~9-All Over Again cont'd~

~Rhett~

I see his smile fade for a minute, the past briefly haunting him. After a couple of minutes, while I hide my personal taunting circumstance and pretend to press my phone, he brings the pancake to my front. 

I glare at him as I pick one and bite down. Woah, it tastes really good. "How's it?" He asks right away, grabbing another footstool to sit opposite to me. He picks one for himself and dips it in the syrup. 

"It's...good." I fail to sound nonchalant. Anyone can smell my excitement, plus I'm already eating another one. He made ten pieces and I fear I'll finish seven before he even finishes the one in his hand. 

After rushing about four, I take a break to drink chilled water from a bottle he presents for me just in time. "Why are you acting so nice?"

"I came to see my son in weeks, and I'm making sure he's fine. Uni looks good on you, you know. During my time, I got lean and worn out."

"Yeah, because you smoked lots of weed and drink lots of alcohol." 

"You smoke and drink too, and you're not lean. That hypothesis is wrong. It was because of classes, and I was broke." Dad argues, defending himself. 

Like I care. I'm chewing on another pancake when I ask him. "When do you plan to leave, dad?" 

He looks relieved that I didn't call him Rick. Trust me, I would have assuming I was conscious of that statement. Anything to inconvenient him, I'm all in. "You sound like you want me gone as soon as possible?"

"Precisely. That's what the question implies."

"You didn't even stutter. You must hate me that much."

I knock at the table, looking at him through my lashes. "We've had this conversation enough times. We don't have to have it again. You don't have to act like a baby around me. I'm not here, in this world, to nurture you, Rick. I'm not mom. I'm not going to go all out for you when you come back, sober and pitiful. It killed her. I'm not ready to die. I plan to live a better life and make a name for myself in this world."

He sighs heavily. I fear he doesn't know what to say. But he did anyway. "I'll leave tomorrow morning. I just want to spend sometime with you."

"You didn't even call. What if my roommate was around?"

"But he isn't, is he? And even if he was, I would have lodged in a hotel somewhere." I glare at him and he adds. "I swear. I wouldn't want to annoy you any further. Please, can we enjoy the pancake now?"

"I'm not interested. I'll be in my room. You can take the couch or something."

I pick two more, dip them in the syrup and stuff them in my mouth, causing Rick to smile. Oh, man, I hate that genuine smile of his. How could he be happy that I'm eating his pancakes when I had just gone all out to make him feel inferior of his coming here? 

"He must be hurt inside. He's just pretending." My inner voice tells me and I agree. 

"Be ready by night. You'll be taking us out to a restaurant. We are having a family dinner. Been a while, uh?" He voice rises as I distance and slam the bedroom door behind me. 

I groan and go to sit on the bed. Family dinner, uh? 

I get busy with my phone again but those lingering thoughts wouldn't leave me. To be honest with myself, I'm glad Rick is here. While my distant memories are haunting me, I know there's a familiar face in this house with me. It makes me feel less watched, less afraid. 

Before I know it, I sleep off. 

I wake up to a hand brushing me to wake up. It's Rick. "It's after 7, son. We should start getting ready. I've researched some restaurants myself in case you don't want to do the stress."

"I know of a better spot." Is all I tell him as I go into the bathroom to get ready. 

Checking the time, it says 8:35. We are on our way to the first restaurant I ever went to on my first night here. I pick us the same spot Valois and I picked then while dad goes to get our order. 

I'm watching the news in the opposite view TV when he comes back, but there's really nothing important happening there so I shift my attention back to dad who's almost blocking my view of the screen. 

He passes me my food, but I don't have much appetite. My stomach feels upside down, an unnerving feeling arising in there. I hate how today is going.

 I'm genuinely starting to consider a few things. One, maybe I died and that's why I can't remember anything. Two, maybe someone whipped my memory. Three, maybe this is all a dream and that's why it's so weird and things are happening without me being able to grab any meaning behind them. 

I'm considering number three though, because it's so unlike the Rick I used to know to come and check up on me. 

And speaking of Rick, he shocks me with his speech out of the blue. "I didn't mean for your mom to die because of me. I accept every blame, and that's why I went for rehab. I loved her so much, with my entire being. I can never even look at another woman the way I did for her. She was my all. When she wanted the divorce, I couldn't handle it. I had to drink away the sorrow."

"And she was called to come and pick up from the side of the street you had fallen into from being heavily drunk. The rain caused her death. A truck driver hit her car courtesy of the unclear road, courtesy of your carelessness. She wanted to break things up with you because of this same actions of yours. The way dirty actions. You went back to it. The reason why she wanted to break up with you in the first place turns out to be her end. I can never forgive you."

"You'll hate me till the end of my years and of yours?" He asks, his voice breaking. He swallows hard, dreading the answer that may come out of me. 

My eyes pick something up from the screen. A funeral. At first, I don't understand why I felt connected to it until I checked the news tag and it rings, like an ear-piercing church bell. 

"Have you seen Reynolds?" Elodie's voice ticks in my head again and this time, it haunts. It whips. 

On the news, it reads: the funeral of Reynolds Noir. Oh, my God! I think I know him, but from where?

Why can't I remember who he is?

I think deep, then deeper, digging into my very own head. I close my eyes and think into those dark pits, ready to face whatever darkness lingers within. 

Reynolds Noir, the one who rescued me the very night I came to this restaurant. He fixed my broken ankle, and I fell for him. I crushed hard on him. He would keep my company and walked me home everyday from class. He was such a handsome figure. I see his face now. I see his beautiful smile, his pretty heart shaped lips. He was such a joy. 

Wait, was? How did he die? Wait, something rings even more! I remember Reynolds. How could I have forgotten?

He invited me to the frat party. I saw him there. And then...then...fuck, it's all blank. No, it can't be. We were outside, then he left...the woods...a monster...a vam...

"Argh!" My eyes snap open and I begin to shiver. My entire body freezes, something strong refraining me from remembering more and when I tried to force it again, the pang this time around, the agony that shoots into my blood streams is like a silver poison piercing my skin from within. 

I go into shock and fall to the ground. I can hear Rick's voice in the background, tapping my face to bring me back into consciousness while I shake uncontrollably on the floor. My own body is rejecting me. I can feel it. The icicles hurt, a familiar cold. And I almost saw his face. I almost remember his voice. 

Whoever he is, he's the one behind all this. He's the one who took my memories. 

"Ahhhhh!" I scream to the top of my lungs before darkness shuns me out of the world.