Shadows of summer

Chapter 9

We headed though the forest with the full moon lighting our way. I couldn’t help but stare at her luminous face. She caught me staring and I quickly turned my head back acting as if I hadn’t been staring at all.

“You know I caught you” She said to me.

“Caught me doing what”? I asked looking in the opposite direction.

 “Do you think that you’re that sly”?

 “Yes I do”. I said smugly.

 I felt her punch me lightly in the arm.

 “Jerk”.  

“You don’t mean that”.

 “Yes I do”.

  I stopped in my tracks and I looked at her. She had her arms crossed and had an evil smirk on her face.

 “So I’m a jerk am I”?

“Yes you are”.

“Alright I’ll show you how much of a jerk I can be”. I told her and uneasy look creped across her face. I smiled and ran at her. She ran away from me laughing as we played a game of cat and mouse. I chased her around a giant oak tree a couple of times before I finally caught her by the hand. I pushed her gently up against the tree and our noses rubbed together. We giggled for a little bit then we just stared at each other.

  “So do you want to be my girl”? I whispered.

 Her face went a little pale and her jaw dropped slightly.

“What”?!

 “Do you want to be my girlfriend”? I asked her again. Her faced turned a ghostly white.

“W-what…m-me…but I don’t think…I mean how could we be girlfriend and boyfriend”?

She wiggled and squirmed out of my arms and ran around behind me. I spun around and saw her standing there like a terrified, helpless puppy.

 “Justin…you’ll be leaving soon and you know I can’t just waltz right out into the world…that would be suicide for me”. She muttered, biting her finger nail. Truth is I hadn’t thought about the fact that I would be leaving soon or any other hitches that were in the way of me and Shadow dating.

   I searched through my brain looking for any compromise that could be worked out.

 “I’ll be a senior next year and I can get my license too…I could come up here on the weekends and see you”.

“But what about the other people that rent that cabin out when you guys leave”?

I realized that this may be the most complicated relationship I’ve ever had but I was willing to do anything to have Shadow as my girlfriend. She was perfect to me, and I knew in my heart that I would never meet someone like her ever again in my entire life.

“Then I’ll camp in the woods or… I could rent it myself”. I said not really knowing how I would do any of the things I was saying.

 “You really would do that…just so I could be…your girlfriend”? She asked me, blushing a little bit.

“Yeah… of course. I mean I don’t know how this very minute but I’ll figure something out that’s for sure. You’re the coolest and most amazing person I’ve ever met and I don’t want to lose you just like that…so I’ll do anything to have you as my girlfriend”.

I saw a cute smile spread across her face.

 “You know that was kind of cheesy but… I’ve never had anyone compliment me before so…it’s really sweet of you to say that”. She said with her arms behind her back.