Page 18 of Fractured Mind
I think about the girls in the corridor and the weird one in class, and it makes me cringe.
Ruby laughs again. “Let me guess, all thegirlswere practically humping his leg?”
Everyone chuckles. Jacksonalmostsmiles.
“So amnesia, hey, kitten?” Levi deadpans. “I bet that sucks. What do you remember?”
“It surely does.” Understatement of the year. “So, all my memories of events, people, and history are gone, but I can still do everyday things like make a cup of coffee. Being in the hospital is fuzzy, but most of my memories begin from the time I came home.”
Levi rubs his chin. “So you pretty much had to start over again?”
“I did. It was overwhelming. I had to make all these decisions again like trying foods and watching movies to see what I liked. Something as simple as what clothes to wear. What to say... what type of person I wanted to be.”
“So you’ve got to watch movies and read books again for the first time?” Ruby asks.
When I nod, she says, “I’m envious of that, being able to read some of my favorite books for the first time. I’ll put together a list of must-haves for movies and books.”
My phone rings on the table and I grab it, but not before Ashton sees it.
“Who’s Nick?” He isn’t angry, but his tone has changed.
Everyone stops talking, looking from one of us to the other. It’s hard to know how to reply. Did Jackson and Ruby tell him who Nick is? Is this a test? “A good friend,” I answer. My phone is still ringing in my hand, so I walk toward the doors to go outside and get some privacy.
“Mia, you there?”
In the sun, I find a vacant seat. “Yes, sorry.”
“The night shifts without you are torture.” He sounds sulky. But then he turns cheery. “Have you seen the delicious tatted-up guy again?”
“Jackson?”
“I have no clue what his name is. I was too busy staring at him and his chiseled body.Hmm, that guy’s hot!”
“Yes, he’s in the group of people I hang out with.”
He lets out a long, dreamy exhale. “I dig the whole broody vibe. How’s your new school? Any more hotties?”
My mind goes straight to the guys sitting at the table right now. “You could say that.”
“Well, tell your Nana I’m moving in,” he jokes.
“Ha ha . . . How’s Karen?”
He groans, and I can just imagine him rolling his eyes. “She’s a damn nightmare, but it pays the bills.”
“You’ll be all right. I have to get going. I’ll talk to you later.”
I finish the call and return to the table. I feel Ashton’s eyes on me.
Ruby turns toward me. “What are you up to this weekend?”
Nana didn’t mention anything. “I’m not too sure.”
“We’re going out on the boat. You should come,” she says enthusiastically.
A thrill courses through me. I’ve never been on a boat before. “Sure, it sounds like fun.”
“Did you want me to get you booze?”