I honestly didn’t know what to expect. I was essentially lost, no phone to guide me home, not a single street light in sight. There was nothing but a black abyss in front of me and a piercing silence all around. Why did I even decide to leave the house anyways? The sun was setting, and I chose to go for a quick skate. The sound of my wheels against the asphalt seemed like a constant blast of compressed air to my ears. I debated just finding a bench and going to sleep, but I couldn’t. My mom would have lost it, I didn’t want her to have to worry about me. She would tell me that I could be independent if I wanted, but I knew that she still worried, and I was kind of glad that she did. Just in case. I was tired, but I still needed to get home. I decided to just walk, I figured that it would take longer, but I’d still be able to get back.
The moon finally peered around the clouds, as if it was seeing if anyone was crazy enough to be wandering these side-roads at 4 a.m. I don’t really live in a bad neighborhood, but some of the surrounding areas were a bit sketchy, I skated almost daily in these areas, so I knew some people that lived there and hung around the stores, and they knew me. It wouldn’t be anything more than just head nods at the doors of shops or at bus stops, but it was still friendly communication, so I don’t really have a fear of them like I did when I originally moved to Greenwood.
I think what got to me most is the thought of getting hit by a car or something. There are some crazy drivers around, screeching through red lights and stop signs, flying around corners, despite the massive blind-spot. Just last year, 4 kids got hit, and 2 massive pileups occurred, within a few miles from where I thought I was. The only thing I had that was any use besides my skateboard was my backlighted analog watch. It was 4:19. Damn. I left just after dinner, which was usually ready by 8. I went to Josh’s house, played a few rounds of S.K.A.T.E, some Call of Duty, and then left. “How the hell did I manage to get here?” I muttered to myself as I read the dimly illuminated street sign, “Olive St.” I was a good thirty or so minutes from home, driving that is. I was tempted to go knock on someone’s door and use their phone, but I was already in the nicer part of Greenwood, 10 foot brick security walls, and gated communities galore. I was screwed. I accepted my fate. My mom would die of a panic attack and I would get hit by a car or starve or something.
It was actually stupid how much of a Creepypasta cliché I had put myself into. All alone, lost, no phone, darkness all around, and I actually though I was hearing a second set of footsteps. “Maybe this was all just a dream.” I rejoiced at the thought, and threw myself at the ground. Nope. Not a dream, very real. I rolled around on the pavement like a moron and scolded myself out loud for having that stupid idea. I couldn’t tell if it was just my sleep-deprived mind or reality, but I thought I heard muffled snickering from an unknown source. I went silent and shortly thereafter, so did the snickers. It sounded like a girl, but I really couldn’t be sure. Had what I heard actually happened? I was intrigued to find the source, but also slightly frightened. I got up and ran, full sprint, for as long as I could. After I got too tired to sprint, I began jogging, and after what seemed like five minutes of jogging, I heard a car. I glanced at my watch. 5:30. How could that be possible? I had checked it not too long ago to see it was just past 4. Before questioning any further, I waited until the car made its way around the corner until I flagged it down, just in case it was speeding.
It was a current model, stark white, BMW. Definitely from one of the nicer neighborhoods. As it rolled to a stop, the old woman driving cracked the window a small bit. “What are you doing out this early in the morning? Don’t you have school in a few hours?” she interrogated me politely. Shit. I completely forgot it was a Sunday, or at least when I left it was. I explained my predicament, and without any hesitation, she unlocked the doors and allowed me inside. Upon telling her my street, she explained to me how her granddaughter lived on that street, and that was where she was headed. I wondered if she was talking about the new girl, or someone else I hadn’t met. As we drove by a home with a “SOLD” sign on it, she pointed out that was where her granddaughter, Alyssa, and her mother lived, confirming my thought.
Alyssa was in a few of my classes, but I never really talked to her, since she had only moved in the previous Monday. After Alyssa’s grandmother dropped me off at home, I thanked her, to which she replied that if I wanted, I could go by Alyssa’s and meet them. That sounded alright to me, so I agreed to swing by. As I had imagined, my mother was still wide awake, full panic mode, when I stepped inside. She wasn’t really mad, which surprised me, but I knew better than to do anything stupid to provoke her. She went to sleep and I took a shower and changed clothes, still mentally unprepared for the hell-hole of a school I would have to spend my day at, though I did look forward to meeting my new neighbors.
