The woods is kind of an elaborate title for the tangle of bushes and trees at the back of the school. They're officially out of bounds. Not that anyone pays much attention. At lunch and break times they're populated by Aspen Leger and his lot. Wild and overgrown, after dark they're frequented by druggies. As I trudge through the undergrowth, I spot two abandoned needles and a used condom. I'm heading for a little clearing in the centre, where I'm guessing Rose will be waiting.
I arrive to find it empty. I check the time. Four o'clock exactly. There's an old wooden crate laying on its side. I turn it upside down and sit down. I look up. Above me the daylight is melting away.
Five past four. There's a crackle of undergrowth. I stand up. I realise my heart is beating crazily fast. At first I assume it's because I'm nervous about Rose, but then I realise it's not nerves, it's fear. Because all of a sudden something doesn't feel right. The sound coming towards me is too loud, too heavy to be just one girl.
That's when I start to run.
'She's on the move!' Someone yells. It's James Howell, Apen Leger's right-hand man.
'After her then!' Aspen shouts.
I keep running. But I know I can't keep going in a straight line because if I do I'm going to hit the perimeter fence of the school. I need to feer off to the left or right if i have any hope on getting out of here without them catching me. They are gaining on me, their whoops and hollers growing louder every second. From the sound of it, there are eight of them at least, maybe more. The whole crew.
I take a sharp left, but im not far enough ahead to do so without them noticing. I'm a decent runner, but among the gang is Phil McClannen, who runs the one hundred meters for the county, and he's the one who's gaining on me, expertly weaving through the trees, negotiating my sudden twists and turns with ease. Suddenly he's on me, grabbing my sweatshirt and yanking me backwards, holding on to me until the taller, stronger boys are able to catch up with him and tackle me to the ground, removing my coat and tossing it aside. Among them is Aspen. He takes a spool of blue plastic string from his bag and cuts off two lengths with a stanley knife. He passes a length each to the boys at my feet and head. Their first two attempts to tie me up fail because I'm struggling so much. But then Aspen kicks me hard in the stomach. I fold up in pain. The two teams leap into action, knotting the string tightly round my wrists and ankles as i writhe in the dirt. Aspen stands over me.
'If you hadn't turned up today, we'd have left you alone,' he says. 'But you pushed your luck. You thought you could get your dirty tranny paws on my girlfriend, and for that you're going to pay. '
'Girlfriend?' I stammer.
'Wait a second, you didn't think Rose was actually interested in you, did you? Sorry to disappoint you, mate, but she's into real men.'
