Howl (COMPLETED FOR NOW)

Beauty of Nature

ALANA's POV
Sitting up in my bed I realize that it couldn't have been a worse day to have the same dream that has been happen over and over again. I look across my room to see my orange alarm clock saying it's 2:34 am.
I have open play for soccer tomorrow and I am already dreading not getting enough sleep as it is. I lay back down on my silk blue sheets and I can't shake the feeling that something is going to go terribly wrong this summer.
I stare up at the ceiling and think of how much my life has changed since I was ten years old. I know when I was ten I didn't think of what I was wearing would decrease my chances with a guy. I also didn't think that being myself was unacceptable. I used to be fun and outgoing now I'm just a person who doesn't have a lot of friends and doesn't talk that much.
Next I think about Nicole and James. I really do hope they make it. They have been dating for about a year now and it looks pretty good. Maybe some bumps along the way but no major fights that I know of.
Then I think of Chris. I hope we become really good friends just because of the fact I think he's a really nice guy. I don't know if I would ever date him but maybe have another best friend? Hopefully. Nicole has been acting really weird lately and it's kind of freaking me out. Not in a good way either. Chris just gives me that feeling that I can trust him with my life and not have one doubt in the world about it. Something about Nicole makes me not want to trust her with anything. I feel bad because I know she knows that she can trust me with anything in the world. Nicole just gives off the energy that there is something wrong or about to go wrong.
I start to feel drowsy again and I begin to fall asleep again.
;•;•;
"beep, Beep, BEEEP!," my alarm blared which made me sit straight up in my bed Imediately running towards my alarm clock. I pounce on my alarm clock hitting the off button and look at the time. 10:45 am! What? I'm going to be late for soccer. I do my hair in a quick french bread and i put on expandex under my shorts and pull on a t-shirt then sprint to my kitchen. I pull the honey out of the cabinet and pour some into my mouth.
Honey is actually one of the best things you can eat in the mornings if you're working out, believe it or not. I grab my jug that I fill with water and I turn into the refrigerator and start pouring ice in the water jug. I put a little bit of water in with it and I race to the bathroom then begin brushing my teeth. After I'm done with that I shove my socks on and then dig my shin guards into the socks. I slip on my sliders and run out the door (not without locking it first) with my water jug and F-50 Adidas cleats in hands. I see the awaiting Nicole and I climb into her old Honda Accord and take a moment to breath.
She looked at me with worry on her face, "Are you Okay?"
I chuckled and responded, "Fine."
;•;•;
After running like I've never ran before, soccer practice had ended. I take a drink of water and slip off my cheats then slip on my sliders. I pack up my stuff and grab the high school soccer ball bag and head to the garage to drop it off.
Lebanon has one of the best soccer fields in Indiana. Our two gated soccer fields have a gap in between them for just enough room for a concrete slab with four bleachers, a storage garage with an announcing booth on top of it, a ticket booth, and even a concession stand.
It was freshman's job to pick up the equipment after practice and somehow I always get stuck with the ball bag.
I haul the bag up to the garage and set it down in the correct place then head out and look for Nicole. Once I find her, we go to her car and head home.
On the way home I look at my knees and notice all of the dirt on them. Man, the perks of being a goalkeeper.
Nicole drops me off at my house then I go in and let my dog out. I go to my phone and check for any text messages. I got one new text from Chris.
From:
Meet me at South side park tonight at about 5:00 pm.
To:
Fine.
;•;•;•;
Once I get dropped off by Nicole at the park I head for the swings. My nerves are going through the roof as I sit down at the rusty old swing. Through my eyes I can see my black mascara and eye liner outlining my eyes. I smile because that's about all of the makeup I will ever wear. I look down at my grey and white sperry's then look at my skinny jeans. These jeans are my favorite jeans because they fit me perfectly. They're a little darker but around the knees they grow lighter.
There is breeze and my white ruffed shirt moves with it. My curled brown hair sways slightly and I am pulled back on the swing. I grab the chains of the swing and turn around to see smiling Chris pushing my swing.
"What are yo-?" I try to say as I fall out of my swing, face planting the ground. I roll over laughing like I have never laughed before. Before I know it Chris is right beside me laughing too. I sit up still laughing and feel my face burning. I look at Chris, who is looking at me, having his elbows lifting him up.
Chris shifted his weight to one elbow and with his other arm he raised it towards my face. I didn't move an inch because if I were to I would break the moment. At first I thought he was reaching to touch my face but I soon realized he was reaching for just above my face towards my hair.
"You have a leaf in your hair." He said taking the leaf out.
"Oh, um, thanks." I responded getting up trying to not let him see my cherry face.
He slowly raised to his feet and then looked at the woods by the park saying, "I love that place."
"The woods?," I asked and he nodded, "I've never been in there before, too scared I might get attacked my coyotes."
Chris stared at me blankly, "You're going there today, right now to be exact."
He grabbed my wrist and dragged me to the woods that looked like the one in my dream.
;•;•;•;
"Do you even know where we are?" I asked because it feels like we have been walking forever in the woods.
I hear my stomach growling and I hope Chris doesn't hear it. I am so hungry. I thought that we were going to get dinner or something but instead we're walking through a stupid woods right after a storm we had last night.
I look down to see the sticky leaves all of my sperry's. I take off my sperrys and pick them up then start walking bare foot because I cannot ruin my sperry's.
I'm okay with getting muddy just not my sperry's. As I'm walking through the woods I can really see what Chris is wearing right now. Dressed in a gray shirt and shorts he looks really attractive. He has, what I think are, grey and white vans on. His back is facing towards me and we are walking through the sticky green woods.
As he heard me wincing with each touch on the ground he turned around and looked at my feet. This was really awkward because I hate my feet and lucky for last night's rain the wet leaves are sticking on my feet.
"Get on my back." He said, looking at my sperry's then at my eyes.
"What?" I questioned confused.
"People litter all around here, some drink then throw the bottles. If you step on glass then it will cut your feet open. Just get on my back and I will carry you." He explained turning around so his back was facing me again.
"Fine." I said rolling my eyes. Chris squat down a little bit because I knew he knew that I was too short for trying to jump up on his back if he was standing straight up.
I shrugged and jumped on his back. Chris caught me which I was thankful for. He was really warm which I would be thankful for if it wasn't summer. I hold on to him for dear life with my arms wrapped around his neck then with my legs crossed in the front. With his hands under my lower thighs I could feel electricity with his touch.
I put my head on his shoulder and told him, "If I get too heavy, just tell me because I don't want you to feel obligated to carry me."
"Oh, I will be able to carry you, feather. Plus, I'm a lot stronger than I look." I could feel him smiling so I smiled too.
"So, Are we almost there yet?" I asked him when he suddenly came to a stop. I glanced around where we were at and it was a open field surrounded by woods.
The opening looked like it had been untouched for years. The shorter grass looked graceful swaying through the slight breeze. The beautiful open field was definitely worth all of that walking.
Chris dropped me off of his back and I stared at the beautiful field. I can see from the corner my eye Chris staring at me but I don't look back at him.
"It's beautiful, isn't it?" Chris asked.
"Beautiful doesn't describe it.. it's magnificent." I said turning back to him smiling.
Chris started smiling that million dollar smile of his then said, "How about we make a deal?"
"What kind of deal?" I asked.
"If I catch you, you have to tell me one secret that no one else knows. If you can't get caught in 10 second then I have to tell you one secret that no one else knows." Chris stated.
I took off running yelling, " 10, 9, 8, ..."
I heard his feet pounding and I take a cut to the left, laughing my head off, "6, 5, 4, ...."
I hear him right behind me now so I do what I do when Nicole chases me with a snowball in the winter. I drop to the ground and laugh while he troops over me.
"3, 2, 1." I inform him laughing.
I can't stop laughing and neither could Chris. I had just tricked him and I won the deal. I layed on my back and looked up at the sky still smiling. I look through the tall grass to Chris to see he has moved right beside me.
"You cheated! No tripping!" He said looking over at me poking me in the side.
I laughed at him jumping at his poke, "You never said 'No tripping' so that's your fault."
"Fine, but since you cheated," he paused staring at me, "you have to tell me a secret no one else knows about."
"Fine," I said rolling my eyes, "but I'll go first."
I thought about it for a second because I had no idea what secret I had that no one else knows about.
"Okay, well, I kinda, maybe broke this girls arm, by accident, because the ice-cream truck was coming down the street and I already had money and this girl ran to get some money from her parents then she got money. So she was walking to the truck and the guy was waiting on her so I told her to run then she kinda tripped and fell and broke her arm." I told Chris trying not to laugh.
"Really?" He asked trying to laugh too.
"Yes really." I said biting my lip and smiling.
"Nice going, Alana, breaking people's arms over ice-cream." He broke out laughing.
"Shut up!" I said punching Chris in the arm.
"Okay, okay." Chris said rubbing his arm.
"Your turn." I said changing the subject.
I looked at him and he looked like he was thinking of what to say. Chris' thinking face is adorable. He puts his mouth in a straight line revealing his dimples.
"My secret is this place. I have come here since I was about 10 years old and I have never got tired of it. It's so beautiful and I'm mesmerized by this place. I come here when I'm sad, mad, or even happy. No one else knows about this place except me and now you." Chris stated looking at me.
I smiled a little because it felt good to know that Chris trusted me. Even though we just met I felt that we had been friends since I was born. I feel something in my pocket vibrating so I sit up and get out my phone.
From my mother:
Where are you? Nicole has been down here waiting for you to get home for 40 minutes!
"Crap, I have to go." I said standing up and waiting for Chris to get up.
"Okay." Chris said looking kind of sad but I had to go.
I was about to go through the woods to get back to the park when I remembered about my shoes and not ruining them. I looked back at Chris and waited on him to catch up.
He got closer to me and stopped then looked at me and turned around signaling for me to get on his back. I jumped on his back and whispered, "Can we hurry? My mom is already mad at me."
He nodded and started to run. I have never seen anybody run so fast before. It was almost inhuman.
;•;•;•;
The rest of the way to the park we didn't say one word to each other. We got the the park and I hopped off of Chris' back and landed flat on my feet in the surprisingly wet grass. I drop my sperrys and put my wet feet in them.
I spot Nicole's car and start walking towards it. I looked to my left to see Chris looking down that had this expression of being sad. I stopped in my tracks and grabbed his arm.
"What's wrong?"I asked him.
"Nothing."
"Something is wrong, tell me." I demanded.
"Alana, it is nothing," Chris paused, "I am fine."
"Whatever." I responded rolling my eyes.
We got to Nicole's car I told him bye and got in her car, mad. Why was he being like this? Nicole looked at me and stepped on the pedal and drove away.