Chapter 3 Her Return

Eloun

"I think I'm ready to go back to class," I announced, 3 days after waking up with a void in my memory.

Jude stilled, "Are you sure about that?" he asked then strolled over from his reading desk to plop next to me on my bed, I shifted to the other side.

I still hadn't swallowed the whole story of us falling in love after he had bullied me for years, up to the point that we got a room in the mixed dorms together.

But yet, here we are.

The smile on his face grew tight and without saying a word he closed the distance between us again.

"El, you know you really hurt my feelings when you act like this, I'm trying to be understanding because you don't remember our relationship still..." he shook his head, "... Can you at least pretend like being around me doesn't make you sick?"

I fumbled with my fingers, "Sorry," was all I could say.

But this was a guy who broke into my locker and stole my pads. And I'm a heavy flow kind of girl and the blood trickled down to my white socks. He and his friends took pictures then made posters of it all around school.

And that was one of the 'lesser' things he did.

In a million years I couldn't believe that I had looked past that and decided to date him.

Yet everything else said otherwise.

My belongings that were in this shared room with him, other students in this one who claimed we had been together for months, intimate pictures of memories I couldn't recall.

"I'm doing my best," I said, and I meant that.

"I know," he moved this hard to stroke my hair and then placed it back on his lap, "I'll be more patient, but remember still El ... A guy can only be patient for so long, we have needs,"

And what he said painted such a vivid picture in my mind that I nearly threw up and pushed it down my throat.

The next day we went to class side by side, everyone was looking at us. Yet, they only approached Jude and completely ignored me as if I was some kind of ornament are not a person.

"You good?" He asked sitting next to me before the teacher walked in.

"I'm good," I said but my eyes were searching for something, or rather someone.

The guy who had stabbed me with my hairpin.

Jude hadn't said much about him, just some off-handed comments about him being a student and a troublemaker.

"He's not someone you need to worry about," he assured me.

But I wanted to apologize for attacking him, and also maybe get my childhood hair pin back.

It was one of a kind and my parents had made it especially for me.

Another person I was keeping an eye out for was Haley Voss.

But still no sight of her either.

The teacher walked in and before he could even get a word out Jude raised his hand his eyes planted on his phone.

"Teacher I need to use the bathroom,"

He didn't wait for approval, his type in the school never really needed it. He was just making the teacher aware.

"Come back quickly, this lesson is important,"

Jude chuckled patronizingly; "Sure thing, teach."

He looked at me with a smile that didn't travel up to his eyes.

"I'll be right back," he said.

The math teacher launched into his lesson, I placed my entire attention there so much so that I didn't notice when somebody occupied the empty seat next to me.

"Finally, I thought you’d fallen off the face of the Earth, Eloun."

That voice, I recognized it, with the gruffness gone it sounded so much clearer.

I turned my head and confirmed it, "Elias?"

As in my school rival and only competition for Valedictorian, why was he here?

He gave me a small smile then passed me my hair pin.

"You kinda forgot this that night,"

My face flushed hot red; "I'm so sorry, it was so dark I didn't recognize you and your voice-"

"Yeah .." he scratched the back of his head, "... I got into a screaming match with my roommate and my voice cracked before I came," he explained and I felt even more silly for my overreaction.

"How's your leg?"I asked the shame piling up.

He smiled, "It's seen worse days, I'll be fine." he leaned closer, "... But really what happened that night, you texted me saying we should meet up and then-"

"I've only been gone for a minute," Jude materialized from the air immediately becoming too difficult to breathe again, "... And you are immediately all over my girlfriend, can't you take a hint?"

"There's no way she's your girlfriend," Elias refuted his eyes finding me again."Right Eloun?"

I wasn't sure what to say, and in that moment of hesitation Jude’s voice rose loud enough for everyone to hear; "If I'm not her boyfriend then I wouldn't know where her birthmark is... Should I say it?" He looked at me and I held my breath all the blood in my body rushing up to my face.

There was really no way he would know unless...unless he was telling the truth, my birthmark was on my lower back.

A spot where he wouldn't would know unless ... we'd gone all the way.

"Okay, we'll talk later, Eloun," Elias said in a neutral voice that I couldn't interpret, by the time he was gone Jude sat down and growled.

"Looks like I haven't been taking my job as your boyfriend seriously don't worry..."he reached out and wrapped my fingers around his own faster than I could retreat and said looking straight into my eyes,"from now on I won't leave your side,"

And he meant it, other than the bathroom wherever I turned he was there overly present until it became suffocating.

He also kept bringing up moments in our relationship that I could not remember but also not refute.

After a week of this, I managed to sneak away from him and walking past the administrative office to get back to the dorms when I heard a voice that still gives me chills.

"There's no other choice, if things persist this way we'll have to do something about the witnesses,”