"Bye, Hazel." My friend calls out to me from the front door, as I make my way across her lawn. "See you tomorrow."
I turn around and wave back to her. "Bye, see ya."
We had just finished our chemistry project that was due tomorrow. We're both in grade 10 and had to make a model of an atom. Personally it all seemed like a waste of time, but it's whatever. Usually we would wait until the last moment to finish anything, instead of just getting it done right away.
After school today, I had walked over with Emma to her house. She knows I like going over to her house more than mine, mostly because of a certain older brother.
With his dark black hair and piercing blue eyes, don't even get me started with his jaw line. Emma had always teased me about him, but thankfully she hadn't told him about my small crush. Sometimes he lets us hangout with him, but he would usually ignore us and just play video games. I don't understand why a guy with his body would rather play video games, than going out to play basketball or football with his friends. It would always drive me crazy watching him sit there, but it did give me time to stare at him.
You may be thinking I'm crazy, or even a little obsessed, wouldn't you be in my situation?
It was quite late out walking home that evening, ten o'clock. My parents usually drove me, but they both unfortunately had to work late tonight, which means I'm supposed to walk across the park that separates my house and Emma's. The park was mostly open, with a few trees here and there. To the right of the park is all forest, and to the left, quite a ways, is the only road that goes past the park.
I have walked through the park many times during the day, but it seemed so different at night, very dark, almost scary. I got barely a quarter of the way across the park, when I first noticed the figure approximately twenty-five yards behind me, following me. I didn't think anything of it at first, many people go this way to get around, but after a few more yards, I started to pick up my pace.
I've seen many movies, to know what to do. My school also did this whole lesson on how to defend yourself, in situations like this one.
As I expected, the person behind me started walking fast, as I had. A few more steps, and I started jogging. I looked over my shoulder once again to see that they started jogging as well.
I had three choices, I could run to the right and into the forest, go to the left and to the road, or I could keep going straight ahead. Before I even thought about anything, my body turned to the right and I sprinted towards the forest. Right when I reached the edge of the woods, I realized I made the biggest mistake ever.
I didn't even look behind me as I ran, I could just hear them gaining on me. I dropped my bag hoping that they only wanted what was inside, and that they would let me go. I was wrong.
My bag did seem to slow them down slightly, but they were continuing to come after me. I still didn't bother looking back, I just kept running. Left and right, dodging trees, hopping over roots and branches. My long light brown hair, getting tangled through reaching branches as I tried slapping them out of my way.
I could hear he was right behind, not even five yards away.
My lungs were exploding out of my chest, begging me for a break, and my legs were just as sore and tired. I wasn't gonna be able to outrun them, I was gonna have to put up a fight. I'll have to use those classes I always thought were useless. That was probably the worst decision I made yet.
I stopped and turned around.
They were at least twice the size of me, I would have been better off running. They stopped, and I could hear that they were just as winded as I was.
"Why the fuck you runnin, pretty girl?" They were most definitely male. He was wearing all black, with his hood up, so I couldn't see his face in the dark.
"Just let me go." I pleaded, as I took a small hesitant step back.
He took a step twice the size of the one I did, so now he was less than three yards away. "I'm so sorry, but I need you."
With that he ran forward, reached out and grabbed me by my hair, and punched me with his other hand hard in the face, making me black out.