I sustain brain damage from a car crash and end up with a memory akin to a goldfish. However, I remember my feelings for Caleb Warner for seven whole years.

Things change when he abandons me on a mountain top after losing a bet with someone. He sneers and says, "Write this in your journal, Sadie. Consider it a lesson learned."

It's wintertime, and it's freezing on top of the mountain. I almost die there.

I later destroy everything that has to do with Caleb and allow my memories of him to disappear from my mind.

…

One night, someone by the name of Caleb Warner calls me. My boyfriend jealously pulls me close and asks, "Who's this?"

I shake my head dazedly. "I don't know."

The person on the other end of the line loses it when he hears my answer.

After getting Caleb Warner's call, I rushed to the mountaintop where he raced. The mountain road was slippery in the winter, and I ended up being more than ten minutes late.

Just as I approached the campsite, I overheard his friends complaining.

"What's with Sadie? She's late. I bet my entire month's allowance on this."

Another man chimed in, "Caleb, could it be that Sadie found out you used her for the bet and showed up late on purpose?"

Just as I was about to walk over, I stopped in my tracks. What did they mean by "the bet?"

Caleb was sitting on the hood of his race car, chuckling like it was no big deal.

"So what if she knows? She'd still come running like a little puppy."

One of his friends frowned and asked, "Is there actually someone that dumb? Hiking up a mountain in freezing weather for three hours just because someone told her to?"

Another guy clapped him on the shoulder. "Hey, don't be surprised. Sadie's always been kind of slow. She hit her head in a car crash when she was 16."

"For real? And Caleb's been letting a girl like that chase after him for years? Isn't that kinda gross?"

Caleb lit a cigarette.

He exhaled slowly and asked, "If an idiot chased you for years, wouldn't you find it gross?"

"Ugh, even thinking about it gives me the creeps."

Everyone laughed at his dramatic shudder.

I gripped my phone tightly. On the screen was a message Caleb had sent me three hours ago.

"I'm hurt. Mount Crescent peak. Get here in three hours."

Because of that one message, I dragged myself out of a hospital bed, ignored my period cramps, and hiked up the mountain for three hours.

I didn't expect I would stumble right into what he really thought of me.

All my worries vanished in an instant. The pain in my lower abdomen didn't even compare to the pain in my chest.

Just then, someone noticed me.

Caleb looked up, raising a brow. He walked toward me without the slightest hint of panic.

His first words were, "Sadie Hartman, you're late."

Hands in his pockets, he didn't even notice how much pain I was in.

I clutched my stomach, trying to ease the cramps. But my voice still trembled as I said, "So what?"

"So, you're walking back down on your own."

He tapped on my forehead, again and again. "Sadie, write this in your diary. Make sure you learn your lesson."

With that, he waved to the others to get in their cars.

One after another, the race cars roared past me, leaving nothing but clouds of dust.

The sun dipped below the horizon, and the temperature plummeted.

Freezing wind cut through me from every direction.

Suddenly, a sharp pain stabbed through my abdomen. I started shaking uncontrollably. A cold sweat broke out on my back, and specks of black clouded my vision.

I knew what that meant. I was about to pass out.

If I lost consciousness here, I'd freeze to death on this mountain.

Panicked, I pulled out my phone and called Caleb. He didn't answer.

A low battery warning flashed across the screen. I started to panic, fumbling to send him voice messages.

"Caleb, please. I don't feel well. Please come back and get me. I swear I'm not lying. I really can't take it anymore. There's no way to call a ride up here. My phone's about to die too…"

I kept refreshing the chat, but not a single reply came through.

Suddenly, the same helplessness I'd felt at 16 years old after the car crash came rushing back.

A wave of fear washed over me.

Just then, I saw a flash of red ahead. I used every last bit of strength to stumble toward it.

The moment I collapsed, someone caught me. I fell into a warm embrace that smelled faintly of mint. Right by my ear came a startled voice.

"Holy crap!"

When I woke up again, I was lying in a hospital bed.

A circle of curtains surrounded me, and a familiar figure's shadow was cast on them.

It was Caleb.

"Yeah, she's fine. Just passed out. That guy who called me totally overreacted. No need, I'll go now. That's a limited-edition race car, and that would be a shame if I miss it. You know how she is, she'll forget it the next second. No need to console her."

He hung up. As I watched him reach for the curtain, I instinctively shut my eyes, pretending I hadn't woken up yet.

I slowly opened my eyes when I heard his footsteps fade away. Through the small gap in the curtain, I saw his retreating back as he walked off without a second thought.

My nose stung.

I grabbed my phone. It was somehow fully charged.

I opened my electronic diary app, where I kept my records for the past seven years.

Seven years ago, I was in a car crash. Although I survived, the doctors said my brain had suffered severe trauma, causing memory issues.

One moment, I might remember something; the next, it would be gone. So, I developed the habit of keeping a diary.

I flipped through the entries, realizing that almost all of them were about Caleb.

Of course they were. I liked him and pursued him for seven years. I was terrified that I might forget him.

So I wrote about him again and again, as if I could carve those feelings into my mind.

But now, I had finally realized that I'd been a fool for these past seven years.

I created a new entry. "18th December. I will never like Caleb again!"

I packed my things and got ready to leave the hospital. As I opened the door, I bumped into someone.

The familiar scent of mint filled my nose. It was the person who had saved me.

I looked up and saw a guy with a striking, almost arrogant presence.

He lowered his phone and gave me a quick once-over, frowning. "Are you feeling better now?"

His unexpectedly familiar tone of concern made me instinctively nod.

I usually bounced back pretty fast once I got through the severe pain of my period's first day. Right now, aside from feeling weak all over, I didn't feel any other discomfort.

"Thank you for saving me." I pursed my lips, unsure of what else to say.

Suddenly, he reached up and gently brushed the corner of my eye with his thumb, wiping away the dampness. "You've been crying? What's got you down?"

I froze for a moment. When I came to my senses, I quickly stepped back.

He seemed caught off guard by my reaction. As he was about to say something, a loud voice interrupted him, booming from his phone.

"Elijah Parker, are you coming or not? This is a limited-edition race car show!"

So, his name was Elijah Parker.

He covered the phone and glanced at me. "I'm coming. Save me an extra spot."

He then grabbed me and started walking out.

I was caught off guard. "W-Wait, Elijah, where are you taking me?"

If I remembered correctly, this was our first meeting. Were we already this close?

When he heard me call his name, he looked surprised. "You remember me?"

I shook my head, a little confused. "I just heard your friend call you that..."

In other words, I didn't know him. He seemed a bit down and muttered something to himself.

Did I know him? I thought back to my terrible memory and started flipping through my diary. It had photos of everyone I knew, with names underneath.

By the time we reached our destination and the car stopped, I still hadn't found any trace of Elijah.

So, I truly didn't know him. But why did he act like we were so familiar?

Elijah brought me to a massive venue. The moment we stepped in, the deafening roar of cheers hit me. The air was buzzing with excitement.

In the center of the venue, race cars sped past each other in a blur of motion on the circular racetrack.

Because Caleb liked racing, I'd learned a bit about it too.

Perhaps it was the energy of the crowd, but I found myself clapping and cheering along when the first car crossed the finish line.

As I laughed, I felt a burning gaze on me.

I turned and saw Elijah leaning against the railing. He propped his head up with one hand as he watched me, grinning from ear to ear.

I quickly lowered my hands, feeling a little awkward.

"Feeling better now?" he asked.

I was caught off guard. I didn't expect he had brought me here because of that.

"Why do you even care how I'm feeling? After all, we just met…"

He straightened, his expression turning a bit strange. "Who says—"

Before he could finish, someone cut in.

"Sadie? What are you doing here?"

I turned around. It was Caleb and his group of friends. I never liked them. They always mocked me, calling me an idiot.

They thought I didn't remember, but I had written every word down in my diary. I really couldn't stand them.

I instinctively took a few steps back.

Elijah seemed to notice that I didn't like them. He immediately stepped forward and shielded me behind him.

"None of your business," he shot back.

I clung to him like a shield, muttering behind his back, "Yeah, what's it to you?"

Caleb's tone turned sour. "Sadie. Get over here. I'm counting from three. Three—"

"Three-two-one, one-two-three, one-two-three-four-five-six-seven." Elijah fired off without missing a beat.

"I'll teach you if you don't know how to count."

Seeing that I stayed right where I was, Caleb laughed out of sheer anger. This was the first time I hadn't done as he said.

He looked at Elijah with a flicker of inexplicable hostility in his eyes, glancing back and forth between the two of us.

Suddenly, he sneered. "Do you know she's sick?"

I looked up at Caleb in disbelief.

The next words out of his mouth were cold and cutting.

"She got in a car accident a few years ago and has some problems with her brain. To put it plainly, she's just an idiot."

As soon as he said it, his friends behind him burst into laughter.

Elijah turned to look at me.

I couldn't lift my head. I was terrified of seeing that mocking, pitiful gaze I'd grown so used to. For some reason, I couldn't bear the thought of seeing it in his eyes.

My fingers slowly let go of Elijah's shirt. I turned and fled, without looking back.