Mission Absolutely Impossible

Phase6: Basketball can calm your Thought Squiggles

"So what have you been up to?" Zach looks at me, genuinely curious. Crap, I should have thought about this before.

Make something up, something cool and interesting, but not anything too far-fetched. But something that will make you seem mysterious and sophisticated.

"My dad took his photography business worldwide, so we've basically been traveling around the world." Okay, that's not so bad, right? I'm not completely lying, my dad did have a photography business at one point in his life, and we have traveled a lot.

"Oh my god, that's so fetch," a girl named Kelly drawls.

"Fetch?" I ask," like from Mean Girls?"

"Yeah, it's making a comeback," she informs me.

And it's been how many years since that movie?

"So where have you been?" another girl named Brittany asks, looking a bit skeptical. I remember her. She absolutely despised me. Of course, the feeling was mutual.

"Almost everywhere really, though I recently just came back from Paris."

"Really?" Zach says," That's amazing, what were you doing there?"

"Uh, my dad did a couple aerial shots, so we spent a lot of time in a helicopter." Nice one, Theo.

"That's cool. Y'know I've always wanted to go to Paris."

"Well, it's okay in the summer, it can get really hot and there are a lot of tourists. I think the best time to go is in the spring, it's really nice that time of year."

"I'll keep that in mind," he says, giving me a small smile. If a small smile turns my stomach into a stomping ground for elephants, I'd like to see what a real smile can do. Wait, his mouth is moving. Is he talking to me?

"Wait, what?" Way to be mysterious and sophisticated, Theo.

"If he gives you any trouble, just tell me and I'll take care of it," he repeats, reassuringly. I don't even know what he's talking about and I already feel safe.

"Yeah, sure, but what are we talking about?"

Everyone stares at me open mouthed. Was it something I said?

"You're kidding me right?" Kelly says, "I wasn't even paying attention and I know who we're talking about."

"Remember what happened? Why you left?" Zach tries to explain gently,"Xander Kane? Ringing any bells?"

"Oh, yeah," I say, a weird pang going through me," You know what? I just remembered that I need to go do something. I'll see you later."

Before I hastily leave, Zach promises to meet me after sixth period, when school is over. As I navigate my way through the halls to my next period, I see many familiar faces. Many people look older than I remember, courtesy of puberty, though they seem the same, personality- wise.

I actually have no idea where I'm going. I just wanted to get away from that table. As soon as Zach brought up the incident, I just... freaked. I've never felt scared about it, I've always felt anger and rage and the need to get revenge. So why now? What made this time different-

"Ow," a male voice exclaims. I really need to watch where I'm going while I'm having an inner monologue.

"Will you watch where you're going?" the same voice snaps.

"Maybe you should-"I start to reply, but the words die in my throat as I look up to meet a familiar set of blue eyes. I don't need a memory hurricane to remember him. My breath seems to disappear with my comeback, because I can't breathe. And it's not the oh-my-god-I-can't-breathe-now-I'm-hyperventilating kind of can't breathe; this is legit freaking out, it feels like I've been socked in the gut while I was having a period cramp and now I can't breathe. He seems to have the same effect because his eyes widen and he starts sputtering.