Page 24 of Forgettable in Every Way

I pressed my lips together, unable to breathe. “So This Is Love” began playing loudly in my head like some sick, inside joke I had with myself. Maybe that’s a disorder I should get checked out. I would have to ask Calista about it.

“We need to clear a few things up,” he crooned with undertones that sounded more than friendly.

That was just my brain programmed to think that way. From now on I was retraining it. I had to think of some anti-love anthems to play every time I saw Simon. Maybe “Love Stinks,” “Go Your Own Way,” or “I Hate Myself for Loving You.” That last one really hit home.

“It’s going to require us to spend more time together,” he added.

Oh, no, no, no. That was definitely not happening.

I channeled Joan Jett and silently repeated “I Hate Myself for Loving You” in my head. With an added memo to myself that I needed to fix that. I didn’t want to hate who I was. Which meant ... “That’s not a good idea,” I bravely said.

His face went slack, as if he were in shock. It took him a moment before he could speak. “Okay, love. You win. I will leave you be.”

Those words stabbed my heart. My eyes stung with tears. But I would make the pain of this moment mean something. I would use it to move on once and for all. To forget before I could be forgotten again.

“Thank you,” I whispered, my voice trembling.

Simon tilted his head, like he detected the wavering in my feeble declaration. However, he did the kind thing and reached his hand out to Jack, who was enjoying himself on the Vespa. “Come on, mate, it’s time to be off.”

Jack’s entire body slumped. “I want to stay with the princess and help her.”

Ouch. More stabs to the heart. I rubbed my chest, physically feeling the pain of Jack’s disappointment. I wished he could stay, but I knew it would only lead to more heartache.

“I’m sorry, son. We need to leave.”

Jack’s beautiful eyes put a stranglehold on me. “Please, Princess Jewel, I need to protect you and help you remember who the Daft Prince is.”

I hugged myself tight, feeling more cursed than ever. “Thank you, Sir Jack, but I’m afraid I won’t be able to remember him. I hope, though, that you go on many amazing adventures in your life. I’m so glad I got to meet you.” It was true, no matter how much it had broken my heart to meet my dream, knowing it would never come true.

“But, Princess, I want to go on adventures with you. We still have to save the green lady in the water, and you need to teach me how to talk to more animals.”

I wanted that too, even though I wasn’t sure who the green lady was. But I knew it was best just to end this now, before there was no possibility of moving on from Simon. “Oh, Jack,” my voice hitched. “I’m so sorry we won’t get to do those things.”

Simon picked up a visibly upset, teary-eyed Jack, who was staring at me like I had just betrayed him.

I was a terrible monster.

“Take care, Jules,” Simon hastily said as he marched off with Jack.

“Let me give you the apple cake,” I rushed to say, like that would make me a better person.

“Keep it,” Simon grumbled while opening the door leading back into the house.

I followed them back inside, feeling worse and worse.

Jack’s tear-filled eyes rebuked me in the most painful manner. So much so I was just about ready to beg them to stay. I would sacrifice my heart to make Jack happy. But before I could, I heard my dad call out in his strangled voice, “Julia.” A sickening thud and the sound of shattering glass followed it. Panicked, I bolted as fast as I could across the house, calling, “Dad!”

I found him crumpled in the hall near a console table that once held a large vase. Now that vase was in pieces, lying all around Dad. His walker had also toppled over on him.

“Dad,” I cried, pulling out my phone to dial 911.

“Wait here,” I could hear Simon tell Jack over the crunch of the glass beneath my shoes.

While lifting Dad’s walker off him, I spoke to the emergency operator. “Please send an ambulance,” I begged. “My father is a recovering stroke victim. He’s fallen, and he’s unconscious,” I barely managed to say, my voice was shaking so bad.

The 911 operator asked a series of questions I responded to while swiping away the glass so I could kneel next to my father and see if he was still breathing and had a pulse. Thankfully, I could confirm both.

“Stay on the line,” the operator instructed me. “Help is on the way.”

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