Jaded

[18] The Woods

"I'm trying to make sure there is a parade." He shifts to face me, knees bumping against the gear shift. Quietly, he adds, "we're not out of the woods yet. In fact, threatening Will is going to be the hardest part of this entire thing. You know better than me the kind of guy he is."

Atty's right. I hate that he's right, but he is.

We're not in the clear yet. And if there's one thing I know about Will, it's that he's a slippery bastard. In our sophomore year he was caught with Sophie Brenner in the boy's locker room, mid-thrust, and still managed to weasel out of any consequences.

That same year I got two weeks of detention because I accidentally broke the clock in our cafeteria.

The more I reflect on Will's behaviour, the clearer it is. He's a menace to society- he should be put on one of those lists. '10 Most Terrible People' or something.

"I think after I threaten him... I'll punch him."

Atty nods. "Throw short hooks but long jabs."

"What?"

"Make sure to aim. For the nose, preferably." He pauses for a bit, adjusting in his seat, and continues. "Exhale between punches. Use your other hand to protect."

He scrunches his eyebrows, lost in thought. "Oh, and power comes from the hips. Also, make sure to shift your weight according to your center of gravity."

"Are you just giving me punching tips?" I ask. How does he even know? I knew all this stuff because sheriff dad has taught me since I was 6. What about him?

Atty flashes me a wide smile. "Yeah. I did a lot of research for one of my past projects. About 3 years ago, I think." Ah, so it's for his video games. You know, that actually explains all the muscles on him.

"I'm guessing you liked the gym more than you expected?" I tease. I would have reached out to poke those beautiful biceps of his to make a point, but dad is very adamant about 'keeping my hands on 10 – 2' of the wheel at all times.

He laughs and says, "believe me, I was surprised too. Did not expect it to become a regular thing."

I let Atty's stories distract me for the remaining half hour of the drive. Eventually, the familiar bear shaped wooden sign comes into view from around the bend of the single lane road we're on, its faded blue paint reading 'Maltens Woods.'

I park near the back of the tiny lot as quick as possible. The hourly shuttle bus would have dropped by ten minutes ago, which means in all likelihood, Pres-Jay have been waiting a while.

We trek through the dense undergrowth, swatting away branch after branch until the path becomes wide enough to walk side by side.

Oh man, I'm starting to get nervous. I think the back of my head is sweating- I don't even want to think about my armpits.

Atty chuckles and mock whispers, "remember, power comes from the hips."

"You're still stuck on my hips, aren't you?" I joke, nudging him lightly with my shoulder.

He laughs loudly, the sound carrying through the trees like a bird's melody. "Can you blame me? They're nice hips."

I beam, smiling brightly. "You noticed?"

Atty raises an eyebrow. "Of course I did, I'm a guy."

I'm actually hyper-aware of his male status, but I'm not telling him that. "Shut up," I mumble, shaking my head so strands of hair fall against my face. My cheeks are heating up again and I have no idea why.

A week ago, I couldn't remember ever blushing. Yet Atty's managed to cause it twice now. It's perplexing.

He pulls back the final branch as we shuffle into a bus sized clearing marked with a banner of crow feathers wrapped around an illegible signpost. Towards the back stands a lopsided cedar shed, its splintering wood painted orange. A lifetime of neglect has allowed patches of moss to grow on the sides and in between the cracks.

Pushed against the left side of the shed is an overturned log, on top of which Presley and Jay are perched, shoulder to shoulder. I want to hug these heroes so bad right now, I might just tackle them.

They both jump up once they spot us and it's clear from their smiles that they're proud of themselves. Once we're close enough, Jay purses his lips and tells us, "I hate this place," as he visibly swats his neck.

Presley laughs and grabs Jay's forearm, pulling it in front of us. She points to 3 spots on his arm, a single red bump at each. Eeh, those mosquito bites look painful as hell.

"This was all in the last 5 minutes, he's like ice cream to them," she cackles.

Atty immediately begins examining the rest of Jay, gasping every now and then. Once he's done, he says, "don't worry, there's calamine lotion in the car. Put some on when we leave."

Huh? I give him a confused look. What is he talking about? The only things in my car are used water bottles and empty chip bags.

Atty notices my expression and explains, "it's in the first aid kit, in your trunk." Before I can remind him that I don't keep a first aid kit, he adds, "I put the kit in there after last time's ashy-chin incident."

Oh, haha, I remember that. Good thinking.

Presley clears her throat and says, "anyways, Jade, I have to ask. How in the world do you even know about this place?"

My heart warms a little as fond memories come rushing back. "Dad and I used to come here all the time when I was little. We would camp, hike, fish... that sort of stuff."

This place is the reason I became so interested in insects to begin with. They're so little but there're millions of different types, it blew my mind. Twelve-year-old me was deadest on becoming an entomologist. But I've never ever told anyone other than my parents about it and I'm not starting now.

Jay scratches his elbow, then his shoulder, then his belly. He groans and says, "can we call Will now? The longer we stay here the greater the risk."

"Of?" I ask.

He's quite for a moment as he glances at the ground, kicking around a rock. Jay shifts from foot to foot as he sheepishly admits, "I have bites everywhere except..." he takes a deep breath, "if they bite my crotch I will literally die. I'll kill myself because I'm a little bitch and I can't deal with a crotch bite."

Oh my.

Presley is laughing so hard she's just about ready to roll on the ground while Atty, surprisingly, looks like he's trying his very best to stifle a laugh.

"Okay, okay. I'll call," I tell him as I fish around my jacket pockets for my phone.

I inhale as deeply as my untrained lungs will allow and hold. Slow exhale. Not only is my scalp sweating, I think my back is too. It feels like someone has cannonballed in my stomach and the resulting splash is traveling up my throat, threatening to come out my mouth.

Presley places her hand on my shoulder and gives it a soft squeeze. "We've got your back. Don't worry."

Right, right. What am I fretting over? I'm not alone right now.

Still, my stomach is rolling.

Before I know it, I've pulled up his contact and pressed call on speakerphone. The dial tone echoes in our little clearing, resonating in my bones.

There's a pause and a click. Then,

"Hello?" 

/\/\**/\/\**/\/\

Sorry for the delay, I wrote and rewrote this chapter so many times, I felt like I just couldn't get it right. The next one however- I've been waiting to get to that part for a while now ;)

What did you guys think? Any thoughts or opinions? I would love to hear them!

Chp pic: abandoned shed imagery lol