Chapter 12

That weekend Dan found that he'd had more to do with Jan than Susie. He jogged both early in the morning and late in the afternoon on both Saturday and Sunday. And all four times he was accompanied by Jan. They even ran through the newly re-vitalized park near the Anderson and Richards homes. It seemed that all sorts of pressures had been applied to the town's mayor and changes had come about quickly. The whole park was now open and there weren't any wooded patches where people could hide away out of sight.

Saturday afternoon was spent having several people over for a pool and Frisbee party. Todd and Janet came over with Todd's sister Cindy. Marty Anderson came along with his sister Julie. Don's old friend Vince attended, too. And Leroy Thomas attended with his sister Tasha.

The party participants rotated between the pool and laying about and playing various games involving Frisbee play. The twins joined Tasha and Julie in a game of keep-away. Vince and Don were their opponents. While both of the 15 year old guys were taller and more muscular than the girls, they barely managed to win the game against the four girls. At other times it was Tasha and Dan working the Frisbee tosses and catches that was the most entertaining activity of the afternoon. She certainly deserved being called a 'Disco Queen'. Dan wondered if she was studying gymnastics.

Dan did manage to keep from being cornered by either Tasha or Julie. Both had been tracking Don's whereabouts during the entire afternoon. He'd avoided the pool when they were in it. He could imagine what they might have tried if either had a chance to get her hands on him in the pool. Of course, nothing much would have happened. While his medication didn't make him anything like a complete invalid, it really did make him 'safe' around eager girls. Still, it would have been troubling to have such young girls trying to fondle him. It was already bad enough that Tasha had previously gotten to him, even if nothing had actually happened.

At one point he noticed Leroy and Marty standing off in the corner of the yard. They seemed to be having an interesting conversation. Dan walked over and asked them if they were comparing notes. They looked at him as if he'd read their minds. Leroy had said it. "Damn, Don. For someone with amnesia you sure are sharp."

Marty nodded. "Yeah, we've been watching our sisters watching you. And we each noticed how we were watching them watch you. We got to talking and realized that you've got a whole society of admirers." With that he glanced over to where Cindy was sitting with Susie and they were looking over at where Don was standing with Leroy and Marty.

"Oh, y'all noticed some of that, too. I'd been warned that Cindy had a thing for me. And now Susie's acting weird. Guys - I'm thinkin' that I might need to become a monk or something."

All three of them had grinned together at his joke. "Guys, just try and protect me from your sisters. The idea of girls so young and trying to get me to do things with them is just too much for me to deal with right now. I'm still trying to figure out who I am and I don't want this kind of weird stuff adding up to make my life any more difficult."

They'd eventually drifted apart and Dan had some time to watch everyone from a chair he'd positioned back away from most of the activities.

During the party it seemed that Susie was almost sulking. She appeared to be basically unhappy. Dan had watched as different individuals sat and spoke with her off to the side of the party. The only individuals who didn't take some time to sit with her were Don and the twins. Dan certainly didn't feel comfortable enough to sit with her. Especially not after what she'd done on Friday evening. And the twins didn't seem to realize that there was a problem between their two half-siblings. The party had eventually wound down and Dan had done some online research before and after dinner.

Sunday had proven to be no different. Susie had kept her distance from Don. Between his two runs with Jan he'd gotten out and walked around the neighborhood. Traci and Terri had gone along with him to the park and they'd looked at the spot where they thought Julie Anderson had been saved. There was a discolored spot of soil that they thought might have been the old fire pit. Some of the still standing trees had markings on them and the twins thought that they recognized the spot as the place where Don had fought the three would-be rapists. They'd walked around the park and learned its seemingly new, far more open layout.

Monday morning was confusing. There were five individuals trying to utilize two bathrooms to prepare for their first school day in the new academic year. Dan thought that he could just as well have skipped the whole exercise.

He actually found that he'd seen more sisterly flesh that morning than he'd seen during the entire Summer of his co-existence with his four faux stepsisters and half-siblings.

Predictably, Susie was cool towards him. That was just as she'd been over the entire weekend. And just as predictably, Jan had noticed the continuing, ongoing problem. She'd stopped them before they got into her car. "OK, I don't know what the problem is - exactly. But, whatever it is - no teasing, no fighting - nothing like that, right?"

Both Dan and Susie had nodded. Dan assured her that that wasn't the problem. Susie had agreed. Jan was left a bit perplexed, it seemed. She probably knew enough to realize what the problem was. But, she might have been refusing to actually recognize what was going on between Susie and Don.

The first day of school was planned to be only a run through of the schedule and also an assembly of the entire student body in the gymnasium. Dan found his way to his homeroom along with Susie. They went into the classroom and Dan saw Cindy Richards sitting besides an attractive red-haired girl. Susie had stepped in ahead of him and so she sat down beside the girl he didn't know. Dan plunked Don's body down in the desk beside Cindy.

He smiled at Cindy. "Hi Cindy. How're you doin'?"

"Hey there Mr. Hero. I'm doing just fine. Stop any rapists or drug-crazed kidnappers so far today?" She smiled to let him know that she was just kidding him.

Dan noticed Susie suddenly sitting up straight and looking even more annoyed. He decided that this was a topic that didn't need to be discussed at that moment. "Uh, Cindy. I don't need to be talking about that. I have court appearances to make. So, let's change topics. Who's this you're seated next to?"

The redhead turned to him. "You know who I am, Don Nichols! I'm not falling for that story about you having amnesia. You and your friends can keep your weird jokes to yourselves." She had said that without too much vehemence. It sounded almost like it was being recited. A rote performance, perhaps...

Well, that's certainly odd.

He looked over to Susie and saw that she was looking at the girl like she'd just said something amazingly stupid.

Now, that is different.

"Donna! It's true! Don's had to relearn who everyone is. You should have seen him the first time he saw Jan. He didn't know what to think! He doesn't remember anybody from before the accident! Don't be mean to him!" Susie was breathing hard as she finished. She really seemed to be upset with the girl.

So, this must be Donna. And what Susie just said to her was really interesting.

"Yeah, right! I'm so sure that Don doesn't remember Cindy and me!"

Dan wondered what that was supposed to be about. Glancing at Cindy he saw her blush. Then looking over at Susie he saw actual anger.

Susie's mad? Uh-oh! What's goin' on that I don't know about this whole situation? What did Don ever do with these girls?

But then it seemed as though a blushing Cindy got control of herself. She seemed to pull herself up in her seat and turned to Donna. "Donna, don't act that way! I've been with Don four different times and I've dropped little hints every time. He's missed them each and every time. He's clueless! He doesn't know about what happened! Don't you get it? He doesn't even know you! And he doesn't remember anything about what happened between us!"

"Between us?" Exactly what is that supposed to mean?

"Uh, what happened between us, Cindy?" Dan just had to ask.

"Oh shit!" That was from Donna. And her face blushed bright pinkish red.

Susie actually giggled at that.

Cindy and Donna both snapped their heads around towards Susie. Dan couldn't quite see their expressions, but Susie suddenly shut up.

"What was it I did?" Dan changed the question, hoping for an answer.

Several more students had come into room and the seats were beginning to fill up. Donna looked around and then suddenly stared daggers at Don. "Just shut up, Don! Not here, not now!" And with that she turned forward and ignored him.

Dan knew that Don's eyebrows had crowded up on Don's forehead. Cindy now looked at him and gave him a little shake of the head. He glanced to Susie and saw much the same expression from her.

What the fuck is all of this supposed to mean? How is it I'm getting' this sorta shit on the first day I've shown up in high school in over thirty years? What'd I ever do to anyone other than kill a few terrorists?

The homeroom teacher then appeared and introduced herself as Mrs. Farris. She took attendance and explained what they could expect to encounter on their first day back in school. She handed out locker assignments to the room full of Sophomores.

She'd then asked if anyone had any questions or comments. Dan had been unsure if he really wanted to bring up anything else that might cause problems with the three girls who apparently knew so much about Don.

It was Susie who spoke up. "Mrs. Farris, my stepbrother Don was injured in an accident earlier this Summer. In case anyone here hasn't heard about it, he's lost a great many of his memories. If you knew him in the past and he doesn't act like he knows you, it's just that he's still learning who everyone is. It's been really confusing for our family and his friends. Please be patient and don't be upset with him if he acts confused. I've gotten used to it. I hope that everyone else will be patient with him." With that Susie had smiled in his direction.

Dan didn't know what to make of that.

Mrs. Farris then spoke up. "Yes, I'd been informed that Don might have some memory problems. Don, do you have anything to say about this?"

"Uh, how about I'm already dazed and confused?" Dan had Don's face show a smile while he wondered what he'd just gotten into with Susie's outburst.

There were chuckles and laughs from some of the kids in Mrs. Farris' homeroom class. Someone spoke up. "That sounds like Don, alright!"