Misplaced Memories

Amelia awoke to an unkind, throbbing pain between her temples.

Her first impression--naturally--was that she was dying, or at the very least had been smashed over the head by a very large metallic object. It was difficult, but after a few strained blinks she finally managed to get a blurry image of the room around her.

So... She was at their apartment. Nothing out of the ordinary. Then why couldn't she remember how she got here?

After a few test movements Amelia quickly discovered that her arms and legs were equally as tender as her head, which proved making it very difficult to sit up--but, somehow, she managed.

"What the plumbbob happened last night?" she groaned, carefully tugging her feet away from the end of the bed. One of them was asleep--man, she hated that.

"You don't remember, hmm?"

Amelia didn't need even a fraction of a second to recognize Naomi's voice, but it's grating high pitch was enough to make her regret having heard it in the first place. "I..." Amelia muttered, pausing. Thinking.

Their bedroom was nothing special; like the rest of their apartment, it was littered with pretty much anything and everything they could get their hands on, regardless of how it may have looked together. Most of it was junk, but it was the kind of junk you'd have to pry from someone's dead fingers: paintings Amelia had done in her high school years, photographs of friends and family back home, posters of their favorite teen heartthrobs, and tacky furniture pieces that reeked of their eclectic, artistic lifestyle.

It was probably because of their attachment to such things that they'd only managed to afford one bed; neither complained, since they'd shared a bed since their childhood sleepovers, but it made each of their romantic rendezvous... awkward. Good thing their couches were comfortable.

"No," Amelia finally replied, carefully scooting her feet over the edge as she craned her back forward to try to stand. "I... I don't know if I remember. Ugh," she whined. "Why does my head hurt so much?"

"Probably all that spiced nectar you had," Naomi said, chuckling. "You had way more than you needed to get crazy before we even left the bar. After we heard the news--"

"What news?" Amelia quickly cut her off.

"That we got another gig, durh?" Naomi rolled her eyes, now laughing. "Right after our performance like three other bars in town heard about it and called me to schedule us to play. I guess some hotshot took pity on us playing at the Haunt or something, and gave us a good word--but, whatever the case, after we heard the news we--"

"We threw a party!" Amelia exclaimed.

"You remember, now?" Naomi said quizzically, raising a brow.

"I... I think. I remember that when we got home we set the apartment up to try and look inviting... And there were bubbles! Lots and lots of bubbles."

"And... that's it?" Naomi couldn't help but laugh; considering how crazy the night was, she figured Amelia would've remembered a little more than that.

"Well, there was dancing, too. Right?"

Naomi sighed. "You seriously don't remember, do you?"

"No, no, I do! There was a ton of people there! Musicians from around town, a couple daytime actresses, that one pudgy politician... Heck, even Marina and Katelyn were there, together. Granted, on opposite sides of the room, but there."

"Well, it'd be stupid to expect them ever to get along."

Amelia paused for a moment, thinking. "Hey wait... Wasn't Tom Wordy there?"

"Yeah, so?"

"So? So?! Naomi, that man has had a thing for you since we moved here. You  even had him over at one point and--"

"--And, I don't care. You know I don't like Wordy, Mia, he's totally full of himself. What happened between us was a gigantic mistake, and he's just too stupid to admit it."

Amelia smirked, but knowing that there wasn't much else she was going to going to get Naomi to admit to, she kept tapping her thinking cap, trying to focus on the previous night. "Ooooooh, that one soap opera star was there! Devin Ashton!"

"Yep. And from what I could tell, he was a little into you," Naomi said, a hint of sarcasm on her voice.

"Yeah, I guess. There was a bit of flirting, huh?" Mia tapped her chin.

"There was way more than flirting, Amelia."

"I guess we kissed..."

"Kissed?! Amelia, I watched you make out with Devin almost the entire night. Frankly, it was kind of disgusting."

Amelia giggled, although she'd reached a point that she could no longer remember. "Well, sorry! Pretty sure if I knew what I was doing I'dve been a liiiitttle more discreet. So, um, did anything else happen?"

"Well, a few minutes before we sent everyone home you totally threw up all over Devin's lap--"

"What?!" Amelia groaned. "Noooo... That's awful! He was cute!"

Naomi laughed. "I'm totally just pulling your string, kid. You didn't throw up until about a half hour after everyone left. But until then... It was quite a wild night. If our music didn't land us another gig, that party sure did."

At this point, though, Amelia was not quite excited about their 'comeback' anymore; the spinning in her head and the aches in her bones was enough to displace even the happiest of news.

"Well," she began slowly, finally pushing herself up from the bed. "I'm gonna go shower and get rid of this horrible taste in my mouth."

"Don't take too long, we've got a ton of packing to do, today."

Amelia groaned. She'd totally forgotten; this was the week they had booked to go back to visit Twinbrook, and as happy as the occasion they were returning for was, she was not looking forward to going. "Ugh, don't remind me," she sighed as she limped away from the bed.

A smirk spread across Naomi's lips as she watched Amelia slump from the room; there was more she wanted to say, but she couldn't bring herself to open her mouth to say it. As she sighed, she wondered how she was able to put up with someone as moody and immature as Mia, but as always, she remembered: Mia might be a pain in the butt, but she was her pain in the butt.

Besides, now probably wasn't the best time to tell Amelia it was actually her lap she puked on.

---

'I can't believe I got sick... Stupid, stupid Amelia! You should've puked on his shoes, you'dve deserved it! Ugh... I probably won't call him anyways... I mean, who dates a man who wears a scarf!? I could probably wear it better, and--'

Amelia stopped brushing her teeth for a moment. She'd gotten caught up in the running stream of her thoughts, but through the open door into the rest of the apartment she could hear Naomi's voice. Wait, no one else is in the apartment, right?! Amelia could feel her heart rate begin to pick up a little. What if I can't get this nasty smell off my breath, and--agh!! Immediately, Amelia began brushing twice as hard--and twice as fast.

In the other room, Naomi was in fact not chatting with someone else in the apartment--she was chatting with someone over the phone.

"Yeah, it was great... We got really lucky, that's all I've gotta say... No, no it's not quite like that, we've still got a long way to go to get to that point... Oh, well we're getting in tomorrow at about noon, but I probably won't get a chance to come see you for a couple of days. We've got too much to do when we first get back. I promise, I will come see you though, okay?"

Out of the corner of her eye, Naomi spotted movement coming out of the bathroom--drat, Amelia was finished already. It usually took her forever to get ready, being the perfectionist she is, but curiousity must have hastened her primping.

"Agh, sorry, Mia just walked into the room--I gotta go. I'll call you once I'm in town, alright? Yep... yep... I'm not sure... mhm, love you too--bye."

Amelia was patient enough to wait until Naomi was finished talking--but that was it. She pounced on the opportunity to pry the second she heard the ending 'beep' on her friend's cellphone.

"So, who was that?" She asked. "Tom Wordy finally get a declaration out of you?"

"No, no it wasn't Tom," Naomi said slowly, running a finger through her hair, avoiding Amelia's gaze. "It... It was my brother."

"Oh." Yeah, that was a pretty good reason to avoid her gaze.

"I had to call to let him know we were coming back into town for a visit, I didn't want to chance trying to avoid him while we're there." She sighed and shrugged. "I kinda had to, Mia. I can't lie to my family."

Amelia coughed. For once, she was almost speechless. "Yeah, I know."

"He, well--he asked about you. Wanted to know if you were going to come see him or not... I wasn't sure what to tell him." There was a brief pause where Naomi contemplated what to say. "You know, he still really cares about you, Mia."

"Yeah, well.... I don't care about him anymore, okay?" Amelia shrugged, looking away. "And I don't really want to talk to him. It's still really... awkward... between us, and I'd rather not have to deal with it right now. I've got plenty of other things worrying me, I don't need Lamont on top of it."

"Sorry, I didn't mean to--" Naomi paused mid-sentence. These sorts of topics were always tense with Amelia, but she didn't want to avoid them just for the sake of keeping things 100% civil. "You just never really talk about it, Amelia. I honestly don't really get what's going on between you two."

"Nothing," Amelia said, rolling her eyes. "Absolutely nothing is going on between us."

But, they both very well knew--that was a lie.

---

Summer in Twinbrook was like trying to live in the armpit of Simerica; humid, hot, and pungent. The closest thing to wind was when a door swung open and close--trying to catch a cool breeze wasn't worth the gooseegg you'd get from the doorknob. The heat wasn't altogether too unpleasant, especially not when it was all you'd ever known-, but typically 'grinning and bearing it' wasn't the most desirable option.

So, the pool was the most frequented spot. Walking around town was so muggy that you felt as if you may as well be treading water, so most people ended up doing just that. The pool thrived with children and teens and elders, with pitchers of cold sweet tea and piles of hot dogs--and on that particular day, on that particular summer, there was also Amelia Kane, showing off her brand-new yellow-polka-dot bikini.

But she wasn't alone--no, not that day.

"I--I just wanted to let you know how much fun I had, the other night. It was really great, Amelia. I... I think, I think I'd like to do it again, if you want," the boy stammered. Lamont Leman was his name; his hair was as a bright a red as his father's--and almost as red as his cheeks while he asked that question.

Lamont was a smart boy; not brilliant, certainly no genius, but smart. However, in a town like Twinbrook brains weren't always the greatest thing--at least not in high school. Iit also didn't help that he was eccentric, silly, and unbreakably nice... He was the perfect punching bag: the kind that bounced right back and didn't complain. Sometimes that was good, but mostly it was not.

"Yeah, I had fun too," Amelia responded slowly, smiling. She wasn't sure how to respond to his question, though; she could feel a tug inside her, pulling her two directions. "I--I suppose we could do it again, yeah."

But, as she agreed to a second date, she received something she did not expect--an advance that caught her completely off guard. "No, no--Lamont, not here, okay? Please?" She could feel her bare feet edging backwards across the scorching hot stone tile, propelling her slowly away from him, and away from his grasp.

"But Mia," Lamont said, confused. "You--the other night--you said--"

"I didn't say anything, Lamont. We kissed. That's all," she responded--but for some reason, she felt as if she was lying... probably because she was.

"No," he said slowly, his brows pressing together and his expression falling into confusion. "You said you really liked me... And that you wanted to date me... And that kissing me was--"

"--was something I don't want to do in public. Here. With, like, half the school watching. Okay? I'm just... not ready for that."

'Not ready to be seen with the biggest geek in school'--the thought caught her in the throat, choked her. 'Ugh, what are you doing, Amelia?!'

Lamont fell silent, unsure how to respond to her outburst.

In his stead, Amelia set her hand to her hip and shook her head. "I just need some time, okay?" she lied, averting her eyes so he wouldn't know. "This is all just sort of new, and awkward. Just... Give me a call tonight. We'll figure out something we can do this weekend."

"I--" Lamont was torn between happiness and confusion, but with a smile, he nodded in acceptance. "Alright. Sounds good to me."

As he walked away, a pit continued to grow in her stomach. Why did she care so much what people thought? Was she that shallow?

She thought she liked him, but... If she really did, then why was this so hard?

---

Amelia wasn't sure why she thought of that particular day--maybe it was the heat that made it so memorable, or that awesome new swimsuit... No--it was probably because how she felt then was almost exactly how she felt now: Torn. Confused.

"I honestly don't really want to talk about it, Naomi. There's nothing going on between your Lamont and I. Never was, and never will be. And... That's how I'd like it to stay."

Naomi nodded slowly. "That's actually probably for the best," she responded, almost happily. "You two never really seemed all that good for each other, anyways."

That, though, did not seem to be the right thing to say; Amelia's face fell, immediately driving a painful stab into Naomi's gut.

"Hey!" she exclaimed, quickly trying to change the subject. "Why don't we go out and have some fun tonight, huh? We've got some leftover Simoleans from what Rafael gave us for the gig, we may as well use it to go on the town before we're stuck back in boring ol' Twinbrook for a week, right?"

"That's a great idea," Amelia said with a smile, but her usual excitement seemed drained. "I'll go get ready while you're in the shower."

Naomi gave her a suspicious look. "You sure you're okay, Mia? If you want to talk--"

"No, no, I'm fine! Let's go have some fun!" She put on her brightest face; as unconvinced as Naomi was, they both knew it was best not to press the issue any further.

Amelia walked into their bedroom with a brave face, trying to pretend that all she was thinking about was what she was going to wear, and where they were going to go...

... but the moment the door to the bathroom closed behind Naomi, she felt herself let go--just a little.

'I'm not gonna cry, I'm not gonna cry... Oh, please Amelia, don't cry...'
It wasn't a big deal... So, why did she feel this way?!

---

It didn't take long for them to decide to go to the Aquarius. It was a bit cloudy, but the overcast weather meant they had almost the entire rooftop to themselves; if there was one thing they weren't going to get much of in Twinbrook, it was that: alone time.

They settled into the hottub carefully, Amelia a little slower since she still hadn't completely recovered. But, once they had, they simultaneously let out a gasp of comfort--man, why didn't they do this more often?

"This... was... an amazing idea," Amelia sighed as she tucked her hands behind her head, the steam slowly evaporating her pulsing headache. "You may deny it, Naomi, but you're a freakin' genius. At least to me."

Naomi found this amusing, but all she did was smirk. "Yeah, it was pretty brilliant."

"I mean, lookit! Lookit lookit lookit!" Amelia splashed playfully in the water, sending water droplets flying and waves wooshing up against Naomi's raised foot. "It's all to ourselves, no one'll care if I get water everywhere!"

With a bit of a grunt, Naomi remarked, "Yeah, except me. You're making a mess."

Her friend's retort made her laugh; the two couldn't be more unalike, but there was something about that that made them enjoy each others' company all the more. At least, usually. "Sorry, sorry, I'll stop," Amelia said, still giggling as she reached over for her glass in order to take a sip of her now slightly chlorinated drink.

"But man, isn't this the life?" Amelia continued, smiling across the hottub after taking a long slug from the glass. "Staying up all night partying, no nosy parents, relaxing at a club away from prying eyes..." She sighed. "Why can't we just stay here, Naomi? Why do we have to go back to Twinbrook?"

"We don't really have much of a choice, Amelia.  We have a wedding to go to."
"Yeah, but--"
"But he's your brother." Naomi groaned. "And you're the maid of honor-- you know that Alesha would kill you if you didn't come, right?"
"Yeah... Or at least guilt me half-to-death."
"She's your best friend, Mia. Don't sound so morose about it."
"Yeah, but... but my Dad will be there."

A few moments passed where the only noise was the surge of the jets and the sound of swirling water--and it was with a heavy heart that Naomi finally broke the silence. "Mia... You need to talk to him."

It was as if all the heat from the tub had gone cold; Amelia stiffly turned her eyes away from Naomi' gaze, pointedly trying to find something else interesting to look at so she didn't have to see her friend's glare, boring into her soul.

"No. I won't. He hates me, Naomi. And I hate him. That's just how it is. Neither of us want to see each other, and there's no point pushing it."

"Mia, of course he wants to see you. Look, I know it's hard for you to believe, but your dad can forgive you." Naomi paused, thinking. "I mean he forgave me, didn't he? For stealing from him?"

"This is different, Noami." Amelia scowled, setting down her drink before she turned to glare at her friend. "You were young, and confused. Me... I'm his daughter. He trusted me. Loved me."

"So? Shouldn't that mean he's more likely to forgive you?"

"Naomi, he wouldn't even say goodbye to me before we left! He...." Amelia's voice broke. She could feel a well of water building up in the corner of her eye, one that wasn't from the hottub's steam. "He wouldn't even say goodbye."

---

"You promise you'll call, right?" The voice in Amelia's ear was as sweet as it was sad. "At least once a week? I want to know everything, Mia... You better not forget about me."

Everything that Amelia treasured most in the world had been packed into a dozen boxes. Her entire life had been degraded into a small collection of trinkets and clothes, most of which were being shoved into storage as she prepared to move somewhere far away from everything she'd ever known.

She'd already said her goodbyes to both of her brothers; Travis had left her with a pinched cheek and a stack of records, while Bradley had given her a few tight hugs and a few small reminders of home. All that was left to part from was her parents and Alesha--Alesha, the most wonderful person anyone could ask for as a friend.

"How could I forget about you, Alesha?" She responded as they embraced for the last time. "Besides, Naomi's such a nag I doubt she'll let me forget." Amelia heard a sharp cough from behind her, which made her smile. "And you best be sure to treat my brother good, you hear?"

"I wouldn't dream of doing otherwise, Mia."

When she turned to her mother, she knew what to expect; Meredith was losing her baby, the last little bird to fly the nest. She didn't cry, but Amelia was pretty sure that there was very little stopping her from doing so.

"I can't believe you're already so grown up," Meredith sighed, shaking her head. "And now..."

"Mom, I'm not leaving forever!" Amelia said kindly. "I swear, I'll be back every few months! I just... I just need to spread my wings, is all. This town, it's... It's like a cage. I can't see the world if I'm not allowed to fly."

Amelia continued as she bent down to meet her mother's gaze. "I mean, if you want to come visit me..."

"No, sweetheart," her mother said with a smile. "My place is here. You'll just have to make sure to take pictures for me."

"I will, Mom." Mia paused, looking at her mom with troubled eyes. "Is... is Dad..."

"No, Mia. I'm sorry."

When the taxi pulled up, Amelia bitterly tossed her luggage into the trunk, stuffing it so full it almost couldn't shut; as she slammed the car door shut behind her, Naomi turned and said her own goodbyes to the two women sending them off before jumping into the car after her friend.

But more than two sets of eyes were watching them go.

As the taxi began to pull away, Meredith finally broke into tears--but it wasn't all just because her daughter was leaving. It was how she had to leave.

"It's alright, Mrs. Kane," Alesha said softly beside her, reaching up a hand to rest on Meredith's shoulder. "She'll be back soon enough."

"I know," she responded slowly, trying to stifle her sobs. "She just won't ever be the same."

Not far away, a fist loudly slammed into a wooden window frame--it sent a small crack up the pane of glass, a fine line that split up and away from where the fist had struck. Jebidiah Kane had broken it--just as his daughter had broken him.

---

It had been months since they left Twinbrook, but the day was still fresh in both their minds--one that was even more fresh when the day finally came for them to go back.

Maybe it was only for a few days, and maybe it was for an incredibly happy occasion--but part of both of them couldn't help but feel as if they were being stuffed back into the cage from which they'd fled.

"C'mon, Amelia, it's time to go!" Naomi hollered as she finished dragging their suitcases out of the bedroom. "Our plane leaves in like two hours, and we've still gotta get through city traffic!"

But... Amelia was busy on the phone. Great.  That was so like her, to find the worst possible time in the world to do the least important sort of thing.

At least she was reliably inconvenient, right?

'Uugggh, we're going to be late,' Naomi groaned to herself, rubbing her temples as she watched her friend wasting their precious time.

Naomi couldn't be angry, though--she knew why Amelia was stalling.

She stalled because every moment that they hadn't left, they were still here, still free...

... every moment that they were stalling was one they could forget they were going home.