Cursed To Hold My Breath

Forgotten

For a moment my heart kinda stopped as I stared at Haley in disbelief.

"W – what...it's me, Emma." I stammered, placing a hand to my chest.

"Emma?" Haley cocked her head.

"Yea, Emmalyn Johnson." I said, getting a knot in my stomach. "I'm your best friend."

"But my best friend is Alex." Haley pointed to him standing behind me.

I looked back at him in shock but he avoided my gaze and tightened his jaw. "But...I'm your best friend." I turned back to her. "We knew each other since freshman year. You moved in a few houses down, we always sat next to each other on the bus."

Haley looked down, furrowing her brow as I continued. "We'd always come over to each other's houses. We shared classes together, and you'd always help me with my calculus homework because I never paid attention in class." I began listing things that we did together, "That time we went to the movies with everyone, and then ice cream after that. Heck, I even sang in front of everyone."

"Um..." Haley mumbled. "I always sat alone or next to Lillie on the bus...and I wasn't with you at the movies, I don't remember anyone singing."

"But what about your birthday party?" I pressed. "I was there, we all swam and had cake and everything. We all sat in the grass looking up at the stars and just relaxing and..." I trailed off, not wanting to share the scary things that happened, then I looked up and noticed something around her neck. "That necklace!" I pointed at it, "I gave that to you for your birthday."

Haley looked down and fingered the charm that hung from its chain. "I...I'm not sure how I got this..." She frowned.

"Me!" I exclaimed, "I did, that was your present from me, and Todd got you shoes, Levi  got you a basketball, Lillie a leotard, and Alex got you a jersey."

"I remember that but..." Haley trailed off, "I don't know, I remember everything you said, but I just don't know you. I don't remember you being there, it just doesn't ring a bell."

"What about them?" I motioned to everyone in the room who sat silently listening to our conversation.

"That's Lillie, Levi, Todd, and Alex." Haley pointed to each of them as she said their names.

"And me?" I pointed to myself.

"You said your name was Emmalyn, right?" She said uncertainty.

"Yes!" I nodded vehemently, "You seriously don't remember me?" My shoulders sagged as I felt my heart shatter to a million pieces.

"I'm sorry, no." Haley shook her head.

I gasped as I felt a cold feeling in my stomach, and placed a hand to my abdomen while the other covered my mouth. It felt like I was going to be sick. Tears stung the back of my eyes as I blinked them away.

"Emma, are you ok?" I heard Lillie ask, but her voice sounded too far away.

I quickly shook my head and struggled to compose myself. "Why is your hair so short?" I asked.

"Uh, Todd said I was hit in the head, and the doctor had to shave my head to fix it, and it's been growing back kinda fast. See?" Haley lifted her short hair on the side of her head to reveal a line of stitches going from her temple and winding down to the back of her head.

I gasped when I saw it, and I couldn't imagine what had happened to her, but couldn't stop myself from asking. "What happened to her?" I turned to Todd who looked up in surprise. I never let him finish because I believed Haley was dead, but that of course turned out to be false.