Memories That Fade Like Photographs: (Chapter 5)

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Thank you all for your wonderful feedback on the last chapter!  I'm super duper happy that you liked it! (x
By the way, I liked your conversation Maxie and Stacey. ;D
Anyways, here you go, enjoy! :) ♥

Chapter 5

            I woke the next morning in a joyful mood, getting out of bed to take a shower.  After grabbing a towel out of a cabinet in the hallway, I walked into the bathroom, shutting and locking the door behind me.

            Once I turned on the water, I could feel the steam from the water on my pale skin.  I stripped out of my clothes and stepped into the shower, rubbing my neck as if to relieve my stress.  With a sigh, I let my thoughts drift to somewhere they felt comfortable.

            I thought about how someone I didn’t know was coming over to see me.  I guess I would have to get to know him then.  When I finished with my shower, I pulled a towel around my body and tied it in the front.  Afterwards, I brushed through my blond hair gently, making sure not to hurt myself.

            Opening the door, I made sure nobody was around before padding to my room softly.  When I reached my room, I shut the door and picked up my bra, sliding the towel off so I could clip it on.

            Once it was adjusted and on, I pulled on my underwear and picked up the towel, heading for the hamper.

            “Hey Hayley, have you—” Alex cut off when I tried to cover myself up with the towel, noticing that he was only dressed in a towel that was wrapped around his waist.

            “Oh my God!” I yelled, pulling the towel around my body and looking away from Alex.

            “Sorry, it’s just kind of a habit,” he chuckled nervously.

            I nodded to myself before letting out a breath of air, “What did you need?” I asked.

            “I was wondering if you’ve seen my jacket?” he asked, shuffling awkwardly behind me.

            I racked my brain quickly, “Uh, yeah, it’s on the dresser,” I said, grabbing it for him and tossing it towards him.

            “Thanks,” he replied with a smile, walking out of the door and shutting it quietly.

            I sighed and walked towards my bed, burying my face in my hands.  Well, that sure was awkward.  I idly thought about what Alex looked like.  The towel covered up below his waist—thank God—but his face seemed so innocent; as if he were a child.

            With another sigh, I picked up my clothes and pulled them on quickly to prevent another awkward encounter from anybody.  When I finished pulling my shirt over my head, I opened the door and walked across the floor with my bare feet.  After reaching the bottom of the staircase, I placed my hand on the end of the rail for a moment.

            “Is it going to be hard?” an unfamiliar voice asked from the kitchen.

            “At first, but she’ll get to know you again,” Alex replied to him in a reassuring tone.

            I inhaled deeply before turning towards the kitchen and walking through the doorway, glancing at the two guys.  The guy standing beside Alex gave me a warm smile.  I had no other choice but to smile back and give a polite wave.  The boy, who I’m assuming is Jeremy, was a pleasant-looking guy with the most beautiful colored eyes I’d ever seen.

            “Hey Hayley, I’m Jeremy,” the boy said, snapping me back into reality.

            “Oh, uh, hi,” I replied timidly, outstretching my hand towards him, looking down when he shook my hand.

            “How are you feeling?” Jeremy asked me, attempting to fire up a conversation.

            I looked at him with a confused expression.  Why wouldn’t I be alright?  Did something happen that I wasn’t aware of?  As my thoughts raced, Jeremy looked at me with an odd expression on his face.

            “I’m fine,” I muttered, walking across the tile floor of the kitchen to retrieve a glass for water.

            I attempted to grasp the cup, but I was a bit too small.  Alex chuckled, and in two seconds, his hand was on my hip, gently pushing me out of the way as he retrieved the glass for me.

            “Thanks,” I muttered, walked towards the refrigerator so I could get some water.

            I glanced at the two boys as I filled up the glass, noticing that they were sharing the same look that Alex and Chad had last night.

            “Is the blond boy here?” I blurted out, walking towards them.

            “Excuse me?” Alex wondered with a small smile.

            I gave an exasperated sigh, “You and Chad looked at each other the same way before you and the blond boy got in a fight,” I explained.

            “Blond boy?” Jeremy questioned looking at Alex.

            “Jason,” Alex muttered.  That’s what it was!

            “Oh!” Jeremy responded with a laugh, “When did all of this happen?” he asked, giving Alex a curious look.

            “Last night,” Alex replied, looking down.  It was obvious that he didn’t really want to talk about it.  I wonder what had been said…

            “No wonder… you’re still busted up,” Jeremy responded with a smile.

            I sighed and walked into the living room, letting the boys talk.  When I reached the living room, I found my mother sitting on the couch.  I gave her a small smile and sat down at the chair on the opposite side of the room.

            “Hey honey,” my mother said with a warm smile.

            I gave her a half smile and set my glass down on the coffee table, glancing at the book in her mother’s lap.  She noticed my gaze and set the book aside with a small shrug.

            “So… have you met Jeremy yet?” my mother wondered, beginning the conversation.

            I nodded, “Yeah, he seems really nice,” I replied, pulling a loose strand of hair behind my ear.

            “You two were really close,” she responded, glancing at the floor and folding her hands together.

            “Hey,” I called softly, causing her to look up at me, “Can I ask you something?” I asked, nibbling on my lower lip.

            “Of course, anything,” she replied, leaning a bit closer to me.

            I blinked back tears and glanced down at the floor, “Never mind.”

            “You can tell me,” my mother urged, placing a comforting hand on my right knee.

            I sighed, remaining quiet as the boys entered the room.  They had noticed the tense atmosphere and began to glance between my mother and I.

            “What’s going on?” Alex spoke up, furrowing his eyebrows.

            I bit my lip and shook my head, trying to come up with a different story.  I just wasn’t in the right frame of mind for this.

            “What’s wrong?” Alex asked, turning towards my mother.

            “I don’t know, she was about to tell me, but you guys walked in the room,” my mother explained.

            Great, now he’s going to get all nosy.

            “Hayley, you can tell any of us anything… you know that, right,” Alex asked, kneeling next to me.

            I sighed and took a deep breath, “I’m not normal.”

            “What?” Alex asked with furrowed eyebrows, “Who told you that?” he added with slight annoyance in his tone.

            I just shook my head, wiping a tear off of my cheek before it became too noticeable.  I saw Alex glancing at the other two people in the room.

            “That girl from the party,” I said in a whisper, closing my eyes momentarily.

            “Lisa,” Alex muttered, his tone filled with acid.  I winced at her name, and Alex pulled me into his chest.

            “Don’t listen to her, Hayley,” Alex said, rubbing my back reassuringly.

            I let out a shaky breath and shook my head as I pulled away from him, “She’s right.  Normal people remember their family,” I choked out.

            “Hayley this is my fault…” Alex trailed off, frowning.

            “How is it your fault?” I wondered.  Wasn’t I the one with the lost memory?

            “I was the one driving… I could have looked around or something, okay?  Just please don’t blame yourself for this.  You’ve got enough weight on your shoulders as it is,” Alex said, giving me another hug.

            I sighed and returned his hug.  For some reason, Alex was the only person I felt comfortable with in this situation.

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Alrighty! :)
This chapter wasn't too eventful, but I still hope you liked it! :}
Just a cute little chapter of mine (;
The next chapter will have a lot more drama! >:)
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