Forgotten Love

Ever since I met Chloe, I loved her. I met her in fifth grade, when we were performing a short play about Cleopatra's life. Chloe was Cleopatra & I was the stage crew. I stole the snake that was supposed to kill her but she smiled & used a sock instead. At the end of the play, Chloe looked at me & whispered "Hey, Jake, I know you took it."

I tried to ask her out in ninth grade, but I ended up saying "Chloe, you? Go to? Or somewhere else? I can do either" Chloe was amazed by the poeticness of my sentence. "Of course I'll g o!" she gushed. Or maybe that was all in my head. Yup, it was. Five days after failing to ask her out, Chloe went away to Bath, 144 miles from Liverpool.

I'm playing basketball when I see something. I was dribbling the ball but I froze. I saw her. Walking. Looking at me. "Jake? Hey, Mr Deer? Saw the headlights?" my best friend Charlie shouts at me. I looked at him & realised I dropped the ball & the other team scored. "Sorry, man," I say as the bell rings. I follow Charlie & we walk back to the school building.

"Som'ing wrong wid ya'?" Charlie nudged me. He had a weird accent. Maybe southern? I don't know.

"No," I said "I'm fine"

Charlie raised his eyebrow but changed the topic. "Well, Imma git goin'. Mah caah got flat taar so aah gonna take the bus. See yah!" I didn't understand a thing he said so I just nodded. Charlie waved & ran away. I still don't get why he isn't in the running team. I turn around & walk in the opposite direction.

I'm one block away from my house when I see a flash of brunette hair. "Chloe?" I ask. The girl turns around. She looks exactly like I remembered. Hazel eyes that turn emerald when the sun hits them. Her splash of freckles on her nose like stars. Chloe tilts her head scanning my face. "And you are?" She asks me.

"Jake. Jake Preston" I say, impressed by my confidence. "I don't know if you remember me."

"No, no I don't" Chloe replied

"Oh, ok. Um, well, um well, in fifth grade, I stole that toy snake? You used a sock instead?" Oh boy, here comes my nervousness again.

"I remember a play, with a toy snake not socks."

Oh god, now I’m sweating. "I was wondering if maybe I can take you somewhere?"

Chloe shot me a look I never saw before. "I don't know you, go away. But wait, I'll show you proof, proof that you're a complete stranger & that all of your talk is lies” She grabbed her purse & took out her phone.  It was shiny & new, the case was a design of shapes. Chloe concentrated on her phone, scrolling & typing until she found something & turned her phone. A video started playing & 5th grade Chloe was looking at the audience "How strangely awake I feel. As if living had been just a long dream. Someone else’s dream. Now finished at last..." her voice was beautiful but I realized that I had only been looking at Cleopatra so I shifted my attention to the snake. The snake was not a sock but an actual toy snake. I looked closer & realized the snake was stiff. It was not moving when Chloe shook it. It was photoshopped. "But Chloe, that's not real!"

Chloe scrunched up her nose. "Of course it's real! Why would I believe you, stranger." she turned & walked away.

"BOO!" a noise came out of nowhere & I jumped, my feet raised well about a metre from the ground & then laughter echoed around the street. A bush next to me shuffled & out came Charlie. "So, dat was Chloe wasn' it Yah lac her don' yah" Charlie asked then frowned "But she forgo' all 'bout yah didn' she?"

"Yah" I looked at the ground "But I know it was real. It was real wasn't it?"

"Aah reckon' dat happen." Charlie looked around & took a cigarette & lighter, lit the cigarette & took a drag. Charlie is still seventeen & he’s really short so technically, he can’t smoke. 

I sigh “Charlie, something is wrong. I don’t know, but I think something happened to Chloe.”

 Charlie doesn’t seem bothered. “‘Kay” is all he says & he walks off. 

I trudge back home but straighten up when I go reach the front step of our small apartment door. My sneakers scream against the polished marble floor, making Milo run & rub against my legs, her brown fur stroking me until I walk toward the kitchen where my mom is. She comes to me & says “Hi, how was your day?”

I attempt to lie & it surprisingly works “It was great, we played basketball”. At least the last part was true. 

My mom smiles at me. I haven’t lied to her in ages so I immediately feel sick. Mom’s smile disappears from her face like a magician's trick. “You look sick. Are you fine?” Worry covers her face. Ever since I had leukemia when I was a nine, my mom worried about me constantly. “Are you sure you’re fine?” she puts an arm on my shoulder & I nod, smile & hug her & moms worry losens. Still smiling, I head to my room & shut the door. “Okay, Jake” I say to myself “Breathe.” I follow my advice & breathe. Does Chloe have an identical clone that hates me? Maybe Chloe was somehow abducted by aliens that hate me? Whatever the answer was, I am going to find out. 

****************************************************************** 

While Mr Richerdson blabbered on & on about Newton’s laws of motion, I checked the clock. Each minute seemed like an hour. After 12 minutes (or 12 hours. Choose one) passed, I wrapped an arm around my stomach & groaned “Mr Richerdson? I don’t feel well.” I even closed my eyes for emphasis.

Mr Richerdson curled his upper lip. “Well, please go to the nurse, be careful” Last year, a girl vomited at the gym & it smelled so bad, the gym was out of order for three days.  I nodded at Mr Richerdson, took my bag & ran out to the hallway & dropped the act. I really should be an actor. But, maybe later. 

I ran out of school & walked home to the same block I met Chloe. Chloe probably goes to a different school because I’ve never seen her at school. I studied the houses until I found the house I was looking for- a red brick house with tall windows & a big front yard. I looked at the yard gate & saw that there was a sign. For sale! It said Please call (747) 500-2378. But the sign was covered in tape saying SOLD! I looked inside my bag & brought out cookies. This better work or else I humiliated myself for nothing. Opening the yard gate, I took a breath & went inside. The yard had nothing but grass & a lawnmower. I knocked on the door & after 10 seconds a man opened the door. “Hi,” I said “I’m selling cookies to um be a um a boy scout leader.” 

The man looked closely at me. “Where’s your uniform?” 

I gulped “Well, I just started & I’ve never been a boy scout before & I need to sell cookies to um, become a leader.” And then I remembered something “But the um, badge I need to earn is to um, give cookies to someone I know or their parents. So, um, are you um, by any chance um, Chloe Myra’s father”

The man coughed “And you are?” Yikes, he said the exact same thing as what Chloe said.

“Mm-my name? My um, name is Jake P-preston” 

Shock covered Chloe’s dad's face & he slammed the door in my face. What. Just. Happened. I think someone is hiding something from me. I walked around thinking. Even though I knew nothing I would do will make Chloe remember me, I still thought.  I waited until 3:30, the time when school normally ends & I walked home. I heard a ping from my pocket & saw a message Hi honey! I'm on night shift at the hospital. See you! Love. But then I see another message by someone named Unknown:

Keep off. 

I suddenly become very thirsty but I freeze on the spot. Someone doesn’t want me near Chloe.