Dr. Reed didn't live far from campus, but it would have been stupid of me not to take the time we had on our way back to talk to Dominic about what the hell was going on in his mind. I barely knew what was going on in mine except that I wouldn't be able to handle hurting him again. I obviously cared too much.

I had spent nearly twenty years learning and perfecting the art of not caring about school and people to keep myself from getting hurt. And the one time I made the impulse decision to try to get to know someone instead of buying something shiny and new, I ended up feeling like an idiot.

What a scam.

"So you remember everything that happened before and while your memory was gone?" I asked.

He nodded from the car seat beside me, but he didn't say anything.

"And that's it? You're just gonna ignore it?" I asked.

This time, he didn't nod. He just ignored me.

"What's your problem? I made a mistake, I fixed it, and I just want to get back right to where we were before this whole mess. I tried to be nice, I tried to apologize, and now I'm beginning to think that I just wasted my time."

"You're very good at that," he said.

I took in a breath. "I don't know why you're trying to do what I do every damn day. You pretend you don't care because then failure doesn't sting nearly as bad."

"So now you're an expert on me and my inner psychology. What'd you ask the talisman for to get a punishment that shitty?"

I shook my head. "I didn't ask for anything. When you don't want to trust people, you get good at finding reasons not to."

"I'm sorry, okay?" he blurted, and before I had the chance to respond, he continued. "I'm sorry that I'm not used to this. People don't usually like me, and I don't know what the hell I'm supposed to do."

I couldn't imagine why that would be. He certainly came across as the friendliest person alive. "People don't usually like me either, so I'm just as lost as you are."

As we pulled into a parking spot back on campus by my dorm building, neither one of us said anything for a moment.

On the first day of ASL this semester, I accidentally insulted him, and he was so mean in retaliation that I just didn't go to class for a few weeks after that because not caring was easier. Not much had changed from those days, but I thought they did. Maybe this was all my fault for making shit up in my head.

I thought we were getting somewhere before I erased his memory. He told me it was a miracle I turned out as okay as I did when he met my mother, he told me he saw that I was trying, he kissed me and the entire sky cleared up and the birds chirped and everything felt right for a moment.

Maybe I skipped the day they taught reading situations in school.

"We should probably let Jack and Sierra know that everything's going to be—" I began as I unbuckled my seat belt and turned off the car, but Dominic spoke over me.

"Maybe all we're ever going to have is this talisman and ourselves."

I hesitated. "What?"

"Think about it. The only two things we have in common are that we're both assholes, and we both are somehow connected to the talisman. That's it, really," he said.

"And we both pretend that we don't care about things because life's easier that way, or did you not hear any of the conversation we just had?"

He shook his head. "I'm trying to make a point here. All I'm saying is that what if that's all there is to it, and we're too stupid to see that there's really nothing here at all?"

"So you didn't feel anything either time we kissed? There wasn't that feeling in your chest and in your stomach that felt weird but good?"

His eyes lit up like he was an old man who had just remembered them for the first time in a long time, but he quickly pushed away the smile that should have come with that look. "I—"

"I should probably remind you just in case those memories didn't come back right," I said.

I wasn't one to talk myself out of doing exactly what I wanted to do, and I wasn't about to let this be the first time. There was a small empty part of my chest (around where my heart should have been) that was scared, but when my lips met his, it was filled with that weird but good feeling but a thousand times more intense than anything I remembered.

If only Sierra and Jack didn't exist. And that was most definitely not a wish, Talisman.

"Dammit, Lindsay," he mumbled as he pulled away.

I smiled. "You felt it, didn't you?"

"So what if I did? This doesn't make any sense—"

"It doesn't have to as long as it feels right. You're better than me in a lot of ways, but this is uncharted territory for you. I live like this," I said.

"I—" He hesitated. "Maybe that makes sense."

"It doesn't have to, but I'm glad you agree."

He smiled at that. "It'll probably be the only time, just so we're clear."

"Oh, I wouldn't be able to tolerate it any other way," I said.

Hey, Dominic, I want to watch TV instead of studying.

Okay, Lindsay! That sounds like so much fun.

I shuddered at the thought of such a conversation.

As Dominic and I headed back to my dorm to let Jack and Sierra know that everything was going to be normal again, I reached for his hand, but as soon as my fingertips touched his skin, he swatted my hand away.

"Okay, look. I did that once because you tricked me into it, but that's a no," Dominic said.

I brought my hand back to my side. "Fine."

It was about a million times more awkward to walk together without my arms doing anything, but apparently, that was my problem.

When we arrived at my room, I knocked on the door just in case. "Hey, guys. We're back, and we're not trying to walk in on anything."

I waited for a moment with no response.

"Sierra? Jack?" I said. "You're in there, right?"

I reached for the door to jiggle the doorknob and scare them into replying, but the door opened anyway. "They left the door unlocked? What if someone came in and stole all of my stuff?"

Of course, that wouldn't be different than any other day. I lived with Sierra, after all.

"Where the hell are they?" Dominic asked.

"I'll text Sierra that we're back and have some good news to share about your memory," I said and sent a text to Sierra.

Across the room on her bed, a phone lit up.

"And she left her phone here." I shook my head. Of course. "Then I'll try Jack."

I sent out another text message, and this time, Jack's phone lit up from on top of my desk.

"What the hell?" I muttered. "This isn't 1990. I'm supposed to be able to contact whoever I want twenty-four-seven."

If they both didn't claim to be my best friend, I would think that they both secretly hated me or something.

"I can't seem to understand why people wouldn't like you and your self-centered view of life," Dominic said.

"Oh, shut up. You literally always seem to know where I am when I know for a fact that I don't share my location with you on any social media," I said.

"You think those companies care about your privacy with sensitive data like your location? You can find anyone's location if you try hard enough." He paused. "That's not what I was doing, though. It really was some magic bullshit."

I nodded. "Of course."

Just as the words left my mouth, Jack's phone lit up again. Either two minutes had magically passed since I sent my text, or he got another notification from someone else.

I glanced up at Dominic next to me. "You're not so morally superior that you're gonna get mad at me if I look at that notification Jack just got, right? He is missing, after all."

He shook his head. "Nope."

I snatched Jack's phone off of the desk. I didn't know his passcode or have his fingerprint stored somewhere just in case, so my options were limited, but at least the message could possibly give me an idea of where he was. Of course, there was my text on the screen, and just above that, there was one from someone saved as Figurehead. Hi, Lindsay. Hi, Lindsay's friend.

I took in a breath, and my heart sank into my stomach. "What the fuck? Who the hell is that from?"

"What's going on?" Dominic asked. I showed him the text, and he let out a huff. "I have a name, whoever you are."

"Why wouldn't Jack save people under their real names? It makes me wonder what my contact is named," I said.

"Cute, Annoying Fake Blonde," Dominic said. "That's what you are in my phone, but without the cute part. That's implied."

I smiled. "That's sweet. You're in my phone as Dick. It's short for Dominic, of course."

Another message came across Jack's phone. It's Harvey, btw. Remember me? Because I sure as hell remember you.

Well, that wasn't supposed to happen. So he wouldn't remember anything about the talisman and the powers it had, I had erased his memory along with Dominic's—

And now that Dominic's was back, it must have brought Harvey's back too.

I knew that was a possibility when I did it, and there wasn't a single time that the talisman granted me what I wanted without a single catch. I looked up at Dominic, and even though I certainly wasn't going to undo the undo, I couldn't help but wonder if the kiss in the car was worth it. Maybe if I got at least a few more from him, it would be, but right now, it was a no.

Another text came in from Figurehead. Jack and his little girlfriend (unless he's lying about it again) are currently unavailable. Please try again later.

On one hand, I was proud of Jack for recognizing who really was the leader of his band, but on the other hand, we were not in a good position. At all.

"Well, we're being watched. And not just by big tech companies and the government," Dominic said.

I nodded. "And I'm guessing that's where Sierra and Jack went, who conveniently don't have their tracking devices, otherwise known as smartphones."

One more text came in. It was just a smiley emoticon with a colon and a parenthesis.

"Not even an emoji. This guy's a psychopath," I said.

"Just when we thought we'd have the rest of the day to hold hands and agree on everything," Dominic said and shook his head.

What a bunch of bullshit.

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Hello everyone! Thank you so much for reading! I'm very proud that I have officially updated two weeks in a row now, so thank you all so much for supporting me.

I am also working on a new book at the moment, but I'm not planning on posting any chapters before I finish this one. Do you prefer having the book available to read the summary and add to your library in advance, or do you prefer being able to read chapter one right away? I'm trying to decide which route I should take with this, so your feedback would be helpful.

So for this week's question, I kinda want to play a game of Two Truths and A Lie, so we can all play! It's very simple. All you have to do is write three things about yourself, two that are true and one that is not, and then we guess which one is the lie! I'll guess on yours if you post them, and then we can give the answers in the next chapter.

Mine are:

I recently got a new pet kitten.

I hate cilantro because it tastes like soap.

I've never been pulled over while driving.

I'll tell you all which one is the lie in the next chapter!