A few weeks passed, and now I'm back in the city. I can say Luke's right, and he really meant what he said before.
A lot of people still recognize me.
Just as I was about to get out of my van the day I moved into my apartment again, I saw some of my classmates who were waiting for me outside. Some of them even asked me if I was totally okay since they hadn't seen me for months. I tried to answer all of them in a polite manner, but I eventually lost my patience when a bunch of paparazzi just came out of nowhere. I didn't think that I would have that thing when I came back, but it seems like something happened to make me get all of that attention from the media.
The four of us, Luke, Maureen, Riley, and I, clean my whole apartment because apparently there's still dust around even though the housekeepers from the building have already cleaned it. I also decorate my room, and they help me organize all of the things in the living room and kitchen. At night, they just cooked dinner for the four of us, and Luke gave me a shot of serum that I used to have before they all went home.
When the silence covered my whole place, I suddenly felt lost. It feels like I can't even move.
I don't know where to start to seek an answer about what happened to me. I also didn't have the chance to ask some of my classmates since it was already crowded outside earlier. Even though Luke told me a lot of times that I should move forward, there's still a big part of me that wants to know what happened to me this whole time.
Maybe I could find answers tomorrow when I attend the class. Right, I just need to think of a strategy where I can get to ask one of my classmates.
That very next day, I tried to wake myself up as early as I needed to get to class, around 7 o'clock in the morning. I took a quick shower, but I had a hard time picking out the outfit I wanted for today, so I just went with a knee-length skirt and an oversized hoodie, as I felt a sudden cold breeze when I opened the window. I paired it with my favorite sneakers and a gold chain necklace. I didn't have the time to do my makeup, so I just put on sunscreen, cheek blush, and lip balm. I also wore my anti-radiation glasses, which I don't even know I have.
Since when is this my kind of thing?
Nevertheless, I get out of my apartment at exactly 6 a.m. I'm already walking on one of the streets of this busy city. I'm trying to recall everything, and it seems like there are some shops that I used to go to that have already closed down or something has already been built in replacement for them.
It was already 6:15 a.m. when I entered a coffee shop that I got curious about. It's a new one, and I don't remember if I ever walked in here. I sat near one of the corner seats of the shop beside the window, where I could see the cars and people walking and running outside.
They all seemed strange to me.
I called for a waitress, and as she looked at me, she eventually smiled. She walked toward me and asked right away.
"Your usual order, ma'am?" She asked cheerfully. I, on the other hand, felt so confused.
Did I used to go here?
I was left with nothing but to nod at her. She came back to her station and told the barista what I ordered; they even looked in my direction, and they both smiled at me. I parted my lips and looked away from them. I don't know how to react.
Somehow, these people knew me, but I can't seem to find any good response towards them. Well, pretty much. Maybe I acted so rude anyway because that's what I have been ever since.
Gosh, I should have known this could happen to me.
My order came in shortly, and it is an iced cappuccino with extra foam on top. She smiled at me again, and I just nodded at her. When she looked so amazed at what I did, I finally asked her to satisfy my curiosity too.
"Did I do something wrong?" I asked her.
"Nothing, ma'am." She even shook her head. "It's just unusual for you to nod and even talk like we're doing right now."
Right, I'm bitchy even towards these people. I just told her "okay" and stood up to get out of the shop. It's getting weirder already, and I don't like the feeling of it.
I entered the main gate of our university while I was sipping my coffee. I put on my hoodie just to not get any attention at all from the students. While I'm peacefully walking around, I can see people enjoying their time on the open grounds and studying, and there are also teachers having a little chat on one of the benches out there.
Everything felt refreshing and new.
I entered the main building and walked to the long hallway full of lockers. I looked for mine, and when I reached my locker, I noticed that my padlock had been changed into a new one. Right! This is the inconvenience of having this fucking memory loss. I couldn't even help myself from opening my locker!
As I'm out of patience already, I called Luke for help. It's a good thing he answered right away.
"Luke! Do you know what my pin code is for my padlock?" I asked.
"I don't even know when your real birthday is, so no," he said, and he ended the call in an instant as he also said that he's already in class.
It's just 6:30 in the morning, and I still have twenty or thirty minutes to crack this thing up. I put my birthday on the pin code, but it's incorrect. I tried to put it backwards, but it still doesn't work.
I leaned my forehead on my locker and tried to think. What could be the pin?
Minutes later, someone tapped me by my shoulders, and I immediately looked at the direction it came from. My eyebrows furrowed as I saw one of my seniors, Cooper, standing in front of me looking like he just saw a ghost.
I rolled my eyes and spoke. I honestly don't want to talk to him.
"What do you—"
I got interrupted when he called me by my nickname. I didn't expect he would know about it.
"Adi," he called me.
"What?" I asked in confusion.
He suddenly pulled me into a hug, and I got even more confused. What's happening?
"You came back."
What the hell is going on?