< -- sixteen -->

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The last day of school finally came and went.

I was finally a senior soon to be graduate and college student but first I had to deal with the small matters at hand . . . like my birthday bash in two months . . . like my parents deciding whether or not to go through with their divorce . . . like my parents deciding if they should tell Eloise that she's adopted . . . like getting Ethan in shape to throw his own punches when Griffin tried to bully him . . . like Neema telling me about our past and if I was going to try to get her to stay with me now that the school year was over and Derrick was no longer a problem.

Setting down her cookies and cream milkshake Neema thanked me scooping off the whipped cream and cherry into a napkin bawling it up. Stirring the rest of the shake she pulled out a six pack of oreos crushing the cookies before pouring the crumbs in the milkshake stirring again.

"You know I could have just asked for extra cookies and creme."

"Please," she scoffed, "the milkshake was already seven dollars. The pack of oreos was four quarters from the ninety-nine cent store. I saved money, trust me."

Sending a text Friday night Neema asked me to meet her at the arcade to have our talk. Playing my boyfriend role to the T the school year was now over and I wanted answers. With only a few hours before Kelsey's party I still needed three of the four hours to talk myself into going before trying to talk Ethan into going with me.

Bring my attention back to Neema I was proud of myself for keeping my jaw off the floor seeing her outside of uniform and not in gym clothes. When she stepped out of her car the scratchless screen to my phone was on the line.

Beige . . . never knew I would like something that reminded me of sand but they way her top fit around her breast dried my throat like swallowing a spoon full sand. Blue jean shorts that covered her belly button the end of her top stopped just underneath her breast leaving a gap of skin to be kissed. Brown legs exposed to the blazing afternoon sun shined as if they had some kind of oil on. An oversized wind blazer covered her shoulders and an ass that I was dying to see.

Unsure of why she wore a jacket in the heat I now realized why she did so in the air conditioned arcade. Pulling from the straw from her mouth she licked the remaining from her glossed lips tightening the muscles in my stomach. She was definitely doing something to me.

"I'm guessing you're ready for an explanation now, huh?"

"It would be nice."

Taping my prosthetic fingers one by one I watched her scratch under the silver flower headband, rub her arms, lick her lips once more fidgeting with the smallest things looking at everything except me.

Releasing my lip ring I paused the impatient tapping, "Ms. Marshall?" Amber eyes shifted to mine. "Why are you so hesitant?"

"Because," her eyes fell to the milkshake, "I don't want you to hate me once you learn what type of horrible person I am."

"I couldn't hate you anyone more than I hate myself." I assured her. "So please, tell me."

"Okay." She exhaled wiping over her brows. "Okay. Alright, so -"

"So we met in preschool. Start there."

"Preschool . . . We did," a smile played at the corner of her lips, "we met in preschool. I wore a floral dress with blue shoes that matched my jacket and you sat next to me on the rug. You had on khaki shorts and a shirt with a dinosaur on it. I said I liked your shirt and you said you liked my shoes. We were at the same lunch table too. My mom has most of my preschool pictures and you're in all of them." She absentmindedly stirred her drink. "Kindergarten was the same. We were lucky enough to be in the same class. We were best buds. Always hanging out. Always having fun and then for my eighth birthday you surprised me with our matching necklaces."

"Where's the other half?"

"I don't know" She shrugged sadly.

"Preschool to high school. Where'd you go?"

"My parents split and I moved with my dad. You and I would talk on the phone everyday, then every other day, then once a week, then just on weekends, then just on Sunday, then the calls stopped." Leaving the spoon in the milkshake she began picking at her nails. "Freshman year I got a call from Cas."

"Cas called you?" Sitting up on my side of the booth I was surprised that he even knew her number. "For what?"

"Just to ask how I was doing and catch me up on you. I guess he noticed that I wasn't apart of your life anymore. Asked if I was thinking about surprising you over the summer. He thought that you would love to see me again and our friendship would magically rekindle."

"So you told him no?"

"I told him I would think about it and ask my parents."

"When was all of this? And why didn't either of you ask me how I felt about it?"

"Why would I ask you about it when we weren't talking? We hadn't talked in years Lars, years. Communication goes both ways."

"It does. Why didn't you ever call me? You could have asked Cas for my cell."

"Are you trying to blame me for the break in our friendship? What about you?" Her brows furrowed creating a line down her forehead. Even in the heat of the moment she was still cute as hell. The thought of kissing her never fading. "You never took the time to seek me out."

"I had . . . other stuff going on."

"Sure." She nodded clearly not believing me and she shouldn't. The things that I remember about my childhood never included her. There were no pictures of us in preschool or kindergarten. No pictures of us wearing our charms or birthday parties, nothing.

Reaching out I grabbed the hand doing the most picking to her nails. "Hey, look at me. Please." Her eyes rose to mine looking as if she wanted to be anywhere but here having this discussion. "I'm sorry. You're right, I could have tried to find you. It wasn't right for me to let years go by without apologizing for treating you like that. I really mean it Neema. I'm honestly sorry."

She squeezed my hands giving a small smile, "Like I said, communication goes both ways. I was still at fault and I'm sorry as well. I did look you up on Facebook though."

"Really?"

"Yeah."

"And what'd you think?" Pulling from me she covered her mouth trying to hide her smile shaking her head. "Oh, you think I'm hot don't you?" She covered her face with both hands. "You actually think I'm good looking and you want to . . ." I gasped for dramatization. ". . . you weren't acting in this girlfriend role, were you?"

"Lars!" She groaned.

"You actually want to date me!"

"I . . . I think you're cute, yes."

"You think I'm a delicious treat."

"I think you've really . . . grown up over the years."

"Suuure, sure." Purposely licking my lips I tugged on my piercings catching her stare. "Yeah, you definitely want me."

"I'm glad you find this entertaining." She put her head down on her crossed arms.

"I find this very refreshing Ms. Marshall. It's been awhile since a girl has drooled over my piercings."

"I WAIT?!"

Throwing my head back my stomach muscles ache from laughing so hard. The look on her pretty face was priceless.

Before I knew it I was coughing trying to spit out my left lung while wiping my cheeks dry. Feeling something cold on the side of my hand Neema nodded to her milkshake. "Wouldn't want you to pass out. Your face is pretty red."

Taking a large gulp I chewed on the extra cookies appreciating the add ons. "That's pretty good." I nodded sliding her shake across the table.

"About a week after Cas called me," she shifted uncomfortably, "your parents called . . . to tell me that you were in a coma." Looking at the napkin holder she blinked several times inhaling deeply. Watching her jaw tick it was obvious she was trying not to cry.

"Seven months of my life I spent with tubes in my throat fighting with myself to wake up and ask the woman crying what was wrong."

"Do you remember anything? Like . . . voices? Do you remember people talking to you?"

"Vaguely."

That tiny perfect smile played on her lips, "That's great. The nurses said you might remember some things."

Did she just admit to -

"Were you there?"

A simple question I thought would end with a smile for both of us brought only sadness to her beautiful face. Frowning at her change in emotion she began picking at her nails again. "I got there three days after your parents called me. You were," the nail picking stopped, "you were so pale . . . and so motionless, I was afraid to get close to you I mean it had been years since we last saw each other and then the moment was there. We were finally reunited but only one of us were really present. I remember . . . I remember the nurse almost hitting me with the door because I hadn't moved an inch." She chuckled softly.

"You were afraid of me?"

"I was afraid for your life. My best bud . . . The guy that used to stick popcorn up his nose and let twizzlers hang from his mouth."

"I did that?"

"You did." We both laughed at her memory of me while I had to make up something because I couldn't remember being silly like that. "When you woke up you didn't know who I was."

"I didn't know who I was either."

"But eventually it came back to you. You remembered your parents, Cas, Ellie. Everyone slowly came back."

"Except you."

She nodded silently, "The paperwork had already been sent for me to switch schools and be closer to you. My parents had agreed to let me move in with my mom and Jason so there was no escaping for me." She gave another empty laugh. "So after another failed day to get you to remember who I was I asked your parents to erase me from your life . . . To act like we never met. To pack all of the pictures of us away and if we were ever in the same place we were to act like strangers."

"And my parents just went along with it?"

"I begged them. I begged everyone to just let it go. I didn't want to force myself in your life."

"Why would you just give up on me like that? You could have brought those picture you wanted to hide and helped me remember. We could have been there for each other like friends do."

"Lars, we were going to the same school. Walking the same halls and you never saw me. I wasn't going out of my way to hide from you. I was there everyday."

"And then detention happened. Did you set that up? Did you set up this Derrick thing?"

"Of course not!" Slouching I looked around the arcade not sure if I should believe her or not. "I had got detention because a girl felt the need to tell me of the two times Derrick lied to me to hook up with her. I told her to enjoy the shit crumbs from Andrea's asshole. Derrick always wanted to try it with me but I said no. He said it would make me orgasam in an etirely different way and from the text I found in his phone I knew he was sucking Andrea's farts while she was spread eagle."

"What the hell!" I wanted to laugh but the image that came to me made my stomach hurt.

Neema shrugged, "My teacher was pissed that I distributed her class and gave me detention."

"That's so wrong." I shuttered.

"Yeah . . . but then you . . . you noticed me and I had to play the part of a stranger."

"But I remembered the charm."

"You did." She pulled the necklace out from its tucked place beneath her shirt. "I was shocked but I'm so happy you remembered."

"I want to remember you Neema. I want to remember our childhood and the fun we had. Do you think you can get those pictures?"

"Are you sure you want to do this?"

It was my turn to shrug, "It wouldn't hurt to try." Making plans to meet up Monday we both stood to leave. "We should play a game." I suggested not wanting to walk away from her just yet.

"What?"

Sliding my hands in my pockets I bumped shoulders with her, "Come on it'll be fun. I'm emotionally drained from this talk and in dire need of some fun." I gasped. "And you would you look at that. We're in an arcade. What a coincidence."

"Ha ha." Grabbing her milkshake she downed several gulps offering me the last of it. Finishing it off I took the cup back to the counter. "So what game?" Neema asked once I got back.

"Anything you want."

"Glad you offered. I want a rematch of the winning game. Same game. Same song."

"You're on."

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