The Boy in the Woods (2014 Wattys Winner, Wattpad Version)

Chapter 6 - Maybe

Jess woke up, feeling happier than she had in a long time.  Smiling, she jumped out of bed and got dressed as quickly as she could, then went down the stairs into a warm kitchen that smelled like pancakes.

"Good morning!" Annie called out from the stove.

"Morning!" Jess said, giving her a quick, tight hug.  "Did you have a good day off?"

"Same as usual," Annie replied.  "Did you have a good day yesterday?"

"Yep!" Jess said with a big grin on her face, as she walked to the table.

"That's swell," Annie said, bringing over a plate of pancakes and a glass pitcher of maple syrup.

While Jess ate, she looked at the woods beyond the garage and only half-listened as Annie talked about what she'd done the day before.  She couldn't wait to go to the cabin and see Marty again.  Maybe she'd be able to get him open up and talk about himself.  She was dying to know more about him. 

As soon as she finished eating, she offered to help Annie with the dishes.  "Nothing doing.  It's a beautiful day," Annie said, turning Jess by the shoulders and giving her a little push towards the door.  It was just what Jess had expected.  "I'll see you at lunchtime."

"See you later," Jess replied happily, going out the back door. 

Relieved to see the garage doors closed, she darted behind it and was soon on the path leading to the cabin.  She ran until she was out of breath and then walked the rest of the way.  When she entered the clearing, she was dismayed.  The front door of the cabin was closed.  Hoping Marty was inside anyway, she went to the door and knocked.  After waiting a moment, she turned the knob and opened it a little. 

"Hello!  Marty!" she called out, but the slightly stuffy air filled with the smell of the pine floors that came out let her know he hadn't returned since the day before.  With her heart sinking, she walked inside.  Even though she knew it was futile, she couldn't help checking the bedroom anyway, just to be certain, but she was alone. 

Returning to the front door, she listened hard, hoping to hear him walking through the woods, but the only sounds were the now familiar rustling of small animals in the leaves and the birds in the trees. 

With nothing else to do, she sat on the front step to wait for him.  Doubts that he might not come back nagged at the back of her mind, but she tried to push them away.  When she thought through their conversation the day before, she remembered him saying she was free to visit him.  He wouldn't have said that if he wasn't planning on coming back, would he?  And she'd done her best to convince him she wouldn't tell anyone.  She hoped he'd believed her.

As it got later in the day, her stomach began growling and then the hunger pains became too strong to ignore.  She reluctantly closed the cabin door and walked back to the house.  Maybe he was busy doing other things today, she thought as she made her way down the path, trying to keep the sadness from overwhelming her.  He'd be back tomorrow.  He had to be.

She had a quiet, late lunch while Annie made a cake for that night's dinner.  When she offered the bowl and mixing spoon to her, Jess forced a smile and tried to act excited.  Afterwards, she took a book up to her room and laid on her bed to read, wanting to distract herself from thinking about Marty.  Dinner was a somber meal, with her uncle going through a stack of documents the entire time.  When she finished, all she wanted to do was go back to bed.  The sooner she fell asleep, the sooner tomorrow would come, and the sooner she would get to see Marty.

The next morning, Jess ate a bowl of cereal alone in the kitchen and then went out the back door.  When she came around the corner of the house, she stopped suddenly.  The big black car was outside the garage and James was polishing it.  He glanced at her briefly before turning his attention back to his work and Jess hesitated, wondering what she should do.  He glanced up at her again and she turned to go behind the house where he couldn't see her, not wanting him to get suspicious of what she intended to do.