Me, Mike, and Amnesia, chapter 14
Mike walked over and wordlessly sat down next to me. For a second we both just sat there, staring at each other. I had no idea how to begin. Finally something in me just said, Fuck it. Just say it and get it over with.
"Uh... Mike? There's something I have to tell you."
He nodded and grimaced. I could tell that he knew nothing good could come of an introduction like that.
"Um... yeah." I blew out a breath. "It's just... I... don't. Love you. You know."
He nodded again. "Yeah, I knew it was something like that."
I looked at him in shock. I had expected him to be heartbroken. "You knew?"
He chuckled softly. "I figured, when you ran out of the room in fear after... I kissed you, that you probably weren't madly in love with me."
"And... you're okay with that?" I was still mildly surprised.
He shrugged. "Yeah, you know, I'll get over it."
I smiled, relieved. "Okay. I'm sorry, Mike."
"It's okay. Where are Billie Joe and Tre?"
"Billie Joe went out with Adrienne, and Tre... ." I paused. "Tre's in the bathroom."
"Why do you say it like that?"
"It's a long story." I wondered if I should tell Mike, but I decided against it.
"Do you want to talk about it?"
I shook my head, not looking at him. "Not yet."
Mike shrugged. "Okay." There was a brief silence, then he said, "I'm going to go for a walk. I'll be back in a while."
"Sure you don't want me to go with you?"
He smiled. "Yeah, I'm sure. See you later."
"Bye." I watched him leave, then sighed. That had been easier than I had thought, but I had no idea what I was going to do now. Wait for Tre? Call Billie Joe on his date with Adrienne and bother him? Sit here by myself?
All the excitement of the day had made me extremely hungry, so I decided to make myself a sandwich while I thought about things. As I ate, I knew Billie Joe had been right. Things were fucked up now, but they would get better. Maybe I should get a job, and convince Mike to get one too, so we could have something to do during the day. Maybe interacting with other people would make him less depressed, and they could get their band started again. I knew that would make Billie Joe and Tre happy, and it would be good for Mike too. I thought, and I stared out the window, and I ate my sandwich, until I heard footsteps behind me.
I turned just in time to see Tre walk quickly through the kitchen to the living room. He was avoiding me, that much was clear. I sighed. I felt awful, I really did, but I wish things could just go back to the way they used to be, when all four of us were friends, and amnesia and love hadn't screwed things up so bad. I got up, put my plate in the dishwasher, and walked to my room, where I laid down on my bed. I was only going to shut my eyes for a few minutes, but instead fell into a deep sleep. I woke to the sound of someone knocking on my door.
"Violet?" Billie Joe hissed as he slowly slid the door open.
I groaned and rubbed at my face. "Yeah?"
"You asleep?"
"Not anymore."
He smiled. "Sorry about that."
"It's okay. What time is it?"
"Almost one."
"In the morning?"
"No, in the afternoon. That's why it's all dark." He smirked.
"Shut up, smartass."
"Where's Mike?"
I sat up, now completely awake. "Isn't he here?"
"No. Did he ever come home?"
"Yeah, for a few minutes, and I talked to him, and he said that he was going for a walk."
"When was that?"
I thought. "I don't know, I guess about seven?"
Both of us mentally calculated. "A six hour walk?" Billie Joe whispered.
I got up quickly and walked into the living room. Billie Joe followed. I shook Tre, who was sleeping on the couch. "Tre!" I hissed. "Wake up!" I had completely forgotten that he was supposed to be ignoring me. At this point I was so worried about Mike, I couldn't think about anything else.
"No... ." he groaned. "Not yet."
"Tre, you lazy fucker, Mike's missing," Billie Joe added.
"What?" Tre's voice lost some of its sleepiness.
"Did you ever see him yesterday?" I asked.
He paused. "No. Not after yesterday morning."
"Shit," I muttered. I turned to Billie Joe. "What are we going to do?"
"We have to look for him." He looked determined.
I nodded, ran to my room to get a jacket, and followed Billie Joe and Tre out the door. Everything outside was cold, foggy, and quiet. It was like walking through a graveyard full of smoke machines as we walked down the street to the van. We got in, and Tre started the car.
"Where are we supposed to look?" Tre snapped. He was obviously annoyed at having been woken up.
I looked at Billie Joe. "We could start at the park," he suggested.
I shrugged. "Sure." We arrived at the park, and the three of us got out and started searching every bench, behind every tree, in every bathroom, calling Mike's name softly the entire time. We met back at the car twenty minutes later, disappointed.
"He's not here," Billie Joe stated the obvious. So we got back in the van and drove off. My worry and fear grew with every second that passed, knowing Mike was still out there somewhere. Something could have happened to him, he had nowhere to go. Why was he doing this? Or was he somewhere, held against his will? I refused to think of something so depressing as I stared out into the night, my breath fogging the icy window. All three of us continued to search as Tre drove down streets and alleys, looking for any sign Mike had been there.
"Wait!" Billie Joe called out suddenly. "What is that?" He pointed at a lump at the side of a street about four blocks from our apartment, a lump that was definitely wearing Mike's jacket.
"Oh my God," I wailed as I rushed out of the car over to Mike. I knelt down next to him, wringing my hands, not knowing what to do. "He's not moving," I whispered urgently. Billie Joe gently turned him over until he was lying on his back.
"Mike," he shook him gently. "Mike, come on." I noticed tears on Billie Joe's cheeks. "Don't... Mike, wake up. You gotta wake up."
Tre stood behind us, not knowing what to do. I shot him a worried glance, and he shrugged. I heard a groan and quickly turned back to Mike.
"You guys... what? How?" he was muttering. I couldn't help that it sounded like what he had said the morning he had woken up with amnesia.
Billie Joe laughed through his tears. "Oh my God, Mike!" He enveloped him in a hug.
"Hey, don't go getting all mushy on me. I'm fine." Mike struggled to sit up.
"Mike, what happened?" I laughed and hugged him as well.
He paused, seemingly deep in thought. "I... wait a fucking minute." His head whipped around as he studied buildings and street signs around us. "I know this street." He stood up quickly and laughed. "I know this street!"
Billie Joe and I looked at him in confusion. "What are you talking about?"
Mike laughed again, and smiled as he talked. "I got lost. Because I had amnesia, and I went for a walk, and I didn't know where I was. And now... .I know this street!"
My mouth dropped open. "Mike," I whispered. "Are you saying you don't have amnesia anymore?"
He laughed. "Yeah! Yeah, I guess I am! Because I know where I am, and you guys, and I remember, distinctly, that time we went to the coffee shop and Billie was drunk, and asked the waitress for cauliflower. Do you guys remember that? That was funny."
I grinned and wrapped my arms around Mike. Billie Joe laughed and hugged both of us, and Tre muttered, "Oh, what the hell," and hugged all of us. We stood there until it became awkward, and then Billie Joe, Tre, and I stepped back and stared at Mike.
"So what do you want to do, now that you have your memory back?" Billie Joe asked him.
"Well... " Mike said thoughtfully. "I seem to remember that I have a certain fondness for pizza, and I AM rather hungry, so... "
"Uh... Mike? There's something I have to tell you."
He nodded and grimaced. I could tell that he knew nothing good could come of an introduction like that.
"Um... yeah." I blew out a breath. "It's just... I... don't. Love you. You know."
He nodded again. "Yeah, I knew it was something like that."
I looked at him in shock. I had expected him to be heartbroken. "You knew?"
He chuckled softly. "I figured, when you ran out of the room in fear after... I kissed you, that you probably weren't madly in love with me."
"And... you're okay with that?" I was still mildly surprised.
He shrugged. "Yeah, you know, I'll get over it."
I smiled, relieved. "Okay. I'm sorry, Mike."
"It's okay. Where are Billie Joe and Tre?"
"Billie Joe went out with Adrienne, and Tre... ." I paused. "Tre's in the bathroom."
"Why do you say it like that?"
"It's a long story." I wondered if I should tell Mike, but I decided against it.
"Do you want to talk about it?"
I shook my head, not looking at him. "Not yet."
Mike shrugged. "Okay." There was a brief silence, then he said, "I'm going to go for a walk. I'll be back in a while."
"Sure you don't want me to go with you?"
He smiled. "Yeah, I'm sure. See you later."
"Bye." I watched him leave, then sighed. That had been easier than I had thought, but I had no idea what I was going to do now. Wait for Tre? Call Billie Joe on his date with Adrienne and bother him? Sit here by myself?
All the excitement of the day had made me extremely hungry, so I decided to make myself a sandwich while I thought about things. As I ate, I knew Billie Joe had been right. Things were fucked up now, but they would get better. Maybe I should get a job, and convince Mike to get one too, so we could have something to do during the day. Maybe interacting with other people would make him less depressed, and they could get their band started again. I knew that would make Billie Joe and Tre happy, and it would be good for Mike too. I thought, and I stared out the window, and I ate my sandwich, until I heard footsteps behind me.
I turned just in time to see Tre walk quickly through the kitchen to the living room. He was avoiding me, that much was clear. I sighed. I felt awful, I really did, but I wish things could just go back to the way they used to be, when all four of us were friends, and amnesia and love hadn't screwed things up so bad. I got up, put my plate in the dishwasher, and walked to my room, where I laid down on my bed. I was only going to shut my eyes for a few minutes, but instead fell into a deep sleep. I woke to the sound of someone knocking on my door.
"Violet?" Billie Joe hissed as he slowly slid the door open.
I groaned and rubbed at my face. "Yeah?"
"You asleep?"
"Not anymore."
He smiled. "Sorry about that."
"It's okay. What time is it?"
"Almost one."
"In the morning?"
"No, in the afternoon. That's why it's all dark." He smirked.
"Shut up, smartass."
"Where's Mike?"
I sat up, now completely awake. "Isn't he here?"
"No. Did he ever come home?"
"Yeah, for a few minutes, and I talked to him, and he said that he was going for a walk."
"When was that?"
I thought. "I don't know, I guess about seven?"
Both of us mentally calculated. "A six hour walk?" Billie Joe whispered.
I got up quickly and walked into the living room. Billie Joe followed. I shook Tre, who was sleeping on the couch. "Tre!" I hissed. "Wake up!" I had completely forgotten that he was supposed to be ignoring me. At this point I was so worried about Mike, I couldn't think about anything else.
"No... ." he groaned. "Not yet."
"Tre, you lazy fucker, Mike's missing," Billie Joe added.
"What?" Tre's voice lost some of its sleepiness.
"Did you ever see him yesterday?" I asked.
He paused. "No. Not after yesterday morning."
"Shit," I muttered. I turned to Billie Joe. "What are we going to do?"
"We have to look for him." He looked determined.
I nodded, ran to my room to get a jacket, and followed Billie Joe and Tre out the door. Everything outside was cold, foggy, and quiet. It was like walking through a graveyard full of smoke machines as we walked down the street to the van. We got in, and Tre started the car.
"Where are we supposed to look?" Tre snapped. He was obviously annoyed at having been woken up.
I looked at Billie Joe. "We could start at the park," he suggested.
I shrugged. "Sure." We arrived at the park, and the three of us got out and started searching every bench, behind every tree, in every bathroom, calling Mike's name softly the entire time. We met back at the car twenty minutes later, disappointed.
"He's not here," Billie Joe stated the obvious. So we got back in the van and drove off. My worry and fear grew with every second that passed, knowing Mike was still out there somewhere. Something could have happened to him, he had nowhere to go. Why was he doing this? Or was he somewhere, held against his will? I refused to think of something so depressing as I stared out into the night, my breath fogging the icy window. All three of us continued to search as Tre drove down streets and alleys, looking for any sign Mike had been there.
"Wait!" Billie Joe called out suddenly. "What is that?" He pointed at a lump at the side of a street about four blocks from our apartment, a lump that was definitely wearing Mike's jacket.
"Oh my God," I wailed as I rushed out of the car over to Mike. I knelt down next to him, wringing my hands, not knowing what to do. "He's not moving," I whispered urgently. Billie Joe gently turned him over until he was lying on his back.
"Mike," he shook him gently. "Mike, come on." I noticed tears on Billie Joe's cheeks. "Don't... Mike, wake up. You gotta wake up."
Tre stood behind us, not knowing what to do. I shot him a worried glance, and he shrugged. I heard a groan and quickly turned back to Mike.
"You guys... what? How?" he was muttering. I couldn't help that it sounded like what he had said the morning he had woken up with amnesia.
Billie Joe laughed through his tears. "Oh my God, Mike!" He enveloped him in a hug.
"Hey, don't go getting all mushy on me. I'm fine." Mike struggled to sit up.
"Mike, what happened?" I laughed and hugged him as well.
He paused, seemingly deep in thought. "I... wait a fucking minute." His head whipped around as he studied buildings and street signs around us. "I know this street." He stood up quickly and laughed. "I know this street!"
Billie Joe and I looked at him in confusion. "What are you talking about?"
Mike laughed again, and smiled as he talked. "I got lost. Because I had amnesia, and I went for a walk, and I didn't know where I was. And now... .I know this street!"
My mouth dropped open. "Mike," I whispered. "Are you saying you don't have amnesia anymore?"
He laughed. "Yeah! Yeah, I guess I am! Because I know where I am, and you guys, and I remember, distinctly, that time we went to the coffee shop and Billie was drunk, and asked the waitress for cauliflower. Do you guys remember that? That was funny."
I grinned and wrapped my arms around Mike. Billie Joe laughed and hugged both of us, and Tre muttered, "Oh, what the hell," and hugged all of us. We stood there until it became awkward, and then Billie Joe, Tre, and I stepped back and stared at Mike.
"So what do you want to do, now that you have your memory back?" Billie Joe asked him.
"Well... " Mike said thoughtfully. "I seem to remember that I have a certain fondness for pizza, and I AM rather hungry, so... "
