It's All a Blur Last Night

Morning sun warmed my skin as I rolled over in bed. My bare skin was in heaven because of the softer-than-a-cloud sheets. Wait, bare? I feel asleep fully dressed, shoes and all. I opened my eyes to find that I was not in my bedroom. A white and black themed room greeted my shocked eyes. The left wall was completely glass and had a lovely view of the ocean. I sat up straight and looked down at my body. Fully-developed breasts, tattoos I had been thinking of getting, short dark brown hair in my eyes. I screamed and dove under the duvet.

Think rationally, Sariah, I thought to myself, Look at the cell phone on the nightstand.

I obeyed my thoughts and shrieked again when I saw the date. When I had fallen asleep in my room, it was February 5th, 2010. The phone said October 18th, 2013. I quickly dialed my best friend's familiar number.

"This is Amelia, how may I help you?" her voice said.

"Amy? It's Sariah. I need help. Please," I stuttered out. She paused.

"Sari? I haven't talked to you in months. Did your boy-toy finally ditch you again?" Amelia snapped.

"I can't remember the last three years! When I went to bed it was February 5th, 2010! I wake up this morning and I'm nineteen! Help me," I finished with a sob.

Amelia explained that she was living in New York and would get on the next plane to Los Angeles as soon as possible. She told me to call work and tell them there was a family emergency and couldn't come in today. When I asked where I worked, Amy laughed and told me just to look up "Hell" in my phonebook call it. We hung up the phone and I made the phone call.

"Thank you for calling Alternative-Press magazine, this is Sioux. How may I help you?" a cheery voice greeted me. I nearly fell off the chair in shock.

"Hi, this is Sariah Drew. There's been a family emergency and I can't make it in to work today," I said.

"Oh hey, girl. Okay, I'll tell Chris. Bye," Sioux quickly hung up.

I pulled myself out of the bed and looked around for clothes. Finding a pair of boxers and gray tank top, I meandered into the bathroom. Saying it was huge was an understatement; a shower with eight shower heads, a claw-foot Victorian-style bathtub, his and hers sinks, separate place for relieving yourself. Before I dressed, I decided to look at myself and see what I was dealing with. I closed my eyes and faced the mirror.

My eyes were the first thing I saw. The familiar combination of green, gold, and blue was a relief. My cheek bones were more defined and my freckles had faded. A smile spread across my pink mouth and I realized I had a tongue ring. How did I not notice that? I checked what kind of jewelry I had and giggled when I saw the ball was Pac-Man. Tattoos littered my body. Two guns on my hips that proclaimed my sister and brother's names. The mouse my mother and grandmother have on the inside of my left upper arm. "Love" on my left wrist and "Music" on my right wrist, both in calligraphy. Between the guns was "PLUR" written in cursive, not unlike Kat Von D's "Hollywood". I checked my back to see that I had the Alice in Wonderland scene on my back that I had drawn out when I was fourteen.

The Caterpillar was sitting on a mushroom smoking hookah on the left side of my back. Alice rested on another on the right. Little mushrooms decorated the floor between them. The Cheshire Cat smirked at me from underneath Alice's seat. A Mad Hatter hat was on top of his head. In the space above Alice and the Caterpillar was the "Crocodile Poem". Random hookah ohs floated above the poem. My eyes watered as I looked at it. I didn't even remember getting this beautiful piece of art on my skin.

Somewhere within the apartment a front door was unlocked and a pair of feet stumbled in. A few curses were muttered and a crash echoed against the hardwood floor. My name was called out by a very familiar voice. Alexandre. My ex-boyfriend when I was living in 2010. The boy who took my virginity and heart. My first love.

"Alexandre?" I replied curiously. I padded softly into the living room and found him sprawled out on the floor with a dozen white and purple roses next to him. I giggled before walking over to him. Pictures of us decorated the walls and shelves. He hadn't changed much. For a twenty-one year old, he looked like a teenager. I smiled at him before sitting next to him on the floor.

"Hey, sweetheart. What are you doing home?" he whispered in my ear once he had successfully pulled me into an embrace.

"I wanted to spend some time with you. How about we go to the beach?" I suggested. He beamed at the idea.

"It's our anniversary so I don't care where we go, as long as I'm with you," Alexandre said while helping me off the floor. He presented the roses to me and I squealed before kissing him deeply.

"Happy anniversary, darling," I said against his lips.

He went to put the roses in a vase and I relaxed on the bed. Checking my cell phone, I saw that Amelia texted me saying she'd be here in a few hours. I replied with a "kay." Alexandre soon joined me in the bedroom and kissed me lightly. A few mumbled "I love you,"s against soft skin were all that were needed to be said. Things got heated and that was how I ended up smoking a cigarette in nothing but a necklace Alexandre handed to me. It was beautiful with amethyst and sapphires arranged in a silver crescent moon. My favorite color was purple and his was blue so it was a representation of our love.

I still was very confused as to how I would tell him I don't remember the past three years. Hopefully, Amy can fill me in and help me explain this to Alexandre. We spent the morning talking of our future. From what I gathered, he was in a band called Forever Yours. Knowing Alexandre, they were probably similar to Bullet for My Valentine, Slipknot, and other metal bands. We discussed having kids and getting married. All the while, thoughts of the boy who I was dating at the time I fell asleep ran through my head. Was he okay? Who broke up with who? Are we still on good terms?

The doorbell rang and I put on a robe before going to answer it. Looking through the peephole, I saw Amelia standing with a suitcase. I hoped we had a guest-room for her. I threw open the door and flung myself into her arms. I cried a little at the hopelessness of my situation and she made shushing noises comfortingly in my ear. She was still shorter than me and had white hair with the same scene kid bangs. The left side of her nose was still pierced and tattoos covered some of the skin on her pale arms. When we parted I realized her tongue was pierced, too. Amy smirked when she realized I was playing with mine.

"We got them pierced together on your eighteenth birthday. Remember when we had made those plans? We also got matching tattoos," she said and showed me her wrists. The ink was identical to mine. My eyes watered and I hugged her again.

"How do I tell Alexandre? It's our anniversary. I don't even now how long we've been dating," I sighed.

"You've been dating for three years. I'll help you, don't worry. Now are you gonna invite me in or not?" she joked and pushed pass me into the apartment. I smiled and called out to Alexandre to put on clothing and that Amelia was here.

He was shocked and a little pissed she showed up "so unexpectedly" in his words. I shrugged him off and made coffee for the three of us. Small talk was exchanged and we sat on the patio drinking our god-juice, as I called it. Amelia gave me a knowing look after a while and I knew I had to tell him.

"Darling, there is something I need to tell you. You need to believe me and not just jump to conclusions," I said seriously and looked him in the eye.

"Of course, angel. What's up?"

"I can't remember anything after February 5th, 2010. I woke up this morning not knowing where I was. Last night I went to bed at my mother's apartment in Vegas and awoke here," I calmly replied. He went silent for a long minute before sighing.

"I knew I should have taken you to the hospital when you fell last night. You hit your head on the coffee table and started bleeding. I washed the wound before making you go to bed. I asked if I should call an ambulance but you laughed and said no." My breath left my body in relief.

"Thank you for believing me, sweetheart. I wasn't pretending when I said I love you and all the plans we made earlier," I mumbled into my coffee cup. Amelia broke the tension.

"I'm here to help her remember. When was it you said you last remember?" she asked. When I replied, her mouth dropped into an oh.

"Oh sweetie... I think I know why that's the last day you remember. Gabriel... He was hit by a drunk driver while walking to the grocery store from his house. He called you as he was walking and when you heard the crash and the line went dead, you called 911. You had to identify his body in the morgue," Amy said sympathetically.

My coffee cup fell to the floor and it smashed all over my feet. My eyes widened in shock and a sob ripped from my throat. Images appeared behind my eyes as I remembered flashes of that night. A bloody corpse on a gurney, a small hand in mine while I said yes, that was the boy I loved, screams that were muffled in a pillow as I sat in a darkened room. It all came back to me. Wihout my knowing, Amelia sat on the arm of my chair and held me as I fell to pieces. I vaguely remembered me doing this for her when she found out her dad's parole hearing didn't work out. Alexandre excused himself, but I didn't care.

"Where's Katrina? And Elena? And Jess? And Will?" I asked cautiously.

"Elena lives in Vegas with her boyfriend. Jess lives with me," she said.

"Kat?" I pressed her for information.

"Will moved to Australia with Kari during the summer before senior year. Katrina OD'ed right after our junior year started. She fell into a coma and died two weeks later," Amy clutched me tighter as she told me. Kat was my best friend after Amy moved schools.

"He often talked of leaving with her once Kari got her trust fund money after she turned eighteen. I knew Kat would go and do something stupid like that. Jesus fucking Christ, dude. Two friends dead within a year? Will moving the next summer? You must have had to stay with me a lot," I said bitterly.

"Yeah, you practically lived with me. You and Alexandre started dating right after Kat died. I encouraged it because you needed someone to keep you grounded when I couldn't be there," Amy always hated him for what he had put me through. It shocked me that she had done that for him.

We stayed on the patio as Amelia told me of our graduation, getting our licenses together, her and Nick's wedding, and other things that have happened. Some of the experiences sounded like someone else's life, but others I slowly remembered.

"Is there anyone living in LA. that we know?" I asked after a few hours of talking. She nodded thoughtfully.

"Jamie, his boyfriend who I have yet to meet, and Zora. You met her a few months ago when Jamie had a housewarming party. She's his roommate," Amy said while putting out a cigarette.

"Sari? Do you still want to go to the beach?" Alexandre hesitantly asked from the doorway. I looked at Amy for help. "She can come with," he added. I nodded and got up to get ready.

While Alexandre showed Amelia to the guest-room, I raided my closet. My mouth dropped as I saw all the black lace, leather, thigh highs, combat boots, and trench coats. A squeal left me and I dove head first into heaven. Twenty minutes later I was dressed in a black fluffy skirt with chains on it and a black low cut shirt that showed off my stomach tatts nicely. In my jewelry box was a necklace with lips that were smoking a cigarette. Black ripped up leggings and two inch high ankle boots with buckles completed my outfit nicely.

Underneath the bathroom sink was a large tub filled with eyeshadows, mascaras, eyeliners, and body glitter in every color. Foundations, face powders, lipstick, brushes, and fake eyelashes. I was better stocked than the Mac store. I had fun applying red lipstick and fake eyelashes, because when I was younger I was too self-conscious to wear them. My new body and hair allowed me to wear Hooker Red lipstick and have it look good.

Amelia and Alexandre were talking heatedly in the living room, and when I entered they immediately stopped. I glanced at them nervously as they rose to leave. Gathering up my handbag, which was the same Jack Skellington shoulder-bag I've had since I was thirteen, I walked out of the apartment without seeing if they were following. We took the elevator to the parking garage and Alexandre lead the way to the car. When he pointed out which one was mine, I about had a stroke. A gleaming black Ferrari shined up at me. Amy opted to ride with me and Alexandre took his equally extravagant sports car.

"I have to update you on new music, huh?" she asked jokingly. I smiled and nodded.

Apparently, All Time Low had a new album out. My Chemical Romance put out an CD that was in the style of I Brought You My Bullets, You Brought Me Your Love. I was excited to hear them both. Pete Wentz left Fall Out Boy, to no one's surprise. wiL Francis relapsed and wrote an album describing it for William Control. William Beckett had another kid with Christine. Green Day made two movies; one about American Idiot and one about 21st Century Breakdown. She plugged my iPod into the car and played some of the songs. I had put on my seatbelt and turned on the car before I realized I didn't know how to drive.

"Uh, Amy? I don't think I remember how to drive..." I said warily. She grinned.

"Just close your eyes and put your hands on the wheel. Think of nothing but driving. It'll come back to you," Amy confidently told me. I did as she said and soon I remembered the basics.

We were off to what was sure to be an... interesting event.