How We Became Us

Chapter 6

"You must stick by Heather's side all night, right?" Connor asked as Matt drove them back to Connor's house.

"Yeah, I'm gonna have to find her and see if we can sneak over to my place, then she and Andy can get some alone time," Matt said with a thoughtful look in his eyes as he tried to figure out all the possible outcomes of tonight's party.

"So..." Connor started, and Matt hummed, briefly glancing at him before returning to the road. "Kelly."

"What about Kelly?" Matt asked with a frown, and Connor studied Matt's experience even more.

"Doesn't sound familiar to you?" Connor asked, and Matt frowned even deeper and kept shooting Connor's questioning glances.

"Why would it? Have we met before?" Matt asked, and Connor shook his head. Unbeknownst to Matt, Connor had heard the name 'Kelly' come from Matt's mouth and in his handwriting multiple times when they were little. He had gone home and asked his mother about it, and she explained it was a soulmate thing. Connor was so excited that his best friend had a soulmate, but until a little six-year-old Matt disappeared for a few weeks and returned, not uttering or writing the name Kelly ever again. Connor has suspicions about why, especially when Matt doesn't seem to remember much of his younger days and when Dr. Adler started appearing in the house. Cassie told him not to bring up soulmates or push Matt to remember 'Kelly' or any memory that was close to his sixth birthday as it might trigger Matt to remember what happened for him to lose his memories. She had told him that when she had tried, Matt had a panic attack so bad that he passed out and had pounding, almost debilitating headaches for weeks.

Right now, Connor wanted to see if seeing Kelly and hearing his name all the time would trigger the memory to come on its own. Connor noticed that Matt was touching and scratching his soul mark on his left shoulder more often, and Connor noticed how Kelly would look at Matt pensively. He noticed Kelly touching his left shoulder as well. He would bet all his money that Kelly and Matt are soulmates, and part of him is excited for his best friend to have found his soulmate, but the other part—the bigger part—is worried about what having Kelly here might trigger in Matt's mind. He is grateful that Dr. Adler only comes once a year now, and Matt doesn't seem so out of it anymore, but he knows that what Dr. Adler is doing to Matt is not ethical or legal.

"No, just wondering," Connor whispered absentmindedly, and Matt looked at him confusedly before shrugging and driving up his own driveway.

They get out of the car and walk over to Connor's house, where the party is in full swing.

~~~

When Connor and Matt arrived, Kelly was dancing with some girl on the dance floor, and Andy and Heather were sitting on one of the couches talking to some other people.

"THE CAPTAIN!" Someone hollered, and soon, Connor was swamped with people, and Matt slipped away and found Heather.

"Hey, Matt," Eleanor said, and Matt smiled softly at her.

"Hey, Ellie," Matt said and bent down to kiss her on the cheek as a way of greeting them.

"Can we talk later?" She whispered in his ear, and he nodded and pulled back. She got up and left to mingle around, and Matt took her seat beside Heather.

"Hey," Matt said, getting both of their attention. He leaned in, making sure no one else could hear them. "Heather and I will escape to my house later on. You find Connor, and he'll tell you how to sneak over, and then you and Heather can have your alone time."

"Thanks," Heather smiled gratefully at Matt.

"Don't thank me now; that just means Heather and I will need to mingle and act couple-ly," Matt said apologetically, and Heather sighed and nodded. Underneath Matt's coat, she squeezed Andy's hand again before getting up and dragging Matt onto the dance floor.