Chapter 6
Chapter 6
The car ride home was silent.
I sat in the back seat, staring out the window, watching the world blur past me.
My mom kept glancing at me through the rearview mirror, but she didn’t say anything.
Maybe she knew words wouldn’t help right now.
Or maybe she was scared to say the wrong thing.
I leaned my head against the window and closed my eyes.
But all I could see was Alex’s face.
Blank.
Empty.
Like I was nothing.
A stranger.
Tears burned behind my eyelids, but I refused to let them fall.
Not now.
Not yet.
---
When we got home, Chris was the first to rush out.
“Nell!” he shouted, pulling me into a tight hug that almost knocked the air out of me.
“Easy, Chris,” Mom warned, laughing a little.
“I missed you, dummy,” Chris said, ruffling my hair.
I gave a small smile and hugged him back.
“I missed you too.”
He stepped back and made a face.
“Geez, you smell like hospital.”
I laughed, a real one this time, and Mom smiled at the sound.
“Go get some rest, honey,” she said, grabbing my bag from the car.
“I’ll make dinner.”
I nodded and headed upstairs.
Everything looked the same, but it didn’t feel the same.
My room.
My bed.
My desk full of books and notes.
It all felt... different.
Like I had changed, even if everything else hadn’t.
I threw myself onto the bed, face buried in my pillow, and let out a long, shaky breath.
What was happening to me?
Why did Alex not remember?
Why did I remember everything?
And most importantly...
Why did it feel like none of this was an accident?
---
A knock on the door pulled me out of my thoughts.
“Come in,” I called softly.
Lena peeked her head inside and smiled.
“Hey, sleepyhead.”
I sat up, feeling a little lighter just seeing her.
“Hey.”
She came in with two cups of coffee and handed one to me.
“Figured you could use some caffeine.”
“Thanks.”
I took a sip, the bitter taste grounding me a little.
Lena plopped down beside me on the bed and stretched her legs out.
“So... how are you really feeling?”
I shrugged.
“Tired. Confused. Sad. Everything.”
She nodded slowly.
“Yeah, it’s been a lot.”
We sat in silence for a few minutes, sipping our coffee.
Finally, she broke the silence.
“I saw Rick today,” she said casually.
My whole body stiffened.
“Oh?”
“Yeah. He was asking about you again.”
I frowned.
“What did he say?”
“Just... normal stuff, I guess. If you were feeling better. If you needed anything.”
I bit my lip.
“Lena... doesn’t it seem weird to you?”
She tilted her head.
“What does?”
“That he’s so... involved.”
Lena thought for a moment.
“I mean, he was really nice during the whole hospital thing. Brought snacks. Helped pay some bills. I thought it was sweet.”
I stared down at my coffee cup.
“But why?”
Lena didn’t answer right away.
Maybe because she didn’t know.
Or maybe because deep down, she felt it too.
Something wasn’t adding up.
---
After Lena left, I sat on my bed staring at the ceiling.
I needed answers.
I couldn’t just sit around waiting for them to fall into my lap.
I had to do something.
I picked up my phone and scrolled through my messages.
There it was.
Rick’s last text.
“Hope you’re feeling better. Miss our talks :)”
I hesitated before typing.
"Hey Rick. Thanks for everything. Feel like hanging out sometime soon?"
He replied almost immediately.
"Of course! When are you free?"
"Tomorrow maybe?" I typed.
"Perfect. Let’s grab coffee at the park?"
"Sounds good."
I locked my phone and sighed.
Tomorrow, I would see Rick.
Tomorrow, I would start finding out the truth.
---
That night, I barely slept.
Every time I closed my eyes, flashes of memories came rushing in.
Alex’s smile.
His laugh.
The way he held me like I was his whole world.
Then other flashes.
The lab.
The people in white coats.
The cold metal tables.
The bright lights above me.
Pain.
Fear.
Voices shouting words I didn’t understand.
And always, always Alex’s voice whispering—
"Don’t forget me, Nell. Don’t forget."
---
I woke up sweating, my heart racing.
It was still dark outside.
I sat up, wiping my forehead with the sleeve of my sweater.
I needed to get these memories out of my head before they drove me crazy.
I grabbed a notebook from my desk and started writing everything I could remember.
The dreams.
The flashes.
The things Alex had said.
I wrote until my hand cramped and the sun started rising.
When I finally stopped, I looked down at the mess of words and scribbles.
It didn’t make much sense.
But it was something.
It was a start.
---
The next day was grey and cloudy.
Perfect for my mood.
I dressed in a simple outfit — jeans, a black hoodie, and sneakers.
Nothing fancy.
I told my mom I was meeting Lena for coffee.
I hated lying to her.
But I couldn’t explain all this.
Not yet.
Maybe not ever.
I walked to the park with my hands stuffed in my hoodie pocket.
Rick was already there, sitting on a bench, waving when he saw me.
He looked normal.
Friendly.
Maybe even a little too friendly.
“Hey, Nell!” he called.
“Hey,” I said, forcing a smile.
I sat down beside him, careful to leave a little space between us.
“You’re looking better,” he said.
“Thanks.”
We made small talk for a while — about school, about the weather, about nothing important.
But I was watching him.
Every word.
Every move.
Looking for cracks.
Looking for anything that would tell me who he really was.
Finally, I decided to push a little.
“So... Rick,” I said casually, swirling my coffee cup.
“How did we meet again?”
He blinked.
Then smiled.
“At the ice cream shop, remember? You looked lost and I offered to help.”
“Right,” I said, nodding.
“Funny, because... I don’t remember giving you my number.”
He laughed lightly.
“Well, you were pretty out of it. It was raining and all. Maybe you just forgot.”
Maybe.
Or maybe I didn’t.
I sipped my coffee, pretending to let it go.
But my mind was racing.
Rick was lying.
I didn’t know how I knew.
I just did.
Something about the way he said it.
Too easy.
Too rehearsed.
Like he had practiced it.
“Hey,” he said, nudging me lightly.
“You okay? You look a little pale.”
I forced another smile.
“Just tired.”
He nodded, like he believed me.
But I didn’t believe him.
Not anymore.
---
When I got home, I collapsed onto my bed.
I felt like my whole body was vibrating.
I grabbed my notebook and wrote one sentence:
"Rick is hiding something."
Underneath it, I wrote another:
"Find out what."
And for the first time in a long time, I didn’t feel helpless.
I felt... ready.
Ready to find out the truth.
Ready to fight for what was real.
For Alex.
For myself.