Running Scared

Chapter 16:

 Eric, Mel, Lucy and I sat down across from each other at a booth in the mall. Eric and Lucy were on one side, sharing a plate of pasta from one of the Italian restaurants, and Mel and I were on the other, each of us happily eating our burgers.

We came to the mall for last minute Christmas shopping. Originally it was just Eric, Mel and I but he brought along Lucy. Mel rolled her eyes when he texted us but we acquiesced. Lunch was silent and slightly awkward but Mel commented on enough guys passing by to keep me laughing. Eric's hand wrapped around Lucy's on the table and they were laughing, having their own conversation.

As we walked we stayed in our selective two groups. Like in the weeks before, I had a constant feeling of someone watching me. Each time I glanced behind me I thought I saw the back of James' head. Someone with the same shade of brown hair or the same build. I was paranoid but I couldn't shake the feeling.

At the end of the day, I was happy with my purchases and eventually shook off the feeling. I picked up a nice sweater for Mom along with a few other things, a cute coffee mug for Mel (her favorite pick-me-up and drink in the entire world), and a few ideas in mind for Eric.

I hugged Eric good-bye and waved to Lucy before climbing into Mel's car. She sped off, chattering about the guy's number she picked up while we were at the sports store. She totally played it off like she knew everything there was to know about sports – don't get me wrong, she knows a lot but she pretended more – and I casually “shopped” a couple aisles away, chuckling at her comments. The guy, whose number she scored, seemed pretty nice. Mel already had him hooked, going on a date the following night.

“Mike, that's his name, goes to Haven! How funny is that? Although it's our rival school, he isn't too far away. It's odd that I've never seen him before at football games and stuff. I think he said something about just moving here but I was mesmerized. His eyes, oh Jess! You should have seen them! He has the most gorgeous eyes, they're like blue with gold in them. Not even Dave Franco's eyes can compare!”

Dave Franco was Mel's biggest celebrity crush. “Their eyes are completely different colors!” I counter-argued.

“But you get the same feeling when you look into them.” And just like that was her dreamy look.

“Hey, please pay attention to the road. I think I'd like to live and you'd like to make it to your date.” Her look caused her to swerve a little bit too close to the curb and she pulled the wheel back straight.

I gave her a nervous glance and grabbed onto the handle on the roof of the car. Seeing if anyone was behind us, I leaned forward and looked at the side rear-view mirror. A black sedan was driving way to close to someone who just swerved all over the road. Thinking nothing of it, I leaned back in my chair and listened to the rest of her rant about Mike From Haven.

She dropped me off at home with a happy wave and quick good-bye. I trudged to the door and fumbled for my keys. Behind me, I heard a branch snap. My blood ran cold and I whipped around to find the origin of the sound. The garden was empty. The bushes swayed in the breeze but I saw no traces of anyone. I turned back around and tried to fit the key in the little hole. My hands were practically vibrating as I entered the key.

Finally, I made it safely inside. Mom was chopping vegetables when I walked in. She looked up with a smile but it quickly melted away when she saw the panicked look on my face.

“Honey, are you okay?” She set the knife down and wiped her hands on a towel.

I nodded my head as she made her way around the kitchen.

“What happened?”

“N-nothing. I heard a branch snap and got spooked.”

“Oh.” She stopped where she was and leaned against the counter.