"That doesn't look like Hendrick." Said Karen in a confused tone.
"Ah, uhm…" Bella couldn't think of an excuse, and looked at the young man as if begging him to help her out.
"Yeah, I don't look like Hendrick cuz I'm not Hendrick. I'm Stan." He said and then he made a sad face. "I can't believe you actually forgot me. I texted Bella, pretending to be Hendrick to get you out here... Why don't we go out so I can explain better?"
"I don't know who you are." She replied gently and wanted to turn around and go back into the house, but she stopped when he said something else.
"I can help you remember everything and I mean everything you have ever forgotten, nothing excluded."
Karen looked back at him and he continued. "I'm sure you must want your memories back. Memories are very important, both the ones that bring joy to our hearts and smiles to our face when we recall them and those that saddens our heart, but when they are lost, it could be like a curse."
His words sank into Karen's head and she struggled to make a decision. "Are you telling the truth?" She asked innocently.
Stan smiled widely at the progress he had made. "Of Course, I'm." He answered.
"Okay, let's go!" She said happily and ran to him.
Stan was a little bit amused. "So gullible... so easy." He murmured to himself before facing one of his bodyguards. "Kevin, kindly open the door for the lady."
The one named Kevin quickly did as told.
"Thank you." Karen said and got in the car.
Stan also got in the car and sat beside her, but before that, he winked at Bella and she in return gave him a thumbs up.
As for Karen, she wasn't uncomfortable and shy as she usually was even when she was around her family. All she could think of was regaining her memories and be free of the 'curse' that Stan had made mention of earlier.
….
Jane and Charlotte arrived at the hotel. The loud music could be heard from the gate and that made Charlotte really excited. "Oh my gosh! I can tell this party is gonna be a blast." She laughed.
They both got into the hotel and into the bar where the party was being held. There were many people in the party. Some were on the dance floor, while others were busy ordering drinks, getting themselves drunk.
It was a birthday party of one of the students in the school Jane was attending, so most of the attendees were from the school. High school students who were supposed to be in class pretending to listen to their teachers.
"Let's get some drinks." Jane said and they both went to take a seat next to the counter to buy drinks.
"Hey girls or should I say girl and tomboy?" Said a girl who was holding a glass of wine as she danced towards them.
"Hey sassy Stephanie." Said Jane.
"Come join us." Charlotte pointed at an empty seat.
"That's if you are gonna be sensible and not gonna fucking irritate me." Jane warned her seriously.
"I'm sure she won't, not after what happened last time." Charlotte said and Stephanie nodded.
"Yeah, I was in the hospital for a week." She said and glared playfully at Jane.
"You were only there for an hour, but if you want it to be a week this time, it will be my pleasure." Jane said with a smirk.
"Stop scaring me." Stephanie took a seat next to Charlotte.
"There are so many hot guys here, ain't I right?" Stephanie grinned excitedly.
"And what did I just say about irritating me?" Jane growled at her.
"I was talking to Charlotte." She defensively said and chuckled lightly so that Jane wouldn't hear her.
"Yeah girl, so hot." Charlotte nodded in agreement to what Stephanie said, then she looked around in disappointment. "But non of them are approaching me." She complained.
"Maybe they think Jane's your boyfriend. I mean, who would think it's actually a girl that's sitting next to you?" Stephanie joked, not missing any chance she could get to annoy Jane.
Charlotte gasped dramatically as she realized it could be true. She looked at Jane apologetically. "I'm sorry Jane, see you later." She quickly ran with her drink to join the dancing crowd before Jane could try and stop her.
"Lets go dance. You will be my boyfriend tonight." Stephanie said and winked at Jane, but Jane remained silent, busy concentrating on her drink.
Knowing about Jane's problem with guys and that she would do anything to piss a guy off or even get into a fight with a guy, Stephanie quickly thought of something.
"My boyfriend ditched me yesterday and he is right here in this party. Please help me make him jealous and make him know that he was of no importance to me." Stephanie pleaded.
"Steph, that's non of my business. You were the stupid one to give your heart to some crazy dude. I have said it time and again, BOYS ARE STUPID." Jane said and after taken a sip of wine, she continued. "But I do feel like dancing. So let's go, my lady." Jane extended her hand to Stephanie.
Stephanie wasn't expecting it and she smiled excitedly. She had made up the story about her boyfriend jilting her, but there was a guy in the party that had rejected her advances and she wanted to teach him a lesson.
Jane wore a hat which didn't reveal her hair, and gosh, she looked beautiful. If she was a guy, she would surely get a lot of attention from girls and Stephanie took this chance to show Jane off to the guys and probably the girls too that were not aware of Jane's gender.
She took Jane's hand quickly and in a flash, Jane had already gotten them to the dancefloor. Jane was dancing like a guy and sometimes held Stephanie's waist, which made them look like a couple.
Stephanie looked at Jane and wished the person in front of her was really a guy. But why waste time on wishing for the impossible? So she looked around and when she saw the guy that had ignored her advances, she gave him a mocking look, while still dancing with Jane.
....
Stan's car stopped at an amusement park and they all got off from the car.
"What is this place?" Karen asked inquisitively.
"It's a park." Answered Stan. "Do you like it? It's very lively, unlike sitting idly at home."
Karen nodded in agreement while looking around in awe.
Stan finally took off his dark shades, revealing his dark blue eyes.
Karen looked very closely at Stan for the first time and noticed that Stan looked like Hendrick, but she could also see the clear difference. Stan was taller than Hendrick and he had brown hair.
"Hey, you've been staring at me. Don't tell me you've fallen in love with me already." He winked at her.
"You look like Hendrick. Is he your brother?" She asked.
Stan scoffed. "Correction darling, I do not look like him. He looks like me." He replied, ignoring her question about them being brothers.
Actually, Karen's guess was a good one. Stan and Hendrick were brothers, but they were stepbrothers. Hendrick was the illegitimate son of their father, Mr Rodriguez.
Hendrick was taken to his father when his mother no longer had the capacity to take care of him and since then, he was considered to be the 'bastard child of Mr Rodriguez' or at least that was what Stan and his mother used to refer to him as.
"How would you help me regain my memories?" Karen curiously asked.
"Patience babe. We just got here. Let's have some fun." Stan replied and held her waist as they walked further into the park.
There were many people in the park. Children who were with their parents. Couples who came to have fun and many others. There were also many fun stuffs. The slide, the see-saw, the swings, monkey bars and so on.
"The old you used to love the park so much. I'm sure being here will trigger your memories. Which one would you like to do first?" Stan asked.
Karen looked around and excitedly pointed at the merry-go-round. "That one."
"Then that one it is." He laughed and took her to it. He made her sit on one of the seats and pushed it with great force, making it go around repeatedly that it could cause one to feel dizzy, but Karen found it to be fun.
"Again! Again! Again!" She begged.
They both did almost everything there was to do at the park and everyone thought they made a cute couple.
"We both know that the boss is just doing this solely for an important aim and nothing more, but then why does it seem like he has never been happier than he is right now?" One of Stan's men named Ian said to Kevin.
"Yeah, I couldn't help but notice it too. I haven't seen him smile this much before." Kevin replied.
After a long while of playing around, Stan was finally exhausted and couldn't keep up with Karen who seemed to never get tired. "Would you look at that, it's already approaching twilight." Stan said through his heavy breathing. "They might start looking for you back at home. I'll drive you."
Karen shook her head. "But my memories." She argued.
"Baby steps. When I said I could make you remember everything, I never said it was gonna happen today. You just have to keep sneaking out with me and before you know it, all your memories would come floating right back, okay?"
Karen's once gloomy face immediately turned bright. "So we would do this again?"
Stan nodded. "Obviously. I'll make sure next time would be much more fun than today. So let's go." He intwined his fingers with hers and they went to where the car was parked.
….
After the party, Charlotte drove Jane back home. "Wow, what a party. I really enjoyed myself." Charlotte said.
"So did you find your so called Prince Charming?" Jane mockingly asked.
Charlotte's smiley face turned dull. "No, boys are stupid, they didn't even look my way. If I had known, I would have stayed with you instead. I got really jealous when I saw you and Steph having a nice time together." She gave voice to her feelings.
"You know, if you were a guy, I probably would have seduced you and made you my boyfriend… and then I've been meaning to ask you this question. Are you homosexual?" Charlotte curiously asked.
Jane ignored her question and said instead "Thanks for giving me a lift babe, I'll see you some other time." She got off from Charlotte's car and went into her house.
"Maybe you should mind your business from now on." Charlotte said to herself and drove off.
Jane got into the house and the first thing she heard was "Karen!"
It was Lauren's voice and she was calling out for Karen.
Lauren came down the stairs and saw Jane. "Hey! You are back already? I thought you would be back by midnight." She said in a ridiculing tone. "Hold on a sec. Where is the textbook you took with you?" She asked as she eyed her.
"Fuck." Jane cursed under her breath that her mother couldn't hear her. She must have forgotten her textbook in Charlotte's car. "I uhm…"
Lauren rolled her eyes and cut her off. "Forget it. Have you seen your sister?" She asked.
Jane raised her brows a little. "Is she missing?"
Lauren folded her arms on her chest. "The answer to the question I asked can either be a yes or a no." She said it while wearing a serious look that Jane almost laughed as it wasn't all the time she got to see her mom act so strict.
"Then it's a no." Jane replied and wanted to head for the stairs.
"Where do you think you are going? Go check for her in the front-yard." Lauren ordered.
Jane shrugged her shoulders. "Okay." She forced the word out.
A/N: What is Stan up to? Continue this journey with me and find out.