Back In Your Head

The next morning I was up and ready, bright and early. Something that rarely ever happened to me. I went downstairs to start my day off and get some food into my system. I looked around the pantry and cabinets for any cereal my dad had. I was about to get frustrated and skip breakfast until I heard my dad speak.

"Are you looking for some food, pumpkin?" He asked and using an old pet name he used to use on me when I was young.

"Yeah, do you have any sort of cereal around here?" I asked getting back on my heels, seeing is that I was on my tip-toes looking in a cupboard, and turning my attention to him.

"I ran out yesterday. I'll go buy some right now if you want any." He suggested quickly.

I shook my head and replied. "No, no. It's okay. I think I'll just go and buy it myself."

"It's really no trouble, Amy. I'll go do it for you."

"Dad, no. I can do it. I want to." I said looking at him. I was kind of sick of having people do things for me. I know it's probably what most people would want considering we're all pretty lazy, but I've got to do things for myself and not let my mom or Kennedy do the simple things I could do for myself.

"Well, okay. If you want to. Do you mind picking up a couple of things for the house?"

"Sure." I said just wanting to get out of here.

"It's just simple things like paper towels, eggs, and yeah house items..." He said awkwardly and handing me a list.

I pretended to scan through it and nodded. "Yeah, I'll be back in a couple of minutes." I said then walking out. I grabbed my purse and cardigan off from the couch where I left it at last night and grabbed my dad's keys off the key rack before heading outside.

While I was unlocking the door to the truck I noticed a boy around maybe my age with what seemed like dark brown and red hair. He had black skinny jeans on, dark brown boots, a washed out light blue tank covered with a jean jacket, and sunglasses on. He had his arm in my dad's mailbox. Was this punk trying to steal our mail or what?

"Hey!" I called out to him. He looked around and over at me when he noticed I was the only one around so he came to conclusion that it was me that had called him out. "What do you think you're doing?"

"What?" He asked.

"That's my dad's mail!" I yelled back still standing by the truck. He seemed to be lost and scared to why a teenager was yelling at him.

"Did you hear me?" I yelled back. He started walking over to me and I wanted to back away, but I didn't.

"Do you live here?" He asked.

"I used to. Why?"

"Used to?"

"Yeah, when I was like eight." He seemed to be taken back after I said that. I gave him a puzzled look. Who was this kid?

"Oh my gosh." He said surprised.

"What?"

"Wow! Is your name Amy?" He asked smiling.

"Yeah..."

"Amy! Amy, it's me Garrett." He said pointing to himself.

"Garrett?" I was still lost.

"Yeah, Garrett Nickelsen! We were friends at one point in elementary school until you moved." He explained then taking his sunglasses off. When I saw those blue eyes of his I remembered for some reason. He was the one real friend I had in school.

I gasped and said: "Garrett! Oh my gosh, I remember now!" Then I hugged him. He laughed for a bit then hugged me back.

"It's been such a long time, Amy."

"It has." I said pulling away.

"Where'd you move to?"

"Oh not far, Scottsdale."

He nodded in response and started talking again: "So what've you been up to all these years? I can't believe how much you've grown. Wow, I probably sound like an old person right now."

"Nah, I can't believe how much we've grown either. I haven't been up to much really, just hanging around, going to school, going to my boyfriend's shows, that's all."

"Oh you're dating?"

"Yeah."

"He's in a band too?"

"Yup, Last Call For Camden."

"What does he play?"

"Lead singer."

"No way, you're dating Kennedy Brock?"

"Uh, yeah. How'd you know that?"

"I've met Kennedy a couple of times he and a friend of mine were going to make a band together, but that never happened and he's even been to a couple of our shows, vice versa."

"Oh." Was all I could think of to sat to that.

"How long have you been dating him?"

"A couple of years now."

"Really, and we're just now catching up?"

I was about to answer him until my dad came over. "Garrett." He greeted him.

"Here's your mail, sir."

"Thanks. Are you ready to help me move the furniture around the den?" My dad asked. I guess that's what Garrett was here for. He helped my dad around, that's kind of sweet.

"Yes, sir."

"I see you've met Amy." He said acknowledging that I was still here.

"Yeah, it's nice to catch up."

My dad only nodded and got back inside the house as Garrett started walking towards the steps of the house. He turned back around to face my direction. "We should hang out later, Amy."

"Yeah." I agreed then said my goodbye to him as I got in the truck and finally drove off to the grocery store to get my breakfast.

-xxx-

After I went grocery shopping and parked the truck in the driveway. I picked up the grocery bags and began walking to the front door until I heard some twigs breaking. I looked behind me and saw him. Yeah, it was him. The guy from the woods who was laughing at me for "not remembering" something.

I turned my body around fully, the grocery bags still in my hands, to face him. He just stood there with his hands stuffed in his pockets. We seemed to stare each other down for a couple of minutes until he began walking back into the woods. I took a step forward about to follow him until I heard Kennedy's voice in the back of my head telling me to not go into the woods. I bit my bottom lip trying to not take another step forward and head into the woods after for that guy.

The best of me got to me as I turned around walking into the house. I walked into the kitchen and set the bags of groceries on the table. I was about to put the foods in the appropriate place for them like the fridge or freezer until I thought to myself again.

That could have been my chance to figure out who that guy was. I didn't want to end up with another cut on my arm and have Kennedy get mad at me for going in there, but this time the worst of me got to me. I dropped the box of cereal on the table, leaving the rest of the foods scattered on the table as well, and ran out of the kitchen, house, and straight for the woods.

I was in the middle of the woods now just walking around aimlessly for a few minutes. I was starting to feel a bit defeated. I ran here for nothing? I couldn't find him again. I sighed and then just sat on a log. I rested for a moment and looked around.

"Great." I said sarcastically to myself and rested my elbows on my knees. I should've just listened to Kennedy. I sat up and turned to my left, but my head still facing down, I saw a pair of white beat up old classic vans. I looked up, my gaze following up the legs that seemed to went on for days, to see his face staring down at me smiling. I looked up at him with my mouth agape. I couldn't believe he was standing right here in front of me. Was I hallucinating? I got up from my sitting position and sat up also to stand in front of him.

I was loosing my balance until he caught my arm and helped me gain it. I just studied his face. He looked at me smiling, that would normally creep me out.

"You're not gonna run away now are you?" I said jokingly.

He laughed, his hands still gripping my arms, shaking his head. "No, no. I won't this time."

"Who are you? Really, I don't remember if we've ever met."

"I understand." Was all he said then releasing his grip from my arms after he felt that I could keep up with my own balance.

"So we have met?"

"You made me, Amy." He simple said.

"What?" I asked with so much confusion and utter shock that I lost my balance causing my foot to slip on the edge of the log. I fell straight to the ground and things went black.