

He sighed, defeated. "The last time we went to the park."

"When was that?"

He looked at me, "Quite a while ago."

"Oliver, a while ago for me is like fifth grade."

He laughed a bit, "Hah, no, more like junior high."

"Geez, so not once in high school we came here? That's forever!"

"Kinda," he mumbled.

"Why?"

He held on to my knees to slow me to a stop, "I… don't know."

It was a good idea for him to hold on to my knees because I had the strong urge to kick him. "Of course you don't," I grumbled.

He tried to help me off the swing but I refused and got off myself. "We should go; I haven't even started that ridiculous Spanish paper."

I couldn't help but laugh, "Oliver, it's due tomorrow."

"Exactly why we need to jet out of here," he laughed too, and took my hand as we ran to his car.

--

"Alright, despite your annoying will to tell me anything, I had fun," I smiled. I stood against my door and I had to tilt my head upwards because he was taller than me and he stood only a few inches in front of me.

"Yeah, you were right, we should do that again."

"Oh no, I've got something better planned for next time, but you'll just have to wait and see," I teased, pocking his chest.

"Can't wait," he smiled.

I gave him a quick hug goodbye. These usually last approximately two seconds. Four max. I wasn't counting but I knew we'd passed all legal goodbye hugs time limits. Nonetheless, I couldn't get myself to let go. Even though he was taller than me I could still easily prop my head on his shoulders and perfectly tilt it into his neck. I wondered if it was normal for it to fit so comfortably.

Don't think I was holding him captive either, I'd mentally promised myself that if he'd let go I would let him, but he had made no intention to do so either—and I didn't mind. The street lights in front of my house turned off from lack of movement so that we now stood in nearly complete darkness.

I finally separated, but only to reconnect through our lips. I could say I didn't know what overtook me, yet I knew I'd wanted to this for the longest time. He didn't back off. In fact, he kissed me back more forcefully and deeper and way better than I'd ever expected. Ever. Even when I'd almost gotten the guts to do this back in 6th grade. I know this is the typical girl thing to say after a kiss but seriously, it was perfect.

We separated when our lungs nearly collapsed from lack of oxygen. I don't know if I looked as shock and out of breath as I felt, but he looked completely calm. Way too calm. "You've done this before," my voice came out a whisper.

"Kissed a girl? Well Mya and I have been dating for over two years now so"—

"No." I wanted to hit him again but couldn't find the strength to. "Kissed me."

I looked him straight in his eyes which lightly glistened in the moonlight; he unexpectedly tucked a strand of my hair behind my ear. "You're right."

--

The school day was a complete daze to me. Nothing major happened. In Spanish, Oliver and I partnered off to correct each other's papers but an on-looker wouldn't have guessed that we'd kissed the night before.

At first I didn't mind too much because I was still trying to collect my thoughts together, put the tiny puzzle pieces Oliver occasionally provided together. It wasn't until lunch that a flame ready to destroy anything and anyone in its path grew in me. I went outside with my jacket on like I did daily because apparently my sudden inabilities to withstand barely cool weather were due to my injury. I nearly dropped my plate as I approached the table I shared with Oliver and Mya.

They sat closely like a normal couple would. Her head rested on his shoulder like a normal girlfriend would do—though I noticed her head was too big for his neck space. And with his hand that wasn't around her he called me over like a normal best friend would. But I knew none of this was normal. Especially not after last night; none of it could be normal any longer, yet all day he'd been acting like it was, and I seriously wanted to hurt him for it.

"Hey guys! Um, Oliver, Senora Carter needs to speak to you," I stood there as calmly as possible as he slid himself off the bench.

"Dang it, I hope it's not about my lame essay."

I shrugged, "Wait up, I'll walk with you, I forgot something in my locker."

As soon as we were out of Mya's sight I angrily turned toward him.

"If she makes me redo it I'm gonna be pissed! I stayed up till 3am doing that"—

"Oliver, just shut up and listen!" I cut him off. "So you're just going to kiss me and then go on with your girlfriend the next day as if nothing happened? What the hell, Oliver?"

"Okay… you're going to have to not say that so loudly," he said putting his hands on my shoulders and looking around.

I forcefully shrugged them off. "Answer me, or I swear I'll walk up right up to her right now and tell her!" I had no intention of doing that but as far as I remembered, Oliver had always been a gullible one.

He sighed, clearly afraid. "You're right, I shouldn't have done that. I'm sorry, I truly am."

He bit his lip and then looked at me with a pleading face. I waited for more and then realized he was still afraid I'd tell Mya. Oh so still gullible. "I won't tell her!" I rolled my eyes.

But his face expression didn't change much. He shook his head, "Thanks, but that's not it." He lowered his voice, "Didn't you listen to the CD?"

As I've remarked so often, Oliver usually looked away during our conversations but at the moment his eyes hadn't left mine since my threat, making my eyes dart around for freedom. "Like, the first two songs…" It reminded me to ask him about that Love Story song.

"Listen to all of it. It'll explain."

"Explain what?" His eyes had a creepy way of calming me down.

He stood there for a few seconds as if figuring out how to answer. "Everything, k?"

--

Doesn't take a genius to figure that my earlier conversation with Oliver lead me nowhere. "It'll explain… everything". What's that even supposed to mean? What is everything? And how on earth does he expect a couple of songs to define it.

This is why I decided to ask Mya for a ride home at the end of the day. Oliver said they'd been dating for two years which is almost half of the memory I need. If she wanted to keep a pretense friendship with me, the least she could do was help me.

"Ready to go?" She asked as I ran up to her car.

"Yeah, sorry I had to run back to English because I forgot my jacket in there."

We got in and silence surrounded us. "So… how was your day?" She attempted.

I mentally rolled my eyes. "Um, good, but there's something I gotta ask you."

"Shoot," she said enthusiastic for a conversation.

"So, as you probably can tell, Oliver blatantly refuses to tell me anything to help me with my memory—I mean, look how long it took him to tell me even about you guys." She chuckled uncomfortably. I wondered if we could ever have had a conversation like this if my memory was in place. "So I wondered if you could help me!" I tried to make this sound joyful, but I couldn't help but dread anything that was to come out of her mouth for some reason.

She slowly nodded and puffed her cheeks. She played with the air caught in her mouth for a few seconds and then exhaled. "Okay… what do you want me to tell you?"

"Everything!" I practically leaped in her lap with excitement. But I didn't.

She obviously looked uneasy with the idea even if her eyes hadn't moved from the road. "Umm… hmm… Well, there are some things that I'm probably not the best person to tell you though"—

"Fine, fine," I flipped my hand along with the idea, already hearing the excuses. "What about relationships…? Oliver told me I used to date a Jason?" I asked this carefully. I was talking to the girlfriend of my best friend aka my deep crush.

"Yeah, Jason Lee Parker." I mentally made a note to self: I date guys who think they're too amazing for just a first name basis. Gross. "Cool dude basically, though you did break up with him in May, I believe. Some time between prom and graduation."

"…Because he was graduating?" I asked again, hoping Oliver liked her for her honesty.

She shrugged as if forcing herself to, "That was your story. To tell you the truth, I personally didn't quite believe you... but that was my own opinion of course."

I nodded; this was the truth I was after. Why was I suddenly starting to feel like a detective? "Anybody else?"

"That you've dated?"

"Sure. And, um, Oliver if you don't mind. Him being such a big part of my life, I think that knowing about him would help too, you know." I tried to add smoothly.

"You've… each had your share of relationships, I guess. I don't really know what to tell you…"

She was beginning to sound like Oliver. She finally pulled into my driveway and I realized that she may have taken the longer way. I got out, "Thanks… I guess."

"I'm sorry I couldn't tell you much. It's just that for some of that stuff I'm not sure I'm the best person to inform you…"

I didn't bother invite her in, using my injury as reason and we left it off at that. I shut my door knowing I would have a lot of thinking to do only to hear the doorbell ring. What does she want?

A girl about my height, orangish-red hair with a punk look to her stood in front of me. "Here all done and sounding great. Best of luck to ya." Her voice was annoyingly monotone but that's all she said. I figured I was also supposed to know her though I couldn't recall even seeing her at school. From the side of her backpack she took out a CD with my name scribbled on it, handed it to me, and left. Just like that. Obviously she hadn't gotten the amnesia memo.

Had I stepped into the age of CDs or something? Was that how everyone communicated? This CD didn't say anything else besides my name—spelled wrong!--so I quickly stuck it in my computer—once again, for curiosity's sake.

Only one track. I didn't recognize the song but it was sung live. It was definitely either a love song or quite a passionate one. And though it took me a while, I realized, it was being sung by me.

Wowww, a shizzload of stuff happened this chapter! I'm sorry I had to crunch it up like that :/ Does that mean longer reviews? Lol xoxCamy