That Boy Next Door

Chapter 8

"I don't think I have a choice," she answered.  

As Dannie said the words, her mind screamed at her to stop.  To not tell him what had happened.

The questions swirled around in her head as she stared at avalanche of rain pouring down.  The clouds only seemed to get darker and blacker which just added to Dannie's confused state of mind.  What will he think of me?  Will he judge me?  Should I tell him?  Dannie asked herself.  The most important question to her though was: Will he still be my friend?

She didn't know that answers to any of these questions and at that moment she made a snap decision.  Dannie had only met Seth at the start of summer, and though they spent an awful large amount of time together, she couldn't bring herself to tell him.  

"Never mind.  Just forget this ever happened," she said and stood up.  Seth stared at her, bewildered by her sudden change in attitude.

Before he could say anything, she took off out of the cave and into the hailing storm.  

As Dannie ran, she pushed aside the memories from that night so long ago.  They could stay hidden in the back of her mind until forever for all she cared.  She never wanted to relive that night.

She also couldn't believe she had almost told Seth tonight.  Just because of a tiny storm she had almost let slip her secret to the only person on the whole island who didn't know it.  She intended to keep it that way too.  Nobody on this island knew what really happened.  They just got the biased newspaper printed version.

As Dannie mumbled these thoughts to herself, she didn't notice that the rain had already drenched her down to the bone.  It was summer though and so the cold wet splattering of the rain did nothing to perturb her.

Stumbling upon random rocks and ledges, Dannie tried to find her way home.  She knew the town like the back of her hand but the rain and occasional hail was making it hard for her too see or concentrate.

An idle thought hit her and she wondered that if it hailed hard enough, would she get a concussion?  Dannie laughed at herself for thinking such stupid thoughts.  

The bigger question was whether or not she would make it back home.  It was as if somebody had turned off a light switch and the whole world was surrounded in darkness.  She couldn't turn back to the cave nor could she move forward without her vision.

However, Dannie was not one to back down.  She plowed on through the rain and grit her teeth as debris scratched at her body.  Her tenacious nature made her trudge through the water that was now near her ankles.  Though her heart was pounding in a frenzy, her mind relaxed when she stepped on a familiar soil.

Seth looked around the cave frantically.  It was as if one moment she was here in his arms and the next, she had disappeared into thin air.  Or rather, disappeared outside into the rain.  

He groaned out loud and cursed Dannie Hale.  She was completely psycho!  Running into a storm that looked like it was borderline hurricane was only something she would do.  

Seth took a deep breath and then stepped outside into the rain to find her.  She couldn't have gotten far on foot in this weather.  It felt as if he could feel each pellet of rain and how it dug into his skin.  Following his instinct, his feet led him the way in which he thought their houses were.  Surely Dannie had gone the same way.  

Seth listened attentively for any sound that might lead him to Dannie.  However, the only noise that could be heard was the raging winds and constant pitter patter of rain.