Kyle

It was April 23rd, one month after the accident. So far, my bruises had somehow healed except for the tiny violet marks still visible. However, I looked a lot better than the last time I looked in the mirror.

It was still summer in the Philippines, which made me puff out a great sigh the moment I realized that I'd be doing nothing while waiting for my parents to send me home to them, to Los Angeles finally, so I could at least have my life back.

Things wouldn't be different, but I'd feel more like myself. I'd be in school with my friends Daisy, Jennifer and Lauren, and I'll find Kyle and ask him directly.

That could be one of the many reasons my parents wanted me to be here so that I couldn't see Kyle and I won't be able to find out what happened.

I chewed on the insides of my cheeks and drifted into my subconscious.

I didn't count out the possibility that Kyle might have been my boyfriend or best friend, something like that, given that there was no other reason why I knew every single detail about him, but if he was, then how come he wasn't there at the hospital?

How come I have yet to receive any messages or calls from him?

And how come my family seemed uneasy when I asked about him?

I also considered that he might be the one with me that night, and something terrible had happened to him, and my family didn't want me to know.

I shivered at the thought and wished I had my shelf of books right now.

It was one of the things I was starting to really miss. Back in LA, in times like this, where I had nothing to do and was seemingly distracted, I would lie in bed, reread one of the books on my shelf, and reread it the next day until I could almost memorize the entire thing.

I'm an avid fan of reading. I loved J.K. Rowling's Harry Potter series, James Patterson's Maximum Ride Series and his other books like Suzanne's letter to Nicholas, Rick Riordan's Percy Jackson series, The Kane Chronicles, Heroes of Olympus, the House of Night series, Blue Bloods and many others I can't name now.

I sighed for the second time when my aunt called my name and refused to get my butt off her black couch in the living room as I flipped the television from one channel to the next.

I had to be grateful for cable, but I rarely watch TV.

I pressed the remote I was holding, returning to the star movies where The Scorpion King was showing.

"Kate, I said get dressed." Aunt Hilda placed her hands on her hips and gave me the 'aunt glare.'

Aunt glare was a common glare that only an aunt could give, mostly a stare matched with a patient glower.

I breathed another sigh and finally dropped my feet on the gray carpet, which surrounded only the center table and the black couch until the television set.

My aunt pulled me then and pushed me up the stairs.

"Get your big butt moving. I have strict orders from your mother to keep you out of this house and get you busy. So hurry up; we'll go shopping."

Shopping. I cringed at the thought.

My mother never brought me to shop with her and Kelsea. I prefer to stay back home or hang out with my friends. I let them buy me clothes and whatnot.

I'm not too fond of malls and too-crowded places. It was one of the things I really couldn't take.

"Aunt Hilda, can't I just sleep all day?" I whined, dragging each step to go up to my room.

"No, young lady, you must see how much you are missing." I sighed.

Those words again.

I wasn't missing anything. With my lost memory, a puzzled head about who Kyle was in my life, and a complete no contact from my friends, I don't see in any way that I was missing anything.

"Okay," I answered, knowing I had no fight against my aunt and mother even when we were miles apart.

--

Five shopping bags and one medium size Zagu cookies n' cream flavored later, I was exhausted.

Aunt Hilda was a fashion guru and addicted to clothes. She had already bought two pairs of jeans and a shirt from one shop, but she was yet to be satisfied. I have yet to tour the entire mall, but I was sure I had passed every store here.

I begged my aunt to allow me to sit by the fountain and wait for her while she went shopping. She wasn't scared of losing money, that much I figured out watching how carefree she pinpoints an item and instantly bought it, on cash.

I breathed a sigh of relief as I took the last sip of my drink. I stretched my feet a little and had my eyes wander around.

The atmosphere and the people were no different in LA. Families, friends, couples, and students hang out and enjoy each other's company.

I sighed.

How I wish my family were here.

Then I wondered, if the accident didn't happen, all of this wouldn't have happened.

But really, what happened?

How did I bang my head so hard and land in the hospital, waking up a day after it occurred and remembering nothing of it?

Lastly, Kyle.

He must be the key to all of this. If I could talk to him, reach him, contact him, then I'll have my answers.

I let out another sigh, my eyes turning toward a corner. I blinked, my breath hitching.

I wasn't a firm believer in luck or wishes coming true in an instant. When I was a kid, maybe, but as a grownup, I found out the truth, and it hurt more than a slap on the cheek could, but at least I wasn't being fooled any longer.

Luck is only another term for people who had been given opportunities and were able to grab them just like a coincidence.

Wishes, well, they would only happen if someone makes it happen.

That's how simple I think and how complicated I like to think.

"No way," I murmured, returning to the object of my concern as he stood outside the mall across the road. The persona was looking straight at me, and he was smiling.

In his plain black shirt, denim and black and blue Converse, my heart leapt, a sense of recognition.

Kyle.