“I saw Ava.”
I bolted upright, the pain lost in my jolt of pure energy. “What? Where?”
“Get this. She works at a Shelfmart in North Austin. I saw her yesterday stocking shelves like it’s no big deal that she dropped off the face of the earth for six months.”
“What did you do?”
“I walked up and said hey.”
“Did she recognize you?”
“No. She asked who I was, and I said she used to double date with a friend of mine.”
“What did she say?”
“She said, ‘That’s a lie. I don’t date.’”
I winced. “What else?”
“I asked for her number.”
“Did you get it?”
“No. She wouldn’t give it to me.”
I rolled to the edge of my bed and stood. I had to get well. Like now. I needed to go to that Shelfmart. I grabbed the pain meds on my desk and took a triple dose. “Tell me exactly which Shelfmart it was.”
“The one we went to that time to buy beer. Where we almost got away with it.”
“I remember.” I moved too quickly, and my head felt like it stayed behind. Regardless, I was going.
“Dude, you don’t look good.”
“I’ve been laid out for a few days.” I sat on my desk chair, fumbling for my shoes.
“Still not able to drive?”
“Not since graduation.”
“You want me to take you over there?”
I struggled with my tennis shoes, then dropped them and stuck my feet into some loafers. “Yeah. What time was she working when you saw her?”
“Like three in the afternoon.”
“Sounds like she does a regular day shift.” Ava hadn’t known Bill yesterday, which means her memory had been reset since she knewus. But maybe being at a Shelfmart meant some part of her wanted our old plan, working together at the grocery store. This gave me a lot of hope, like the flower she gave me on that last night:
I love him. Even if I lose my memories. My heart will remember. Always.
“What time is it?” I asked.
“About two.” He glanced at his watch. “You sureyou’re up for this right now? You’re not exactly Prince Charming at the moment.”
“This is Ava we’re talking about,” I said.
Bill looked doubtful. “You know, she may not even know who you are.”
“She’ll know me.”
