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“Oh, I’m not sure. I’ll watch whatever you guys like. I honestly seem to only remember childhood movies or Disney movies,” she says as we reach the bottom of the steps. It’s musty down here, which is odd.
Usually, we would always hang out down here. We would be in the theater room, the game room, or the patio doors would be open, and we would be in the pool. As I glance around, I notice it looks like this place hasn’t been touched in forever.
“We can find something we all like,” Dom says, chiming in, and I nod. We follow Gracie down the hall to the movie room, and when she opens the door, I’m instantly hit with a wave of nostalgia—all the nights we used to hang out here with Mia.
“Hey, Bambi,” Dom speaks, and Gracie freezes.
“What did you call me?” she asks, her face pale. Her hand shakes, and she almost drops her plate.
“Sorry, it slipped out. It’s what I used to call you… before,” he whispers and shakes his head. I guess I’m not the only one feeling nostalgic.
“No, it’s okay. I think I remember something from you calling me that. We were in a treehouse, maybe a sleepover. I don’t know. What did you want to ask me?” she says, looking at Dom.
“Ugh, yeah, we used to have campouts in Carter’s treehouse until we turned seventeen, then we moved to the cliffs. I was going to ask if it would be okay to call Carter and invite him over?” Dom watches her closely, and I can feel my heart racing.
If she’s remembering things, does that mean we might soon know what really happened that night?
“Oh, of course. Should you invite Ash, too? He was kinda an asshole the other night, but I know he’s one of your best friends. I can put up with him if he promises to play nice,” she says, and I snort.
“No, Ash can stew at home tonight,” I mutter, and Gracie giggles. I forgot how much I’ve missed her laugh. She was always smiling and happy before.
“Okay, then just the four of us,” she says with a clap and walks over to see what movies they have. Dom grabs my arm and tugs me into the hall.
“Is it just me, or does it feel like a preserved time capsule down here?” he asks, and I nod.
“Yeah, I got chills when she opened the door. And what’s with Christine? Something isn’t right here,” I mutter.
“Let me get Carter here, and we can figure out a plan. I have a feeling someone doesn’t want Gracie’s memories to return, and I’m beginning to think it’s a person living under this roof.”
ChapterSeventeen
I’m blasting zombie skulls with Isaiah when Dom calls me. “Fuck, no fair. I got distracted,” I groan as Isaiah takes me out.
“Yo,” I answer, trying to get some health points to heal.
“What ya up to? Want to come watch a movie with us over at Gracie’s?”I toss my controller down and stand up.
“Hell yeah. I’ll see ya in a few.” I end the call, then grab my hoodie and slip it over my head.
“Who was that? Got a booty call?” Isaiah jokes, and I grin.
“Maybe. I’ll catch you later,” I say, and he laughs as I rush out his bedroom door.
I thank his mom for having me for dinner, then leave as quickly as I can. I don’t know why they are at Gracie’s, but I’m not going to say shit about it. I’ve been wanting to hang out with her again. Maybe someday soon, I could ask her out on a date—just us.
* * *
It’s late,dark, and pouring when I reach her house. All the lights are off, so I send Dom a text, letting him know I’m here, but it shows unread. After three minutes, I finally ring the doorbell, making sure to keep cover under the porch. I didn’t expect Gray to be the one to answer.
“Hey, they are down in the movie room. Mind if I join you guys?” I walk through the door and shut it behind me.
“Yeah, of course. How ya been? It’s been a while, huh?” I ask, and he sighs.
“Enjoy the time you have because being an adult sucks ass,” he grumbles as we walk through the halls to the basement door.
“Yeah, what’s been going on?” I ask him because this isn’t the Gray I remember. He was always smiling with a beer in his hand. His parties are legendary, and he killed it on the football field.
He laughs and glances at me over his shoulder as he opens the door. “I made a huge mistake and ruined my life.” He doesn’t say anything else and walks down the steps. I can hear laughter, and I smile. Gray pauses and hesitates to open the door to the media room.
