Adena’s POV

My hands clutched the steering wheel as I made my way over to Dylan’s house. My eyes kept glancing at my speed. I didn’t want to go too much over the speed limit, but Dylan’s phone call had me worried.

He sounded odd; not like himself at all. I assumed the worst, of course, but who wouldn’t? I just hope I get there in time to help him.

My knuckles were white by the time I pulled into Dylan’s driveway. As soon as I turned off my car and got out, Dylan swung open the front door.

“State!” He shouted, stumbling over towards me. Was he drunk again? As he came up to me and laughed, I could smell the alcohol on his breath.

“Are you alright?” I asked, turning my nose away in disgust.  

“Yeah!” He shouted. “But, I want to show you something. Come along!” He laughed, grabbing onto my arm and pulling me behind his house. I followed him into the woods behind his house; full of curiosity. I didn’t think he was going to hurt me but I was extremely freaked out.

Doesn’t anyone who ever goes into the woods, die? Horror movies say yes.

“What do you want to show me?” I asked casually but cautiously. The last time he was drunk, I simply drove him home. But this time I had no car, no means of escape. So if he tried something, I’d be helpless.

Why was I thinking such bad things about Dylan?

He did, after all, take a butt whooping to get some guy to apologize to me. He doesn't sound like the ‘I’m going to murder you’ type, did he?

“Shh,” he yelled, putting his fingers to my lip. I found myself laughing at his foolishness. We walked further into the woods, about ten minutes in. As the amount of tree’s started to lessen, I could hear a distant sound. Almost like rushing water.

Turns out I was exactly right. As we came into a small clearing, rushing water was swirling in a small river. The current looked strong; not something I would want to cross without caution. Little boulders surrounded the river allowing for someone to sit and watch the wind whistle through the trees or wish the current would wash away your pain.

Dylan sat down with a groan, patting the area near him. I sat down near him, looking at the water below me. It was truly a beautiful sight. It wasn’t a large area, but it was beautiful. The river winded towards the south and out of sight. The trees blocked most of the breeze, but left enough sunlight to drift through the leaves to add a gentle touch to the clearing.

Taking a deep breath of fresh woodsy air, I turned my gaze towards Dylan, seeing he was chugging down what appeared to be a bottle of Jack Daniels.

He must have brought it with him from his home. Dylan stopped drinking and set the bottle in his lap.

“Why did you bring me here?” I questioned.

“Because…” He looked down at the bottle, observing the packaging. “My mom and I used to come here,”  then, with a sigh, he drank from the bottle again.  

“Do you drink when you think about your mom?” He didn’t answer, only drank yet again. I grabbed the bottle from him and pulled it away. He whined and reached for it back, but I held it back.

“We’re done with this.”

“Give it back!” He yelled, reaching for the bottle. I held it out over towards the water and he froze. “No!” He shouted as I released my grip on the bottle and let it fall. He reached for it but the bottle was too far down. We waited a second in silence before the bottle smashed to pieces with a loud smash. He turned to me and pouted, crossing his arms over his chest.

“Why am I here?” I questioned after a moment of silence.

"My mom and I would come together whenever one of us were sad….”

“So… you brought me here because?”

“Because you look sad.”

“I look sad?” I questioned. He nodded.

“Your eyes do. Whenever you think no one’s looking, they’re sad. Always searching around and stuff,” he shrugged and laid down on his back.

“You're quite the little philosopher,” I teased.

"You know," Dylan hiccuped, sitting up. "I can see the stars in your eyes!" He stared into my eyes, looking at me with eyes open as wide as he could. He moved slowly closer.  I froze and found myself looking right back into his crystal blue eyes. My heart rate accelerated as he moved closer, his eyes shutting.

Panic took no time to set in. I found myself short of breath as I realized Dylan was trying to kiss me. He moved closer; our faces merely inches apart.

"We should get back," I found myself whispering. He stopped moving closer and opened his eyes. I found myself looking down at his lips, an odd sense of desiree ran through my body. "Like now," I said, afraid of that feeling. He gazed into my eyes a little longer before shaking his head to clear it.

"Yeah, I guess you're right..."

I rose from the ground quickly and turned away from him. Taking in a deep breath, I started walking the way we had come as Dylan followed closely behind. I soon realized there was a faint pathway that would be hard to find if you weren’t looking for it.

That is probably why I hadn’t seen it when we were going to the clearing earlier. The light still bounced off the leaves the way it did earlier. Everything looked so beautiful. It was all so fresh and green and...alive.

The rest of the way back was silent. I glanced behind me to make sure Dylan was okay. I wasn’t for sure, but I think I had upset him. It was hard to tell since he was filled with alcohol, but he was quiet and avoiding my gaze.

I turned back around and thought again about how we almost kissed and how we would have kissed if I hadn’t interrupted it. I was pretty sure it was the alcohol that made him almost kiss me, but for a moment it was as though he really cared for me and I wanted him too.

That is what scared me the most.

My feelings for Dylan are growing stronger and I am not entirely sure that is a bad thing.

I was embarrassed, nervous, and scared all at the same time. I have never actually wanted to kiss someone before, so what does that mean?

Maybe I’m trusting Dylan too much? Maybe I need to stop talking to him. Just pull away. But even thinking that idea sends a horrible feeling through my body. 

“Stop!” Dylan shouted, grabbing onto my hand and stopping me. My heart leaped. I liked having my hand in his.

“What?” I questioned as he let go of my hand and pointed to the house.

“Dylan! Open the freakin’ door!” Jackie barked, slamming her fist against the backdoor.

“It’s just Jackie,” I whispered to him.

“If we both came out of the woods together, you think she’d be understanding?” I shook my head knowing she wouldn’t be anywhere close to understanding. We watched as Jackie shouted multiple cuss words before storming off towards the front yard. Soon her car sped off and we walked towards the house.

"Why did you blow Jackie off?" I asked him in surprise. No one has ever done that for me...I didn't understand his reasoning.

"Oh no biggy really...I just find you more interesting than her."

His words shocked me. I was more interesting than Jackie? the most popular girl in school?

Maybe someone does like me...maybe I am important...