1.4 Reforming

Shane got home safely after being driven by Paul. Although after that call Paul took, they never really got to finish that conversation. Guess he'll just have to ask again later.

They pulled up in front of the mansion and when he got out, Shane was immediately greeted by the house steward. He greeted back and went directly into his room. After a few days in the house he finally knew the way to his room, if only having one or two missed turns.

Once he was in his room, Shane went to the desk, opened the first drawer and took out a locked journal. He had found it when he got back to his room the day he was discharged from the hospital. He hadn't been able to open it, the key was missing.

Running his hands through the journal, he wondered where the key would be. He had searched the whole room but found no trace. Shane had a feeling that the journal had a lot to reveal.

Putting the journal back into the drawer, Shane then moved to change his clothes into something more comfortable. He put on a pair of light blue loose shorts and a white shirt. Once done, he unscrupulously fell into his bed.

He was still getting used to all of these stuff and it felt a bit too overwhelming.

Shane didn't even notice as he drifted off to sleep.

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Shane woke up disoriented. He must have fallen asleep. He didn't even know how tired he was. Lightly shaking his head, he got up from his bed.

Still groggy from sleep, he moved a little sluggish. He remembered that he still had to meet...who was it again? Chris or Christian maybe.

He went to the bathroom to splash some water on his face to wake himself up and make himself look more presentable. Once he was okay he moved to go to the living room.

Coincidence or not, as soon as Shane opened the door, he was slightly surprised at seeing Paul who looked like he was about to open the door too.

"Young Master, your friends have been waiting." Paul stepped aside, letting Shane pass through.

Shane only lightly nodded and followed Paul. As much as he would like to say he was familiar with this house now, he still wasn't. Everything seems so foreign that he always gets a sense of jamais vu at seeing the halls.

Paul led him to what looked like the living room where he saw three boys goofing off, one of them obviously Chris or Christian.

As soon as Shane stepped in, all eyes were on him.

"Umm... Hello? " he said dumbly. Shane didn't know what to say.

"Shane! Mate, you're alright! I couldn't believe what Chris told me earlier. Blimey, you've had us all worried sick." a brunet suddenly exclaimed, standing up and walking towards Shane. Shane also noted the British accent the man's voice sported.

Confused, Shane just stood stiffly while the other man gave him a short hug while looking over his body.

"Gabe, you've scared poor Shane stiff" a bespectacled ginger also got up to pry Gabe away from Shane.

"Sorry 'bout that mate. It's just... We got really worried" the brunet, whom Shane assumed was Gabe, took a few steps back lightly scratching the back of his head.

Shane got out of his daze and gave a small smile to the young man.

"It's alright...Gabe was it?"

"So it's true? You don't really remember us?" the ginger asked, his tone depreciating.

Before Shane could answer, Christian clapped his hands once loud enough to draw the other's attention.

"Why don't we all take a seat first and then Shane could explain further." He suggested, hands gesturing towards the sofa and chairs.

They all nodded in agreement and proceeded to find a place.

A moment of silence ensued before it was broken by the ginger.

"You really don't remember us?"

Shane shook his head.

"Well I guess introductions are first. I am Gabriel Monet, been your pal since high school. You can call me Gabe. " there was a forced sense of cheer to the brunet's voice.

"John Sterling. We've known each other since high school too." John's voice didn't sound cheerful but more tight, as if he forced himself to say those words.

"And we've met earlier but I'm Christian Louise. Call me Chris. Buddies since high school. I had to take care of your sorry ass most of the time..." he paused "Actually, all of your asses" he finished putting an emphasis on the word 'all' while eyeing all of us.

"Nice to meet you then. I'm sorry I can't remember all of you" Shane looked down.

"Hey, hey, don't be so glum. We'll fix you right up in no time. You'll be the charming young lad you were before. " Gabe slung an arm over his shoulder.

"I wouldn't say he was charming..." John drawled.

"And I'll make sure you don't get yourself into any more trouble...honestly, you look the least likely to get in trouble but you're the worst out of these two" Chris playfully shook his head.

Shane let out a laugh which triggered a chain effect of laughs from the others. He smiled and thought that maybe the old Shane wasn't that bad if he had friends like these.

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Shane further explained his condition to the young men who took it quite well.

If going by the things they're discussing.

"Do you remember at least anything? " Chris prodded.

"I do remember what I learned in school... At least I think so. " Shane replied, thinking deeply.

"I don't know if that's good or just unfair. I thought we could get ahead of you now" Gabe playfully complained.

"Anyone could get ahead of you Gabe. It doesn't take much" John quipped.

"Hey! Let me tell you that..."

While John and Gabe broke out into another argument. Chris was taking notes of Shane's condition.

"You're lucky that we just started university a few months ago. We still have time to deal with the repercussions and we might be able to fix your reputation along with it" Shane heard Chris mumble.

"Fix my reputation?" he asked

"Yup, you've made quite the star of yourself. At least it's not that deep into the semester that you had your impression stuck on anyone." Chris leaned back

"High school was high school and now University's a clean slate for you. You've always wanted to be sociable but your attitude's always something to work with"

"Just tell'im Chris, he was a downright git! If I wasn't my charming self, I'd probably be one of the guys that hated him" Gabe suddenly exclaimed, his banter with John apparently finished.

"Now, you can be you without the stubbornness that you grew up with" John arranged his glasses which seemed to glint off the light.

Shane didn't know what to think. He'd decided that he'll let his friends handle this.

"We'll tell you what you need to know. And probably get you to stop hanging around Dylan and his crew"

"What's the whole deal with this Dylan? " Shane had been hearing a lot about this guy and not good things.

"He's one of those rich kids you hangout with. Not a good one though. Got you into those clubs. Thinks he can prance around like he's a king 'cause his daddy's got money. Got nothing on you though, Shane. That's why he acts like a sycopanthic bitch around you" Gabe's words were spoken in a tone that showed how displeased he was with the guy.

"And apparently you've been hanging around him the night you became... That" John gestured a hand to Shane.

Shane touched his own face. He lowered his hand and replied "Probably not good to hang around him but what if he knows something?"

"He most likely does. We'll get it out of him. But he hasn't been at school lately." Chris mused.

"What's new about that? I'd be more surprised if he actually came to his classes" Gabe shrugged.

"How should I act tomorrow though? It feels like I'm am outcast." Shane brought up.

"Outcast is a strong word but you're probably right. Just another reason to fix your reputation. We will help you"

They all smiled and Gabe even slung an arm around Shane and ruffled his hair.

"Does that include guiding me to my classes? Because I don't think having Paul around would help and honestly, the School's a maze. How people get around I'll never know." Shane looked around to see if Paul was there but the other was no where to be found. Shane didn't even notice him leaving.

"Now that's our Shane. Our directionally challenged smart-ass. " Gabe said which incited another round of laughter from all of them.

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It has been two months after the incident and Shane felt he was doing well. He had been slowly starting to socialise in school with the help of his friends. Paul started to stop accompanying him by the end of his first week of classes, deeming him okay enough to be with his friends.

Chris, Gabe and John have all been a really great help for Shane. From learning which class to go, to finally confronting Dylan and his goons. Shane would like to think, that ended quite well.

Dylan was everything you'd expect an arrogant douche bag to be. He had his own posse, he rarely goes to class and always brags about his latest conquests. Simply put a genuine grade A- asshole.

The matter was resolved relatively quick with just a plain old interrogation session. Shane didn't know how his friends had managed to find a room really similar to an interrogation room but he decided to shrug it off. Coupled with a few threats and a bit of a beating, Dylan easily spilled the beans.

"It was true that I took him to a club that night but 'twas his choice to begin with. 'said he wanted to meet-" before Dylan could finish the sentence, he broke out into a fit of coughs.

"He said he's got someone to meet. I didn't want to interfere and just went to do my own stuff" Dylan even managed to give a shrug at the end.

He didn't give much to say after that because he also stated that he was 'piss drunk' during that night and had blacked out. When he started discussing his encounters with a 'bombshell' as he put it, Shane put a stop to all of it. They got what they needed so there's no use in continuing, even if it wasn't anything substantial.

Shane did impress upon himself to avoid that guy though. The sycopanthic gestures made him sick.

So here he currently was, on the way to meeting some of his club mates in the drama club. Honestly, he didn't know why the old Shane had joined this club but he had to keep up appearances. On the bright side, Shane made some decent friends in this club. And after a few probing, he found out he had a good talent for acting.

They were meeting at a nearby cafe and Shane had just gotten out of his last class. It took more than a few weeks but he can now vaguely recognize the layout of the school, enough for him to get around his classes. Just that, it wouldn't actually be good to ask him directions. At least he didn't need his friends to guide him around anymore.

Shane finally saw the gate and Paul who was still his driver-cum-bodyguard. He replied back to a few people who greeted him as he walk, a testament on how sociable he had become, and made his way to Paul. He also gave him a greeting before instructing him to go to the nearest Cafe.

They arrived after a few minutes and Shane thanked the heavens that there had been no traffic and that he arrived earlier than expected.

Shane entered and found that he was the first of his club mates to arrive. He picked a table that he estimated would seat all of them and sat down. A waiter came to his side to ask his order, and he chose to have a cup of cappuccino while waiting. The waiter nodded and left to make his order.

Shane casually glanced through the glass windows of the cafe as he waited. He didn't know what it is about the steady pace of the city that seemed to have a calming effect on him. Was it the sound of the cars or seeing the people walk by? Either way his mood was pretty good.

His cappuccino arrived and he continued what he was doing while taking sips of it from time to time. The flavor was unexpectedly really good. Shane was pleasantly surprised. His moved had improved even more as he waited. He felt like he could even wait for hours like this.

Suddenly, Shane saw something that made him pause. He sat down his cup and stared at the other side of the street.

There, across the street, was the man who gave him the look full of loathing at the hospital. The man who caused his breakdown last time. The man who triggered a part of his memories.

Shane knew it was a bad idea. He knew it was a horrible decision. He knew it was impulsive and lacked common sense but he had to meet that man. Shane had a feeling that the man across the street was the key to knowing what happened that night. So he ran out.

Shane bolted out the doors of the restaurant, leaving his coffee and ran across the street to catch the man. He faintly heard the waiter calling him but he ignored it and ran right into the middle of the street. Later on, he would reflect on how dangerous his actions were but currently he couldn't care less.

He saw that the man was about to get in his car so he called out.

"Excuse me, sir!"

The man stopped and looked at who called him. His bodyguard who was holding the door for him also took a look.

Shane stopped near the car, panting. He knew he wasn't the most active but to be this out of breath, he had to attribute it to his sudden anxiety.

The man stared at him with the same cold eyes but it was surprisingly different. The malice and loathing seemed to have been toned down or was gone. Shane paused for a moment before he continued.

"I know it's a bit weird to ask this sir, but did you know me? That time at the hospital..." Shane trailed off.

The man stared at him, seemingly not wanting to respond.

"I am sorry for the inconvenience but, I just need to know. It would be really hel-" before he could finish the man spoke.

"Are you Shane Tyre?" a deep rich voice sounded.

Shane was baffled but he responded with a "Yes?"

The man furrowed his eyebrows before saying something to his bodyguard which Shane could not hear.

Shane was still puzzled at the behavior when he was called out by the waiter at the cafe who had also run out to catch him.

"Customer! You did not pay!" he called and Shane remembered that he had abruptly ran out of the cafe.

He faced the waiter but before he was about to apologize the same deep voice interrupted. It took a moment before Shane registered that it was the man who had spoken.

"I'll pay for it." the bodyguard handed the waiter a hundred dollar bill and then handed Shane a business card "Discuss it later"

Without any more prompting the man and bodyguard both got in the car and left the two stupefied.

Shane had his bearings and immediately apologized to the waiter.

"I'm sorry to have run out. It was...urgent, you see" he bowed his head in shame.

The waiter also seemed to have come out of his stupor and replied

"But this is too much..." the poor man was flustered

"Why don't we head back to the cafe first?" Shane smiled and offered. He pocketed the offered business card making sure not to wrinkle it.

The waiter nodded and they both went back. Shane's coffee was still in place and none of his club mates have still arrived yet. He had told the waiter to take the money given as payment for the things his friends will buy later and to keep the change.

The waiter smiled widely, thanked Shane and went to resume his job. Shane only needed to wait a few more minutes for his club mates to arrive.

They discussed the upcoming play which Shane will be starring in and the details that had to be done. They still needed a few changes in the script, a practice schedule and some hands in making the props. They did make great progress after meeting up.

When it was time to leave, they thanked Shane for paying for their food and went their separate ways.

Shane called Paul over to take him home. As he sat in the car, he remembered the business card that the man gave him. Shane took it out and carefully examined it.

"Young Master, what you did earlier was too reckless." Of course, Paul had seen what he had done. He is his bodyguard. Shane chose not to say anything though.

"And also, Young Master, you shouldn't meet with that man anymore. Master will not be pleased"

Shane scrunched up his brows but otherwise remained silent. He didn't know what it was about that man that made his father so secretive and a little apprehensive. All he knew was that the man definitely held some clues as to why he had amnesia.

Still, Shane couldn't help how far apart the attitude of the man when they first met was and this recent encounter. Shane didn't know if he did something wrong or right but he is determined to find out something- anything from the man.

He held the black pristine card in his hands, there was only a number on one side and a name on the other.

Charles Kilner