One of the Boys

Into the Woods

Somehow, I ended up in a deserted forest, even despite the huge city that I lived in.

My hands started to sweat again and with every second, my heart pounded harder and harder.

'How the hell did I get this far away from everyone else?' I thought to myself in full-on panic mode.

"HELLO! ANYONE!? PLEASE HELP!"

I screamed and yelled until my throat burned. Despite my effort to get myself out of this damn mess, no one heard my cry for help.

I fell to my knees and cried for what felt like hours. My crying was loud, devastating and painful. Each sob took more energy from my aching body. My feet were hurting so badly, so I took my shoes off to see if they were bleeding. Luckily, there was only a few spots of blood on the heels of my light blue ankle socks.

After putting my shoes back on, I stood up and looked around the moonlit forest. My eyes eventually became used to the darkness, so I started to walk forward, having no idea where I was going.

As I stepped over tree roots and trudged through the forest, I focused on finding a way out of the woods. As long as I went in one direction and kept my cool, I should be able to reach the end of the forest.

Once I was out the forest, there has to be some kind of city or town, which would have stores, buildings and people who could help me.

These thoughts definitely soothed my nerves, but I still couldn't fully believe that this is seriously what is happening to me.

I mean, did I actually run that far from Jackson's house? That weird dude must have really sparked the inner track star within me.

I was even more worried about my parents. Are they panicking right now? Have they called my phone and left thousands of text messages? Did they call the police yet?

Of course, I left my phone in my purse, which I accidentally set down on the couch at Jackson's house. With that thought, I started to reflect on how quickly the night had escalated.

Upon hearing about the party from Patty (of course, she's the informed one!), I was super stoked to have another fun night with my friends, especially since graduation was coming up so soon. To be completely honest, time was moving much too fast, and I didn't want the year to end. I can still remember when I first came to Westwood, which was only about 7 months ago, and it still felt as if it was yesterday.

I look ahead of me, and I can vaguely see the headlights of some cars on the highway, and I automatically release a sigh of relief.

I began to walk faster and faster until I reached the edge of the road. There isn't much traffic, so I looked both ways before running across to the other side of the highway.

Up ahead, I could see a few lights and what seems to be a small town. I tried to keep myself collected as I walked quickly towards the town.

I assumed that I arrived at the town about 30 minutes to 1 hour later, so I made my way over to the Shopper's Drugmart.

The fluorescent lights gave me a headache as soon as I stepped inside, and I finally noticed how dry my throat was.

"Hi, how can I help you tonight?" The woman at the cash register said.

"Uh.. Yeah. I kind of got lost, and I just happened to find this town." I replied nervously. My hands became clammy, and I really wanted to be at home.

"Oh my goodness! Are you alright? I can bring you to the staff office in the back of the store. We have a phone, so you can call your parents if you'd like." Replied the cashier.
According to her name tag, she is Nancy. Thank god for this woman.

"That would be awesome. Thank you so much, it's so nice of you." I said gratefully.

The staff office was basically the size of my bedroom, which consisted of a messy desk and an old computer. There was plenty of papers, pens, and the phone sitting on the wooden desk.

"So, how'd you end up getting lost? Did ya run away from home?" Nancy asked teasingly.

"Haha, no. I was at a party, but then my friends and I left in a rush. Next thing I knew, I was all alone." I stated cautiously.

Nancy nodded sympathetically, and then handed me the phone.

I was so grateful to finally speak to my parents because I knew that they must have been going crazy without knowing where I was.

"Mom?!?" I asked into the phone.

After a few seconds, I heard my Mom's voice, sounding concerned.

"Sasha? Are you alright? Where are you? How come you haven't been answering your phone?"

My Mom's questions were flooding in, and I barely had a chance to answer them.

"Mom, I'm fine. Sorry I couldn't answer my phone. I left it at the party along with my purse. It's a long story, but I'm at a Shopper's Drugmart right now."

I tried to sound as calm as possible, but I had no idea how my mother was going to react to this whole situation.

"Why are you not at the party?" My mother asked.

"Mom, can you please pick me up first? I'll explain everything at home." I really didn't want to retell the whole story.

"Okay.. Are your friends with you? And where the hell is this Shopper's Drugmart?" My mom's voice became a mixture of concern and curiosity.

"Um, no, it's just me. I'm not quite sure where this Shopper's Drugmart is to be honest." I admitted.

I glanced over at Nancy and handed her the phone.

"Hi Ma'am, I'm Nancy. I've just been taking care of your daughter at the Shopper's Drugmart. I can give you some directions or the address if you'd like." Nancy said simply.

A few minutes went by as Nancy explained the route to the Shopper's Drugmart, and then she quickly said goodbye to my mother before hanging up.