A/N: I know I said I'm gonna keep these shorter, so this one is.
Also, speaking of shorter, this chapter is.
Sorry.
Real quick: I need to say in this a/n is that in this story (throughout the whole thing, not just this chapter), the POV is gonna change a lot.
That is all.
Enjoy.
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I was sitting in the back of the bus by myself as usual, on the way to yet another basketball game that the coach wouldn't play me in. There was nobody next to me in the seat, and nobody sitting in the seat across from me, either. Not that that was unusual or anything. Nobody really ever did anything with me or talked to me unless an adult, usually a teacher, told them to. Since no one had told them to, I was sitting by myself, listening to music and staring out the window. This game was against Ardent's high school team, and we were playing there. I was more than a bit anxious to go to Ardent, considering it was the town where my first friend(and still only one of two, including Fritz, who I hadn't seen since) had been killed. The closer we got to the town, the sicker I felt, until we pulled into the school's parking lot, and the team got off the bus, running into the school, and then to the locker rooms to get ready for the game.
{Mike's POV}
I was sitting in the gym, waiting for the game to start with the rest of the team. We had warmed up before the other team arrived, and now they were warming up. Today's game was us versus Alexandria, a town from about a half hour away from here. Whenever I thought about the town, I got a feeling that there was something I should remember about it, but I always brushed the feeling away and continued doing whatever I had been doing before, which at this point was basically just watching the other team. I noticed that there was one kid who was sitting on the bench already, as if he had already finished (or never started) warming up and was waiting for everyone else to finish. I couldn't tell very well what he looked like, except for a mop of straight brown hair on the top of his head that looked like it almost went down to his ears. I reached up and felt the edge of the beanie I wore to cover my bald head and the scars that were on it. I still wasn't entirely sure I knew what happened for me to get them; all I knew was that my parents told me that I'd been in an accident when I was ten, and that I was lucky to be alive. I put my hand back in my lap, looking around the gym until the game started.
~//~
As the game went on, I kept glancing at that same kid multiple times, instead of watching the game (we were winning and the coach wouldn't play me anyway, so it didn't really matter). So far, their coach had yet to put him in. As I looked at him, I got a feeling that was similar to the one I always got when I thought of Alexandria, but stronger: I felt like I knew this kid from somewhere. I had no idea how or where I could have possibly met him, but I just sort of knew that I had. I needed to know who he was. I felt so strongly that I needed meet him that when I saw him ask his coach and leave the gym, I did the same and intercepted him in the hallway.
{Jeremy's POV}
I was getting a drink at the water fountain in the hall when I felt somebody tap me on the shoulder. I stood up straight and looked at them, surprised when I saw a member from the other team. He was probably six or seven inches taller than me, and he had green eyes and... no hair? He was wearing a grey beanie that covered his head, concealing any hair he might have (but it seriously looked like he didn't have any). I didn't know why, but I had a creeping feeling that I'd met him before.
"Uh... hey," he said, looking at me with those piercing green eyes.
"H-hi?" I replied with a questioning tone and look towards him. "D-do I know you...?"
He continued to look back at me, and said "Actually... I think you do... Or at least... I know you?... I don't know..."
That took me by surprise, and my eyes widened a bit and my eyebrows raised. "W-what? How could I possibly know you? How could you possibly know me?"
{Mike's POV}
"Okay, so I don't know you. But I have this feeling that... I don't know, I can't really explain it. It's kinda like... I feel like I should know you, or that I used to know you, or... I don't know." I paused for a moment. Wow, I was saying 'I don't know' a lot. "What's your name?"
He looked up at me with pale blue eyes. "J-Jeremy Fitzgerald. A-and..." He looked down for a moment, brushing a strand of hair from his eyes. I had been right about the length, it went down just past the bottoms of his ears. "I think I-I know what you mean." He looked back up to me. "A-about the feeling?" I nodded, and he continued. "It feels l-like I used to know you. Like you kind of remind me of someone, but I can't quite remember who... I'm guessing that's k-kind of what you mean?"
"Uh, yeah. But... but not the reminding part. You don't really remind me of anyone, I just kind of think I knew you... before... something. But I can't remember what. I don't know." There it was again. "I'm sorry I wasted your time. I've gotta head back." With that, I turned and began to walk away, but Jeremy stopped me.
"W-wait!" I turned back around. "What's your name? You never told me."
"Oh, sorry. Mike Schmidt." Then, I turned and walked back towards the gym entrance, only to be stopped again, much sooner this time.
"Wait!" He sounded much more urgent that time, too. "I do know you!"
That got me. I stopped in my tracks, then turned around and walked back to him. "You do?"
{Jeremy's POV}
"Yeah! B-but... But you..." I put a hand on my forehead, thinking deeply.
"I what?"
"Y-you..." I repeated. I didn't know what to say. I couldn't just tell him he died, because I obviously was wrong, and he obviously hadn't... If he didn't remember me, he might not remember what happened, either. I also figured that everybody might not want him to know what happened. It sounded stupid, but it helped me think of what to say, so I went with it. "Y-you got in an a-accident... I-I thought you were d-dead..."
"What?" He looked at me apologetically. "I'm sorry you didn't know... But I'm sure we can be friends again!" He looked at me hopefully.
"Y-yeah, that'd be great! But we don't have a lot of time now... Oh! I-I got it! There's another game next week, but this time it'll be at my school. At half time, meet me in the h-hall again, and we can talk more."
"Okay! That sounds great!" If you want, I could have my mom bring me instead of taking the team bus so we'll have time to talk after the game, too!" He seemed very excited at the thought.
"S-sounds great! I'll see you next w-week, then." I put out my hand for him to shake.
He did, and then replied. "Yeah, I'll see you then! But, real quick, is it okay if I bring my friend Fritz along?"
"Yeah, that's fine. So okay, I'll see you at halftime next week!"
"See ya!" He called over his shoulder, already having turned and started walking back towards the gym entrance. I waited a few moments before I did the same, stopping midway there when I remembered something he'd said.
"Wait..." I thought out loud. "He still knows Fritz?"
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A/N
*boop*
Hey there. See, I told you there wouldn't be an update schedule.
This chapter came out a day after the first, sure, but who's to say the next one will too?
It could be weeks.
...
...
It won't though.
Thanks for reading!
