A Missing Puzzle Piece
Chapter 5
Travis’s POV
I came out of the bathroom, looking around for Molli. I finally saw her sitting with some guy, and by the look in her eyes she wasn’t happy.
“Fine Molli! I give up!” The guy gave up and stood up. I turned around the corner so I could still hear them.
“Wait!” Molli yelled.
“Yeah?” The guy asked.
Molli answered, “How did you know my name is Molli?”
The guy said, “I dated you for 5 years of my life! You were my next door neighbor!”
Molli seemed to believe him. I was confused. Molli was denying dating him, and living next door to him. Why was the guy still pushing the issue? “How do you spell Molli?”
“YOU spell it M-O-L-L-I.”
I decided to make my presence known. “Hey Molli.”
She looked up. “Oh. Hi Travis.”
“Travis?” The guy turned around. Zach. My best friend.
“Zach, I see you’ve met Molli.”
Zach rolled his eyes. “I’ve known Molli since I was 10. I have no idea why she’s denying it.”
Something seemed to register in Molli’s head. “Wait, Zach. When was the last time you saw me? Before tonight, I mean.”
Zach thought. “I think you were 17.”
Molli nodded. “That’s why.”
“What?” Zach and I said together.
Molli looked down at her lap. “Sit down, boys. I was driving to Pennsylvania for Christmas with my little cousin Andrea. She was 10. I was 19.” Her voice cracked. “It was snowing and I wasn’t paying attention. The car slipped on the ice. The first thing I actually remember is waking up in the hospital with my mother and sister.”
I opened my mouth to speak, but Molli was talking again. “I had lost most of my memories. I mean I remembered simple things, like my name, my age. I didn’t recognize my sister or my mother. They filled in my past for me. Told me what I couldn’t remember on my own. Except I had always felt they had left some things out, like my love life. They told me I had never had a boyfriend and I never really believed it, but that’s what I told everyone. There were always little things missing. Always. Missing puzzle pieces.”
Zach and I were both quiet. I sat down next to her and put my arm around her. “It’s alright Molli.”
She was crying. I let her cry on my shoulder. Zach stood there, and took Molli’s other side. I tried not to smile when she didn’t react to Zach. The thing about Zach is he could get any girl under the sun if he wanted. So the fact that Molli was taking to me was a gift.
Molli sat up and wiped her tears away. “I’m sorry about your jacket.” I looked at the shoulder of my gray jacket, and there were black smudges on it from her makeup.
“It’s fine Molli.”
Zach stepped in. “Do you want to know who you really are, Molli?”
Molli looked over at him, hope shining in her eyes. “Really? You would help me find out who I am?”
Zach smiled that signature smile that makes all the girls want him and leave me in the dust. My blood boiled. “Sure, but I could help right?”
Molli was about to agree, but Zach said, “But Trav, you didn’t know her before the accident.”
Molli didn’t argue. “But you could come over to my house tomorrow. Around 1pm maybe?” She said to me.
I smiled, seeing that she liked me too. “Sure,”
“Um Travis, are you forgetting something man?” Zach asked.
I tried to think of what I possibly had going on tomorrow. Oh right. Game 4 against the Penguins. Duh. “Oh yeah. Molli do you want tickets to the game tomorrow?”
I shook my head. “I already have them. I’m going with Nicole, Ilya’s fiancé. 4th row from the goal!”
Zach smiled. “So you’ll see me and Travis and all the others scoring?”
I nodded. “It appears that way.”
Suddenly Nicole sat down with us. “What’s up?” She asked with a fake smile plastered across her face. “What are you all talking about?”
“Not much. Game tomorrow, I heard you got a ticket for Molli too! Which is always good. She’s really excited!” Zach narrated. “Like she always is.”
Nicole was dying to talk to Zach alone, I could tell. I didn’t know why. Nicole’s eyes were bright and she struggled to smile. She was about to say something, I could tell.
“Come on Nick, spit it out.” Molli said.
“What?” Nicole said almost nervously.
“You’re drunk,” Molli muttered.
“I am not!” Nicole protested. She probably was. “But um, I need to talk to Zach about something important. Ilya wanted me to ask him something, about… Something!”
Molli rolled her eyes. “Hang on a sec then you can. Zach, can I have your number?”
That was a stab in the heart. She wanted Zach’s number too? “Sure!” Zach said smiling. He gave it to her, and she put it in his phone.
“Thanks. Mine is, well, the same if you still have it.”
Nicole’s eyes went wide. “If he still has it? What do you mean?” She was going to say what was on her mind now, in front of all of us.
“Nothing.” Molli muttered, and read her number to Zach.
Zach beamed. “Thanks. So I’ll talk to Nicole now, I guess.” He said awkwardly.
I led Molli away. God, she was gorgeous. She had green eyes that glistened like stars. Her hair was sort of curly, and was down to the middle of her torso.
She just stared at me and I snapped out of it. “So, you’re a hockey fan?” I asked.
Molli shook her head. “I guess I used to be. I haven’t been to a hockey game in who knows how long. I only watch when Nicole makes me.”
My shoulders fell. “Oh. Well, we could bring back your enthusiasm for hockey I’m sure.”
Molli half smiled and looked in her lap. “I’d like that.” She said shyly. She was so pretty. I wanted to hold her in my arms and never let her go.
I smiled at her. “Great! So Zach can help bring back your old self, and I’ll help with hockey!”
Molli smiled, guilt shining in her green depths. “I think that’s all Zach has to bring back. But I’d love you to help too.”
I smiled uncontrollably. I hadn’t really heard what she said, just that I could help! And that she’d love it!
Nicole came over and grabbed a section on Molli’s hair. “Ow!” Molli shouted. “What the hell was that for?”
“Hey.” I growled. “What was that for?”
Nicole looked nervous. “Get up Molli, we’re leaving! Bye Travis!”
Molli was yanked up by Nicole and dragged away. She didn’t even have a chance to say goodbye. Then I realized that the party was winding down. I’d better go.
Zach stopped me in the parking lot. “Hey.” He said.
I looked over at him. “Hi.”
Zach just said, “I can see there’s competition over her.”
I rolled my eyes. “Really? I didn’t notice that at all!” I said sarcastically. “How does she know you anyway?”
“Well, I moved in next door to her when I was like 10. We dated for 5 years. She was my best friend. That’s how I know her Travis. How about you?”
I wanted to make up some obscure lie, but he would find out if I lied. “I met her tonight. Ilya said I had a good chance with her.”
Zach muttered something that I didn’t catch. “What?” I asked.
“Nothing.” He covered for himself.
“Anyway, I just wanted to say, we’re best friends, right?” Zach asked.
“Right.”
“And Molli can’t break us apart, right?”
I hope not. I thought to myself. “Right.”
Zach smiled. “Good.”
“Yeah, good. Because she’s MINE.”
My statement obviously was a surprise to Zach. He just looked at me for a second, his eyebrows scrunched together.
“May the best man win,” Zach said, walking off to his car.
It was no secret that for the first time, Zach and I had competition. Against each other.
I came out of the bathroom, looking around for Molli. I finally saw her sitting with some guy, and by the look in her eyes she wasn’t happy.
“Fine Molli! I give up!” The guy gave up and stood up. I turned around the corner so I could still hear them.
“Wait!” Molli yelled.
“Yeah?” The guy asked.
Molli answered, “How did you know my name is Molli?”
The guy said, “I dated you for 5 years of my life! You were my next door neighbor!”
Molli seemed to believe him. I was confused. Molli was denying dating him, and living next door to him. Why was the guy still pushing the issue? “How do you spell Molli?”
“YOU spell it M-O-L-L-I.”
I decided to make my presence known. “Hey Molli.”
She looked up. “Oh. Hi Travis.”
“Travis?” The guy turned around. Zach. My best friend.
“Zach, I see you’ve met Molli.”
Zach rolled his eyes. “I’ve known Molli since I was 10. I have no idea why she’s denying it.”
Something seemed to register in Molli’s head. “Wait, Zach. When was the last time you saw me? Before tonight, I mean.”
Zach thought. “I think you were 17.”
Molli nodded. “That’s why.”
“What?” Zach and I said together.
Molli looked down at her lap. “Sit down, boys. I was driving to Pennsylvania for Christmas with my little cousin Andrea. She was 10. I was 19.” Her voice cracked. “It was snowing and I wasn’t paying attention. The car slipped on the ice. The first thing I actually remember is waking up in the hospital with my mother and sister.”
I opened my mouth to speak, but Molli was talking again. “I had lost most of my memories. I mean I remembered simple things, like my name, my age. I didn’t recognize my sister or my mother. They filled in my past for me. Told me what I couldn’t remember on my own. Except I had always felt they had left some things out, like my love life. They told me I had never had a boyfriend and I never really believed it, but that’s what I told everyone. There were always little things missing. Always. Missing puzzle pieces.”
Zach and I were both quiet. I sat down next to her and put my arm around her. “It’s alright Molli.”
She was crying. I let her cry on my shoulder. Zach stood there, and took Molli’s other side. I tried not to smile when she didn’t react to Zach. The thing about Zach is he could get any girl under the sun if he wanted. So the fact that Molli was taking to me was a gift.
Molli sat up and wiped her tears away. “I’m sorry about your jacket.” I looked at the shoulder of my gray jacket, and there were black smudges on it from her makeup.
“It’s fine Molli.”
Zach stepped in. “Do you want to know who you really are, Molli?”
Molli looked over at him, hope shining in her eyes. “Really? You would help me find out who I am?”
Zach smiled that signature smile that makes all the girls want him and leave me in the dust. My blood boiled. “Sure, but I could help right?”
Molli was about to agree, but Zach said, “But Trav, you didn’t know her before the accident.”
Molli didn’t argue. “But you could come over to my house tomorrow. Around 1pm maybe?” She said to me.
I smiled, seeing that she liked me too. “Sure,”
“Um Travis, are you forgetting something man?” Zach asked.
I tried to think of what I possibly had going on tomorrow. Oh right. Game 4 against the Penguins. Duh. “Oh yeah. Molli do you want tickets to the game tomorrow?”
I shook my head. “I already have them. I’m going with Nicole, Ilya’s fiancé. 4th row from the goal!”
Zach smiled. “So you’ll see me and Travis and all the others scoring?”
I nodded. “It appears that way.”
Suddenly Nicole sat down with us. “What’s up?” She asked with a fake smile plastered across her face. “What are you all talking about?”
“Not much. Game tomorrow, I heard you got a ticket for Molli too! Which is always good. She’s really excited!” Zach narrated. “Like she always is.”
Nicole was dying to talk to Zach alone, I could tell. I didn’t know why. Nicole’s eyes were bright and she struggled to smile. She was about to say something, I could tell.
“Come on Nick, spit it out.” Molli said.
“What?” Nicole said almost nervously.
“You’re drunk,” Molli muttered.
“I am not!” Nicole protested. She probably was. “But um, I need to talk to Zach about something important. Ilya wanted me to ask him something, about… Something!”
Molli rolled her eyes. “Hang on a sec then you can. Zach, can I have your number?”
That was a stab in the heart. She wanted Zach’s number too? “Sure!” Zach said smiling. He gave it to her, and she put it in his phone.
“Thanks. Mine is, well, the same if you still have it.”
Nicole’s eyes went wide. “If he still has it? What do you mean?” She was going to say what was on her mind now, in front of all of us.
“Nothing.” Molli muttered, and read her number to Zach.
Zach beamed. “Thanks. So I’ll talk to Nicole now, I guess.” He said awkwardly.
I led Molli away. God, she was gorgeous. She had green eyes that glistened like stars. Her hair was sort of curly, and was down to the middle of her torso.
She just stared at me and I snapped out of it. “So, you’re a hockey fan?” I asked.
Molli shook her head. “I guess I used to be. I haven’t been to a hockey game in who knows how long. I only watch when Nicole makes me.”
My shoulders fell. “Oh. Well, we could bring back your enthusiasm for hockey I’m sure.”
Molli half smiled and looked in her lap. “I’d like that.” She said shyly. She was so pretty. I wanted to hold her in my arms and never let her go.
I smiled at her. “Great! So Zach can help bring back your old self, and I’ll help with hockey!”
Molli smiled, guilt shining in her green depths. “I think that’s all Zach has to bring back. But I’d love you to help too.”
I smiled uncontrollably. I hadn’t really heard what she said, just that I could help! And that she’d love it!
Nicole came over and grabbed a section on Molli’s hair. “Ow!” Molli shouted. “What the hell was that for?”
“Hey.” I growled. “What was that for?”
Nicole looked nervous. “Get up Molli, we’re leaving! Bye Travis!”
Molli was yanked up by Nicole and dragged away. She didn’t even have a chance to say goodbye. Then I realized that the party was winding down. I’d better go.
Zach stopped me in the parking lot. “Hey.” He said.
I looked over at him. “Hi.”
Zach just said, “I can see there’s competition over her.”
I rolled my eyes. “Really? I didn’t notice that at all!” I said sarcastically. “How does she know you anyway?”
“Well, I moved in next door to her when I was like 10. We dated for 5 years. She was my best friend. That’s how I know her Travis. How about you?”
I wanted to make up some obscure lie, but he would find out if I lied. “I met her tonight. Ilya said I had a good chance with her.”
Zach muttered something that I didn’t catch. “What?” I asked.
“Nothing.” He covered for himself.
“Anyway, I just wanted to say, we’re best friends, right?” Zach asked.
“Right.”
“And Molli can’t break us apart, right?”
I hope not. I thought to myself. “Right.”
Zach smiled. “Good.”
“Yeah, good. Because she’s MINE.”
My statement obviously was a surprise to Zach. He just looked at me for a second, his eyebrows scrunched together.
“May the best man win,” Zach said, walking off to his car.
It was no secret that for the first time, Zach and I had competition. Against each other.
11/30/12