REMEMBER ME TWICE

The day I met Iris Stewart

Nia

There are people who enter your life quietly.

You don't notice them at first.

They don't announce themselves. They don't arrive with some grand moment that makes the world stop turning.

Sometimes, they're simply sitting in the chair beside you.

Sometimes, they're the person you happen to look at when everyone else is looking away.

And sometimes...

They're the person you wish you had never noticed at all.

Jayden Carter was becoming that person.

Not because he'd done anything terrible.

He hadn't.

If anything, that was what made him so difficult to understand.

He wasn't rude enough for me to hate him.

He wasn't kind enough for me to like him.

He simply existed somewhere in between.

Cold.

Distant.

Uninterested.

And for some reason, that bothered me more than it should have.

The second morning of school began with rain.

Not the gentle kind I liked.

The kind that turned the roads grey and made the windows look as though someone had dragged a wet paintbrush across them.

My mother drove me to school.

She spent most of the journey reminding me about my schedule.

“English first.”

“I know.”

“Then biology.”

“I know.”

“Your father said—”

“I know, Mom.”

She glanced at me.

I smiled.

“Sorry.”

She sighed.

“You know I'm only doing this because I worry.”

“I know.”

“And if you forget something—”

“I'll write it down.”

She nodded.

That answer seemed to satisfy her.

I looked out the window.

Students were already gathering beneath the school entrance, trying to avoid the rain.

I suddenly felt that familiar knot in my stomach.

Yesterday, I had been brave because I hadn't known what to expect.

Today was different.

Now I knew.

I knew how loud the hallways were.

I knew how many faces I couldn't possibly remember.

I knew how quickly everyone seemed to belong.

And I knew there was one particular person waiting in Room 214 who probably wouldn't even notice if I disappeared.

I got out of the car.

“Have a good day!” my mother called.

I turned.

“I will.”

She smiled before driving away.

I watched the car disappear.

Then I turned toward the school.

And walked inside.

The classroom was already half full.

I found my seat near the back.

The chair beside it was empty.

For some reason, I felt relieved.

Then I saw him.

Jayden was standing near the windows with two boys from the class.

He was laughing at something one of them had said.

He looked different when he was with them.

Lighter.

More alive.

I almost smiled.

Then his eyes moved across the room.

They landed on me.

The smile disappeared.

Not completely.

Just enough.

He looked away.

I don't know why that tiny change bothered me.

Maybe because yesterday, I'd convinced myself that we'd gotten along.

Maybe because I'd mistaken his few words for friendliness.

Or maybe because I was still trying to understand the strange distance between us.

I sat down.

A few minutes later, Jayden walked toward his desk.

He dropped his backpack onto the floor.

Then sat beside me.

He didn't say hello.

I didn't either.

The silence stretched.

I opened my notebook.

He pulled his out.

Neither of us looked at the other.

And somehow, sitting beside someone had never felt so much like sitting alone.

Ms. Bennett began taking attendance.

When she reached my name, I raised my hand.

“Nia Monroe.”

“Here.”

Then—

“Jayden Carter.”

“Here.”

His voice was quiet.

I looked at him.

He was staring at his notebook.

I looked away.

Why did I keep doing that?

Looking at him.

Trying to understand him.

I'd known him for one day.

One day.

And already, my mind was spending too much time wondering what he was thinking.

I hated that.

I hated uncertainty.

Maybe because uncertainty was the closest thing I had to a permanent companion.

I wrote the date at the top of my page.

Then the subject.

Then the teacher's name.

Then, without thinking, I wrote:

Jayden Carter.

I stared at it.

Why had I written his name?

I quickly crossed it out.

Beside me, his pen stopped moving.

I glanced over.

He was looking at my notebook.

“Why do you keep writing my name?”

His voice wasn't curious.

It was irritated.

I closed the notebook.

“I don't.”

“You just did.”

I swallowed.

“I write things down.”

“I noticed.”

There was something about the way he said it.

Like it was an accusation.

I looked at him.

“What's your problem with me?”

He looked surprised.

“I don't have a problem with you.”

“You act like you do.”

He looked toward the front of the classroom.

“Maybe I'm just quiet.”

“That doesn't explain anything.”

He shrugged.

“Then don't try to explain me.”

I stared at him.

For a moment, I had nothing to say.

Then I turned back to my notebook.

“Fine.”

He said nothing.

Neither did I.

But something had changed.

The small, harmless curiosity I'd felt toward him yesterday suddenly felt foolish.

I didn't know Jayden.

And clearly, he didn't want me to.

So I stopped trying.

At least...

I tried to.

The rest of the morning moved slowly.

I answered questions.

Copied notes.

Completed an assignment.

Checked my schedule twice.

Everything was normal.

Except for the silence beside me.

Jayden barely spoke.

When he needed a pencil, he took one from his bag.

When Ms. Bennett asked us to work in pairs, he immediately turned toward the boy behind him.

I sat there with my worksheet untouched.

I looked at Ms. Bennett.

Then at Jayden.

Then at the empty space in front of me.

“Partner up,” she repeated.

Everyone moved.

Chairs scraped against the floor.

People laughed.

Names were called.

I looked around.

Everyone already had someone.

For a second, I lowered my eyes.

There it was again.

That familiar feeling.

The quiet realization that everyone seemed to know where they belonged except me.

I tightened my fingers around my pen.

It's fine.

I could work alone.

I had spent years learning how to do things alone.

I reached for my worksheet.

“Hey.”

I looked up.

A girl was standing beside my desk.

She had a bright smile, a messy ponytail, and the kind of energy that made it seem impossible for her to sit still for more than thirty seconds.

“Do you have a partner yet?”

I blinked.

“No.”

“Perfect.”

Before I could respond, she dropped into the empty chair beside me.

She smiled and held out her hand.

“I'm Iris. Iris Stewart.”

I stared at her hand for a second before taking it.

“Nia.”

“I know.”

My eyebrows lifted.

“You know me?”

She shrugged.

“New girl. Everyone knows the new girl.”

“Oh.”

“Don't worry. That's not a bad thing.”

She pulled her worksheet closer.

“So, are you good at this?”

I looked at the questions.

“Not really.”

“Excellent.”

I laughed.

“Why is that excellent?”

“Because I'm terrible at it too. Now we can suffer together.”

I couldn't help smiling.

There was something strangely comforting about her.

She didn't look at me like I was fragile.

She didn't ask why I wrote everything down.

She didn't speak slowly, like she was afraid I wouldn't understand.

She simply sat beside me as if we'd been doing it for years.

“So... what are we supposed to do?”

Iris leaned closer to the worksheet.

“Pretend we understand it.”

“That doesn't sound very productive.”

“It's worked for me so far.”

I laughed again.

And for the first time that day, I didn't feel like I was forcing myself to fit in.

-----

We finished the assignment eventually.

Mostly.

Iris did half the questions.

I did the other half.

Then we argued about which answers were correct.

She was wrong.

She refused to accept that.

I was right.

She accused me of cheating.

I told her she was dramatic.

She told me I was boring.

By the time the bell rang, we'd somehow gone from complete strangers to arguing like we'd known each other for years.

I packed my notebook.

Iris looked at me.

“You eat lunch alone?”

I paused.

“Usually.”

“Not anymore.”

I looked at her.

“What?”

She slung her bag over her shoulder.

“You're sitting with me.”

“I didn't agree to that.”

“You don't have to.”

She started walking.

I followed.

“You're very bossy.”

“I've been told.”

I smiled.

“So has someone else.”

“Who?”

I glanced toward the back of the classroom.

Jayden was packing his things.

“No one.”

Iris followed my gaze.

Then she looked back at me.

A slow smile appeared on her face.

“Oh.”

I frowned.

“What?”

“Nothing.”

“You're doing that thing.”

“What thing?”

“That thing where you're clearly thinking something but pretending you're not.”

She grinned.

“I like you already.”

---

The cafeteria was louder than I expected.

Iris somehow navigated through the crowd like she had a map in her head.

She found us a table near the windows.

I sat across from her.

She immediately began talking.

About teachers.

About the cafeteria food.

About which classes were boring.

About which students were always getting into trouble.

I mostly listened.

Then, halfway through her story, she suddenly stopped.

Her eyes shifted past my shoulder.

I turned slightly.

Jayden was sitting several tables away with a few boys.

He wasn't talking much.

He was eating quietly, his attention mostly on his phone.

I turned back.

Iris was staring at me.

“What?”

She smiled.

“I see you got your eyes on him.”

My face immediately heated.

“What?”

“Don't act innocent.”

“I wasn't looking at him.”

“You were.”

“I was looking around.”

“Mhmm.”

“Iris.”

She laughed.

“Okay, okay.”

I shook my head and opened my drink.

But she wasn't finished.

“You should know something about Jayden.”

I looked at her.

“What?”

“He doesn't really look at girls.”

I frowned.

“What does that mean?”

She lowered her voice dramatically.

“You see that group over there?”

I followed her gaze.

A group of girls were sitting near the other side of the cafeteria.

They were dressed perfectly, laughing loudly, and occasionally looking toward Jayden.

“Them?”

“Yep.”

“Who are they?”

Iris leaned closer.

“The unofficial it squad.”

I raised an eyebrow.

“The what?”

“The girls who think they're the most important people in school.”

“Oh.”

“They've been crushing on Jayden for ages.”

I glanced toward him again.

He didn't seem to notice them.

Iris continued.

“They've been trying everything. Sitting near him. Talking to his friends. Finding excuses to ask him for homework. One of them even joined his basketball practice just to watch.”

I nearly laughed.

“Seriously?”

“Seriously.”

I looked back at Jayden.

He still wasn't paying attention.

“Maybe he's just shy.”

Iris nearly choked on her drink.

“Jayden?”

She laughed.

“That boy?”

I smiled.

“I don't know him.”

“Exactly. Which is why I'm telling you.”

“I'm not interested in him.”

Iris gave me a look.

“I didn't say you were.”

“You basically did.”

“I said I saw you looking.”

“I wasn't looking.”

“You were.”

“I was not.”

She raised both hands.

“Okay! Fine. You weren't looking.”

I narrowed my eyes.

“Thank you.”

She smiled innocently.

“Not looking at all.”

“Iris.”

“I'm done.”

She wasn't.

I could tell.

But eventually she let it go.

We continued eating.

For the first time since I had arrived at school, I realized something.

I had made a friend.

A real one.

Not someone my parents had introduced me to.

Not someone who knew about my memory problems.

Not someone who treated me differently because of them.

Just...

Iris.

Bright.

Loud.

Nosy.

Impossible.

And somehow exactly what I needed.

---

The final bell rang.

Iris walked with me toward the front entrance.

“You have my number, right?”

I stopped.

“No.”

She stared at me.

“Then what are we waiting for?”

She pulled out her phone.

I laughed as she practically forced me to add her contact.

Iris Stewart ⭐

I looked at the name.

“You put a star beside your own name?”

“Obviously.”

“Why?”

“Because I'm important.”

I laughed.

“You're ridiculous.”

“And you're smiling.”

I looked away.

Maybe I was.

Maybe, for the first time since school began, I wasn't thinking about whether I'd remember everything tomorrow.

I was simply enjoying today.

Iris bumped her shoulder against mine.

“See you tomorrow, Monroe.”

“See you.”

She walked away.

I stood there for a moment before heading toward my mother's car.

Behind me, somewhere inside the school, Jayden was still living his own life.

He hadn't become my friend.

He hadn't tried to.

And I wasn't sure I wanted him to anymore.

I had Iris.

That was enough.

For now.

Funny how life works.

Sometimes, you spend all your time wondering why one person won't notice you...

while someone else is quietly becoming the person you'll never forget.

And I had no idea yet...

just how important Iris Stewart was going to become.

----

When I got home, the first thing I did was kick off my shoes.

The second was call Iris.

I didn't even take my backpack off.

I dropped onto my bed, pulled out my phone, and stared at her name for a second before pressing call.

She answered on the fourth ring.

“Please tell me you're calling because you already miss me.”

I laughed.

“Unfortunately, no.”

“Rude.”

“I just wanted to say hi.”

There was a brief silence.

Then Iris gasped dramatically.

“You called me just to say hi?”

“Yes.”

“Nia Monroe, we're officially best friends.”

I smiled.

“I don't remember agreeing to that.”

“You don't get a vote.”

I rolled onto my back.

“Okay, bossy.”

“Thank you.”

We talked.

Mostly about school.

She complained about our biology teacher.

I complained about Jayden.

She immediately became interested.

“Oh, we're back to him.”

“I don't like him.”

“You mentioned his name three times today.”

“I was making a point.”

“What point?”

“That he's annoying.”

“Mhmm.”

“Iris.”

“I'm listening.”

“You're not.”

“I absolutely am.”

I laughed.

For the next twenty minutes, we talked about everything and nothing.

Teachers.

Classes.

The girls in the cafeteria.

The weird painting hanging outside the library.

The fact that Iris hated bananas with an almost unreasonable passion.

It was easy.

That's what surprised me.

Talking to her didn't feel like work.

I didn't have to carefully choose my words.

I didn't have to worry about whether I'd forget something she'd just told me.

I could simply exist.

When we finally hung up, I stared at my phone, then changed the star ⭐ to a heart ❤️

Iris Stewart ❤️

I smiled.

Then I placed the phone beside me.

For once, I felt like everything was going right.

School was beginning to feel less frightening.

I had a friend.

My parents seemed happier.

And even though Jayden was still impossible, I had stopped caring.

Maybe this was what normal felt like.

Maybe I could finally stop waiting for something to go wrong.

I sat at my desk and opened my notebook.

The pages were familiar beneath my fingers.

I wrote the date.

Then:

Things I remember today:

Mom made pancakes this morning.

Ms. Bennett gave us an assignment.

Iris Stewart is officially my best friend.

I smiled.

Then I added:

Jayden Carter is still annoying.

I stared at it.

I almost crossed it out.

Instead, I left it.

Then I began writing about the day.

I wrote about Iris finding me without a partner.

I wrote about lunch.

I wrote about the conversation we'd had.

I wrote about how strange it felt to have someone to sit with.

Then my pen stopped.

I looked at the page.

Something was wrong.

I frowned.

I had been writing about lunch.

But suddenly...

I couldn't remember what I'd eaten.

I stared at the words.

Lunch — cafeteria.

That was all I'd written.

I tried to remember.

A sandwich?

No.

Maybe pasta.

I closed my eyes.

Nothing.

I opened them again.

It was there.

The memory.

I could almost see the cafeteria.

Hear the noise.

See Iris sitting across from me.

But the details refused to settle.

Like trying to hold water in my hands.

I swallowed.

That's strange.

I waited.

Then, slowly, the memory returned.

I remembered the sandwich.

The drink.

Iris laughing.

Everything.

I exhaled.

“Okay.”

I looked down at my notebook.

Then I wrote:

Don't panic.

I stared at the words.

For some reason, they frightened me more than the forgetting itself.

Because I had forgotten things before.

But this time, I hadn't noticed I was forgetting.

I had simply...

lost the moment.

And then found it again.

I closed the notebook.

Then a text came in and then I reached for my phone..

IRIS: Don't forget we're sitting together tomorrow.

I smiled and typed back.

NIA: I won't.

I set my phone down.

Downstairs, my mother called my name.

“Nia! Dinner!”

I stood.

“Coming!”

I opened my bedroom door.

I switched off the light and walked downstairs.