Owen

Forgotten Names

Drew and I still hadn't said a word to each other. It probably didn't help that I was stuck at a table off to the side because I couldn't sit in a desk anymore, not that I had fit that great to begin with. Every once in a while I'd catch him staring at me but as soon as I'd look over he'd drop his eyes down trying to hide it.

If it was guilt, it was eating away at him. And as pissed as I was at him for dropping off the face of the earth, I didn't want him thinking it was his fault.

So when the end of class came, I called his name. He looked over at me, a mix of surprise and hesitation on his face.

"Come here." I told him when he made no move to come over.

This morning when I had my dad drop me off early again, Alec was waiting even though I hadn't asked. I had to admit I was a little relieved. Plus it gave me the opportunity to ask him why Drew was acting especially strange. He didn't have a clue either and chalked it up to his original thought. Guilt.

So even though I was a little bit like an infection, passing my anger around to anyone within a five foot radius, I was gonna try and clear the air.

"Hey, glad your back." He mumbled, his eyes sweeping over my chair.

I wanted to be a dick and ask him if he actually was but I bit it back. That wouldn't help me clear the air.

"Thanks." I rolled myself back a little so I didn't have to look up so far. I wasn't used to everyone being so tall. "What is going on?"

"What do you mean?" He asked.

I couldn't stop my eyes from rolling. "Don't be stupid. I haven't seen you. I haven't heard from you. You're being fucking weird man."

"Sorry." He mumbled.

"What it is then?"

He couldn't look at me. It was something I noticed the handful of times we'd actually talked since my injury with the exception of the very first time in the hospital.

"I...um.." He stumbled over his words. "It's...look.."

I couldn't stand it.

"Alec said he thinks you feel guilty." I cut him off. His eyes darted to mine, he looked nervous.  "Don't. I don't blame you. It was all me. I shouldn't have been fucking stupid."

He nodded his head slowly. I was expecting some sort of visible relief to pass over him. At least a tense breath to escape. Hadn't I just lifted the weight off his shoulders? Why did he still look uncertain?

"Yeah." He mumbled as he dropped his eyes back to the floor. "Thanks."

And why did I feel like that wasn't it?

"So we good man?" I asked.

His head bobbed up and down again as he looked up at me. He was still fucking hiding something. I could see it written all over him.

"Yeah, we're good."

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I went and talked to my soccer coach during lunch. Mostly because lunch was something I wasn't sure I could tackle just yet. Jae was more than happy to head on without me when I told her Coach wanted to talk.

And I called Nan at the end of lunch, practically begging her to come get me again. I was tired but I also just didn't want to be there anymore. She told me no. Maybe she was already anticipating a pattern. Or maybe she thought I was playing around but two days in and she wasn't coming to my rescue anymore. It didn't seem that fair to me.

I rolled into my sixth hour, thankful it was tables and not singular desks so I didn't get shoved off to the side like the spectacle I was. It hadn't been as bad as I expected. Apparently a couple months was enough for rumors to spread along with the actual facts, which I contributed mostly to Alec.

I let out a yawn as I reached the table where I normally sat with Donny, the man himself coming into the room seconds later.

"Hey!" His voice boomed.

"This spot taken?" I asked.

"Yeah, by you." He yanked the chair out of the way in one smooth motion. "Sydney's been trying to steal your spot for months man."

I laughed, even though it wasn't that funny. "Thanks for not letting her take it."

He put his fist out. I hesitated slightly staring at it before my eyes caught a glimpse of a light blond ponytail as it entered class.

"She's in this class?" I blurted.

"Huh, who?" Donny turned, the fist bump momentarily forgotten.

I ignored him as I watched her. She glanced over her should at a girl, saying something before her eyes met mine. They hardened slightly, her lips in a tight line. I was aware that my heart rate had increased slightly as I watched her walk toward me. Was she going to talk to me? I hadn't seen her since the previous morning when she handed me her number.

She didn't stop to talk to me. In fact the brief moment her eyes fell on me was over within milliseconds. Instead, she took a seat at the table beside ours, the girl following her sat beside her. I recognized her, she was the girl that Sydney had been a bitch to about Drew's party.

"Glad your back Owen." The girl said. I couldn't remember her name.

"Thanks." I said quietly. "It's uh..Kelly right?"

She rolled her blue eyes, glancing back at Mina who was shaking her head. That was an all too familiar sight. Had I really gone the whole school year never noticing Mina two seats away? Was I really that oblivious? That self absorbed?

"It's Chelsea." She said flatly, her auburn haired pulled back in a messy braid.

"Right. Chelsea. Sorry." I apologized. "I'm the worst with names."

I was starting to wonder if I was actually terrible with names or if I was just a lazy prick who didn't care about anyone.

I'd screwed up more than just a couple names since I'd been back. Everyone and their mother had been talking to me, telling me they were glad I was back, or asking how I was doing. The especially bold people asking if I did in fact break my neck diving into the shallow end of the pool.

Like during my third hour, one of the cheerleaders that I'd never taken the time to learn her name apparently, struck up a conversation. I knew now that her name wasn't Molly, it was Myric, whatever the fuck kind of name that was. She wasn't too happy that I knew the other cheerleader she was sitting next to was Samantha either. But Jae talked about Samantha more.

Naturally I'd remember her name.

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We are catching up to what I have written so in a few more days updates will no longer be every day.