Restart by Gordon Korman Chapter 3 p. 20-27 – Transcript

00:02restored by gordon korman chapter three chase Ambrose I recognized a school not because I remember it it's just that mom drove me by here a few times over the last couple of weeks to make sure I'd be sort of familiar with the place it's called Hiawassee middle school and it turns out that on the star of just about every team they have or X star until further notice I'm on the disabled list I get this information from my mother on

00:30the drive to my first day of eighth grade it's just the two of us now since Johnny's back at college mom's trying to fill me in on that former life so I won't be caught by surprise like when that psycho girl dumped frozen yogurt on my head funny she was sympathetic when I told her about that but she didn't seem very surprised like we live in a town where people attack each other with desserts all the time oh she replied early young

00:56girls can be oversensitive especially with the popular athlete she smiles at you you don't smile back she takes it personally but I did smile she's the one who didn't she went straight for the yogurt she rolled her eyes what do you want me to say honey I didn't even know who this mystery yogurt bomber is but here's the thing I think she did know or at least she could make a pretty good guess why

01:23would she hold that back it wasn't like those first days out of the hospital when she was a stranger to me and I must have seen plenty unfamiliar to her now as we pull to the curb in front of the school she's pumping up with details of names of friends and teachers I get along with yet I still can't shake the impression that there's something being left unsaid but I prompt

01:47she Redden's but what I put it to her tell me the part you're leaving out 13 years is a long time chase there's no way I can fill all that empty space view while we're parked at the side of the road on the first day of school are you going to hear things about yourself good and bad then might surprise you just keep your cool okay now what's that supposed to mean

02:11I asked she answered and now I knew even less than before her face is the colour of an over ripe tomato I didn't push it I'll find out soon enough there are hundreds of kids pouring in the front entrance everybody seems to know everybody else back slaps and high-fives flight everywhere several of them fly in my direction and I smack hands bump fists and try to look like I belong

02:36which I definitely don't I also get some strange looks and a few kids meet my eyes and then furtively look away I'm guessing this has something to do with the scrape on my face am i immobilized arm and shoulder mom warned me that a lot of people probably heard about my accident but nobody knows the amnesia part I have to get ready to explain that to a lot of friends who can't figure out why I don't recognize them the teachers and office staff had

03:02to be told of course it's our boy a single bellow rises above the general chatter as soon as I enter the building I don't know the kid but I'm willing to let to bet he's one of my football buddies judging by the size of him from out of the hubbub of the foyer guys who are almost as big are converging on me slapping at me and calling me their boy guys guys not the shoulder my mind is reeling how am I going to explain to

03:29this welcoming crowd that I haven't got the faintest idea who any of them are I start to feel a little dizzy chase two more football players elbow their way to my side to my surprise I actually recognize this pair they're the guys from the pumpkins match smashing picture on my phone mom pointed them out in my lacrosse team photo as Aaron and bear apparently they my best friends

03:54dude good to have you back barks Aaron the taller of the two in person he's the closest thing to a full beard I've ever seen on a middle schooler we tried to come by but your mom said you're on bed rest yeah I can't believe you're here chimes in one of the other guys didn't you jump off the clock tower on the village green bear wipes in the cart across the face he jumped off his roof if you're

04:20drunk too off the clock tower he'd be dead and he didn't jump he fell who'd be stupid enough to jump off a roof Aaron ants this was pretty stupid too I admit a little taken aback by the full Facemash and the fact that the kid on the receiving end didn't seem to mind it I can't remember what I was thinking in fact you guys to be honest the slap be cuts me off but you're gonna be healed up in time for the football season right

04:47you'll be ready for our first game the doctor says no it's my shoulder but mostly it's the concussion I can't risk taking a head shot so soon after the accident a howl of protests greets this announcement well we need you you're a leading scorer the best player our captain cut it out you guys Aaron orders injuries are part of the

05:12game we all know that to me he adds listen then we have to talk to you he heads out at the foyer to an inner atrium with hallways leading often we have no problem navigating the dense crowd my two best friends says push people out of the way most kids see the three of us and clear out on their own they'd lead me to a bench along the wall are these seats taken I asked a young douche boy maybe a sixth

05:36grader before he can answer bear rumbles they are now two kids scrambles down the hall propelled by a hefty shove I sit down with my fellow pumpkin smashers before they could say anything I burst out with Aaron bear the names are unfamiliar on my tongue like I've never spoken to them before I've got something to tell you when I fell off that roof I got more than a concussion and a

06:01sprained shoulder I got amnesia to bear friends amnesia you mean you forget stuff I shake my head sadly worse I forgot everything like my whole life before I fell emotion around us the school these people all new to me I wouldn't even know you guys except your pictures are on my phone as it is I don't remember anything about us I know we're friends

06:27because my mother said so but everything we did together that's gone I catch them eyeing each other like they don't believe me it makes me mad until I consider how I'd react if a longtime friend told me the same thing Here I am the kid they've known all their lives they look the same talk the same and I'm telling them that all our history is completely wiped out I don't blame them for thinking I'm

06:52joking it is a joke just not a funny one I speak again it's not just you guys think how it feels to see some random stranger instead of your own mother your brother your dad and trust me I'm not loving the thought of dealing with 800 kids in this school who think I'm dissing them because I can't remember who they are Bera stares at me hard wait you're not

07:16kidding are you I wish I said fervently he's stunned Aaron leads forward practically into my face yeah but your memories going to come back right there's an urgency in his voice he must really hate it that I'm missing out on the good old days some of it maybe I replied but also maybe not the doctor says it's impossible to know they look at each

07:43other again and there's no mistaking how freaked out they are I feel a surge of warmth toward these two my best friends I have a giddy vision of my phone screen the three of us brandishing the baseball bat with a ruined jack-o'-lantern the good times guys I try to reason with them I'm still me even if I don't remember the stuff we did together we'll do new stuff better stuff oh yeah totally bear exclaims and if you can't play football he'll be good for lacrosse in

08:10the spring right the doctor said I should be okay by then old Oh we'll have to see there you go he sounds upbeat although I'm pretty sure he's faking it this can't be an easy thing to process if I wasn't the one with amnesia I don't know if I can accept it myself we're here for you man Aaron adds slapping my back and sending a jolt of fire through my separated shoulder I swallow an angry warning one step at a time

08:36welcome back boys deep voice and tones a tall man in a charcoal gray suit approaches our bench chase I'm dr. fitzwallace your principal I thought I'd reintroduce myself under the circumstances we've got before of course a strangle you could say that again comes from bear the principal silences him with a single look through steel-rimmed glasses chase come with me let's have a little chat

09:02my friends are already slacking off down the hall so I follow the principle into his office on the wall are two large framed photographs and I'm surprised when I identify one of them it's on my wall too part of a newspaper clipping about our football championship last year it's me Hamlet pushed on to the back of my head hoisting the trophy the other is similar older you can tell it's a lot older the pose is almost identical a

09:28young player raising the same trophy I can't explain it but the kids sort of looks familiar that's crazy how can I recognize him I don't recognize anybody dr fitzwallace is watching me that's your father our only other win at state back when he was your age Wow no wonder dad calls me champ I should call him champ too I tilt the principal I didn't know he wanted state

09:54I mean I'm sure I knew at some point that's exactly what I'd like to talk to you about have a seat chase dr. fitzwallace weighs me into a chair I have to confess this is a first to me I've never had a student suffer amnesia before it must be very upsetting for you even a little frightening it's pretty weird I admit not remembering anybody it's like I'm surrounded by all these people but I'm still alone the principal sits down

10:21behind his desk I hope we could make the situation a little easier on you I've alerted all the teachers and supports death so we're ready for you if you have any issues just have whoever's involved to get in touch with me I thank him because that's what he seems to expect me to do one more thing he leaves back in his chair and when he speaks again it's slowly and carefully as if he's trying to get his words exactly right

10:48this is an awful thing that's happened to you but it's also presenting you with a rare opportunity you have the chance to rebuild yourself from the ground up to make a completely fresh start don't squander it I'm sure you're not feeling very lucky but there are millions of people who'd give anything to stand where you stand right now in front of a completely blank canvas I stare back at my principal what is he

11:13talking about I'm struggling to discover the person I was and he wants me to change what was so wrong about the old me that I now have to be somebody else