Telling Him The Truth

"I lived a different life. I was a different person. I spent... well I spent decades going forward and then one day, on my birthday, all of that was wiped away.

"I don't know how to explain it really, don't even really know how it happened or what happened, but it was my birthday and I was alone and no one remembered. Well, some people remembered but... you know what that's not really the point.

"On my way home from a bar after a really shitty day I stumbled into a circus that I'm not pretty sure wasn't real and I walked into this tent and there was this old woman there. Now I'm pretty sure, after all this, that she wasn't actually an old woman and I'm pretty sure that it wasn't a real circus and I'm pretty sure the whole thing was some kind of illusion but the fact was that she knew a lot about me and she gave me a chance.

"She asked what I wanted."

It all came out in a single breath and I breathed slowly afterwards, knowing that I wasn't done. Still I took a look around us to make sure that we weren't being overheard before I went on, telling him more.

"And what I asked for was a second chance and she gave it to me and she sent me back, all the way back to my first day of college and I got to do it all over again. Now it's the third day of this and I'm here and I know all of this shit about all of these people and I've done all of this before.

"I've been on frosh week before. I've been on this tour before. And the last time I was here I was a whole lot closer to you than this time and we bonded and so that's how I know everything that I know about you.

"I know about your dreams because you told me. I know about your family because you told me. I know about all of this because we were friends before, in another life."

He's not looking at me like I've got a second head, at least. But he's not looking at me like he trusts me either so I'm not out of the woods yet.

And I am pretty sure that this is all a mistake, but I think I'm probably in too deep to try to play it off as a dumb joke.

"For what it's worth I am aware that this sounds crazy and that you have no reason to trust me, but it is what it is. What I'm saying is the truth. We used to be friends, it's just that when I went back in time that was all wiped away."

He seems to consider my words for a moment and he actually considers it. Frankly if I was going to open up to anyone, the nerd with an encyclopedic knowledge of fantasy and science fiction probably wasn't the worst choice I could make.

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