The Boy in the Woods

Prologue

I can remember the smell of pine needles and fresh dirt as if I were still stuck resting my head against one of those trees. I can almost still feel the moist soil I dug my fingers into and the way my back and knees scraped against sticks and stones. The grass tickled my skin, and the cold unearthed dirt chilled my bones as I was pressed against the ground. I could hear birds singing, but I couldn't tell you what kind because I didn't even care about the sounds any birds were making at 2 o'clock in the afternoon on a Saturday. I can remember the sounds of the trickling river that our feet splashed in, our reflections rippled as we skipped stones in short laughs. I could describe every chuckle and smile from you as an overwhelming sensation of euphoria and pleasure. Every touch from you was a thousand emotions in my stomach that I didn't know how to process. The way your hands caressed me and your lips pressed against my skin sent shivers down my spine that left me clinging to your back. I'm sure you could still find marks on your shoulders, like the ones you left on my neck. You gave me this look that said you were falling in love with my doughy hazel eyes and the way they sparkled in the sunlight. You watched my reflection dance in the water, and I had never seen you so at peace and in bliss. You ran your fingers through my short tuffs of brown hair with delicacy that nearly put me to sleep in your arms. The way you laughed at my jokes was melodic, and you held my hand and led me through that forest like it was your kingdom, and I was your princess.

I was never your princess, and I was foolish to think that I ever could be because I was just the girl in your 5th period Critical Thinking class, stupid enough to think you meant the things you said leading up to that day. Now, over a week later, I've yet to hear anything from you except for the goodbye you muttered after zipping up your pants and dropping me off at my house. You never pulled in the driveway. You didn't get out of your car and walk me up to the porch to watch me leave slowly through the doorway. You never even took the car out of drive, and it only took you seconds to pullaway after I shut the car door. You didn't wait for me to enter my house in safety, but I waited. I waited for a text from you all night, and I cried when my phone didn't ring on Sunday. I spent all of Monday begging for your attention,and I regret every minute of it. You fed off of my energy like it was appetizing to watch a girl struggle for your affection. I guess I couldn't blame you. I got too close to you, even before the date, and I felt comfortable enough to give you my virginity. There was no hesitation, no guilt, no shame from you, and you knew exactly what you were doing; you were tugging at my heart. You wanted a reaction from me, and I refused to give you one. You wanted to clip a free-spirited girl's wings short before she got the chance to fly. It's all crazy, maybe I seem to be taking this too lightly, but I knew the only way I could keep myself from bursting at the seams was to play at your stakes and pretend you were as meaningless to me as you wanted me to seem to you.