Chasing Amy

Chapter Three

Amy zipped her coat all the way to the top and made sure her hat was pulled down tight to block the cold from her ears.  The end-of-October night was turning chilly and the air was still damp after the rain that had fallen earlier in the day.

She trudged along behind her two best friends, Beth and Jamie, her boots collecting droplets from the still damp grass.  The giant corn maze loomed in front of them, illuminated by the one large spotlight erected high on a pole behind them.  They came armed with flashlights because once in the maze, the light didn’t do much.

Jamie and Beth were both studying the map they’d been given at the entrance but Amy highly doubted it would do them much good.  They’d come here every year since junior high school to do the maze and once you were inside the corn, the map meant nothing.

The two girls stopped as they tried to spot each of the check points on the map before going in.  Each check point held a clue for the direction to take to get to the end of the maze.  Sometimes they followed them, most of the time they just ran around laughing and giggling and chasing each other until they stumbled upon the exit.

Amy pulled up behind them and fished in her pockets for her gloves.  She looked around, trying to spot the boys.  Ty, Wade, and Scott were nowhere to be seen.

“Where’d the boys go?” Amy asked.

Jamie looked up and glanced around, then shrugged.  “Probably into the maze already. I’m sure they’re lying in wait to ambush us.”

“And scare the bejeebers out of us.” Beth added.

Amy reached for her cell phone, sending a text to Ty.  Where R U?

“Sending love notes?” Jamie teased.

Amy looked back up at her friends with a grin.  “Not yet.”

“Girl, you just need to ask him out!” Beth declared.  “You’ve been waiting forever for him to make a move.”

Amy shrugged.  “Ty’s a gentleman.  He’ll do it his way, in his time.  I’ll wait.  I don’t plan on going anywhere.”

Beth groaned.  “You two are so obviously into each other.  I don’t know how you can be so patient.”

“The good stuff is worth waiting for.” Amy retorted, just as her cell phone chimed.

She opened the message to see Ty’s response: In the maze.

Amy rolled her eyes and texted back.  Duh.  Where? R U waiting 4 us?

“Where are they?” Jamie asked.

Amy motioned to the corn with her chin.  “Inside, as predicted.”

Ty’s answer came quickly: Sorta. U have 2 find us.

“Well, girls, get ready to be ambushed.  Sounds like we’re going on a man hunt.”

“You mean a boy hunt.” Beth giggled.  “I didn’t bring any men here.”

Jamie laughed.  Amy just grinned and shook her head.  “Come on, let’s go.” She instructed.

The girls turned on their flashlights and entered the maze, following the first clue they had been given at the   entrance, which was to stay left.  It seemed counter-intuitive to go left instead of right, as if you were heading right for the middle and skipping half the maze.  But Amy knew after many years of enjoying this fall tradition, the maze was never as it seemed.