I look in the mirror and I don't recognize the person staring back at me. The scars on my body serve as a constant reminder of the accident that took away everything I once knew. Shizuka is always by my side, despite my harsh words and cold demeanor towards her. She blames herself for what happened, but deep down, I know it wasn't her fault.
My memory loss has turned me into someone entirely different - selfish, egocentric, and a womanizer. Gone is the kind and sweet Jake that everyone used to know. Now all that's left is this new version of myself; bitter and resentful towards those who care about me.
Shizuka tries to bring back memories from our past friendship, but they feel like distant dreams to me now. The music we used to create together feels foreign and unfamiliar. How could I have forgotten something so important? How could I have lost myself in this way?
Sometimes flashes of our old life come back to me in bits and pieces - laughter shared under a starlit sky or jamming out on stage with Shizuka by my side. But they quickly fade away before I can grasp onto them fully.
I push people away because it's easier than facing the pain of not remembering who I used to be. It's easier than acknowledging how much hurt lies beneath these scars both physical and emotional.
But despite it all, there's a part of me that longs for redemption - for a chance to make things right again with Shizuka; she deserves better than what she gets from me now.
Maybe one day these masks will fall away revealing glimpses of the old Jake buried underneath... maybe one day.