I jumped in front of Rom, flinging the door to his locker close, effectively startling him. He cursed as his book flew out of his hands.

"What's your problem?" he snapped as he bent down to pick up his Statistics textbook. "Who are you?"

I smiled, even though my gut twisted at the utterance of the second question. I spent days learning about his schedule like a creepy stalker. I followed him everywhere, I talked to him, I tried to be his friend. Over the days, we even had some fun conversations.

All of those faded like the breeze and I was back to square one with Rom.

Stupid reset.

Instead of letting my disappointment show, I arranged my face into a mischievous grin. "I'm Jule, don't you remember? We watched the Sword of Destiny on Travis's tablet the other day!"

He looked at me like I dropped from another planet. "What's 'remember'?"

"Seriously?" I demanded. "Don't you have English or something?"

Mind, that was a jab for me as well. I only got Trigonometry, Earth Sciences, Biology, and Art on loop. And Rom, well, he had Statistics, Physics, French, and Technical Drafting.

But it's impossible that he didn't know what the word 'remember' means. It's unbelievable.

Rom was still looking at me like he's waiting for an explanation. I sighed. "Well, to remember is to be aware of the stuff in your brain and bring them forward as memories when you need them."

"That's deep," Rom said, scratching his head. "You should sign up for Creative Writing as an elective. I hear they have really good poets over there."

This lack of empathy or curiosity infuriated me. I staked everything on him and this was how he returned it? It's not enough that I was going out of my way to help him be more than what he was. It's not enough that I was the only one trying. This...this was too much.

I shook my head. God, what was with those thoughts? I must be going crazy.

Of course, Rom wouldn't care about anything I say. It's not like we really became friends. The loop caused all of this to happen. It's not Rom's fault he couldn't remember.

Still, I found all of it unfair.

I took a deep breath and looked at Rom in the eye once again. "Wanna hang out after school?" I asked. "I know of a great ice cream place we should try out."

Like clockwork, he stared at me coldly. "Sorry, I got to go and pick up my sister from school," he said, his voice without any hint of emotion. "I'm sure some of your classmates could accompany you."

With that, he turned and began walking towards his first period classroom just as the bell rang. I was left standing still like a jilted lover. The only thing lacking was rain and this would have been a perfect Hollywood break-up scene.

Breaking up because of ice cream and middle school sisters? That's so weird.

I sighed and didn't bother going to my locker to retrieve my Trigonometry textbook.

I caught Rom exiting the Campus through the emergency doors. So, he's a gravel path person as well. I pushed myself against the wall I've been leaning against. I may or may not have been waiting for him to go out.

I finished Art early by drawing dark circles which earned a disappointed nod from Mr. Turner. I've been waiting by the entrance ever since. So, he goes out at 4:00.

As soon as Rom's blue and red flannel appeared, my heart beat faster. Of course, I'm always excited to see him. It's a new experience every time I talk to him and I find it amusing whenever I say the same thing as yesterday and he gives out the same answer.

Today, however, was the first time I'm going to try to talk to him as he fetches his sister from school. Granted, this was the first time I knew that he had a sister or one that still goes to school that needed fetching.

"Hey, Rom! Wait up!" I called as I jogged to catch up to his long strides. Damn, he's a fast walker.

"Jule," he said flatly. "Have you been waiting for me?"

Yes.

"Psh, no," I lied, waving my hand vaguely. "I was just watching...birds! Yes, birds."

I made a show of looking up and scrunching my face as if I'm really looking for birds. I froze when I heard Rom laughing.

"You look like you're pooping with that face," he said, his laugh distorting his voice. He looked real when he laughed.

I realized that I wanted to see it again, hear it once more. It's one of the most beautiful things I've heard in a while. I wrinkled my nose, trying to hide my own amusement. "Come on. Let's just go," I said. "Your sister's probably bawling her eyes out waiting for you."

Rom snorted as he matched my stride. "Mindy is a big girl," he said. "A strong one too."

I shrugged. "If you say so," I replied.

We walked in silence, the chatter of the world loud in my ears. Noise like students making plans about who's having a party in whose house, buses honking for children to board quickly, cars speeding past the Campus gates like they owned the highway—they all cluttered my brain like crazy.

The afternoon sun was an annoying reminder that I don't have much time left today.

I blew a breath. It's fine. Rom was still with me. I'm still with him. I could make the most of this day. I just don't know how. We needed more conversations that aren't just from the Sword of Destiny or that infernal game Travis plays. (I just found out that Rom plays that as well, so for once, I'm thankful for Travis.)

We needed a deeper connection.

"Hey Rom," I blurted. "Do you know how the world works?"

Rom pursed his lips and thought. I eyed the students walking home from school like us. Where do they live, I wonder?

We passed the bus stop when Rom answered. "Somehow, I know how it works, yes."

I raised an eyebrow. "Took you long enough?" I asked.

"Sorry, I had other things in mind," Rom said. "But your question is kinda vague. What do you mean by 'works'? Do you mean the natural system of the world or the social aspect? Do you mean something else entirely?"

I shrugged, masking my surprise at his questions. They were valid, really. "Perhaps I meant another thing entirely."

Rom bobbed his head, his eyes turning brown against the setting sun as he looked ahead. And no, I'm not looking. I wasn't watching him either. "Well, what do you mean by that question?"

"What I meant to ask," I said, removing my hat and playing with it while speaking. "Was it whether or not do you feel like you're living a predictable life?"

"What is a predictable life?" Rom asked. "Do you mean it is like a life that has a predetermined set of outcomes?"

I nodded. "More like, a life that is inside a loop," I said, the words sounding weird coming out of my mouth. I never dared speak these things with anyone. Why was I telling him all about this now?

"Do you sometimes feel like everything is just one big loop?" I asked.

Rom shook his head. "I don't," he said. "What is a loop?"

"Do you even know what time is?" I asked.

Rom nodded. "Time is how we tell the passage of the day," he said, glancing at his watch. "Like, right now, it's 4:45 in the afternoon."

"Yes, now, imagine a world where it's always 4:45," I said. "That's what a loop feels like. The whole world didn't change. It didn't grow. You wouldn't get old. Everything just goes back to the way it was. Do you feel like the world works that way?"

Rom frowned. "I don't," he said.

"Then what do you feel?" I demanded. We were past the supermarket now. Huh, is he heading the same way as me? Just where is his sister's school?

"I...feel nothing," Rom said, his face a blank slate. Then he turned to me. "Is that normal?"

No, definitely not. "Yes," I blurted. "It's normal to not feel anything in this world. What is not normal is to feel things, to see things the way they were before. And you need to be far from normal if you want to understand how the world works."

Rom scratched his head. "I know I quit the Philosophy club for this sole reason."

"There!" I shouted triumphantly as soon as I digested what he said. "That is a memory! You are remembering!"

Rom looked confused. "Huh? It's just facts," he said. "What makes it a memory?"

I knitted my eyebrows as the gravity of his words slapped me like rowing boat paddles. What? How was that possible? How could someone know facts about oneself and not have a memory?

I stopped walking as realization hit me. My parents. It's about the same thing. I don't remember them but somehow I knew I once had them.

Knowledge and memory. Where was the fine line between it and how do I redraw it? How do I make a memory with someone? How do I make a memory out of anything?

"Jule?" Rom was apparently snapping his fingers in front of my face. I blinked and shook my head.

"What?" I snapped, batting his hand away from my face. "I'm fine. We need to get your sister, right?"

Rom shrugged. "Just saying that you look like you pooped your pants when you froze like that."

"What is it with you and poop?" I demanded, rolling my eyes before breaking into a smile I couldn't stop on time. Pretty soon, I was laughing. It felt good, if I was allowed to be honest.

Rom snorted. "You gotta live with it, I guess?" he said. "Are you on the way home?"

I nodded. "Yeah, I'm going that way," I said pointing down the road I usually take.

Rom's eyes widened. "What? I'm going that way as well!" he said, for once during this day, with an excited tone. "We might as well be neighbors!"

"Might as well," I shrugged, my mind already whirling with the possibility. What if we were really neighbors and I've been passing by his house all this time? That would be such a cruel twist of fate.

The closer I get to home, the more the possibility becomes reality. We passed the old writer lady's house, then the Lawsons, then Mrs. Higgins. Oh no.

No, no, no.

The primary school came into view. The yellow buses bearing twenty school kids have long gone. Multi-colored benches lined the front gates of the school and on it sat a girl that looked familiar. She got the same brown hair like Rom's and even the same dark brown eyes.

Don't tell me...

Rom suddenly ran ahead and crossed the street without hesitation. "Mindy!" he called. I lumbered after him, grateful that no cars passed around this area during this time.

I caught up to Rom. He's already kneeling in front of the girl and fussing over her. Then I noticed the wound in her knee. That looks like...

"What happened, Mindy?" Rom's voice was thick with worry it almost melted me. They're both so adorable!

Mindy suddenly started crying. Rom moved to run his hand by the girl's back, muttering soothing words. In between sobs, Mindy was able to say that her classmate pushed her when they were falling in line before entering their room.

Oh, God. Oh, dear God.

As Rom soothed his sister, I turned and ran my hands on my face, cursing myself. The little girl was Rom's sister. And I spent one day watching the most epic parent versus bus driver showdown and did nothing to prevent it from happening.

Yes, as if fate wasn't a dick to me already.

That little girl was Rom's sister.