I've Got Your Back

Chapter 20

It was the summer before high school and were sitting on the dock upstate trying to put together our own fishing rods.

"How the heck do you put this thing together?" I asked laughing

"Don't look at me. Remind me, why did our moms buy these for us?" Tyler said

"Because, " I said mimicking my mom "We were in Walmart and we saw them and thought; we live by the lake that's bound to have fish, what better way to find out then by fishing? Or, some evil spirit possessed them and thought it would be funny to torture innocent children."

He laughed and set it down beside him, "Well screw it, I don't even like fish."

"Me either." I said and did the same hugging my knees to my chest

"Tyler?" I said looking into the water

"Hmm?"

"Are you, are you nervous?" I asked him

"Nervous? For what?" He asked sounding confused

"For high school. The summers almost over, it's kinda freaking me out."

"Oh," he said, "I don't know not really."

I put my head in my knees and said, "So it's just me? I don't even know why I'm nervous, I just am. I'm such a dork."

"Hey you know what?" he said softly putting his hand on my back comfortingly

I looked up, "What?"

"One: you have nothing to be nervous about. You're gonna have all of us behind you, every last one. And It'll be like that for a long time, it's not so easy to get rid of us."

I smiled, "Thanks, what was number two?"

"Two," he said "well you are a dork. But you're so adorkable and that's why we love you Ava."

I punched his shoulder, "You ruined it."

He smiled, "Ruined what?"

"You actually said something sweet and then you ruined it."

"Oh, sorry. But enough school talk let's enjoy summer while it's here."

"Agreed, what should we do?" I said getting up

"I was thinking something along the lines of.....THIS" he said and pushed me into the freezing lake

I spluttered coming up for air, "TYLER HEMMINGS I WILL KILL YOU." I shouted

"Not if I get to you first!" He yelled and canonballed into the water

That's what I thought of when I saw the fishing rod. It took everything in me to swallow the lump that was forming in my throat.

The third hour we spent listening to the radio. After arguing between what station to play, David wanted his R&B, Summer her Indie, and Trey his country, we decided to just listen for weather and traffic reports.

"The suspects in the rape and murder of 13 year Kylie Lawrence will be tried in court today. Shots fired at a movie theatre in Downtown California injured 20 people, including a police officer as he was sustaining the shooter.."

And the reporter just kept on talking like that until it was the meteoroligists turn. I realized that I was suddenly overcome with anger towards this reporter and all reporters who make money off of talking about other peoples troubles. Subconsciously I know that they're not bad people, but it just bothered me how they listed those things. As if the poor girl who was killed is just a story, or the officer who was shot is just another one and isn't worth dwelling on because we need our weather report. And it scared me to think that so many times I sat in my car waiting impatiently for the news to be over so I could hear the traffic or weather without thinking of the people behind the story. Somewhere in the world there are parents who lost their little girl, grandparents who lost their granddaughter, and maybe siblings who lost their sister. Kylie Lawrence is not a news story. she was a girl who was taken too early and will never go to high school, never get married or have kids, because of what that monster did to her. 20 people in downtown California were injured and we don't know how severe. Maybe this is a little melodramatic or maybe I'm finally realizing the truth, but what if one of the people shot was a mother who took her son out to see a movie? Or a teenage girl who was on a date with her boyfriend? And what if the damage can never be undone, physical not just emotional? Everyday these things happen, and we don't live under a rock, we hear about it the minute it does thanks to radio stations, the internet, social media etc. But what do we do? Nothing. I'm not saying every time we hear bad news we should start a charity fund or whatever, but we can't just be completely unaffected. We should think a little, and if you believe in God, say a little prayer, but we can't go on like this anymore.

Somewhere towards the fourth or fifth hour we decided it was time to stop for lunch, and we all needed to pee. We pulled over at a rest stop, got lunch and sat on the benches out front. We were making good time and we all started strecthching our legs. Hanna was on the phone (probably with Sam) pacing around, David and Trey were sitting cross legged on the grass eating their cheese burgers, and Summer was walking around texting on her iPhone. Hunter put his hand out for me, smiled and said;

"Let's go check that pond out."

I took his hand in mine and said, "Sounds great.''

We got to the pond and he picked up a pebble and started skipping it across the water.

"I've always wanted to do that." I said breaking the silence

"Well," he said stepping closer to me, "now's as good a time to learn as any."

He put his arm on mine and handed me a rock.

"First," He said whispering in my hair ''You swing your hand back like this," and he showed me "Then you flick your wrist and let the pebble go." He did and the pebble went klunk! into the water

I felt him laugh next to me,"Well that was supposed to be more romantic than it came out."

I turned around and wrapped my arms around his waist, holding his back, "I think that was pretty romantic."

He smiled, reaching his eyes- the smile that I loved so much. I was about to lean in when Trey and David totally ruined it by calling, "YO! Lover boy, get your butt over here."

He looked at me and I shook my head, "Go, it's fine."

I went to sit with Hanna and I said,

"Thank you so much by the way. For......everything. You don't understand how much it means, especally since you don't even know Tyler." I said my voice croaky at the end

"Hey, totally don't think about it. This pack that we have, we're kind of like a totally dysfunctional, totally loving family. Once you're in it, you are STUCK." She said and laughed at the end

"Well thank you regardless, and I know Tyler would thank you too." I said getting teary eyed

She put her arm on my shoulder and said, "Let him thank me once we get him out. Which, we will, don't you ever doubt it."

I nodded.

"But on a serious note, have you ever seen Lilo and Stich?"

I laughed, this was her 'serious note'. "Duhhh, who hasn't?"

"Exactly, and Ohana means family. And family means?"

"No one gets left behind." I said finishing her sentence.

She smiled and said, "Precisely sweetheart, precisely."

After my talk with Hanna I walked into one of the stores to buy a drink and I saw Summer talking to an old man. They seemed to be in a heated conversation and I strained my ears to hear them.

"You can't act on anything yet, it's too suspicious. Wait a little." she said

"Wait? She wants us to bring her home now. And you know how she is when she doesn't get what she wants..."The old man who seemed oddly familiar said

"Well tell her we'll bring her soon, we can't risk anything."

And then it hit me.THAT WAS THE OLD MAN FROM SCHOOL THE DAY BEFORE. The creep who told me to go home to my mama.

I ran out of there as fast as I could, that man was trouble and if Summer was working with him.....Well I had to warn the others!

Hunter saw me the moment I ran outside, "Ava what's wrong?" He asked obviously concerned

I opened my mouth to answer but an explosion in the distance cut me off. As I fell to the gound I heard Hanna scream,

"DEMONS!"