«Flynn's POV»

Brain cancer... The words echoed throughout my head, bouncing off the edges and tumbling through the vast darkness. I have... brain cancer. I kept thinking, trying to let it sink in. I can't have brain cancer! Another part of me yelled, willing it to be true. But the truth was, I did have cancer. And they had to surgically remove the tumor or else I was as good as gone. God, quote The Fault in Our Stars once and your life becomes the book. Although I'm nowhere close to being as good as Augustus Waters. He knew how to be right for Hazel. Me? I didn't know how to be right for anyone. Especially not Madeline. She probably hated me. I ruined everything I came near. I ruined my parents' marriage, I ruined my mom's work life AND conscious, I ruined Madeline's life and education, and probably something of Gaige's too.

They told me that when they performed the surgery, things about me could change. Like my motor skills, my memory, and speech. I could forget things, my short-term or long-term memory could be affected, or maybe I wouldn't be able to move. The possibilities were endless, really. "Flynn?" Nurse Laura came into my room. "Are you ready for the surgery? We're going to need to sedate you."

"Um, yeah," I took a deep breath. "I'm ready." Next stop, oblivion. I thought as they rolled me into a different room.

"I'm going to count down from three and then we're going to insert the sedation into your arm. The effects will be immediate." I felt myself nod. "Three... two... one."

Madeline, I hope you know that I love you. The shot was injected into the flesh of my arm and the sedate surged throughout my body. I was out.

-

I woke up in a panic. Where am I? A flow of thoughts swept through my brain, but one stood out. Who am I? That was the scariest thing ever. Not knowing who I was, scared the shit out of me. You're Flynn Blaise Chaste, The sensible part of me screamed. You're sixteen years old...maybe. You attend Mills High School...or you did last year. Your best friend was Gaige Ryder Turner...last year. I faltered to a stop. I couldn't recall anything from this year; I strained to remember what happened. Who was I friends with? Do I have a girlfriend? Why am I in a neck brace? And, would somebody please tell me WHERE THE HELL AM I?

I closed my eyes, hoping the answers would come soon. A few minute's time lapsed and the door quietly swung open. I hear somebody stumble in and come over to the bedside. They were bending over me and inspecting my face... kind of awkward.

I opened my eyes. A pretty girl with stormy gray eyes and light brown hair with blonde highlights was stooping over me. A look of delight spread across her face. "Who are you?" I asked, struggling to remember if I knew her from somewhere.

"Haha, very funny Flynn," She grinned at me, her eyes sparkling. "But that's getting old." What's getting old? I don't know who you are! I wanted to scream.

I was starting to panic. Why couldn't I remember anything? Instead of yelling, I spoke calmly. "I'm not kidding. Who are you? And why are you here? I don't know you."

A look of clear hysteria was starting to break. She ran her hand through her hair several times. She pulled out her phone and started typing away.

"Seriously, are you a nurse or something?" I tried to get her attention. "Better yet, answer me this. WHY AM I HERE?"

She ignored me, still texting someone on her phone. She finished, and when she looked up at me, there were tears in her eyes. "You really don't know who I am?"

"Am I supposed to? Are you a nurse? Can you tell me why I'm here?" I asked rapidly, desperate to have some sort of information to hold on to.

The door burst open, and a guy who looked to be about my age with hazel eyes accompanied by dark brown hair fell in; literally. He tripped over his own feet and tumbled into the room. I smiled to myself as he got to his feet and yelled, "I'm okay!" He looked over at me and a smirk made its way to his face. "Hey Flynn!"

"Uh, hi?" I phrased it like a question.

"Really? He gets a hi but I don't?" The girl questioned.

"I don't know you." I answered curtly. "I remember him." A name popped into my head. "He's Gaige."

"YES!" Gaige pumped his fist in the air. "Lover boy remembers me!"

Someone in scrubs walked into the room. "What's going on here? Flynn is supposed to be resting."

"WILL SOMEBODY PLEASE TELL ME WHAT IS GOING ON!?" I bellowed, bringing all attention to me.

"Oh," The man visibly gulped. "I need you to tell me what you remember."

"Nothing from the past year." I informed him, wincing when a throbbing sensation filled my head.

"Okay, I'll give you the lowdown on everything that's relevant." The man pulled out a clipboard and a pen, jotting something down and then looking back up at me. "You boarded a one-way flight from Kentucky to Connecticut to go see your dad. The plane crashed, and you were one of two survivors. You weren't expected to live but made it through with a surprisingly healthy recovery. But two days before you were scheduled to go home, you passed out and didn't wake up. So we ran a few tests and discovered that you had brain cancer. Earlier today, we performed the surgery."

My brows furrowed in concentration. "But why would I go see my dad? My mom said that we would never go back there again. And why wasn't my mom with me?"

"Uh," The girl stepped forward. "Flynn, your mom passed a few weeks ago."

"What?" No, that wasn't possible. How could I forget that? My mom and I sure weren't close, but we had never gotten into an argument before... Right?

I didn't know anything anymore. This was bad. "Your mom died of a heart attack four weeks ago."

I raised an eyebrow, not wanting to believe it. "And who are you to tell me?"

"Flynn," Gaige cut in. "She's your other best friend, Madeline. Remember her?"

I searched through the memories I possessed. "No, sorry." I glanced at her, and she looked like her whole world was crumbling down.

"You really don't remember me?" She whimpered.

"Um... sorry? I-I can't‒"

"Hey, let's all calm down." The doctor commanded. "Flynn has the capability to remember, but in time. We can't tell him all at once. It'll be too much. We can give him subtle hints and triggers, but he has to remember all by himself."

"What happens if he doesn't remember?" Madeline asked.

"Then there's nothing we can do about it." The doctor said sternly.

"What do you mean, there's nothing you can do about it?" She demanded, her eyes clouded with fear.

"It's exactly what it sounds, I'm afraid." The doctor looked sympathetic, but I didn't want his pity.

"If my mother is gone," I spoke up. "Who am I supposed to live with?"

"Well, after what happened with his Dad, I think that would not be a possibility." The doctor addressed Gaige and Madeline.

"Wait, what happened with my dad?" I asked. I hadn't seen him since I was eight... or so I thought.

"Um, how about you take this one, Madeline?" Gaige said uncomfortably.

"Sometime this century would be nice, thanks." I muttered.

"Uh, you guys kind of disowned each other." She stammered.

I struggled to comprehend the new information. "Well, he can still take me back, right?"

"I'm afraid that would be dangerous." The doctor confided.

I sweat my eyes were as wide as saucers. "Um, what?" I laughed nervously.

"Let's not go into details." Gaige put the conversation to a close. "I'm sure my parents would be willing to take him in."

"They have to be here and sign some papers if you want him to stay with you. Otherwise, I'm afraid we'll either have to find some relatives and ship him off there or he'll have to be taken to an orphanage."

An orphanage? No thanks.

"So should I call my parents?" Gaige questioned.

"I'll call them to explain the situation." The doctor suggested. "I can give you a few minutes to yourselves."

"Okay, thanks." Gaige pulled out his phone, dialed a number, and handed it over.

The doctor walked out of my room and Gaige immediately turned to me. "You're not playing some kind of sick joke, are you?"

My brows furrowed. "You seriously think I would do that? I swear to god I can't remember anything from the past year."

Tears filled Madeline's eyes as I glanced over at her.

"Maybe you'll remember her if you try one of your anti-pickup lines!" Gaige exclaimed brightly. "Try it!"

I sighed wearily and looked back over to her. "Someone better call god..."

"Because heaven is missing an angel?" Madeline said, voice filled with hope.

"Because I think he should come get rid of the devil." I said, smirk strained. "I'm sorry, I don't think this is working. No matter how hard I try, I just can't remember anything. It's all just one big black hole."

A/N: *falls into black hole*