A Tale Of Deception (Completed)

Chapter Three

My eyelids fluttered open, and for a second I thought I was in heaven. All the incredible cars… Then I saw Jackson’s face. Gosh, what a way to come back to reality.

Taking a gasping breath, I sat up from where I’d fallen to the ground. My back was stiff from the hard cement, and my head was pounding with a headache that seemed temporary, but still hurt.

“Wow.” Jackson was sitting beside me. He’d pulled me inside the garage while I was unconscious and we were now sitting with our backs against the left wall. The thick steel felt cold on my back, and I shivered. “I’ve never had anybody faint at this sight before.”

“You expect me not to faint at the sight of almost twenty of the fastest cars in the world?”

“They’re not the fastest! Not all of them, anyway.” He inspected them for a second. “Actually yeah, I have pretty much all of the fastest ones in here.”

Ignoring his egotistical comment, I stood to get a better look. Right beside us was a blue Ferrari Enzo, and next to that was a Bugatti Veyron Super Sport. They went on and on; Ultimate Aero, Saleen S7, Lamborghini Reventon… I was so breathless that Jackson had to remind me to take a breath.

“Please don’t tell me these are all yours.” I looked up at him fearfully. How could one person have so many amazing cars?

“No.” He looked really amused at my state, and he grinned further when I let out a sigh of relief. “So…” His grin turned to a cheeky smile. “Which one are we driving today?”

*

That was how, forty minutes later, we arrived in a busy city with the Enzo. What a way to make an entrance. Every pair of eyes was glued to the excessively expensive car as we weaved through the streets of the city. Although it was winter, I couldn’t see much snow on the streets.

I watched the people passing us as they stared at the car. The windows were so tinted that they couldn’t see me, which was probably best, because I would have freaked them out with my expression. So many people…

“Which city is this?” I questioned.

“It’s the largest city in Washington.”

“I didn’t ask for a history lesson – I asked for the city’s name.”

“Shouldn’t you know what the largest city in Washington is? Didn’t you pay attention in school?”

“I’ve lost my memory, you twit! How would I know?”

“Well, I don’t know either. You tell me.”

“I know you know, Jackson! Tell me!”

“No. I find it highly enjoyable to tease you.”

I pouted, looking outside my window. The night-time sky wasn’t dark due to all the lights of the city. The area was packed with people, so we ended up having to park almost a kilometre away from the cinemas. This was going to be a long walk – Jackson was bugging me already; who knew what he could do in the time it took us to get to Tamika?

As we exited the car and began to walk, I gave him the silent treatment. Stupid little-

“Are you okay?” Jackson halted, forcing me to stop too. Bending down so his head was in front of mine, he smiled. “Did I annoy you?”

I turned my back to him childishly. You always annoy me, I pointed out mentally.

He chuckled, turning me back to face him and pushing me forward so that we began walking again. “We’re in Seattle, Stupid.”

“Really?” My face lit up. I’d forgotten all about our argument already. “I’ve always wanted to go shopping in Seattle!”

He was thoughtful for a second. I watched his face from the side, seeing him smile after a few seconds. This smile was different – a really genuine smile that made him look so much sweeter than normal. “I thought you’d forgotten all your memories.”

“I… Well, I can remember this one, but not all of them. The ones I can remember are really random, too. My favourite drink or colour or stuff like that.”

“They’re important, though, aren’t they?”

“I never said they weren’t. It feels like I’m gaining a part of my identity when I remember them, even if it only is a little part.”

“So what is your favourite colour?”

“Blue. But if you really had been a good friend before, you’d know that already.”

I had been joking, but Jackson took this seriously. “Yeah, I have been a bad friend, haven’t I?” His voice was sad now, softer, as though he was talking only to himself. I didn’t know how to comfort him so I cleared my throat and returned my attention to the city life around us.