Chapter Three

JADE

I feel like I have been slapped in the face three times, got run over by a bus and was slapped again. Lance, the guy that I have been crying about for days, that has been my bestie for years, cannot remember ME?

I blink three times and seriously look at him again. "What do you mean - you can't remember me?" He shakes his head. I slump on the bed he is lying on, not knowing whether to laugh or cry. Then I look at him again, pointing at myself, and say, "It's me, Jade! Jade brook!" I've been your best friend since third grade!"

He looks at me, like as if I'm speaking a foreign language. I quickly bring out my phone and start showing him pictures of us.

"See, this is you and I at the bakery next to your house, this is you and I eating pizza in the cafeteria in school, this is you and I in the park, the day this accident happened to you." He takes the phone from me and intently studies the pictures.

Then he says, "Wow, we really were best friends." I ignore the fact that he spoke in past tense and I ask him, "Can you even remember what caused you to be brought to the hospital?" He shakes his head.

**********

LANCE

I am trying my sincere best to remember her. I feel like I have known her before. Seeing how sad not remembering her is making her feel, I also feel a pain in my chest, like someone is tearing it apart.

"What do you remember?" She asks me with intent eyes. Her blue eyes seems to get more blue-ish as I stare into it. It reminds me of the sea, a very alluring sea at that, one I would not mind jumping into. I quickly avert my eyes, inwardly scolding myself for having such thoughts for my best friend. "You seriously can't remember anything?" I look at her questioningly, then realise that she had just asked me a question.

"I seriously can't remember anything apart from my mum."

"So you can't remember your younger sister? Or your dad?"

"I have a younger sister?" Jade let out a sigh of one that is desperate.

"Okay then, tell me about yourself. Do you remember anything about yourself?"

I look down at my hands, folded neatly on my laps. I think of what exactly I know about myself.

"Other than the fact that I am seventeen, I can't remember anything else." She lets out a frustrated sigh, stands up from the bed and sits down again.

"Okay, you know what? I'm gonna help you get your memory back, okay? After all, what are best friends for?" She places her hand on mine, and I grin at her, trying not to think of the tingling sensation that her action caused. She smiles back at me and suddenly I feel like jelly. Why I am like this, I do not know. I quickly clear my throat, in order to ease the tension the silence is causing.

**********

JADE

I'm going to do everything in my power to help Lance regain his memory. I blink my eyes to stop the tears that are threatening to fall.

"So we are gonna start from the basics_" the door opens and Lance's mum enters. She sees me and immediately smiles.

"Jade! It is so good to see you." Then as if she remembered something important, she looks at Lance and her expression saddens.

"Well Jade, it looks like my son here has lost his memory. He can't remember you and some other things." I smile sadly at her.

"I know already and I am going to try my best to help him regain his memory, God help me." Lance's mum smiles back at me sadly.

"Mum! You were gone for over thirty minutes. Where were you?" Lance's mum sighs and sits down at the other side of the bed.

"I went to meet the doctor to tell him that you can't remember some things. That you have lost some parts of your memory."

"What did he say?" I ask.

"The doctor said that Lance was drugged and what he was drugged with is obviously a hard drug. Someone wanted to spike his drink but ended up putting an overdose." She sighs, then continues.

"He said that I should not worry. That his memory loss is only temporary."

"How did he come about that conclusion? I ask.

"They had done a brain scan on him, when taking tests to know the kind of drug that is in his body. He said that he will regain his memory, and we can help by exposing him to things he was familiar with." Lance's mum sighs again. I am feeling very hopeful. Lance will soon be able to remember me.

"Mum? What is the problem?" Lance asks, looking worried. I quickly face Lance's mother and her face is sad.

"There is still a problem, though." She says. Lance and I look at her expectantly, waiting for her to continue.

"They still haven't figured out the drug that was used to spike Lance's drink. If they don't know the drug, it will be difficult for them to know if it will have any side effect on him, that may be temporary or permanent." I quickly look at Lance and see him gulp. A look of fear quickly cross his face. I speak up quickly.

"Ah, no worries. The main thing now is that Lance is alive, and can talk perfectly well." I smile at him.

"It's true. But I just can't help wondering, who would hate my son to the extent of poisoning him?"

"Hey! I have an idea!" I say. Lance and his mum both look at me.

"I'm pretty sure that Lance is very bored from time to time staying in the hospital. So we can liven it up by playing detective, can't we?"

"You seem to be forgetting that I can't remember anything?"

"Leave that job to me." I say and smile at Lance, then at his mother. She smiles back at me sadly and I immediately get the feeling that she is not telling us something.
© Naomi Obasi