Mason Walton

Drumming my fingers lazily on my knee, I watched as the curtains were forcefully drawn back by Katrina letting the sunrays shower my room with warm beams of light. She gracefully turned around giving me the brightest smile when she caught me staring. I smiled back and relaxed into my bed looking around my teenage room. It was still the same, posters everywhere, a guitar hanging on the wall, and picture frames on my desk.

My parents wouldn't let me go back to my apartment; they said staying with them would bring them peace of mind. I didn't argue much, I missed being around them. Sadly I couldn't remember everyone or everything but I was thankful for Jason who kept filling me in when people came to visit me at the hospital.

I glanced at Katrina and found her unpacking my bag while humming a familiar tune. I still couldn't remember her clearly. I knew who she was to me in high school, and I knew she was somehow important to me now, but I still didn't know how important. I had a feeling that we were very close. And I was the happiest when she was around which was pretty much all the time. She never left my side and insisted on coming home with us to help me settle in.

"Katrina you don't have to do that..."

She merely looked at me and shrugged "I know, but I want to."

I watched her closely as she folded my clothes and put them in the almost empty drawers. She looked tired with dark circles under her eyes. Her hair was pulled up into a bun showing the details of her face. I wasn't sure how she looked before but my mom kept telling her she needed to eat that she had gotten thinner in the past couple of weeks. Even like that... she is breathtaking.

"I still don't remember you..."

She pushed the drawer closed and went to lean on my desk crossing her arms gently, "It's okay, it's only been a week. It will come back to you. I know it will."

"I have strong feelings for you that I don't understand."

"But you have a girlfriend Mason."

"But I feel nothing toward her... you're familiar to me, she's like a stranger. And, she didn't do half what you did for me. You're always there, she barely visits." I wasn't even upset that Eloise didn't visit much. It didn't mean anything to me, and I was still not sure of her role in my life.

"Maybe she's working?"

I frowned "Right... what about you? Don't you work?"

She smiled "I took a sabbatical. Don't look so shocked! I have other plans in mind."

"Plans like?"

"Someone once told me to shoot for the moon and never give up. I gave up on something that meant so much to me, and it's time I follow my dreams."

Her voice was so soft and warm that I felt a pang of jealousy toward that 'someone'. I looked away trying to hide my disappointment. Her soft chuckle made me look at her with raised eyebrows.

"You told me that, Mason. You're the one that encouraged me to do what I love."

I let out a sigh of relief "I thought I had competition."

She shook her head looking at the framed pictures sitting on the desk behind her. She picked up one and traced her finger on it. I couldn't see which one it was and I got curious, she looked so deep in thought.

"Who is that?" She turned the frame toward and my smile grew wider.

It was a picture of me and a childhood friend. We were about four and had just gotten out of a fight with older kids.

"She was my best friend."

"Was?"

"Yeah... I lost contact with her when she changed schools. I don't remember much but I can tell you that she was amazing."

"She must have been special since you keep a picture of her?"

I nodded taking the picture from her and admiring how happy we looked. We were dirty from playing in the sandbox and sweaty from running around, I even had a busted lip. It wasn't the most perfect picture of me as a kid but it was my favorite. It was the last picture we took together before she disappeared. I remember waiting for her to come back, asking the teachers about her every day. Until one day, the teacher told me she was never coming back and that I had to forget about her.

I took this picture to bed with me for a few months before I completely gave up seeing her again. And to this day, I still didn't know anything about her.

"That day, she taught me to always stand up for myself and not let older kids bully me or take my lunch."

"Why didn't you look for her when grew up? I mean, with social media these days it wouldn't have been hard."

"I tried, but it's hard when I couldn't remember her name."

"Someone so special, and you forgot her name?" She asked in disbelief.

"I was barely four! I just know that I used to call her Kitty."

"What if... what if you see her again?"

"I don't know. But I know that at some point in my life she meant the world to me, so I think I'd be very happy to see her again."

Katrina came over to my bed and took the picture from me with a smile "Well, I hope you find her Mason. Or, maybe, you already have." She gave me the picture and sat by my side locking her sparkly brown eyes with mine.

I looked at her skeptically and looked back at the picture. I was wondering what she meant by that when it hit me. I looked up at her and opened my mouth but nothing came out. I cleared my throat and laughed.

"You are Kitty?"

She laughed with me putting the frame aside and taking my hand in hers "took you long enough!"

"If my arm wasn't in a cast right now I would have hugged you so hard..."

She didn't let me finish and rested her head on my chest wrapping an arm around my waist. The world stopped. I couldn't believe that I had found my best friend and she had been under my nose all these years in high school and I didn't even know it!

"I thought you looked familiar that day... your first day in the hall. I remember Kevin hitting on you and just dismissed him."

"I knew you right away, and I waited for you to come to me but you left with Kevin so... I just disappeared and never told you who I was."

"I wish you had Kitty..."

She pulled away as we heard high heels clicking on the marble tiles of the stairs. Katrina got on her feet and sat on a chair next to the desk. There was a knock on the door and before it opened I knew who it was. The heavy perfume hit me so hard that I felt a little dizzy. Katrina knew who it was as well, it was obvious with the shift in her composure. She was tense all of a sudden.

The door opened and Eloise came in with an ear-to-ear smile "Oh, Baby, you're finally home! I'm so happ..." She raised an eyebrow and glared at Katrina. "Why is it you're always here? Whenever I visit you're here! What are you trying to do? Get him back? He's with me now!"

Get him back? I looked from Eloise to Katrina questioningly but as usual, Katrina only ignored Eloise by getting up and taking her things.

"I'll come to see you later Mason."

"No." I said shaking my head, "You're not going anywhere unless you want me to be upset."

She bit her lip trying to hide her smile "Mason, your girlfriend is here. You'll be more than happy to spend more time with her." She leaned over, pecked my cheek, and left.

"Why is she always with you Mason?"

"First of all, lower your tone. Second of all, why aren't you?"

"What do you mean?" She asked taking a seat at the edge of my bed.

"I mean, you're my girlfriend right?" She nodded "So, why is Katrina always by my side. Why was she the one spending nights with me at the hospital not wanting to leave me? Why was she the one feeding me since well, I can't use my right arm? Why was she obviously more concerned about me than you were?"

"Mason... I always came to see you! When you were unconscious I was the one spending the nights by your side. I don't know who told you she did but it's a lie. It was me all along!"

My chest roared as I laughed out loud not believing what I was hearing. "Eloise, don't do that alright? We're not kids. My mom told me she and Katrina never left my side. Unless... unless you're calling my mom a liar?"

Cheeks flaming red with embarrassment, Eloise got on her feet and stomped her foot on the floor. "I don't want her near you, Mason!"

"Why? Why do you feel so threatened by her presence?"

"She's your ex! How wouldn't I be threatened by her?"

"She is?"

"God! You don't even remember her! I don't know much, but I remember clearly the way you kissed her in the street with so much love, so much passion! And I hate her for it! You never kissed me like that!"

I didn't want to hurt her feelings but I couldn't take it anymore. I didn't know what happened with Katrina. If we truly were together then why did we break up? Why was I with someone that I obviously had no feelings toward? I pinched the bridge of my nose and let out a heavy sigh.

"Eloise, I don't want to hurt you, and I don't want to do anything stupid before I can at least remember you. So please, don't push my buttons. Leave, let me rest."

"You know what? I don't care anymore. I'm leaving alright, but I'm not coming back, Mason! Even if you beg me to!"

"Baby, I never beg," I smirked looking at her smugly and it only irritated her even more. She let out a groan before storming out of the room and slamming the door shut. I let out a sigh of relief finally able to relax into the cushions behind my back. I stared at the picture of Katrina and me and grinned like an idiot. How lucky was I?

"Mason? Are you okay?" Mom asked me walking slowly into my room.

"Why wouldn't I be?"

"Why are you grinning like that? Didn't you have a fight with your..."

"She's not my girlfriend. I don't know what was going in my mind when I asked her to be." I cut her off.

"I think you wanted to forget the hurt Katrina gave you." She smiled, "She's an amazing girl. She loves you deeply, but I'm worried she'll hurt you again."

I shook my head "She won't hurt me. And I won't hurt her."

"Hurt who?" Helena asked coming into my room. "It feels good to see you finally home brother!" She leaned over and pecked my forehead.

"We're talking about Katrina."

"Oh, yes I saw Jason and Tara driving out with her. She's bad news. She'll break your heart. Forget about her."

"I'll never do that Helena. And you better accept it and stop being a bitch to her. She might even be your sister-in-law."

Helena gasped "You don't even remember her! How can you say that? You don't remember what she did to you!"

"Knowing that she's my Kitty is enough."

"What?" My mom asked confused.

I reached for our picture and gave it to my mom.

"I've found her."