by J. B. Garcia
"Well I thought that we would go to Betties. You know the diner at the end of town?" He gives me a sideways smile that makes me blush again.
"Ya I know the place. Why did you want to eat with me Derek? You have never talked to me before?" I see him look at me out of the corner of his eye with disappointment.
"Well, Niki, I have liked you for a long time and I thought that it was finally time to talk to you and make you my girl."
"Make me your girl? You don’t even know me." I almost shout it. "Yea Niki" he giggles "I want you to be mine. I have plenty of time to get to know you but I don’t want someone else to snatch you up." He says every word so confidently I fall for his charm. The grin on my face won't come off and it just seems to get bigger at hearing this. I am smiling so much my face is starting to hurt. "Well maybe we should just eat first and see what happens from there." My voice is shaking.
"Whatever you want Niki." He puts his arm around my shoulder and pulls me to him.
After that day we were never apart. We sat in every class together and every day after school and practice we were together. I fell madly in love with him. I thought that his feels were the same, but I was wrong. We were together for 8 months and the Spring Fling was coming up in 2 days. Obviously we were going together. I was so excited to be going with Derek. I had never gone to a dance at school before. I never was asked by anyone at our school. It’s not like I am homely or ugly I just kept to myself and stayed in my books. Now I got to go with the man I loved and it was going to be a night to remember. The night of the dance was going to be the first time that we slept together. I wanted everything to be perfect. I had spent hours and hours shopping for the right dress to make his head spin.
The day before the dance there was a new girl that was enrolled in our school. She was beautiful. Long tan legs, long wavy blonde hair and baby blue eyes. Derek had two classes with her but I didn't have any. Derek had been very distant all day long and I thought that I had done something wrong. After school I asked Derek what was bothering him and why he was so distant, he said "There isn't anything wrong Niki stop being so clingy." My heart shattered and he walked away from me. As he walked down the hall I see Blondie come up and walk beside him. Jealousy ripped through my veins. I could feel the biting pain of my nails digging into my palms. I wanted to trust Derek because I loved him but there was something going on with Blondie, I could feel it in my bones.
He didn't call me that night and I wasn't going to call him after he said I was being clingy. I don’t know what happened. One day we are in love and nothing to change that and the next day I am “to clingy”. The image if Blondie keeps flashing in my head making impossible for me to get over this issue. I know that there is something going on. I mean come on, the day she comes to school Derek acts like I am a disease and then they are walking together after school. What does she have that I don’t? I treat Derek like a prince and we get along together so well. It might be the fact that she is beautiful, tall, has long legs and a southern draw that would set your heart on fire. We have been together for 8 months and in one day he has turned cold to me. There is nothing that I can do but wait and see what happened. Tomorrow is the dance and I wanted to have everything be prefect so I decided to blow it off and try to focus on the dance.
The dance had finally come. I bought a new floor length red sparkle dress. It was backless and had a small train behind it. It was a beautiful dress. When I put the dress on I felt like a totally different person. I was confident for the first time in my life. I was hoping that this would catch Derek's attention and hopefully he would stop acting so distant. I spent the whole day getting my hair and makeup done. My long black hair was curled and flowing down my back. My makeup was perfect, not too much but just enough to notice. There was no way the Blondie was going to out shine me tonight. I was so excited, especially for Derek to see me. The plan was for Derek to pick me up at 8pm in the Limo and we would both go to the dance together.
When 8pm came and he didn't show I called his cell phone and it went to voicemail. I left so many messages. I could feel hot tears stinging my cheeks as my heart began to break. Then anger set in. How can stand me up? We have been together for months and he stands me up!? This is all because of that slut Blondie. I feel my whole body become hot and my face red with anger. My mother see's me sitting at the bottom of the stairs and asks, "Where is Derek, Niki? Is everything ok?" The last thing that I wanted is my Mom to know what was going on. She would make a huge deal about it and I don't want to talk about it right now. I just want to know what is going on and where my boyfriend is. My suspicions are coming true. I know it. He has to be with that slut. Anger has taken over every part of me and I am seeing red. I need to know for sure if my suspicions are true. I am going to dance…now.
I look at my mom realizing that I haven’t answered her question yet "Ya, Mom I guess the Limo broke down and we are going to meet there." I hate lying to her but I don’t want her to know what just happened because she would not approve of what I was going to do. I don’t want to argue with her right now because I tend to say things I don’t mean when I am upset.
She looks at me with a concerned face, "Do you want me to drive you, Niki?"
"No thanks Mom, I am going to drive. It would be kind of embarrassing having my mom drive me to the Spring Fling." I try to force a smile and restrain the tears that are fighting to get out. I need to hold myself together. I don’t want to fall apart and look weak in front of Derek. I went through a thousand things that I want to say if he is at the dance. I am going to tear him apart. I knew just what I was going to do. I was going to drive to the dance and confront Derek. There is no way I am going to let him treat me this way. I am not going to be walked all over. I jumped in my car and pulled out of the driveway as slowly as I could as not to draw attention to my mother. I knew she would be watching through the window. Once I get out of her sight I step on the gas and race to the school. The trees and homes are ripping past. I pay no attention to my speed. Ripping around corners, running stop signs, I am unstoppable.
I finally get to the school parking lot. There are lines of Limo stretched around the school. I speed to the front of the Gym and parked my car in the fire lane. I wasn't planning on staying very long. I marched into the Gym I could feel piercing pain in my palms from my nails, but I didn't care. I started walking around the herds of dancing teens all enjoying themselves and laughing. I couldn't help but hate all of them. This was supposed to be a special night for Derek and I and he has ruined it. I feel like I have been looking for him for hours. Maybe I was wrong. Maybe something happened at home and he wasn’t able to get me. I was starting to feel guilty for thinking such things about Derek. How could I be so stupid? But finally out of the corner of my eye I see Derek. My heart is breaking and falling to the ground. I step over the pieces running on pure anger. He is standing leaning against the wall with a drink in his hand. He hasn't seen me yet. I begin to walk over to him from the other side of the gym. Then Blondie walks up to Derek and kisses him. I lose my mind and run over to him. I slap his drink into his face and yell “What the fuck do you think you are doing?! Derek how could you! You’re a fucking bastard! Why would you do this to me?! If you didn't want to be with me anymore then you should have just broke up with me like a man and not cheat on me!" I could no longer hold back the tears from my eyes. My face is covered in wetness and my makeup running down my face. I cock my hand back and slap him as hard as I can in the face. The music was blasting but everyone in the Gym was staring at us.
Derek’s face turns white. People are starting to gather around us and he begins to realize that his popularity is at stake. Then the Blondie decides to open her mouth and let her southern draw roll out . “I don't know who you think you are but Derek is my boyfriend. Derek told me that you are obsessed with him and pretend that you are his girl. Stop embarrassing yourself. Have some class." She Flips her hair and grabs Derek's arm and kisses him on the cheek. "This is my Boyfriend so why don't y
ou run along." Anger takes over and I lung at her ripping out pieces of her hair and scratching her face. Derek grabs my waist, "Niki stop please! I’m sorry, please stop!" Rage has taken over as my scratches turn into a closed fist and I am punching her anywhere that will connect on her. My father always told me that if I ever got in a fight the key to coming out on top was being aggressive. I was swinging as hard as I could keeping my eyes open to make sure I was making contact and making sure it was painful. I know that she didn’t know that we had actually been together for 8 months and Derek had told her an awful lie to get her, but the rage inside me was taking over. I finally stop beating his new prize and look him in the eyes” Derek, you are a waist of space and you will fuck regret the day you fucked with me. Enjoy this little slut because I guarantee you that she will leave you when she finds something better just like you did to me. She doesn’t give a shit about you. I cared about you Derek! I hope she fucks you over like you did to me!" Derek looks down to the floor at the bloody mess that used to be Blondie and back up into my eyes. His eyes are filled with tears and it seems that he a realized what a grave mistake he has made but it’s too late. The love I had for him is gone. He opens his mouth to talk but before he can say a word I turn on my heels and walk toward the exit. “Niki! Niki! I’m sorry please don’t go!” I can hear Derek yelling from behind me. Blondie is crying on the ground. I get to the door and push both of the heavy metal doors open feeling the cold night air on my face.
I let the cool air fill my lungs and tried to stop the tears from falling down my cheeks. I look down at my knuckles and see blood, cuts and bruising. What did I do to her? I can barely remember what happened after I jumped on her. I don’t feel regret, she deserved it. I need to get home before I get caught. I start to walk to my car...wait…where is my car? Shit! That is what happens when you park in the Fire Lane I guess. This night has turned into such a nightmare. The last thing that I want to do is call my mom and tell her my car was towed. Especially since my face is wet with tears and my fits are cut and bruised. She doesn’t approve of violence so I would be grounded forever. I decide that walking home is the best idea right now. I would rather sneak back into the house and clean myself up before I break the news to my parents that my car was towed. Hopefully they never find out about the fight, I would never hear the end of it.
It’s about 12 at night now and it’s a 2 mile walk home. In a car it’s a short drive but on foot in heels, it’s a lot longer. Walking through town alone at night always creeps me out. I hate it. I avoid walking around at night at any cost. For some reason it makes me feel uneasy. I turn around to see if there is anyone around. There is one person walking about 500 feet behind me. I pay no mind to them and keep walking. I can feel the blisters on my feet growing large so I slip my heels off and carry them. Anger is fueling me and keeping me from being affected by the night breeze. I replay the image in my mind of Blondie kissing Derek and it makes me sick to my stomach. I will never let a man control my feelings again. I am done with love forever it’s not worth it. Walking down the street in my red dress probably isn’t the best idea. I turn around and the person I saw before is still there, but now they are closer. I quicken my pace and they quicken. They have a black sweatshirt on with the hood pulled over their head. I cant see their face or if it is a man or not. My nerves are beginning to tingle and my stomach is turning. Something bad is going to happen I can feel it. I start to speed walk and they match my speed and begin to gain on me. The realization that this person is chasing me sets in, so I start to run for my life. They follow suit and run after me.
Panic sets in. How far can I run before I can't run anymore? Being a swimmer for 4 years has helped me keep my distance from the person chasing me. I am running as fast as I can down the pitch black road and I can’t see the person chasing me any long but I can hear their footsteps and they are getting closer. This is it, I am going to die.
"Help me! Help Me!" I scream at the top of my lungs as I run for my life. I have no idea what this person wants but it can't be a hug. I turn around and they are gaining on me. Runner faster than I have ever seen someone run before. Fear gives me my last boost of energy and I am pushing my body further than I ever have before. My legs are burning and my lungs feel as if they are going to collapse. Now I can see the person closely, it’s a woman. I have been sprinting for almost 5mins and I am running out of energy. This woman doesn’t even look tired. Her face is covered with determination. Is she toying with me? Letting me think that I am going to get away but in reality I never had a chance. There is not one person that is out outside their home. I am screwed. I turn around to check how close she is and she jumps into the air and lets out and terrifying scream that morphs into a howl. This can’t be happening! I trip and fall onto my face and stomach. My dress rips and the concrete tears skin from my cheek. I roll over to my back and see a large wolf standing over me. This is impossible. Her two large paws are on either side of my head. There is one black spot over her right eye the rest of her body was a white as snow. If I wasn't so terrified I would say she was beautiful. Her growling me brings me back into reality. She lowers her snout down to my face and I let out a terrifying scream. “Please leave me alone! Please don’t hurt me!”I beg her but she never backs down. She just looks deep into my eyes never breaking eye contact. I am going to die, this is the end. I am going to be ripped apart by a giant wolf thing. Paralyzed with fear I stare into the eyes of my death begging for mercy. The wolf places her paw on my chest and the weight crushes me. I begin to black out. Trying to hold on to my consciousness, I fight back thrashing around on the ground. The wolf keeps her eyes locked on mine eyes and they begin to shine like emeralds. Her eyes begin to release a green mist. The green mist flows into my eyes and I feel an overwhelming sense of calm. I stop thrashing and it takes over my whole body. The weight on my chest is removed and I feel the burn of oxygen return into my lungs. I gulp in air trying to sooth the burn. The back of my neck begins to burn and then…nothing. My consciousness is lost.
I wake up in a Hospital screaming in terror. My Mom and Dad were both there waiting for me to wake up. They run to my side trying to console me. Nothing they say is calming me at all. I need to get out of this room and I begin to fight harder. They begin holding me down to the bed by my arms and legs. I can hear my mother panicking and my father yells “NURSE! NURSE HELP!” The nurse runs in and injects me with something and my whole body begins to relax. Finally I stop thrashing as the medication takes over my body. My mother has never looked so worried in her life. I can see the pain in her eyes as she strokes her hand through my hair. My mother looks into my eyes and says “Niki, what happened after you left the dance?” He face starts to look hazy and I can tell the drugs are in full affect. I manage to form a sentence. “Mom… How did I get here mom.”She picks up my hand and clasps it in hers.“Derek found you on the road at sunrise. He had been driving around looking for you all night after the fight.” Oh my god he told what happened at the dance. Why was he looking for me? God he is such an idiot. My Mom is still staring at me waiting for an answer. “Well Niki, what happened?” I lose consciousness and fall into a deep sleep. I must have been out for hours because when I finally woke up my parents were in different clothes. My mom’s head is resting at my side on the mattress of the hospital bed. I lift my arm and place my hand on the back of her head. She gasps “James she’s awake!” She almost shouts at my father waking him from the chair in the corner of the room. He races to my side dragging his chair with him. My mother grabs my hand “NIki, Honey, can you please tell us what happened?” I lean my head back onto the pillow. I don’t even know where to start with this story. I don’t think that she is going to believe me. I mean I wouldn’t if I heard it. I take a deep breath and try to explain my story. “Mom…well… I was walking home last night after everything and there was someone following me. I didn’t think anything of it until later when they started to chase me. I ran for as long as I could.” My mom cuts me off “Who was ch
asing you did you see their face?”
“It was a woman.” She looks surprised and even more worried at this. “Well do you know what she looks like? What was the color of her hair?” She starts to drill me with question after question. “MOM STOP! Please I will tell you everything I remember but please calm down.” She takes a deep breath leans back into her chair and lets me continue. “So, when I was walking home from the dance there was someone following me. They started to chase me. I realized that it was a woman but I didn’t see anything distinct about her face. She had a black pull over sweatshirt and black pants. She had her hood pulled over her head so I could see what color her hair was.” I can tell my mom is starting to get angry at the fact that I was attacked by some random woman. I continue to tell her what happened “So when I was about to run out of energy when I looked back and she jumped in the air and let out a sort of scream-howl. She turned into a wolf Mom! She turned into huge white wolf with a black spot on her eye. I fell down and she stood over the top of me. She put her giant paw on my chest and pressed me to the ground. I couldn’t move, I couldn’t scream, I couldn’t do anything. It brought its huge head to mine and stared right into my eyes. This green mist, that was the same color as her eyes, flowed out of hers and into mine. It made me feel calm and it took over my entire body. The mist stopped she took her paw off my chest and then the back of my neck started to burn. That is all I remember.”
My Mom just stared at me for a while. Her mouth was slightly open and her eye wide. She must think that I am crazy. Even I thought that I had gone off the deep end. I know what I saw, it was real. She looked down at the ground and took a deep breath, “ Niki are you sure that is what happened? Maybe you hit your head to hard and had a nightmare that felt real.” My mouth drops open. I begin to feel angry tear well up in my eyes. “No Mom it happened I swear! Please believe me!” She starts to shake her head and tears well up in her eyes. “Niki, it’s impossible! People don’t change into animals. Please, think about what you’re saying!” I don’t know how else to convince her. My father just sits in his chair staring at the two of us arguing. He looks like he has seen a ghost. “Mom I know it sounds crazy but I am not lying I swear to you that I am telling the truth!” She stands from her chair next to my bed and walks to the door. I look to my father for help. He will believe me, he always does! “Dad please you believe me done you?” “NIki it’s impossible.” There is a tone in his voice that leads me to think that there is something that I am missing. They know something that I don’t.