There he is, sitting on the other side of the bar sipping a martini like it's nothing. Over here, on the other hand, my world is imploding. That's Franklin Gerbish. He's, just as he was five years ago, gorgeous and I'm panicking. Should I talk to him? Of course I should. We only spent all of high school living next to each other, walking to school together, and getting up to no-good shenanigans. He'll be happy to see me right?
I squash down all of my inner doubts, straighten my dress, and head over to him. He's not alone. Around him are a group of guys happily chatting with each other. They quiet down as I approach them and clear my throat.
"Franklin?" I say softly. He looks up at me with eyes so blue they make me feel like I might drown.
"Yeah?" He replies with a shocked yet pleased expression.
"Do you remember me from Crossdale High School in San Antonio?" I ask. He looks me over a couple of times before answering.
"Yeah I went to Crossdale but... I've never seen you before." He answers politely, the way you would to a stranger. It hits me suddenly. The reason he doesn't recognize me and the reason I haven't seen him for five years are the same. I'm not who I was five years ago. I don't mean that in a spiritual or psychological sense. I haven't grown as a person and I haven't learned anything or changed my outlook on life. Physically speaking, I'm a completely different person than I was five years ago.
My family is cursed. Every four years the people on my dad's side of the family change appearance. I'm not talking just hair color or height, everything changes. Facial features, body shape, even DNA changes for us. It doesn't start until age 13, but once it does it's extremely confusing. Just when you think you've gotten used to your face, it changes completely. I Still don't recognize myself in the mirror. I only changed into it last year after all.
"Oh sorry." I say as I realize that I've been standing here staring at Franklin for the past three minutes. An awkward chuckle comes from one of his friends and I do the only feasible thing, run. I head toward the ladies' room and lock the door behind me.
I'm panting as I look in the mirror. I don't look bad this time around. I'm just not the Kimberly I was. I had brown hair that was wildly curly. My mother kept it cut short because I was always getting things tangled in it. I hated that hair. I used to complain so much about it. My mother always calmed me by reminding me that it wouldn't be my hair forever.
Now, my hair is long and straight. I love the black color of it, especially when I twirl it around my finger. My face, on the other hand, hasn't changed for the better. I was cute back then. My nose was round like a button and my cheeks were chubby. Currently, I have very pronounced cheek bones and a nose that abruptly slopes up at the end. I look like the villain in a cartoon movie. A villain that gets reformed at the end of course.
A knock comes at the door and it startles me. The line must be getting long outside. I hope the other women aren't too angry. I check my face in the mirror one more time, wishing I could change it back to its high school incarnation. Knowing that I can't, I freshen up my lipstick instead.
Upon opening the door, I see the long line that I expected but at the front of the line is Franklin.
"Hi." He says with a smile. It makes me want to squeal and hug him. That's what I would have done five years ago. It feels like just yesterday that I met him. The first time I changed was hectic. Then I had to start a new school on top of it all. Franklin was the first friendly face I saw.
"Hello." I say back to him. He escorts me back to the bar.
"I'm sorry if I embarrassed you in front of my friends earlier. Sometimes I speak without thinking." He says in an apologetically. I remember it well. When we first met nine years ago he smiled so sweetly while exclaiming that my hair was crazy looking. I cried after hearing that. I had only just changed and I couldn't handle the comment. Luckily, he apologized profusely and worked tirelessly to make it up to me. We were inseparable after that.
"It's fine. Crossdale was a big school. It would be impossible for you to know everyone." I say nonchalantly. I really need to get out of this situation. There will be trouble at home if they find out that I met up with someone from a past life. My family has strict rules. If they find out that I'm conversing with someone from five years ago..... I shudder at the thought.
"But you know me." He says as he orders me another drink.
"You were popular." I say as I take a sip. I don't know if it's the alcohol, the nostalgia, or his smile, but I don't want to leave. That feeling is exactly how I know I should leave. If I stay any longer, things could get weird.
"I should get going." I say as I set the drink back down.
"But you've only had one sip of your drink." He says as he follows me out of the bar.
"I have a curfew." I quickly lie.
"Let me drive you home." He offers. I want to say yes. I want to swim in his baby blues for a few minutes longer, but I know that I can't.
"I can take the bus." I say as I slowly back away from him.
"Driving is faster. Aren't you racing the clock?" He asks.
"Ah, yes my curfew well... I can take a taxi." I say jaggedly. It's starting to get obvious that I'm lying.
"I must be making you very uncomfortable. I'm sorry. At least let me pay for the taxi." I know this tone in his voice. Back in high school he would always get himself into trouble with his frank words and then go overboard to makeup for it. It's better to just go with it when he gets like this.
"Fine, you can give me a ride." I say reluctantly. On the drive home I give him as little direction as possible. I want us to get there but I don't want him to remember how to get back to my house. Once we arrive I jump out of the car without looking back.
"Wait! What's your name?" He shouts after me.
"Kim!" I reply without thinking. It shouldn't matter if I tell him my name anyway. It's not like I'm planning to see him again.
At the front door, I put the key in the lock as quietly as I can. The door opens into complete darkness. Of course, everyone else has long since gone to bed. I don't turn any lights on for fear of waking someone up. As I close the door and lock it, I feel a hard slap on the back of my head.
"Ow!" I scream as a flashlight blinds me. Behind the flashlight is my sister.
"Daddy!" My sister yells at the top of her lungs.
"Carmen? Kimberly? What's going on?" My mother asks as she flips on the lights in the room. My dad follows behind her with his eyes barely open.
"I just saw Kimberly get dropped off by Franklin Gerbish." Carmen says in the vilest tone I've ever heard.
"Who's Franklin frsfresss..." My dad mumbles as he tries to go back to sleep. Mom nudges him to wake him up.
"You remember, Harold. He's the nice boy who lived next door to us in San Antonio." My mother reminds him. Now my dad is fully awake. He squints his eyes and gives me a menacing look.
"That was over four years ago." He says loudly. My sister nods eagerly and my mom gasps at the realization of what I've done.
"Why do we move every four years? Why did your mother and I plan to have children four years apart? Why do I work from home while your mother does freelance work?" My father yells louder with each question.
"To stay safe." I reply softly.
"Do you want to end up as a research subject for the government?" He asks with his eyes bulging.
"No." I squeak out.
"Never interact with someone from a previous life! Don't make lasting impressions! Always be ready to run! Make contingencies, not friends!" My dad begins to pant as he recites our family rules.
"Sorry. It was an accident." I say as I hold back tears.
"Alright calm down everyone. Kimberly knows what she has done wrong. Let's get back to bed. We have work in the morning." Mom interjects. I breathe a sigh of relief as I escape from the room. Carmen follows closely after me.
"I'm watching you." She says as we enter our shared room.
"What is your problem?" I try not to scream but I'm just so angry.
"I've been there." She replies as she flops onto her bed.
"Where?"
"In the puppy love spiral." She sighs as she says it.
"I'm not in that." I say in deep denial.
"Say what you want but heed my advice. Whether he gets a cute baby chihuahua or a regal poodle, he'll always be disappointed if he's expecting a golden retriever." She says as she switches off her lamp and leaves me in the dark.
"Whatever." I say as I feel my way to my bed. Tomorrow is my first day at my new job so I need to get some rest.
I stand outside of Riverview Energy Solutions preparing to introduce myself to my new coworkers. I work as a temp so I get new coworkers every couple of weeks. Still, I get nervous on the first day of each job. It will be fine. I just have to remember the family rules.
"Don't make lasting impressions." I whisper to myself as I walk through the large, glass double doors. The large lobby is empty except for a circular desk with a receptionist sitting at it.
"May I help you?" She asks with a pleasant tone.
"I'm from ReadyWork Temp agency." I say with my work smile plastered on my face.
"Of course, we've been expecting you. You will be replacing the secretary of our CEO. Go to the eighth floor and follow the red arrows." She says as she hands me an ID badge.
I follow her instructions and find myself at two giant red doors. They feel like the gates of hell. I knock once and am invited in by a surprisingly kind sounding voice. Inside of the office sits an older woman with curly gray hair and coke bottle glasses.
"You must be my new secretary." She says with a smile on her face. She's much more "Mrs. Claus" than "Lucifer". I'm grateful for that.
"Yes. I'm Kimberly Crews, your temp for the next two weeks." I say confidently.
"Ok Kim. That's your desk and this is my coffee mug. I take my coffee black with seven sugars." She says as she hands me a large purple mug. Luckily I passed the break room on my way here.
This job should be fine. In two weeks I will move on to another big company as another faceless cog. In three years, when my family moves again, no one will miss me. It almost makes me want to cry.
"Kim?" Someone calls from behind me. They can't be talking to me. It's my first day and I've only had this face for a year. No one knows me.
"Kim, Right?" The voice calls to me again. I turn around and almost spill the boss's coffee when I see him.
"Frankie." I almost choke on his name as I say it.
"Yeah...people used to call me Frankie in school." He hated it. I remember well. He considered Frankie to be a nickname for someone named Frank and his name wasn't Frank. In the past, I only ever called him Frankie as an exclamation. It was like a curse word for me. It still is.
"What are you doing here!?" I ask frantically.
"I've worked here for the past year so I think I should be asking you that question." He replies with a dazzling smile.
"I'm filling in as the CEO's secretary." I say with the large cup of coffee held up as proof.
"Great! We're coworkers! I was hoping I would get to see you again after last night." He says as he walks me back to the boss's office.
"Kim who did I hear you speaking with outside the door?" The boss asks as I hand her giant mug to her.
"I ran into Franklin Gerbish in the hall." I reply.
"Ah yes the new young accountant. That reminds me. It's tax season and he's been asking for all my receipts. Take these to him will you?" She says as she hands over a basket full of crumpled pieces of paper. Franklin will have his hands full trying to organize these.
I really don't want to see him again. Actually, I really do. Carmen wasn't lying about watching me, though. If she finds out that I'm working with him, I'm screwed.
I wait until I see him leave this office then I sprint in. After I place the basket on his desk, I scribble a note.

Receipts from the CEO. Have fun figuring out this puzzle.

I stick the note to the basket and get out of there before I'm seen.
They should rename tax season to "take this to the accountant" season. I swear for the next four days my only job is delivering documents from the CEO to Franklin. Luckily, I've gotten good at avoiding him. I always wait until his office is clear before I drop off the document with a quick note attached. I haven't actually seen him since that accidental encounter on the first day. There is something weird, though. Every time I go to drop something off in his office, I see my old handwritten notes piled up on his desk. Why doesn't he just throw them away?
One day, I get fed up with the clutter. I gather up all the post-its, making sure to leave everything on his desk that's not a note written by me. I take the notes back to my desk, intending to dispose of them later.
After lunch, I get back to my desk and see that Franklin is there, talking with the CEO. She looks at me with the angriest expression I've ever seen her make.
"Did you remove important documents from Mr. Gerbish's desk?" She asks with her eyes on fire. I'm so frozen with fear that I can't even speak.
"Please don't be too upset. She probably didn't know they were important. It's fine now that I've got them back." Franklin says as he waves around a few pieces of blue paper. They're my post-it notes.
Turning, I watch as Franklin leaves the office with every note I've written.
"A temp should know her place. You're fired." The CEO says to me. It's a good thing I'm not facing her because I can't hold back my tears. I run out of her office without looking back.

At home, I run though the house until I find my mother. She's in her closet organizing her clothes. I hug her from behind and am unable to hold back my tears. After overcoming her initial shock at my hug, she tries to turn and face me, but I stop her. I don't want her to see my tears. 
"How do you do it?" I ask with the broken voice of someone who is actively sobbing. 
"Do what?"She asks in a confused tone.
"Stay in this family with a husband and children who change every four years. You have to constantly move around. Your wedding photos are no longer relevant. Our childhood pictures are useless. How, as an unchanging person, can you live with people who are rarely ever the same?" I continue to sob as I speak.
"Can you keep a secret?" She asks in a serious tone. I nod furiously into her back.
"I became a selfish hoarder. Your father believed in starting over fresh with every face change. He didn't take pictures or make friends. He would've burned down our house every four years if I let him. The only physical evidence he leaves of himself is in writing."
"Writing?"
"Yes. He really is a romantic man. He wrote me many love notes when we were dating. Every now and then, he still writes me silly little post-it notes. I keep them all. No matter how often his appearance changes, his heart and soul stay the same. Even at times when he feels different from the man I married, his handwriting is always the same. Those notes are my most prized possessions." She says as she strokes my hair. Then it hits me. Franklin came to the CEOs office looking for important documents but left with only the notes i had written.
I race out of my mom's room and find my phone. Never did I think I would actually be dialing the number that Franklin gave me at the bar.
"Post-its!" I say as soon as he answers the phone.
"Your hair...looks crazy." He replies. I want to cry tears of joy.