Novel Legend
17 Say What Now?
17 Say What Now?
17 Say What Now?
(Jayden)
"It wasn't even meant for you, Jayden..." Lisa continues. "It was my fault."
Winona is standing there open-mouthed, clearly as shocked as I am at this confession.
"Well, that escalated quickly. I didn't even bring popcorn." Lance says trying to ease the crazy tension, no doubt.
We all look at him and say, "Shut up, Lance."
"Lisa, what are you saying? Who was it meant for? Winona asks.
"It's history." Lisa spits the words out at Ashlyn. "What matters is that you stop lying and saying there's proof when there isn't. Winona had nothing to do with the drugs." "Lisa, I don't get it." Winona says.
"I'm sorry. I should never have let it go this far. I was too scared to tell you all the truth and look like a complete idiot." Lisa sobs.
She runs out of the club and Winona follows her.
Ashlyn just stares at them both leaving and then turns to me. "But...
I say coldly, "I think you've already done enough, Ashlyn. Go home."
"No, Jayden, I swear! Your mother has the proof. She told me." "Seems like my mother has a lot to answer for then, doesn't it?"
Ashlyn holds her head in her hands. "Why would she say that?"
"Who cares. It just brings me back to the point that you don't trust me and you tried to manipulate me. I can't be with someone who has no trust in me or my love for them. The wedding is off, Ashlyn. I don't want any trouble over this." "Is it because your memory is back?"
"For fuck's sake." I shake my head. "No. Nothing is because I remembered anything. It's because I've just realized we are not meant to be together, no matter how much my mother wants to manipulate it. You know this as well as I do." She stares at me like she wants to say something, but then she leaves.
It's just me and Lance. "Damn." I sigh.Nôvel/Dr(a)ma.Org - Content owner.
"Hearin' ya, bro."
We finish our drinks in silence. Not remembering all this stuff really gets to me.
"I think I've really stuffed this up bigtime." I speak first. "What kind of a person is Winona?"
Lance looks across at me. "This is not the first time you've asked me that."
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17 Say What Now?
"Really?"
"I think we need more drinks for this. You in?"
"Yeah, it's my round. Should we go check on Lisa?"
"Nah, let's leave the women to it."
I get back with more beers and sit opposite Lance. "So, go for it. I want to know."
"Is this because your memory is coming back?" Lance asks with a grin.
""Not funny, man."
"Sorry. But i
is it? Any time I've wanted to tell you about the past you can't remember you've shut me down."
"Look, I've had something, not exactly memories. But I can't tell if it's real or not. Just tell me. I know you won't shit me."
"Okay. You don't remember. I met Winona before you."
He looked at me a little guilty.
"Ah shit, you mean you, well you and her..." I raise my eyebrows.
"No! No way, man. I would never."
I just stare at him.
"Okay, okay. I probably would have
done, but she cut me off cold. Same with you at first."
Right. Interesting. "How did you meet?"
"We were in math together. Then she caught your interest after she saved our sorry asses then refused to fall for your dodgy pick-up lines." "Saved our ass, how?"
"Math was never our strong suit back then. We were passing answers in an exam and a note dropped on the floor."
"Okay."
"Anyway, Old Man Bulldog was on the warpath. Winona swooped in and picked up the paper, saying it was her shopping note."
"Old Man Bulldog?"
"Our teacher, Mr. Brown, we called him that. He looked like a bulldog."
I shake my head. But it's still nothing I remember. "Go on."
"Well, Winona was the best student. His favorite. Hell, every teacher's favorite. She didn't get a full scholarship and accommodation paid for nothing for college." "So, she's brainy?"
"Very. You took a liking to her after that and continued to ask her out."
17 Say What Now
"And she refused?"
Lance nods and smiles. "Yep, every damn time. It was hard to watch after a while, actually. Pathetic."
"Shut up." I say but I have to grin. Lance just knows how to lighten a moment.
"She wouldn't go out with you but the four of us were best buddies, with Lisa."
"But how did we, well, you know, get to more than friends?"
Lance shrugs. "Not sure exactly, but it was well known by everyone else that she was your girl, even before she was. You and her just had something special."
"I waited for her to be ready?"
"I think that was prom night."
"I see."
"At graduation you gave her a necklace. She didn't want it because it was way too expensive. She hated big flashy shows of wealth. Made her feel not good enough."
"Okay." So that was the necklace Ashlyn was wearing the other week.
"So apparently you told her she could give you 3 wishes in exchange. The first one was to marry you."
"Was that Vegas?"
Lance nods. "And the rest is history."
"Maybe for you. For me it is almost blank. Yet I can remember all the business stuff and my family. I remember you, Ashlyn. It's crazy why my brain would cut out some stuff and not everything."
"Not wrong. But I think it must be there somewhere, otherwise why would you be asking now? These things you're experiencing must have something to do with it."
"I think maybe I should tell you more about them, but not here. Not while I'm drinking beer."
"Fair enough."
"Winona said she'd been in a coma for a year and Lisa cared for her. That night three years ago when we had sex, with the drugs, I thought I felt something real but when I had blood tests the next day because my head hurt so damn much, they found the drug in my system. I believed what my mother said.""
"You can't blame yourself,"
"So, Winona isn't the lying, evil witch they've painted her to be?"
"She never gave us the time of day at first. Yeah, she can be cold. But I think she just felt embarrassed. Like she was expecting us to laugh at her or something But she is such a warm person inside. She is a woman of her word, and she is very loyal..." Lance smiles and I see genuine affection in his eyes.
I feel an undeniable surge of jealousy. He knows so much more about Winona than me. Clearly, they are very close. It shouldn't bug me as much as it does.
"And, she's a great dancer! She knows how to move her body... Used to drive you mad with jealousy. Not to mention every other guy in the room." 17 Say What Now?
His description visualized in my head.