STILL WITH YOU

College life is a whirlwind of activity.

I recently graduated from high school, and now it's summer vacation. While I should be enjoying this break, I'm feeling bored and restless. I really want to go out and have some fun, but my mom is busy with a massive home cleaning project. So, here I am, stuck at home, trying to find ways to entertain myself while dreaming of the adventures waiting just beyond our doorstep.

"Hey kid, I need your help! Come here," my mom calls out.

So, here we go again. "Uhhh, coming..." I reply, dragging my feet reluctantly.

As I reach her, she hands me a dusty old book. "Do you remember this? You asked me to give it to you," she says. I stare at it, puzzled. A year ago, I had an operation for amnesia and, apparently, I wrote this book for myself. Intrigued, I wipe off the dust and open it. On the first page, in bold letters, it reads: "Don't look back, don't read this."

"C'mon, I love a good dare. What's the worst that can happen?" I think to myself as I dive in.

The book starts by talking about the year 2020. It flows smoothly at first, recounting the events of that strange year. But then, it takes a dark turn as it details my struggle with amnesia. The horror of not recognizing faces, of losing chunks of my life, is laid bare. The worst part? The way people look at me—as if I'm about to die, with their fake sympathy. It's suffocating, and reading about it stirs up all those feelings I tried to bury.

It's been a rollercoaster of a year, with its highs and lows. I hope you're doing well now. It's a tough decision for me to write this, but I've thought it through. After reading this, it might seem miserable because there's no one standing beside you—except maybe Daisy.

But let's focus. I want to share a great story, a great love from my life that you probably don't remember. Let's reminisce about that love.

You were the nerdy girl in school, always buried in books. This story is for you. You were all about books, until something changed. I didn't even realize when your interest in books dwindled.

Then, a new boy arrived at school. He used to be here before, but left due to his father's transfer. Now he's back, and high school has transformed him into someone unexpectedly attractive. We used to be good friends, he was decent and reliable. But now, he's more than just good-looking.

However, he's not the same good boy anymore. We all know he's the son of a wealthy father. Our paths have diverged, and there's no chemistry between us now. We hardly speak, and he barely remembers me. I tell myself, "Sofie, it's over. Books are the best."

Oh, and about Daisy—before their transfer, she had a crush on his younger brother. Now, after they returned, they've been dating for over a year. So now, we've spent a lot of time apart. I used to be the third wheel.

Next time you see Daisy, ask her if she's still in that relationship. It's crazy—Daisy's dating someone younger than her!

I start to read further, but then Mom calls me.

"Sofie! Your friends are here. Come down, sweetie."

"Coming, Mom," I called out as I went downstairs. Daisy and some of my friends were here. Wait a minute... is that John?

He used to be my best friend, but he moved to the US when we were 12 years old. "Wait, what are you doing here? When did you come back, buddy?"

"Hi, Sofie, I missed you," he said, giving me a warm hug.

"Oh, hey, babe," Daisy said.

"Hi," I replied, "Why are you late?"

Daisy grinned, "Do you like the surprise?"

"I love it. So, John, when did you come back?"

"Last week," he replied.

We chatted for a long time, catching up on everything, and then had dinner together. After they left, I realized I forgot to ask Daisy about the book... Ugh, why does this always happen to me? Time passed, and I couldn't meet Daisy because she went out of town and never replied to messages promptly. I decided not to read that book, but it was difficult to resist for a whole week.

Eventually, I gave in and started reading again. It mentioned that he was a basketball player, and so was I. After books, basketball was my second love. I had to face that guy every day, and he always told me I wasn't a good player. Little did he know, I was the captain of my team.

One day, after getting frustrated, I decided to organize a match between the girls and the boys.

I told them we would play on Saturday. I thought it would just be our two groups, but no—the whole school turned out to watch us, even the principal, because it was boys versus girls. The match started, and after a lot of struggles and ups and downs, we were at 107 points while they were at 103. We won!

You know how male ego can be. He and I fought every time we met, but it started to feel normal. The more we tried to avoid each other, the more we seemed to run into each other. Somewhere along the way, our bond began to change. We started having a good time together. It felt strange to me, but then, the day after my birthday, he proposed to me. I had to say yes.

We were having a great time, and I never thought he could be such a gentleman. His mom liked me a lot. He used to make cakes, cookies, and lots of other sweet things that I liked.

I didn’t realize how famous we had become at school. Some boys envied him, and I was shocked to find out that many were crazy about me. Time has its good side, but also its bad side. Six months later, his parents got divorced. He fell into a deep depression, and he and his brother stayed with their mom. Often, he wouldn’t talk to me, and I couldn’t understand why. He was avoiding food and everyone around him, and I wanted to help solve this.

At 5:00 P.M., I closed the book because it was time to meet Daisy and ask about the hot basketball player and what happened. We were meeting at her house, so I went there and met her mom. She told me there was someone else there too. I thought to myself, "Not again..."