Previously…

Suddenly, I got the feeling I was being watched. I snapped out of my trance and looked over at the window, through to the next door veranda. I started when I saw someone stood there; Edward. I felt a smile light my face until he looked away, embarrassed to be caught watching me. I was about to wave. But then I remembered.

I went over to the little door that led out to my own veranda and unlocked it, pushing the door open and stepping out. "Um… Edward?" I asked shyly.

He looked up at me. "Yeah?" he said slowly.

"Are you okay?"

"Yeah," he said again. He pointed to his door. "I'm gonna… go now."

I nodded, but he was already gone. I bit on my lip to stop myself from crying, and then turned and headed into my own room, berating myself for going out there in the first place.

I grabbed my skate bag off of my bed and decided to push Edward out of my mind for now. Skating would be my priority at the moment.

I'm a little bit lost without you

And I'm a bloody big mess inside

And I'm a little bit lost without you

This ain't a love song- this is goodbye

-This Ain't A Love Song, Scouting for Girls (A/N: just for you Laura ;))

Foundation of Memories

Chapter 6- Girl Next Door

Edward POV

I watched over my mother's shoulder as she drove home feeling wistful; I missed my Volvo. It was three o'clock in the afternoon and I had only just been freed from the hospital, even though I was absolutely fine- save for forgetting a few little things. Like that even mattered.

"Do you remember this?" Alice chirped in my ear for the millionth time from the seat next to me.

I sighed and looked over at her. "Yes, Alice, I remember this. I remember everything apart from the accident, okay?"

She scowled slightly. "And Bella."

"And Bella," I conceded with a roll of my eyes.

Nobody spoke again after that until we pulled up outside of our home. I ignored Alice's inquisition as to whether I remembered this and followed Mum into the house. She turned round and faced me in the hallway with a smile. "You okay?" she asked.

"I'm fine!" I insisted. "Why do people keep asking me that?"

My Mum sighed. "Edward, you came out of a coma yesterday. People will be asking you that incessantly for the next few weeks- so you should get used to it."

I pouted and looked up the stairs. I wondered if my bedroom had changed since the accident. "I'm going to my room," I muttered and started up the stairs. I followed the corridor to the door at the end with a sign on it that read: Edward's room in swirly handwriting. I hooked the sign off and held it in my hands with my brow furrowed.

"You made that with Bella when you were eleven." Alice's voice from behind me made me jump.

"Don't do that," I muttered moodily as I pushed the door open and went into my room.

"Jeez, you got up on the wrong side of bed this morning." Unfortunately, Alice followed me.

A bag on my bed caught my eye and I went over and picked it up, surprised to find that it was my phone in a crime scene bag.

"The police brought that here from the scene of the accident; Bella used it to call the ambulance," Alice told me.

"Right," I said, dropping my phone into my hand. Apart from the crack across the screen, it showed no signs that it had been in the accident, even though it had been in my pocket. It was a tough phone. Shame that I couldn't say the same about myself.

Alice was silent as I turned on my phone and waited for it to load. My welcome message was: Edward's a douche-head and Bella's awesome ;) I wondered what the heck that was all about, and then figured that she must have written it. I let a random girl fiddle around with my phone? Then, the screensaver came up. I blinked at it, my eyes wandering over the pretty brunette from the hospital as I waited for a spark of recognition. But nothing happened. I looked at the words written on her forehead and sighed. Had we really been so close?

"What?" Alice asked, seeing my trepidation.

"Nothing." I quickly went into settings and set the screensaver as the usual generic thing. I turned and sat down on my bed as I opened up my image gallery to delete the photo of this Bella girl. But as I flicked through the photos to find it, realisation slowly sunk in. I opened a random photo and met the same pair of chocolate brown eyes. The next one was the same. As were the next thirteen. Had I taken photos of anything else?! I opened the options and went to 'delete all' but then I hesitated… and pressed cancel.

I switched my phone off again and threw it down on my bed. "It's broken," I lied, for Alice's benefit.

She nodded, accepting the lie easily, and then looked around my bedroom. I did too. It was just as I remembered. But… something about it felt wrong. It was almost as though there was something missing. I didn't like it. And then a photo frame by my bed caught my eye. I reached over and picked it up. It was a huge photo frame- one of those that splits into three different photos. The photo on the right was of me, wearing a pair of smart jeans and a black button-up shirt. The photo on the left was of the beautiful dark-haired girl – Bella – and she was wearing an electric blue scoop-necked top and a pair of black leggings. She was blushing adorably and biting slightly on her almost-too-full bottom lip. But an excited smile lifted the corners of her lips and her eyes shone with anticipation. Then I looked at the photo in the middle. It was of both of us- and I should have seen that coming. My arms were around her small body, fitting around her like a puzzle piece slotted into place and I gazed down at her with adoration in my eyes as she looked up at my face, her expression mirroring mine.

"I put that there," Alice said suddenly, as though she had only just remembered it.

I looked up at her, trying to shake the feeling of unease that had settled over me as memories tried to rise to the surface but couldn't get anywhere close. "Why?"

"I took those photos on Sunday… the night of the accident." She sighed and sat down next to me. "You and Bella are… were best friends and it was a kind of tradition that you took her out every Valentines. Last year, you just washed cars or something- you poured baked beans over her car and she was still finding random beans in the foot-wells months later." She laughed lightly at the memory and a feeling of sadness washed over me- that feeling you get when you think you're missing out.

"This year," Alice continued, "I was under the impression that it was supposed to be more special than before. So I dressed Bella up and took photos- I took photos of you too, obviously." She gestured to the photo of me. "And then, when you had both gone, I printed some copies of the best ones and framed them. Bella's got one too. I left this on your desk and gave Charlie – that's Bella's Dad – Bella's copy with the instruction to give it to her when she got back." Alice's smile faded then. "But you didn't come back. We got the call from A&E at just before midnight." She hugged my side slightly. "It was the worst experience for me. Ever. I'm glad your back."

I nodded and hugged her back. Then I pulled open a drawer and put the frame in it, burying it under various bits of crap.

"What are you doing?" Alice demanded.

I looked back at her. "Alice, I don't know that girl."

She stared at me. "She's your best friend."

"But I don't remember her! You know that! How is she supposed to be my best friend when I don't have a clue who she is?"

Alice thought about that for a moment. Then she said, "Does it matter?"

"Of course it matters! Everything would be awkward."

"If you had forgotten me, and Mum, and Dad, you'd still have come home with us," Alice pointed out in an even voice.

"That's different, you guys are-"

"No it's not," Alice interrupted me. "Bella was even worse than me." She stood up so she was taller than me. "Do you know who refused to leave your side for four days solid?"

I didn't answer because we both knew that I knew who she was talking about.

"That's ninety-six hours! She wouldn't eat, wouldn't drink, wouldn't sleep… Edward, all she cared about was you." Alice flexed her fingers. "If you had seen her… it was like… I can't explain it. Edward, you can't just ditch her!"

"I can and I will," I said defiantly, ignoring the way my conscience roared at me inside my head.

Alice glared at me. "Why? If you talk to her, maybe you'll get some of your memories back! Maybe-"

"Leave me alone!" I yelled, my temper suddenly snapping. I stood up so that I towered over her. "Get out of my room and stop prattling on about a girl I don't know!"

Alice's glare became even more furious.

"I mean it, Al," I seethed. "I don't want to hear anything about her."

She took a deep breath and said quietly, "How can you be so selfish?" Then, she turned on her heel and left the room.

Abruptly, I felt awfully guilty. Not because Alice's words were true – although they were – but because of the disappointment in her accusation. I exhaled angrily and wandered over to my veranda, stepping outside and taking a deep breath of the clear air, hoping to clear my head.

But then, I happened to look over at the clear glass door of the next-door bedroom's veranda… just as a girl pulled her top over her head. For a moment, my heart jumped as my eyes roamed over her gorgeous body- petite yet still curvy. But then my eyes settled on her face and my heart dropped back down into my stomach. Bella lived next door as well? Jeez, what kind of a cracked existence did I live? The photos clearly showed that I had been utterly fixated with the girl next door. How clichéd and pathetic.

Suddenly, her eyes snapped over to where I was stood. I looked away over the garden, embarrassed to be caught staring. I heard the click of the lock in the door sound, but I didn't look over until she addressed me nervously.

"Um… Edward?" She said my name meekly, like a kitten.

I reluctantly returned my gaze to her. "Yeah?"

She blushed a bright crimson and fiddled nervously with the cuffs of her sleeves as she asked, "Are you okay?" There was that bloody question again.

I swallowed down my annoyance and stuck to a one word answer. "Yeah." Both of us were silent for a few seconds that felt like much, much longer. I pointed to my door. "I'm gonna… go now." And then I went inside without waiting for her to respond, pulling the curtains shut behind me.

I wondered for a brief moment why I was avoiding her. Alice was right after all; speaking to this mysterious girl would probably bring some memories back. But the doctors had warned that it would probably be traumatic if I recovered any of my memories.

That sounded like a naff excuse even to my own mind, especially when I realised that I wanted to know this girl. I wanted to know some of the things we had done together in a past life. I wanted to get to know her; her mannerisms, her likes and dislikes, just… her. I wanted to know why I had liked her so much.

Acting completely on impulse, I grabbed a jacket off the back of my chair and headed downstairs. I pulled my shoes on my feet and then went into the kitchen to grab the keys from the little white bowl. But just as I reached for them, a hand shot out and grabbed them first. "Mum," I groaned.

"Why do you want the keys?" she asked, raising her eyebrows at me like she had done when she had caught me years ago rummaging through the sweetie drawer. How come I can remember that but not my best friend? I wondered to myself.

I shook that out of my head. "I just want to go for a drive. Clear my head."

My Mum frowned. "I don't know, Edward…"

"I'm fine, Mum," I sighed. "The doctors said I was good as new, remember?"

"They did not say that and you know it. They said you should take it easy."

"But I have to get out of here," I whined like a kid.

Esme smiled sympathetically. "Well, go for a walk. If God hadn't intended for us to walk, then why did he give us legs?"

"He gave us legs so that we can drive," I shot back at her.

Her brow furrowed and I took advantage of her momentary confusion to snatch the keys from her grasp.

"Thanks Mum!" I said as I headed for the door. "I love you!"

I heard her give an irritated sigh. "I love you too," she called after me, "but, for God's sake be careful!"

I hopped in the front seat just as a red truck turned right down the road ahead. I started the engine, and then started to follow.

A while later, I was sat in the car outside the rink, trying to get the nerves up to go in after Bella. It had been weird seeing in her eyes how much my detachment affected her and I wondered why she had come here. I told myself to man up and got out of the car, locking it before heading inside and going through the door to the spectators seats. I vaguely remembered this place, but not in any specific detail; just in the way that I remembered my way around. It was kind of like déjà-vu. Did that mean that this place had been connected to Bella? Was that why I couldn't remember actually being here in my life?

When I got into the spectators arena, I looked down over the masses of seats on to the huge white sheet of thick ice. Bella was there, one tiny figure close to the far right-hand corner of the rink engaged in a fast spin. As I walked slowly and silently down the steps, I kept my eyes on her rotating form, watching as she moved out of it and went into a fast sprint across the ice before leaping into the air and doing a triple loop in the air before landing awkwardly on her foot and stumbling, then slipping onto her ass.

"Ugh!" she exclaimed loudly in annoyance.

I wondered whether I should help her, but she got back to her feet and shook out her legs, seeming fine as she slid deftly back to the corner and started on the impossibly fast one-footed spin again. In awe of her extraordinary talent, I sank into a chair nearby and fixed my eyes on her body.

As I watched her attempt – and fail – the same triple jump over and over again, I couldn't help but wonder whether I had skated with her. Whether I was as good as she was, but just couldn't remember it. She whizzed round and round and I found myself completely engaged in the beauty and delicacy of what she was doing. It was simply incredible.

The sheer determination that decorated her face told me that she was strong and focused and very, very passionate about the skating; she wasn't going to take any crap from it and she wasn't going to let this one move defeat her. As she failed to land it again, I saw the determination on her face wane and exhaustion and devastation attempt to take over.

I felt a pang in my chest as I realised that the devastation was because of me. Because of my amnesia. I had been a prick to pull away from her. Alice was right; it didn't matter that I didn't know her. She was still my best friend.

"Come on, Bella," I whispered to myself, desperate to see her succeed.

She moved back to the corner and went back into the spin, whipping round and round. I willed her on as she darted across the ice… and then completed the triple turn and landed it perfectly. A look of exuberant pride crossed her face as she swept across the rink.

"Yes!" she said, punching the air.

I chuckled into my palm and continued to watch as she attempted it again. This time, though, she spun through the air and then tumbled to the ground. She had done this before, so I sat and waited for her to get up and try again.

But she didn't.

I stood up and moved closer when I saw that she was huddled on the ground; she looked hurt. I was just about to go over and help her, when someone else came out onto the ice. He was dark-skinned and burly, with a pair of black skates on his feet.

"Bella?" he asked worriedly. "Bella, are you okay? That was a nasty fall- I was watching." He went closer and I snuck closer, hiding out of sight so that I could listen in on their conversation. "Bella?" he asked again, softer when he realised that she was crying. "What hurts?"

"Nothing," she squeaked. "Nothing hurts; I'm fine."

"Why are you crying?" the boy asked, helping her to her feet and skating with her to the side near to me. I hid even further around the door.

"I just…" she trailed off and sighed. "Oh, Jake," she whispered.

He was silent for a moment, and then he said, "It's him, isn't it? It's Edward."

I peeked around the doorframe in time to see her nod into his shoulder.

"I heard what happened," 'Jake' said.

Her head shot up at his words. "You did?"

"Yeah, the whole school knows about his amnesia. That stuff spreads like wildfire- you know that, Bells." Who was this guy? And why did he get to call my best friend 'Bells'? Had I called her Bells?

Bella groaned and sniffed again, wiping at her eyes.

The guy looked a little awkward at her emotional outburst. He bit his lip. "You're pretty torn up about this, huh?"

God, he was tactless. 'Pretty torn up'… yeah, no shit Sherlock.

Bella didn't seem to be too offended. She sighed. "I… it's… it's like I don't know him. It's like… I don't even know what it's like." Her voice got quieter then and I had to strain to hear her. "In some ways I wish…" She stopped.

"You wish?" Jake prodded.

Her reply was barely above a whisper, but I still heard it. "I kind of… I wonder whether it would be better if he had…" She stopped again, pressing a hand over her mouth to mask a sob. It didn't matter; both the brawny guy and me knew what she was going to end that sentence with. My fists clenched angrily at my sides.

"Died?" Jake finished for her.

I watched as she nodded. "I feel so bad for feeling like that but… I'm the only one who's lost him, Jake!" She looked desperately up at his face, almost like she was begging him to understand. "He's fine, but I have to see him and know that every memory I have of him – of us – he can't remember."

I didn't want to hear any more. Seeing red, I stormed out of the arena, letting the door slam behind me. She would have preferred me to die. Some friend.

Alice's words from earlier echoed back at me- how can you be so selfish? I nearly growled in frustration; I wasn't the one who was being selfish. And to think that I had wanted to get to know her again. Why had I even been so close to such a self-centred bitch in the first place?

I pulled my phone out of my pocket and opened up my photo album again. This time, I opened up the option to 'delete all' and I pressed it, watching as the little green bar slid across the screen as it deleted the hundreds of photos of the same girl, deleting her from my phone.

And for a second, just a split second, I wished that I could somehow delete her from my past as well.

But then the second passed, and the guilt set in. And, of course, my new-found obsession of wanting to know more about the cliché of a girl next door.

~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~

Awww… poor Edward :(

See, he still has the same feelings… he just can't remember them :(

So… I have nothing much to say today. I was going to update either this or VTN yesterday and I asked my facebook friends which they'd prefer but it was a tie so I didn't know what to do :L So I waited until it wasn't a tie :) And this one won. If you haven't added me on facebook yet then feel free to :) I'm called Steph Cullen and my avatar is of THWTLAL so you know it's me ;) Or there's a link on my profile :)

I don't have much of the next chapter written so I can't say when the next update will be. I'm trying to get it done, but my first GCSE is on Thursday so my Mum's been really on my back for me to do some revision. You know what the first one is? French oral. Yes, how sick is that?! Lol

But please review and I'll try to update ASAP!

Thanks guys! :D

Steph