Forever Etched in my Heart (Completed)

Chapter 18

“I’m gonna get you, Tyler Thomas!” I screamed, laughing, willing my legs to run faster. I heard his laugh from a distance away.

This was the amazing date that Tyler had me to come to. He’d brought me to the woods at the outskirts, and we sat in a clearing on top of a large flat rock with the moonlight shining on only the both of us, making it so romantic. We'd had supper there, just chatting and enjoying each other's company. Then he'd stolen my entire Ben & Jerry's cookie dough tub and ran away into the woods with it, making me chase him for it. I was athletic, but I couldn't beat a basketballer.

I had to stop. I slowed down, holding onto a tree for support as I gasped for air, trying to catch my breath. Tyler's footsteps and laughter disappeared and now all I could hear was the eerie chirping of crickets and the occasional rustle of leaves. The only thing I could see was the bark of the tree I was holding onto. Everything was pitch black and I shivered as the midnight breeze caressed me. I slowly walked, trying to trace back my steps, hugging myself and rubbing my arms to stop the cold.

"Tyler!" I called out, my hands cupping my mouth. There was no response.

Damn! Why did I have to chase him? Now I was stuck alone in a forest at midnight, cold and scared. What if some nocturnal animal came and killed me? What if I starved to death here when Tyler couldn't find me? I'm too young to die! I'm too young to--

My head spun to my right so fast I heard my neck crack.

The bushes behind me were rustling wildly. My breathing hitched and I moved back slowly, trying to get away from whatever creature was about to attack me without causing too much noise. My heart was pounding in my ears and my chest constricted. Oh my God, speak of the devil...

"I'm too young to die..." I whispered, eyes wide as I saw two glowing red eyes behind the leaves.

Now I was hyperventilating.

"Oh my God, Oh my God..." I mumbled, stumbling over a tree root as I moved backwards more quickly.

Then suddenly the two eyes disappeared.

I stared at the spot I had last seen them. But, they were...they were just there--

"Hah! Gotcha!"

I looked up just as a flashlight shone on my face, making me wince. Then my face turned crimson when I saw Tyler looking at me with an amused expression on his face, grinning goofily, a pair of flashy red sunglasses in his hand.

"Tyler freaking Thomas!" I growled as I took a step forward.

He gingerly took one step back and gave me a nervous smile.

"Give me the ice cream!" I warned him, taking one more step forward.

"No way," he said, smirking.

I growled and tackled him to the ground, but only ended up scratching my arms and having a face full of mud as he rolled out of the way, laughing.

I smirked internally. I knew what to do.

I curled up into a ball, looking vulnerable, my shoulders shaking. I felt a fake tear roll down my cheek as I fake-cried. This kind of things come into handy in times of need.

"H-Hailey?" Tyler's voice was filled with concern and guilt. I smiled into my hands, thinking about how whipped my boyfriend was.

"Hey, Hailey, it's okay...It's okay. Come on, tell me what's wrong, Hails?" his voice was pleading and I almost wanted to snap out of my act to hug him. But i controlled myself.

I heard the thud of the ice cream tub onto the ground and my grin grew wider as his arms wrapped around me. But I had to be sure he'd let go of the tub.