Chapter 3

A nasty shrieked escaped her lips and she palmed her mouth.

Jeez, that was embarrassing.

What’s wrong with her?

“sorry … uh… Hi.” She brought down her hand. She stared at him properly.

Andre had black hair but he had blonde, Andre lives in Arizona not California.

So it’s possible It’s not him.

But then, what about the tattoo. 

Exactly on the same spot, the same words, the same color.

Exactly the picture he had sent to her. The same skin color. 

What about his rare green eyes?

It’s Definately him. She concluded making up her mind not to think about it again.

“hi.” She said again.

He soffed and eyes raped her.

“I… hmm...” She cleared her throat not comfortable with his stares. “ I loved your singing… today... I mean yesterday. Or yesterday and today. 

It was awesome.” She smiled nervously.

He walked closer to her and the smile faded off her face.

She moved backwards a little.

“are you stalking me?” he asked. The smile returned back to her face and she halted.

“What does that even mean?” she asked back and looked behind him.

His friends were some feets away from them giggling.

It's obvious they were their center of attraction.

“boring.” He muttered and made to open the back car door. 

‘So that was his ride?’ Gracie thought.

No wonder he thinks she’s a stalker.

“eh… wait.” She said. But he didn’t reply. 

She searched her head on how to get him to listen to her.

Seeing the tattoo again, she really wanted to ask him if he was Andre.

But then It’d ruin Emma's plan. Ugh.

Even with Emma’s plan she could still find out if it was him. So no need to rush.

“I have something to tell you.” She said.

He opened the car door without even one more stare.

“I saw what you did at the supermarket!” she half yelled and he halted at once.

He slowly closed the door and gave her his full attention.

But he wasn’t looking surprised... or scared.

“you stole something from the supermarket.” She said.

He just stared at her silently for some seconds then gave one of his rare tight smile, laced with ingenuity.

“I don't know what you're talking about.” He said.

“I saw you, don’t even deny it.” She said. He eyed her briefly.

“And what did I steal?” he raised a brow.

Huh... what did he even steal?

Seeing she couldn’t answer that, he smirked. And it made her feel horrible.

“I was trying to be friendly but you are so mean.” She scoffed. 

How can someone be so unbelievably urg.

“What if I rat you out to the cops.” Gracie suggested. She could perceive stench of cigarette from him. Gross.

“you have no proof.” He said.

They both heard his friends’ laughter from behind them.

She felt mocked.

“No proof… lol. 

What a coincident, like I knew. I took a video. 

What if I go give it to the cops.” She crossed her arm.

He was silent for a while, and so was she.

“I don’t believe you.”

“I don’t care.

You should wait then till you get arrested.”

There was a while  of silence. Somehow he felt she wasn’t lying.

He scoffed. Some people can’t just mind their business.

“what do you even want?” he asked.

Oh, he doesn’t even look scared.

“what I want?” she asked herself. What does she want?

She thought it better to make her life more interesting than it already was… so… she was gonna do what Emma says rather than what she wants.

For all she knows, he is Andre!

“go on a date with me.” She said.

“wooooah.” His friends laughed behind him.

She was threatening him.

“👥go on.”👥 One muttered.

👥they look cute together.👥

👥She's into him.👥

“that whole super market stunt, was just a dare okay?

Don’t take it too far.”

“Dare or not you stole something.

So go on a date with...”

“Are you threatening me?”

“uh... uhmn yeah.” She looked around and nodded. 

His friends laughed.

“wrong decision.”

“whatever. 

I have the video of what you did, I’ll give it to you at our date.

Call me tomorrow.”

“How am I sure you won’t duplicate the video and rat me out later?”

She eyed him from head to toe and flipped her hair backwards.

She took his hand and dipped a paper containing her number in it.

“bye.” She said and walked past him and his friends, walking to Emma who had been peeping some distance away.

*

Immediately Rick and his crew drove away, Ella and Gracie rushed to the site to retrieve their camera.

Just that day after they came back from the supermarket, she thought to make a video of her life. 

So they bought a small camera.

Emma couldn’t wait to watch it and see how good Gracie acted.

*

*

“so tell us... what that was about.” James asked Rick amidst driving.

Rick’s head was leaned on the car window. It seemed like he was in deep thoughts.

Brooke nudged his arm and he looked up and they just laughed.

“what was that about earlier?” James asked again.

He scoffed and adjusted to lean his back on the car seat.

“so you guys met at the supermarket earlier when you stole that stuff?”

“since you already know, why ask?” Rick asked less interested in talking to them.

They laughed.

“so why did you accept to go out with her? Do you like her?

I know no one can force you to do what you don’t wanna do.”

“Who said I agreed?” He scoffed.

He threw the paper she gave him away the moment he glanced at it.

But yet, even with his amnesia, he had such a fine memory and he could still remember every single number on it.

*

After his bath, he decided to lay down for a while before it was bright in the morning.

Another day of work.

Rick got out of the bathroom with a towel round his neck, and another round his waist.

He used his drier to dry his wet hair before lying on the bed.

He placed his head on a pillow and folded his arm on his chest awaiting for sleep.

Without much time, he slowly drifted to sleep.

But somehow,  it was like he woke up in another world.

A very different world.

He was hearing a loud argument down stairs.

Of course it was his parents. He sighed tiredly.

The argument stopped and was replaced with struggling and muttering sounds.

After much contemplation, he decided to go down and take a look at what was happening.

He got down from his bed and his eyes met with the mirror.

He had this dark black hair.

He walked past the mirror to the door and exited his room.

He realised the sounds were coming from the sitting room and not his parents room.

So he walked down the stairs.

He saw his dad beating up his mum and she just kept muttering.

“He is your son! He is your son.”

This was the first time ever that their argument resulted to a fight.

He hurried down the stairs.

“Dad... that's enough!” He yelled going to them. He held his dad’s waist pulling him away.

But it was like he was hell bent on beating his mum to a pulp. Like he didn't even know when to stop.

“Just get out.” His mum yelled at him and a punch landed on her face.

She spat out blood.

“Dad stop this.”

“I’m not your father!” He grabbed his mum's hair and she struggled cause it hurt her. 

He raised his fisted hand and punched his dad in his face and he let go of his mum immediately.

“what have you done!” his mum scolded and went to his side.

She stood in front of him.

“run away from here.” She yelled. His dad faced them both and touched his lips.

It was bleeding.

“what... let's go together.”

“Just run Andre! Run!” she yelled.

His dad tried to get to him but his mum blocked and he pushed her away. 

She fell down and hit her head on the marbled floor.

And that was it. She didn't move anymore, or talk or cry or plead.

She just... She just stopped moving.

His eyes dilated in fright.

“mum!” He yelled and fell on his knees besides her. He held her hand. 

But she remained silent.

And the blood slowly flowed from her head.

He touched it. He couldn’t believe it was blood. His mum's blood.

God no! This wasn’t happening!

He looked up at his dad who was now a bit sober at what he did.

“Dad... what have you done!” He growled.

“I’m not your father.” Was the words he heard. And then he felt a huge hit on his head.

He fell down and his view went blank... but he could still hear some sounds though he couldn’t open his eyes.

“i can’t let you expose me.”

After that he heard a loud sound and something pierce into his chest.

He was suddenly enveloped in a world of total darkness.

His eyes snapped open and he sat up on the bed at once.

He touched his chest immediately... And that scar he touched.... the one he knew nothing about told him that this wasn’t just an ordinary dream.

The only thing he knew about the scar was that, it's a bullet wound. 

And that was exactly the same spot he felt something pierce through in his dream.

Could these be part of his past? Yeah it definately is.

For the past two years since his new family found him in the river boundary of Arizona and California, he had been battling with amnesia.

He had never even had a flash of his past. He didnt even remember his name.

After two years, and now he gets the something. Is that even possible?

If that was really part of his past, then life must have been hard on him.

And his name... the woman called him Andre?

Could that be his real name?

The name sounded familiar like he had heard it that day or the previous day.

Then he remembered, Yeah... that girl at the supermarket.

TBC