Until You Remember Me

I have never wanted anything more than to kiss the whipped cream off of Jacqueline’s lips. It is just stuck there on her lips, waiting for me to lick it off and kiss her. Jacqueline has tempted me before, but it is something about the way she is sipping on her frozen coffee drink, playing with the whipped cream on top that is driving me over the wall. If Cheryl weren't pacing in front of me in my bedroom, I probably would have been snatched Jacqueline up in my arms and wrestled her onto my bed.

Instead, I am sitting here on my beanie chair, listening to Cheryl blabbering on about her day.

“So, let me get this straight. You kissed the new guy?” I ask wearily, lending back in my chair.

“Wait, are we talking about Liam Kennard?” Jacqueline mumbles, sipping on her drink.

“Yes and yes.” Cheryl pauses in front of me, staring into my eyes with her big brown eyes.

Oh no, I know what this looks mean. You see, when Cheryl gets worked up about something, especially when it is causing her to stress out, she suddenly breaks that wall she has been using as a shield and express all of her emotions right on the table. Cheryl rarely does this, for her motto is that if it leads to stress, don’t address, as in don’t worry about it. She almost never talks about her real feelings about something unless it is a dire emergency. So, with her eyes big as they are, her forehead forming small lines, and her usual frown deepens, this has to be level three of her confused state.

“Cher, do you like Liam?” I ask bluntly. I mean, if she is all worked up about him, wouldn’t that mean she likes him?

Cheryl hesitates, looking down at the floor before continuing to pace the floor. “I don’t know. I mean, no.”

No, you like him, I think to myself. It is written all over her face.

“You know, he did start the kiss first, so apparently he likes you. Now, I don’t know much about you besides what Willa here says, but I would think you would end it before it had started. So, you have to like him a little bit if you kissed him back.” Jacqueline puts her drink down and sit against the wall on my bed, staring at Cheryl. That causes her to come to a halt, turning her attention towards Jacqueline.

The next three words have never been spoken out of Cheryl’s mouth, so when she says, “You are right,” I couldn’t believe my ears.

“Right about what?”

“She is right. I didn’t resist him. I kissed him back.” Cheryl finally falls onto another beanie chair near the bed, an expression of realization rushing over her.

“Cher, are you sure you are okay?” I ask worriedly. Cheryl just nods her head slowly, staring off into space.

“So what? You kissed a guy you have met for only a day. Some film companies would make a movie out of it, and it will sell. I mean, look at all of those princesses we used to watch as kids.” Jacqueline points out, shrugging. Every sentence that comes out of this woman’s mouth makes me fall more in love with her.

“I had a dream about him,” Cheryl whispers in monotone, closing her eyes. Jacqueline looks at me for clarification. I inform Jacqueline about Monday and what Cheryl said to me. She mouths back “Oh” and lends back against the wall.

“Well, I read this article once about how you know who your soulmate is before you even meet them in real life. It talked about how sometimes you can dream about them or think about them in a way only both of you can understand. Have you dreamed about Liam before Monday?” Jacqueline asks, and Cheryl’s eyes quickly open, sitting up in her chair.

“I think I have. I mean, it was a short dream. I was laying out in a field of tulips, amused by the color of the sunset. I heard someone come up to me, and it was him, but not him. He has dark red hair, smiling at me with light blue eyes. He called me his beloved and kissed the back of my hand. He was wearing what looked like a toga. He asked me if I was ready, but I didn’t know what he meant. Before I could ask, the dream was over.” Cheryl sinks back down into the beanie.

“Ancient Greece,” Jacqueline says, her eyes full of recognition. “And the other dream?”

“I don’t know,” Cheryl murmurs, closing her eyes. “All I can remember is that I was wearing like almost a dark lavender sheer-like dress. I was wearing gold bangles and rings. There was a beautiful garden out in front of me, and I thought I saw a lot of sand beyond the garden.”

“What was Liam wearing in your dream?” Jacqueline looks very invested into Cheryl’s love life. I can see the spark in her eyes, and I decide not to cut her off of the questions. Even if Cheryl looks irritated as she rubs her temples.

“Um, I didn’t see much besides his almost bronze chest and arms. I think he was wearing one of those garment where it is wrapped around his waist. He might have been dressed in a large gold collar-like necklace. I am not sure.” Cheryl shrugs, covering her eyes with her hands. Something was off about how she was laying on the beanie chair, avoiding the light.

“Cheryl, are you having another migraine?”

I see no movement from her for a few seconds, but finally, she slowly nods her head, rubbing her hair against the chair.

“Cher, go home. You had a very crazy day, and you need some rest.” I begin to sit up on my chair, pulling myself off to stand. Jacqueline is focusing on Cheryl, her eyes looking lost. I touch her shoulder, and she jumps a little, shaking her head before staring up at me.

“Sorry, I kind of spaced out a little. I was thinking about something.” Jacqueline combs her hair back from her face with her hand, taking shallow breaths. Sometimes when Jacqueline is in deep thoughts, she goes into another dimension of some sort. That is the best way I can describe it because she would stare at the ceiling wall for an hour without blinking or moving, and sometimes it takes a lot to get her out of her stance. Jacqueline doesn’t know why she does it, but because of her fear of doctors and hospitals, she doesn’t go check it out.

“I am just going to go home. You are right; I need some rest and maybe a painkiller.” Cheryl suddenly gets up, steading on the edge of the bed to prevent herself from falling.

“Wait, Cheryl, I have a proposition for you.” Jacqueline puts her hand up to get Cheryl’s attention, who is a few minutes away from getting sick.

“Make it quick,” Cheryl says through her teeth, her finger massaging her temple and forehead.

“Well, you seem to like Liam, whether you say so or not. I mean, you are having dreams about him. So, why don’t you get him to invite you to Stephanie’s back to school party? I know she asked him, and I mean, you will be able to knock two birds with one stone. You will be able to upset Stephanie for crashing her party, and you will be able to get to know Liam better.”

Cheryl stops touching her forehead and slowly shifts her head to focus on Jacqueline. Cheryl’s eyes are wide, which surprises me a little because if she weren't suffering, she would say some choice words and laughed at Jacqueline. Instead, she was actually going half-interested in Jacqueline’s plan.

“Crash Stephanie’s party uninvited? Hm, that does sound like a good idea, though I don’t know about the part with Liam.”

“Well, I mean, you don’t have to go with him directly. You can meet him at the party and ride with us.” I offer, standing close to Jacqueline. Cheryl closes her eyes, her hand placed on her forehead. Taking deep breaths, she lets out a loud sigh and nods her head.

“Okay, fine. I will ask him, but I have nothing to wear.” She opens her eyes, looking at Jacqueline and me with tiring eyes. Jacqueline glances over to me, and I meet her eyes. I already know what Jacqueline is about to say, for there is a subtle red bodycon dress I have bought over the summer. I have only worn it once on a date with Jacqueline, but I know it is the perfect dress for Cheryl.

“I have a dress you can wear. We are almost the size.” I tell Cheryl. Before she can object, I start to push her towards the door, gesturing for Jacqueline to open the door for me. “You are going to wear the dress, and you are going to love it.” We hustle to the front door, and I reach over to the door knob. Opening the door, I take my hands off of Cheryl’s back, and she spins around to dart her eyes at me.

“You didn’t have to do that. I could have left on my free will.” She says irritably. I shrug and lean against the door.

“Yeah, but it wouldn’t be as fun. We will pick you up from your house Friday around six that night. You will get ready here. Until then, get some rest.” Cheryl begins to open her mouth to say something, but I decide to shut the door on her, waving goodbye. Taking a deep breath against the door, I see Jacqueline sitting down on one of the bottom steps. I stroll over to her, sitting next to her.

“I am hoping that this is a good idea, setting these two up,” I say, leaning my head on Jacqueline’s shoulder.

“I have a strong feeling it is going to work. It is evident that there is something there between the two. I mean, she is having dreams about them together.”

“You believe they are meant to be?” I raise an eyebrow as I look up at her, her beautiful turquoise eyes on me.

“Yes, I do. Just like I believe that we are meant to be.” She reaches down to kiss my forehead, but I have another plan, watching her lips get closer. I lift my head and take her face in my hands, kissing her passionately. Jacqueline puts her arms on my shoulders, playing with my hair as she kisses me back. Whenever we kiss, all I can think about is spending the rest of my life kissing her soft lips.
Jacqueline has been the sunlight I need to escape the darkness that was my father’s death. Having her around not only gave me a reason to not give up but to have a new purpose in life. She is accepting of all of my flaws and mistakes, even the mistake of dying my hair blonde. It was a choice I made, for when I got my braces out, I wanted to change everything else about me. My father had blonde hair when he was age, so in honor of him, I decided to get my hair bleached and dyed, but it didn’t go so great, and now I am stuck with this terrible yellow color. Jacqueline, however, didn’t care and told me she still wants me the same. When she told me she loved me for the first time, I burst out in tears and confess my love to her.

The thing I want more than going to New York is Jacqueline.
…
Yesterday, going to school without seeing Cheryl’s angry face was strange, and I thought that not having Stephanie at school would feel amazing, but it wasn’t.

All anyone could talk about what was Stephanie’s back to school party, and after hearing her name for the thousandth time, it was like she never got suspended. So, when I was in Mr. Bailey’s room, the only sounds I heard was the paint brushes stroking against the canvas. Well, besides Mr. Bailey’s heavy breathing.

I have stared at my painting for longer than I anticipated, but no matter what angle or how many times I flip it over, I knew something was missing. Mr. Bailey must have come to the same conclusion because I can feel his breathing on my hair, making me cringe a little.

“Willa, maybe you need to add something from the heart. Your true meaning for doing this painting because I see the anger and heartbreak in this piece, but it needs something that is deep inside of you.” Mr. Bailey spits out the last word, and it lands on my shoulder.

Is he talking about my actual heart?

“Mr. Bailey, I don’t know. I don’t know what else to add.” I shrug, leaning back against my chair. My head touches his stomach, and I quickly sit up, distancing myself from his body.

“Willa, being a painter is not all about knowing what we are going to put on her canvases. It is about following her emotions, being one with ourselves and the brush. Follow the flow of your heartbeat and dig out what is what in. That is where all of the best painters create their award-winning masterpieces. You must have patience with yourself.”

Either Mr. Bailey has transformed into the Yoda, telling me to feel the force, or Mr. Bailey just read from one of those inspirational magazines my mom gets in the mail. Anyway it goes, I have to agree with him, nodding.

After ten more minutes of sulking and playing with the colors on my palette, the bell rings, and I rush to my belongings, giving Mr. Bailey a wave goodbye. I meet Jacqueline at my car and give her a huge hug. Not being able to kiss in front of everyone sucks, but Jacqueline and I have already discussed coming out to our friends and her family before Christmas break. She wants more time to figure out where she is going to go, and with the pressure of attending UCLA instead of NYU, I have supported her decision to wait it out and tell everyone when the time is right.

While I wait for Jacqueline to grab her outfit and materials from her house for tonight, I decide to give Cheryl a quick video call to check-up on her. She texted me yesterday, informing me that she is suffering from another migraine. Cheryl rarely gets headaches, so knowing that she had another migraine is starting to concern me.

When she doesn’t answer the phone the first time, I call her again, hoping she isn’t dead. Finally, I see a screen of a barely lit room. I hear the rustling of the sheets before Cheryl’s face pops up on the screen. I almost jump, for Cheryl appears drained and off-color. Her hair is sticking out everywhere, and her lips are extra chapped.

“Yes, Willa?” Cheryl mumbles, trying to keep her eyes open.

“Are you sure you are feeling up for tonight? You don’t look so hot.” Cheryl sees my face of concern and immediately sits up, causing a blur on the screen for a moment. When her face is showing again, it looks irritated.

“Willa, you and Jacqueline highly suggested that I do this. I agree because I said, what the hell, why not? Now, don’t worry about me. I am fine. Just get ready and come pick me up.”

Knowing I have just been told off in Cheryl’s own way, I nod and tell her I will pick her up in an hour or so. Before I hang up, Cheryl stops me and brings the phone closer to her face and whispers.

“Hey, can you bring over your mom’s special tea? I am going to need it.” Trying not to laugh, I tell her sure and end the call. My mom is known to make the best tea for any occasion, especially when you are sick. My brother and I rarely get sick because of the tea, and if we do, we are back on our feet the next day. Till this day, I still don’t know what she puts in her tea, and when I told her she should sell it, her words were that all of the pharmacies would come for her.

Jacqueline gets back in the car with her eyebrows raised in question as she stares at me.
“What is up with the huge grin on your face, sweetie?”

I kiss her on the forehead and hold her hand as I begin to drive to my house. “It is nothing, honey. I just realized how interesting this night is going to be.” Jacqueline blinks her eyes in confusion before shrugging.

“Interesting in deed, I see.”