by LC Taylor
“Well, either way. Don’t let him ruffle your feathers; he’s harmless, I promise. You’ll meet my daughter today; she’s Jensen’s twin sister – but very much his opposite. I believe she’s in several of your classes. Her name’s Kai, trust me if you don’t see her, you’ll hear her. Her mouth is fit for a truck driver – though she gets it honestly. Anyway, take it slow today. None of the teachers expect you to be on point your first week back. So, if you need a break, take one,” Ms. Wright seemed genuine with me. She never took her eyes off me as she spoke, making me feel important.
“Thank you. I will” I murmured as I walked from the office relieved. I hadn’t known what to expect from my dad’s replacement. Breathing a sigh of relief, knowing she was just as down to earth as my dad, our meeting left me feeling content. Perhaps the next three weeks of school wouldn’t be so bad.
Chapter 6
After securing my things in my locker, I found Carly propped against the door to our English Lit class. “Hey, how did it go?” she asked.
“Surprisingly well. It was weird, but Ms. Wright seems cool. She even called her son an ass.”
“Yeah, a hot ass” Carly fanned herself as we walked into class. I was immediately greeted by silence and a dozen eyeballs. Everyone’s stares penetrated my soul, making me feel naked.
“All right…. All right…. People this isn’t a circus stop staring and get your books out! Turn to today’s lesson – which is on the board,” Mr. Griggs turned to me, “Welcome back Dylan. If you need anything, let me know. AND please don’t let these busybodies get you down. These dimwits got nothing better to do than to worry about everyone else’s life happenings – when they should focus on their own. That being the case, the stares and whispers will fade after a few days. Everyone is just worried about you, and surprised you’re back already.”
“Thanks, Mr. Griggs” I smiled at him as I found an empty seat in the back of the class. I was opening my book when I caught the familiar scent from earlier. It was the tantalizing scent of a summer’s breeze blowing through the pines. It wrapped itself around me, like a calming blanket warming me all the way to my toes. Closing my eyes, I inhaled deeper, forcing the warmth further into my bones, drifting into a state of serene bliss. A soft chuckle tore me from my personal heaven, breaking the spell, it had me under. Through hooded eyes, I peeked to find the individual responsible for interrupting my momentary peace.
“Hello, Dylan” Jensen’s eyes pierced through mine like he was searching my soul.
“Umm, hi,” feeling the heat creep up my neck, tinting my cheeks pink, forced me to sit up straighter at the desk. God, he was gorgeous. The magnetic pull towards him rocked me to my core. Tingles trickled their way down my spine, reaching the point where my legs joined my body. The effect he had on me, filled me with confusion and emotions I couldn’t comprehend.
“Jesus Jensen, MOVE your ass!” Jensen was forcibly pushed forward by a petite, but gorgeous girl. She resembled Jensen, making it clear she was his sister. She had long black hair that was swept back into a tight ponytail. Her eyes were a breathtaking green, much like her mom’s. However, unlike Jensen and his mother, she was much shorter. She plopped down in the seat, slinging her books under the desk.
“Hi, I’m Kai. That’s my douche canoe brother, namely Jensen, whom I assume you’ve already met,” she stuck her thumb out pointing towards Jensen sitting behind us, “but never fear, I got all the good genes, and I’m nothing like him.” Her sarcasm reminded me of my mom. Her vivacious personality made me feel an instant kinship towards her; I felt like we would be good friends.
“Hi, I’m Carly. Dylan’s best friend. How do you like Mystic Valley so far?” Carly asked as she leaned across me to shake Kai’s hand.
“I like it fine. There’s loads of forest to explore,” Kai’s eyes twinkled as though there was some hidden secret in her response.
I liked exploring the woods too, so I didn’t make too much out of what she said. In my opinion, it was just another reason to like her. My property was heavily wooded with several trails that winded through the thicket of trees. But there was one trail out of them all, which was my favorite. It led to a waterfall spilling into the rushing creek behind my house. The creek ran all the way through town and dumped into Flint Lake about thirty minutes away.
At the end of the day, as I was heading out to meet Carly at my car, I was blocked by someone grabbing my arm. An involuntary shudder from the spark of desire coursed through me from the mere touch, “Hey Dylan… wait for a second, and I’ll walk you out,” I spun to find Jensen holding my arm.
“Um, I don’t need an escort, you know,” I pulled free, shrugging him off me, “I remember where I parked.”
“I know, I wanted a second chance to get to know you. My sister couldn’t stop talking about you, and I worried our meeting from this morning tainted your opinion of me.”
“Why would you care? You got here, what a few days ago? And from the looks of it,” I motioned to the horde of people standing with him in the hallway, “you’ve already made a bunch of new friends. You don’t need me.” I felt guilty for snapping at him, “I’m sorry. I don’t know why I snapped.” Shaking my head, my face red from embarrassment.
“It’s ok. I was rude to you this morning, so we can just call it even,” Jensen’s smile could make anyone melt, “Truce?”
“Yeah... Ok,” I smiled and walked to my car with him following close behind. Carly was there waiting against the passenger door. She had an expression somewhere between pissed and disbelief when she saw who was walking with me.
“You ready, you took forever,” she whined. She was looking between Jensen and me with her head tilted down and her sunglasses resting on the tip of her nose, “but I can see why now.” She pushed her sunglasses up the bridge of her nose back into place getting into the car.
“Yep. Thanks, Jensen. See you around,” I called to him as I got in the car I rolled my eyes at Carly.
“Count on it,” he straddled and cranked his motorcycle. His shoulder muscles flexed as he pulled on his helmet and gripped the handlebars. He gave one last sideways glance towards us, nodding his head as he sped from the parking lot. Carly’s mouth was agape, she was dumbstruck and lost for words.
“What?” I shrugged off her scrutinizing stare off and cranked the car. The entire time trying to rein in my desire for Jensen so Carly wouldn’t notice.
“Don’t what me,” she was smiling from ear to ear. “I swear Dylan… you are blind sometimes. You can play coy all you want, but you had the hottest guy walk you to your car. I would say your first day back may have ended on a high note, Jensen is sexy, and it looks like he wants a taste of you.”
“Sure, whatever you say Carly. He was just being nice, and there’s no way he’s interested. His mom likely told him to be nice since she feels guilty for taking my dad’s place. Not that it’s her fault or anything,” I rolled my eyes at her as we left.
Even though I thought the day would suck, especially how it started off, that was the furthest thing from the truth. And as much as I tried to lie to myself, I was attracted to Jensen. Just watching him drive off on his motorcycle made my heart sputter; my smile surely gave my feelings away if Carly was watching.
We rode home in silence. Even though she wanted to grill me on Jensen, she let me be wrapped up in my thoughts. She didn’t say anything until we pulled into her driveway, breaking her silent reverie. “You sure you don’t want to stay for dinner?”
“No, I have so much reading to catch up on, that I am just going to go, I’ll eat something at home. Carly, thanks for everything – you’ve been a great friend. I’ll call you later, K.”
But reading wasn’t on my mind. No, the fact I was going home to an empty house was – well, that and Jensen. I couldn’t help but let my mind drift to his deliciously sculpted arms and how they would feel wrapped around me. Shaking myself out of the daydream, I backed out of Carly’s driveway and headed home.
Chapter 7
>
As I walked into my house, my cell rang. Glancing at the screen, I saw it was Tessa. “Hey Tessa” I threw my bag onto the kitchen table flipping on the lights as she spoke.
“Dylan… I’m just checking to see how you were and if you’d given my offer any thoughts. I hate you are in that huge house all alone,” Tessa sighed into the phone.
“I’m doing all right, but I thought about it. And I don’t like being here alone, so if you’re still willing to uproot your life and live here with me, I’d like that,” part of me felt guilty asking her to move here, but one day in the house alone proved I needed her here.
“Dylan, it wouldn’t be uprooting my life. Your mom and I were like sisters. You might as well be my niece; I wouldn’t think of anything else other than being there for you, you’re my family. Even if we aren’t blood-related.”
“I know, I love you, Tessa,” the voice coming from me was only a squeak, and the tears fell like raindrops onto the table.
“Don’t cry, Dylan. Please, I didn’t call to upset you. How about I move my things this weekend. That way I can get some of the boys in town to help me. Will you be all right until then?”
“Yes, that’ll be perfect. Thank you, Tessa. I don’t know what I would do without you. Moreover, you and Carly have been my anchor in this god forsaken storm,” thanking her, I sniffed wiping the mess I made crying off the table.
After hanging up, I sat down at the table to get some of my reading done. I stared out into the woods, thinking of all the times my dad and I hiked to the waterfall together. Longing to be close to my dad, I decided to hike out to the waterfall; it was just what I needed to clear my mind. Gathering my things, I locked the back door and stepped out into the sunshine.
The sun cast a warm glow, kissing my skin as the soft breeze whispered through the trees, beckoning me to the woods. The soft murmur of the wind drew me towards the trail, leading me onward to my special place.
As I walked, I listened to the sounds of the forest, and the distant trickle of the creek played like a melody in my heart. A prickling sensation on my neck gave me the sixth sense that of someone watching me. Glancing around, I shook myself free of my brief paranoia, once again lost in the silence of the trees.
My dad and I discovered the path during one of our many adventures in the woods. The now, well-worn trail, lead to the hidden gem we made our special place. The view was spectacular. Several small areas of water cascaded over the highest point of the creek, creating a beautiful waterfall. The water spilled over the edge pooling into the crystal-clear waters below. The pool itself was magical, as it appeared like someone hand painted the bottom and covered it with a glass surface. You could swim in the crystal-clear waters if you were mindful of where the pool joined with the creek. The creek waters moved fast for its size and spilled into Flint Lake a few miles away. My dad and I spent many summers walking to the falls and swimming in the tepid spring waters.
It didn’t take me long to reach our secret place. It was just as I remembered. The creek was lined with brown sand and pebbles. There was just enough space to lie down and dip your feet into the water. I sat down stripping off my shoes and socks, sinking my feet into the water. The temperature was cold in contrast to the air temperature and made me suck in a breath. Gathering my senses, I laid back resting my head in my hands. Staring into the sky while listening to the sounds of water spilling over the falls into the pool below. The tranquility of my surroundings gave me peace, slowly lulling me to sleep.
When I opened my eyes, the sun had given away to the moon, and the sky was black as the abyss. Unsure of how long I’d been laying there on the bank, I put on my socks and shoes. I reached for my phone realizing it had gone dead while I’d been dozing. I knew how to get home, but sleep left me feeling disoriented. Standing, I didn’t fancy walking through the woods in the pitch black, but the moon glowed with a faint light, illuminating the way back home.
“All right, Dylan…. Let’s go. You can handle walking through the woods at night,” trying to psych myself up, “it’s not like the big bad wolf will get you.” The feeling of being watched earlier flooded me again, causing me to break out into a jog down the trail. Blinded in the darkness, my eyes not yet adjusted to my surroundings, a jutting tree root reached out and grabbed my foot. As a result, I was thrown off balance and sent tumbling forward. My body making a sickening thud onto the dirt floor, my right ankle giving into the force and twisting with a painful jerk.
“FUCK!!”
The searing pain was like fire spreading through dried timber as it seared up my leg. I succumbed to the unmerciful pain and collapsed on all fours whimpering through tears threatening to spill. Attempting to stand, using the nearest tree as a support, I hoisted myself to my feet. Struggling to hobble my way along the trail towards my house, my movements were excruciatingly slow as I fought gravity to stay upright.
The distant howl of a wolf froze me in place. Wolves frolicked in the forest, but hearing them while I was alone in the dark gave me a chill, causing an involuntary shiver. I never ventured the trails alone when it was dark. My parents warned me often of the dangers lurking, saying it wasn’t safe for someone like me to be trudging through the woods. My breathing quickened, and I felt the panic rising in my throat. There’s no way I could outrun a wild animal, especially in my current state. So, outrunning a wolf if I encountered one would be futile. The sound of howling edged closer, I tried hobbling faster without placing any more pressure on my injured ankle. Saying a silent prayer, I was almost home and would escape. The snapping of branches startled me, causing me to lose my balance falling to my knees.
“Damn it,” crying out to the night air. My knees pulsating with pain, as they took the brunt of my misfortune. Rolling over and sitting on my butt, I inspected the damage. Blood mixed in with dirt and gravel adorned my knee caps. My ankle still throbbing had begun swelling. I debated taking off my shoe, as it felt like it was causing more harm than good.
“AHHHHHH! I can’t handle this alone, !!” I screamed to the heavens. Hoping my mother might hear me and send a guardian angel to spare me from this nightmare. Breathing hard, trying to gain control of my runaway emotions, I wiped my face off with the hem of my shirt – only to realize how dreadful I probably looked.
Ok, Dylan. Get your ass up and get moving... Telling myself to move, I rolled over and attempted to stand. The sound of the leaves crunching on the forest floor petrified me still. I rolled to my butt and crab-crawl backward towards the trees seeking refuge.
“Hello,” I called out. “Who’s there?” Right, Dylan, animals will warn you they’re about to eat you beforehand, I thought to myself. Whatever it was, it sounded big and close. I squeezed my eyes shut, hoping it was just my imagination. And praying, that whatever it was, would just go away and leave me alone
Chapter 8
“Dylan?” a familiar voice asked. “Why are you out here? Shit, are you hurt…” I opened my eyes to find Jensen moving to kneel in front of me. He was wearing a pair of tight athletic shorts that hugged him in all the right places that left little to the imagination. His chest was bare, sweat dripping off the ridges of his stomach muscles, making me want to lean in and lick him. It was impossible not to stare; he looked like the Gods themselves sculpted him from clay into the perfection he was.
“Dylan, can you hear me?” he asked snapping his fingers in my face attempting to get my attention. I shook my head trying to shake the images of him taking me right there on the forest floor.
“Yeah. I can hear you. Umm…wait, you’re here – in the woods? How... how did you find me?”
“I was out for a run, and I heard something. I followed the noise and saw you sitting on the ground. It looked like you were hurt so...,” Jensen faced me, looking me over with concern. “Jesus Dylan, your knees are bleeding. What happened? Did someone hurt you?” He stood scanning the area looking for some unseen evil responsible for my injuries and being covered in dirt. The tension was visibly rolling off his
shoulders, accentuating his strength.
“Nobody hurt me; I walked out to the waterfall at the end of this trail earlier... I guess I fell asleep. When I woke up, it was already dark. My phone died so I couldn’t call anyone. It was stupid, but I got spooked and ran, and, I… I tripped. I think I did something to my ankle,” I instinctively reached for my injured ankle, “I don’t think I can stand on it.”
“Let’s get you up,” as he grabbed my arms to help me stand. “Be careful. Alright, think you can stand on it?” he grabbed me under my arms looking down at my right ankle, ensuring not to hurt me.
“Umm, kinda. I don’t think it’s broken,” I winced as I put weight on it, stumbling forward.
“Nope, not happening. I’m carrying you,” Jensen lifted me into his arms, “you shouldn’t be walking on it, it doesn’t look good.”
“Hold up – put me down. I can walk,” trying to push away from him almost falling out of his grasp. The sudden shift causing him to pull me tighter against his body. “Dylan, don’t be stubborn. You can barely put any weight on it. We aren’t that far from your house… besides, you weigh next to nothing,” Jensen’s eyes reflected sincerity, he was actually worried about me.
“Fine. Carry me. But stop staring at me like I’m broken,” I turned away from him so he wouldn’t see me fighting back the tears of embarrassment.
“I don’t think you're broken… I think you’re beautiful,” the last part was so soft I almost missed it. Sneaking a glance at him, as he adjusted his hold on me, I couldn’t help but wish he was mine. He said nothing, as he made his way down the trail with me, cradled in his arms. The rapid beating of his heart resonating in my ear as I rested my head against his chest. With my nose pressed against the crook of his neck, I thoughtlessly inhaled his scent, immediately recognizing it from school. It was the same one that held me captive, the intoxicating summer breeze and pine scent that I craved. My desire went into full throttle mode from being so close, and my heart began to mimic the same rapid beat of his.
