Landuse

Where Is It?

They went back again the next day. Alex tagged along again. She wanted to take more pictures.

"Hey, why don't we try out the water this time?" Sam asked.
"YOU try it. I don't wanna be swiming with those frogs." said Kate.
Sam did went in and splashed around.
"COLD!" he screamed.

Alex decided to walk around the water too. She put her things down by the rock and took off her slippers. It WAS cold. It was nice though. Natural water and the source was just behind their house.

After, they went back to their house, Alex felt like she's missing something.. Where is her...

CAMERA?!

"Hold on, I think I forgot something." she rushed back to the river. She searched the same rock she placed it on. Not there? Where could it be?

Then, she looked across the bank. The boy.. He's.. Holding her bag! The DSLR was placed on the muddy ground. He seemed to be searching her bag and emptying it. Her phone fell out.

"Hey!" she shouted. "Stop that! You're ruining everything!" The boy looked up at her. He stared for a while, as if it was the first time he saw a person. He reached for the DSLR and took off. Upwards away from the river.

"Stop!" she screamed. "You thief!"
Ugh!

She picked up her phone and took off after him. She ran as fast as she could but he was fast. WAY faster. They were going further and further from the lake. They reached a flat plain.

Suddenly, Alex hit her right foot on a tree root that was protruding from the ground. She fell on her knee and scraped it. "AHH!" she shouted.

She sat up and looked at her knee. It was bleeding. She looked up to see the boy vanish in the bushes. "MY STUFF!" she cried. She started tearing up. She was helpless. Her pictures, gone. All of it.

She just sat there with her knees close to her forehead. She sobbed.

She looked up. The boy was peering through the bushes. She stood up and angrily stomped towards the bush, still feeling a sharp pain on her knee. "YOU!" the boy hid again. "I KNOW YOU'RE THERE, GIVE IT TO ME!" she looked behind the bush.

No one.

"BOO" the boy tapped her shoulders, almost pushing her. She jumped. She turned and saw the boy, chuckling. "You think this is funny?" she said angrily. "GIVE!" he's put her stuff behind his back. He was still smirking.

She pulled his arm and he struggled to put it over his head, trying not to let her get it. She pulled his arm again. This time he walked backwards. "AHH!" he tripped backwards. She fell on him. He laughed again. The DSLR fell with a loud thud.

"Nonononono!" she pushed him away and rushed to her DSLR. There was a scratch.. The screen had a scratch too. She was now furious.

"What have you DONE?!" she screamed at him, shoving the broken DSLR into his chest.
"Sorry?" his voice raspy.
"Wha- is that a question? You broke my camera!"
"What did I do?" his filipino accent coming through.
"What did you do?! Look!" she pointed at the scratch on the screen.
"Nono. Ano gagawin ko? Sorry sorry!" he meant 'what do I do?'..

She sighed and said, "nevermind..", put the DSLR strap around her neck. She swung her black muddy bag across her left shoulder. She walked away but she had to limp because of the excruciating pain on her right knee.

"Teka! Wait!" the boy said.
Alex ignored and continued on. I knew cute guys were always jerks..
"Stop!" he repeated.
Alex still continued walking.
She felt a tap on her right shoulder. She turned her head around. Her face still mad.

He pointed at her knee.
"You... need help? I can help." he said
"No, I'm fine. Don't need jerks like you."
"Jerk? Like me? I not jerk!" he said flabbergasted.
"Yes. You jerk." she replied.

She tried to walk away again but he gripped her shoulder.
"Stop touching me."
"No I just want to help. I am sorry!"
He begged.
She limped away, again.

He held her thighs and her shoulders with his arms. She was off the ground. He carried her without any trouble.
"What do you think you're doing?!" she exclaimed. She held on to his neck to balance. She couldn't struggle off because of the excruciating pain on her knee.
"Carry you. To my house." he replied, began walking.

"Your house?! Nonono. Just put me down!"
"No! I meed to help you."
Ughhh..
He's strong.. Those strong arms carrying her. She felt like a princess.