Intrinsical - Lani Woodland [94]
“I was scared. I mean it isn’t every night you tell a girl you love her and she says it back. Then you spill grape juice on yourself like an idiot, leave to change your clothes, and come back to find out she almost drowned. And then steal a car to see her at the hospital but get in an accident, get put on probation, and then never get the chance to visit her . . .” Brent explained, his words tumbling out of his mouth. “If I hadn’t spilled my drink, then—”
My mouth gaped open. “What?”
“It’s my fault,” Brent explained.
“I don’t remember any of that, but it wasn’t your fault.” I said tapping my pencil against the table.
“You don’t remember any of it?”
I shook my head.
“Not even that I told you I loved you and you said it back?” He asked with a frown.
“I told you I loved you?”
Brent gave me a triumphant smile. “You did.”
“Sorry, I don’t remember,” I admitted quietly.
Brent’s face fell but his eyes had a gleam of joy in them. “Oh, what do you remember?”
I thought carefully, feeling an importance to his question I didn’t understand. “I . . . remember talking to you about your brother appearing at the party but that . . . that’s it.”
“Nothing else?”
“No,” I sighed sadly.
“Does that mean I won’t get another declaration of love?”
I laughed nervously. “Not right now.” I was still shocked I had forgotten such an important conversation, accident or no.
“I’ll try to keep my disappointment in check,” Brent grumbled under his breath.
For a second his brown eyes seemed to grow cold, the thin line of green around his iris thickening, and I tensed unexpectedly, but it was gone so quickly I was sure I had imagined it. My shoulder throbbed and I scratched at it, noticing a raised ridge on the skin. I let the collar of my shirt slip down, exposing my bare shoulder, and revealing a brutal black scar there. I could only assume it had happened in the pool, but it didn’t look that new.
I looked up at Brent and found him checking out my scar with intense eyes. I pulled my shirt back together and crossed my legs. Brent shook his head like he was trying to remember what he had been saying.
“I really think you should avoid astral projecting for a while. It’s too dangerous.”
“Dangerous? Life and death dangerous?” The words life and death seemed more ominous than they had just a few days ago. “Why?”
He leaned forward, bringing himself close to me as he whispered in my ear, “There’s something out there that worries me.”
“Okay— I’m an easy sell on being careful these days.”
Brent seemed satisfied with my answer and pulled out a notebook from his backpack. “You missed a very important lab while you were in the hospital. Coach Tait said he’d be willing to have you come after school and make it up.” He gave me a smile that didn’t quite reach his eyes as he went over his notes with me.
****
“You know it’s cruel of our teachers to have you make up all of your missed assignments,” Cherie said, throwing herself dramatically on her bed. “How am I supposed to have any fun while you’re up to your eyeballs in homework?”
“Well, you have Steve.”
Cherie blushed. “Yes. I suppose I do. Still, it isn’t the same. You’ve been studying nonstop for days. I miss you.”
“I’m almost caught up.”
“I know.” She sat up on her bed and glanced at me for a minute. “Do you still not remember anything that happened?”
“No,” I answered, shaking my head. “I keep hoping it will come back. Every once in a while I think I remember something, but then it disappears.”
Cherie shrugged, disappointed. I closed my eyes once more trying to focus all of my collective power on remembering. Still nothing. Anger and frustration rose inside of me. It was building so strong that I felt for a moment that it might overpower me. I opened my eyes, stood up and began pacing around the confines of our small room. I stopped in front of my chest of drawers and directed my pent up anger at my mirror. I dropped my arm and pointed at my image. “Remember!” I commanded myself. I didn’t remember anything, but I did jump back as