“Rowynnnn…” the voice taunts again, but this time I don’t scream. I just keep moving forward as twigs whip against my ankles, making me wince. A flash of moonlight creeps in overhead and the trees start to thin out.Hell yes!But what I hear next has me nearly stopping in my tracks.Is that… water??I slow down and damn near slip on the leaves underneath my feet. The closer I get, the louderthe water sounds, as if it’s rushing down and along something.
As the trees diminish, the forest bottom turns into rock and sand.Shit. I went the wrong way.This has to be the cliff Misti told me about. The moonlight shines so brightly as the wind whistles against the cliff's edge.Fuck. I’ve got nowhere to go.
I hold my breath and look over the edge as my hair whips around, blinding me yet again. I lift my tired arms and swipe my hair out of my face, but hands slam against my shoulders, and I scream, losing my footing. Everything happens in slow motion as I fall over the cliff. I close my eyes and think, ‘Well, this is it. It’s my time to die, and I’ll be with my parents sooner than anticipated.’ All I hear is my name being shouted and screams echoing through the air.Am I screaming?I don’t have enough time to think before my body is submerged into the freezing water. The river thrashes me around as it rushes to go wherever it is that it leads to. The frigid water immediately has my brain working into overdrive and my bones frozen on impact. I try to use my legs to get my head above water but the current is so strong it just keeps rolling me around. I don’t want to die yet. I don’t want to drown in the river at the school I just started. I need to fight. I need to get some goddamn air.
Trying to swim my way up, I’m slammed into something hard, and I hold onto it and climb on top of whatever it is, and finally, I come up above water, heaving for air. If only I was skinnier, then I’d be able to pull myself up more to get out of here. My body feels so heavy as I shiver uncontrollably.Fuck.I don’t know where I am or how I’m going to get back. So, I lay here and just breathe, because there is absolutely nothing else I can do. I just don’t want to die out here. That’s all that I keep thinking about. No one will ever find me. Is that what they wanted? To taunt me. Chase me and kill me in the river? My brain is too frozen to form actual thoughts that make sense, so why bother trying. If I make it out of here alive, we can figure that shit out later. Right now, I just need to breathe, slow down my heart rate, and get warm. But fate has other plans, when the object I’m currently holding onto for dear life begins to break.No! No! No!
ten
Elliot Jacobs
Memories
It’s been a long fucking night and all I want to do is smoke a prerolled and climb into bed. Except I have to make this drop first. Leaving campus in my C7 Corvette, I turn up the heat because it’s fucking freezing outside and make a left on a backroad to bypass town and stay along the river. Less cops over here this time of night. I hate meeting at this spot. There’s always townies drinking under the bridge where the river breaks off into the ravine. And it smells horrid. I don’t know why people think its okay to dump whatever they want down there, it’s just fucking gross. In middle school, we would sneak out there to smoke weed and drink our parent’s liquor. Why we left the house is beyond me, but that was our hangout spot until it wasn’t. Maybe I don’t like it because of what happened there years ago. Ijust hate that Terrance always wants to meet there. It’s as if he does it on purpose.
Driving down the windy hill, I make a right and shut off my lights, parking along the river’s edge. Taking out my phone, I let Terrance know I’m here and waiting, then I pull out a smoke, lighting it, and take a deep inhale. I reach over to the door and hit the button for the window, rolling it down some. All you hear is the little waves crashing against the rocks and the wind screaming between the mountains. It always sounds like screams when it’s too windy. Or I’m losing it again and it’s just memories I try to forget. Car lights shine behind me, and I hit the button for the trunk and get out.
Walking towards the trunk, Terrance gets out, fixes his watch, running his hands over his shirt then comes over to me.
“Elliot, how have you been, friend?” he asks, and I want to roll my eyes. Friend is a term I would use loosely with him. He’s not my friend. Hasn’t been since that fatal night right before senior year of high school.
“I’m good. Can’t complain,” I respond as he hands me a wad of cash, and I grab the bag his order’s in.
“Aren’t you going to ask how I’m doing?” he states.
“No, I’m not,” I reply coldly, and he tilts his head, staring at me like I’m beneath him. If it wasn’t for me and the others, he’d be in jail. But no, we protected him, and now, he thinks who the fuck he is.
“I’m disappointed. I thought we were friends? How are the others?” he asks, and I shrug.
“Fine,” I answer, seeming bored of this conversation. I don’t like small talk, and I really fucking hate being down here.
“Well, it was a pleasure doing business with you. See you next time. Friend,” he states with a smirk, then gets back in his car, revs his engine, and peels out of the lot. I take a deep breath and shut my trunk, then lean against it. I look up at the starless sky and relight my cigarette. Taking a puff, I look at the river’s edge and—what the fuck? No? Am I fucking losing it? I hop over the guardrail and see someone laying in the rocks. I rub my eyes because I don’t know if my mind is playing tricks on me. My feet carry me closer, and I take another puff, blowing it out when I see it’s definitely a body. Fuck!
Flicking my cigarette, I take my phone out and put on the flashlight. Pointing it towards the water, it illuminates the space, and my eyes widen when I see long dark hair matted and spread over the person’s face. As I get closer, tiny whimpers and cries echo against the rocks. The water crashing againstthe earth almost drowns it out. Her body shivers uncontrollably, and I crouch down and move the soaked hair from her face.
“Ma’am are you—” The ability to form words leaves my brain as I stare at her. I swallow thickly as my hand trembles. “R-Rowyn?” I stutter, and she whines, saying something I can’t hear because all the blood in my body is rushing to my ears and my brain is in overdrive. I don’t move. I can’t. This can’t be fucking happening. Why is she here? How is she here? What the fuck is happening.
“H-help m-me,” she cries out, and for whatever reason, my feet and body respond before my brain does and I roll her over. She winces and groans, and I put my phone in my pocket then slide my arm under her neck and under her legs and try to lift her soaked, frigid body. It takes me a few tries because my boots keep sinking into the sand, making me slip.
“I got you, baby. Cuddle into my warmth. We have to get you warm, just not too fast or it will affect your heart,” I whisper, pressing my face against hers. Her body continues to tremble as I walk back to my car. Stepping over the guard rail, I open the passenger door and place her in the warm car then run to my side and get in. “Don’t worry, Rowyn. I’m going to get you back to school. We will be there soon,” I tell her, then put my car in reverse and spin out of the lot. Getting onto the backroads, I gun ittowards the school, going too fast for the curves on this windy road. She shifts against the leather, and I look over at her face. It’s pale and her once pink lips are damn near purple. What the fuck happened? My hands tighten around the steering wheel and the urge to question her is stifling, but I need her warm first. I don’t need her wasting any energy she has left on speaking.
“A-are we a-almost t-there?” she asks as her teeth chatter.
“Yes. Less than two minutes,” I answer as we pull through the gates and I fly through the parking lot, finding a spot. Putting the car in park, I turn to her, pushing her messy hair out of her face. “Can I bring you to my room?” I ask, and she nods.
Getting out of the car, I round the hood and open her door. I reach inside and lift her again, then kick my door shut and head for the doors. Thankfully, it’s late and no one is around. Walking up the steps, I pull the door open and step inside. We are immediately engulfed in warmth but she still continues to tremble in my arms. “Almost there, Petal,” I tell her and hit the button for the elevators. The doors slide open and I step inside, hitting my floor.
“T-thank you,” she whispers, and I squeeze her body tighter. The doors slide open again and I walk down the hall to my room.
“Can you dig into my pocket for my card?” I ask, and her hands slide into my jeans, grazing my cock as she searches for my room card. I clear my throat as she pulls it out and presses it against the reader. It blinks and I pull the lever down, kicking the door open.
“I need to get you warm. The only thing I know will work is to get naked and under the covers together. You need my body heat. The shower will shock your system,” I tell her but she shakes her head. “Please, Rowyn. I promise not to look,” I reassure her and set her down on her feet. They wobble and I hold her hip and move us toward my desk. I grip the bottom of her hoodie and pull it up over her head then throw it across the room.
Next is her t-shirt then bra. Her hands immediately cover her large breast and I want to roll my eyes because they do a shit job of hiding them. Then, I unbutton her jeans and slide them down her legs along with her green panties. I bite my lip, wanting so badly to shove my face between her legs but that’s not what she needs from me right now. I shut my eyes and stand up. “Okay. Go to my bed and get under the covers but close your eyes so I can get naked too. If I can’t see you, then you can’t see me.” I chuckle, and I feel her step away from me and hear the blankets ruffling. “Are your eyes closed?” I ask as I take my wet shirt off. She gasps, and I whip aroundto look at her. “Hey. You're cheating. Shut those hazel eyes, Petal,” I scold, and she giggles, shutting them like a good girl. I take my phone, cigarettes, keys, and money out of my jeans and put them on the desk, then strip off the rest of my clothes and get in the bed under the covers beside her.
“Turn to face me and wrap your body around mine,” I tell her, and she hesitates for a split second but does as she's told.
Wrapping my arms around her, I pull her closer to me, and I have to remind my dick to stay soft. That her cold body that fits so perfectly against me isn’t for right now. I clear my throat and cup her face. “Do you feel any better?” I ask, and she nods.
