Alright, it's rare that I write anything like this that seems a bit personal, but I thought I post something different.

Back when I was probably around 16 years old, I did not have many friends. What friends I did have were usually younger, and most times, I wasn't allowed to hang out with boys around my age. Unfortunately, one of my friends did, and usually, I would feel uncomfortable around one in particular who seemed to have an interest with my friend.

One night, he had come around again with another friend, but like before, I felt uneasy. I usually honored my parent's wishes and stayed away, but something was literally begging me to stay with my friend that night. It was to the point I had to buy more time since my curfew was coming relatively close.

Back before cell phones became the norm, there were times I would physically have to walk home and check in to let my folks know I was okay. I barely was able to buy time until 9 that night, no later than that, but somehow, I had no idea what was going to happen next.

Rejoining the others, I learned that we were going into the woods to head to this guy's house. The guy's house was beyond a street that I should not even walk on. And to make it worse, I was going with the boys.

Technically, I was breaking three rules as I followed them into the woods; this was the first rule I broke that night. The second was walking beyond that street my parents said I was not allowed to walk on. And I was still hanging around boys, which I knew was wrong, but something in my gut was telling me otherwise.

We went to someone's backyard, and to be honest, I don't recall whose backyard it was. All I knew was I was risking getting punished badly for breaking a lot of rules at the moment.

To make matters worse, we went into a freaking shed that was thankfully lit and lightly furnished. Even then, I still felt a sense of wrongness in this whole situation, and I was not going to leave my friend behind.

I had told the boy who brought us there that my friend and I had to be home at a certain time, and when the time drew close that I was no longer able to stay, I had to show my watch that was on my left wrist to prove it. However, the boy decided to do something to keep my friend from leaving. He would let me go, but he sat on my friend's lap and pinned her directly onto the couch.

The bad feeling, the same bad feeling that I had felt around the guy had intensified. The moment he sat on my friend's lap, I heard a voice whisper in my head.

'Kick him.'

I had no idea where this thought came from, and I tried to dissuade the voice.

'No, I'll get in trouble...'

'Kick him.'

'I can't, I'll get in trouble...'

'KICK HIM!'

The voice continued to echo through my head as I felt overwhelmed. I didn't want to get in trouble, but at the same time, I felt like my very world was limited to only one action.

With a roar of anger, I kicked the guy off of my friend. I had no idea where this was coming from, only that I had to get her out of there.

"WE'RE LEAVING!" I yelled at the guy and kicked the doors to the shed open. Yeah, I could have shoved them open, but I was angry at the guy who was trying to keep us there. I walked out, but sadly, I walked out alone when I heard the shed doors close and my friend cry out in fright.

Not wasting another second, I jerked those doors back open, kicked the guy off my friend's lap again, and this time, I was not taking no for an answer.

"GET UP!" I told my friend, my voice still raised as I stared at the boy who tried to hold my friend against her wishes.

"We're leaving?" she asked, perplexed at my behavior.

"YES!" I roared.

We began to run away from the place; however, that guy caught up with my friend and pulled her into his arms. He tried to kiss her as I felt my anger falter along with that wrongness in my gut. I wanted to get her away, but I was suddenly paralyzed. What was I doing? Why was I risking getting punished after breaking a fourth rule?

It was moments later that the boy had broken the stupor I was in, and in the worst way.

"You know, if you stay, we could have sex," the boy casually stated.

'Sex?' I thought as I grew angry again, the feeling from before returning as I ran down the hill towards him. He threw my friend, and I grabbed her wrist so we could run.

As we continued to run, a few other guys tried to stall us on their bikes. We ran past them before the boy who had brought us on this insane trek managed to get a hold of my friend again. I charged at him, but he saw that I was not backing down and threw my friend at me. I caught her as he fled, and the moment she was safe, that bad feeling left me as well.

The time that guy stole from me with that senseless action put me behind schedule. I had anticipated that if I left with 10 minutes before my curfew, I would have been alright; however, I still wanted to make sure my friend made it home safely. We did not go through the woods again, we stuck to the very street I was not allowed to walk on, and we climbed a hill on another road before we managed to get back to our neighborhood.

Even though we made it back, I was breaking curfew; my fifth offense for that night alone. My parents would more than likely ground me for that alone. We ended up coming up with a cover story, and thankfully, they bought why I was late, and was dismissed from being punished.

Before I even got tangled with those guys, my friend had given me a letter that I did not get a chance to read until I returned home safely. I ended up removing it from my jacket's pocket and read it, feeling tears run down my cheeks at the realization that I almost lost my friend that night.

I risked getting grounded all because of her. And if I had to relive those events, I would have all to protect my friend's innocence that night.

____

Following that night, I ended up meeting that guy twice more as he tried to take advantage of my friend, but he ended up getting in trouble. As I think back on that night, it was kind of odd how I knew not to leave her side. It was almost though someone was making sure I stayed with my friend, and in the process, manage to get home safely without punishment.