My mystery guy

Two nights ago, I heard my parents talking about me, my education, and the accident. 

I'm not a fan of eavesdropping, but I had to hear something, anything about that night I can't remember.

It would have been easier to ask. I had already tried that before I left the hospital, but none of them wanted to tell me. 

They kept their lips shut and won't allow me to go out or talk to any of my friends.

They were undoubtedly keeping something from me.

I was imprisoned in my own home. But I was dying to know the truth.

So I really didn't feel guilty except for the part where my dad blamed himself for what happened.

"If only I had stopped her, Elsie, none of this would have happened." 

I heard my father say, which had instantly formulated a scene in my head: I was off to go somewhere, but with whom and why?

"It's not your fault, Dan. Neither was it Kyle's." 

Hearing his name somehow jolted something inside of me. That unexplainable pain within the depths of my soul made my brow furrow in confusion. 

I know Kyle. 

Kyle Jason Meridez, a schoolmate of mine. He has two older sisters who happened to be identical twins and close friends with my sister and had the exact birthdate as me except for the year.

He was older by three years, to be exact.

I couldn't fathom how I knew all about this when I couldn't pinpoint what he had to do with anything.

"No, not Kyle's." My father replied rather sadly. Their sorrow echoed that of mine so strongly I had to cover my mouth and place a hand over my chest.

"Think of it, Dan, things could have turned out differently, but---" 

But I never heard the end of it. Thanks to Kelsea, who had blown my cover when she passed by me leaning against the wall in the hallway beside our kitchen.

Right after that incident, my parents had been more discreet whenever they were around me. Oh, no, not just around me but whenever they were inside the house, actually. None of them talked about the hospital, what the doctor said, or even about Kyle.

The funny thing was, I knew every single detail about Kyle, but what I couldn't figure out was what role did he play in my life?

Is he someone important? Or is he just somebody I know well enough that I can almost write a biography about him?

I tried to ask Kelsea once to reduce my confusion, but her reaction surprised me. She had turned deathly pale and reprimanded me never to mention his name again and was then out of my sight. I tried the second time with my parents and got the same treatment.

"Stop asking, Kate. It's better that you know nothing. The less you know, the better," my mother had replied after Kyle's name was out of my mouth.

This made me think my family was more than happy that I don't actually remember the accident.

That didn't falter my suspicion, though. They were definitely keeping something from me.

Something that had to do with Kyle.

Something that I should be sad about.

If only my brain could stop being defective just for once. Or at least if only my parents and Kelsea would tell me what had happened and how Kyle was involved in all of this.

But I expect no answer from them. They think they were actually helping me when they were doing the opposite.

Mom's exact words stuck with me: The less you know, the better.

No, it wasn't better. If anything, it was making things worse.

They do not know how I'm feeling. They think I'm okay because I can walk, talk and was catching up with what I have missed.

But that was nowhere near the truth.

The truth was, the less I knew, the less I felt complete.

---

There was a bandage wrapped around my head. That was the first thing I saw when my mother finally allowed me to look in a mirror.

The left side of my cheek was badly bruised. Thankfully, my eyes were spared.

I checked for all the casualties I had obtained from the so-called accident.

So far, my upper body has received most of the damage. An arm sling supported my left arm. It appeared I had broken a few bones there. My right one seemed functional despite the big bruise I found from my shoulders trailing down to my elbows.

Also, I was grateful that my legs and feet were unharmed except for some minor scratches.

All in all, I was okay despite the fact that I somehow appeared to be badly beaten.

My mother said it could have been worse.

I knew what she meant.

She meant I could have died.

And thinking about death, Kyle's name came to mind.

I don't even know how to take that news seeing I still couldn't quite decipher what I got to do with him.

I let the water run in my tub. It helped my thoughts seep easily as I watched it flow.

With my condition, I had to stop school for the time being. I will have to retake the semester, which I will miss when I get better. But that fact hardly bothered me.

What bothered me was my mother not letting me have my phone back or any of my gadgets. I had no access to my social media accounts either. Even the telephone had been off-limits.

If I ever needed to communicate with anyone, I had to ask and have the approval from either one of them.

It felt a little ridiculous.

I wasn't allowed to go anywhere out of the house without company either, but that was the rule I had no trouble with.

I was damaged enough to want to go out or stroll anywhere, looking like hell.

I found the entire thing unnecessary, though.

Shouldn't they at least allow me to talk to my friends and tell them I was okay? That I was alive?

I didn't care about my other gadget but my phone? I will likely find something if I get a hold of it.

Something about Kyle.

I bit my lower lip.

I need to solve this mystery thing hanging around Kyle. I need to learn why he was connected with my accident and why it seemed like my parents were hiding the truth about him.

I need answers.

ASAP.