It's a Love Hate Relationship

chapter 6

Chapter 6:

The line wasn't as long and as I wished it was. Ryan and Shane stood in front of Jacob and me. I could have sworn I started trembling and it was probably the reason Jacob laid his hand on my shoulder.

"Are you okay?" I couldn't tell him no, then he would have yet another thing to tease me about.

"Yeah, I'm perfectly fine." It was a big lie but I was pretty sure he bought it, although he didn't let go of my shoulder. The contact made me calm down slightly but when it was our turn to go through the haunted house. Shane and Ryan went in first and I thought of my happy place and forced myself to go in. Jacob was slightly behind me. I was still scared and I didn't want him to see. I was tempted to close my eyes but then it would make it hard to walk.

"You still alright?" I thought I had stopped trembling but I hadn't.

"Oh yeah, just peachy." There were flashing lights, making it hard to see, distorting everything in sight. I locked in on Shane and Ryan, memorizing what they were wearing and how the lights made their hair shine. That way I would never get lost.

Mirrors were strategically placed, making you second guess which way to go. I hated every second it of, without question. Creepy laughter made me bump right into Shane's back and think a set of curse words that were internally on repeat. I felt like I was walking into a black hole with no return. My heart was pounding in my chest, making it hard to concentrate on walking forward. We walked forward into a red mist and Shane and Ryan disappeared.

All the sudden, there was a crash and the face of a clown was all I could see. It dangled out like a jack in the box. White pale skin, demon black eyes and neon orange hair. That was all it took to make me paralyzed with fear. I backed up into something hard and screamed when hands tightened on my shoulders.

"It's okay." The voice said but I couldn't look behind me. I ran, frantically looking for a way out. There was no obvious door, just hallway after hallway. Then I spotted a glowing red sign with EXIT, in bold letters. I threw myself outside, instantly thankful that it was sunny and nothing like the inside of the haunted house.

"Kelsey!" Jacob shouted my name, running out behind me. "Why didn't you just say you didn't want to go in?"

"Seriously?" My blood boiled, it was all his fault. "I didn't want to give you anything else to tease me about. I could just picture it, Kelsey's afraid of the dark, Kelsey's afraid of clowns, Kelsey's a crybaby. I would never hear the end of it." I cried, tears streaming down my face.

"Is that really what you think?" I didn't pay any attention to the hurt look on his face.

"Yes!" I shouted. He came closer and I hit his chest repeatedly. "Get off of me Jake!"

"Kelsey, I never meant to hurt you." He whispered, his arms wrapped around me. "Believe me."

"Why do you do it then? If not to hurt me, then what?" I cried into him, returning the hug.

"I..." He stuttered. "I don't know. It's who I am, I joke around. I didn't know it bothered you." My heart rate slowed as we stood there in each other's arms. "I like it when you call me Jake." He said and I was so glad he couldn't see my blushing face.

"Is everything okay?" I wasn't sure when Ryan and Shane had come out. I wiped my cheeks with the sleeves of my sweater before turning around. Jacob looked to me for an answer.

"Yeah, everything's fine." I mumbled and I tried to lighten the mood. "What should we do next?" No one could seem to come up with an answer. The three guys shrugged and I wasn't about to make them ride in the spinning tea cups, although it would have been funny. So we walked around, hoping to see something of interest.