• Young Love

    --


    Have you ever thought back to the times of your own childhood? How much can you truly recall? How many things have been erased in your own mind, simply because it wasn't important enough, or because it was a memory you'd rather forget? Everyone has this problem. They forget. Most of their childhood gone by the time they are ready for adulthood, as they cling to what still remains while it slips through their fingertips like the sands of time itself.

    --

    CHAPTER 1

    It was a time of freedom, bliss, and nativity. Sure, I was happy too, but I never expected it to end. That's exactly how life is when you're innocent and young.. You're lucky if you can make the most of it. Making it through in one piece, without scarring and confusion; Well, that's the hard part.

    There was a story that became legend in the town my family called home, perhaps because of the reaction it gave people, especially where the issue of own children's safety was concerned. The year before I was born, my sister Ashley Marie Jacobs was in her 9th grade year. She had started seeing a guy, Robert Thompson, who was two grades higher than she was at the High School, and it all went south from there.

    There was, during that time, a secluded pathway that went through the woods leading from the school buildings to the homes of the families. Some kids were known take this trail, rather than the main pathway, to be alone with their friends. As the tale goes, there was a stalker who had been following and watching my sister from a distance behind the trees for a long time. He memorized her walking habits until the day came where he saw her taking the path alone. Making his move, he threatened her life at knifepoint, and threatened to find and kill her if she did not return to a specific point when he told her to.

    In the end the local police force setup an ambush, and he was captured and arrested. No less, her troubles did not end there. She barely made it through the remainder of that high school year, but through the support of her boyfriend, she found a love that she would come to depend on through the time she was still a student.

    The following year, I was born to into the world, Tyler Anthony Jacobs. The family's happiness was short lived when a few days after, the front page of the newspapers held the story about the release of the man who terrorized my sister. His five-year sentence was somehow cut short by four years. His words, it is said, turned my sister into a nervous wreck. "Now that I'm free, I'm going back to Shady Acres to find the girl who put me away. I have some unfinished business to take care of."

    As it turned out, the guy hadn't come back to kill her, but rather to apologize instead. He got his chance, but had his throat slit shortly after, and bled to death before my sister's very eyes. Murdered by a second stalker who had picked up the trail left behind when the first guy was arrested. Without competition, he took matters to a new level by kidnapping and sexually assaulting Ashley.

    She dealt with 2 years of therapy after it all ended, and for a long time remained haunted by the memories of the attacks, as well as having to witness seeing both her attackers killed before her eyes. Where was her boyfriend Rob during all this? Doing everything he could to help my family and stay strong by my sister, even going so far as to keep an ever-watchful eye on me. Soon after she graduated from High School, Ashley and Rob left Shady Acres. It would be years before we would see them again.

    --


    Ten years had passed since my sister moved away, and I was halfway through the year as a 6th grade student at SAMS. That's the nickname everyone calls Shady Acres Middle School. For some reason, almost all the businesses and main facilities were named after the enclosed town we all called home. So anyhow, I was known well by most of the teachers at SAMS, and was almost in my own classification of popular with the other kids that filled the classrooms during the school year.

    Yeah, I had a lot of nicknames: Geek, dork, toothpick, f**, shrimp, teacher's pet; Well, you get the idea. Everyone knew who I was, though perhaps not in ways I'd have preferred. Sure, there were the names, but my family was once the center of attention in Shady Acres, because of what happened before I was even born. Even after it all ended, it didn't stop people from talking about us, or about me. It made me wonder every day when they would give it a rest.

    Down the road from my family's house is a pond, hidden from view by trees, bushes, and tall thistles. I don't know if anyone else in the town knew it was there. Even I didn't know about it until I got the letter from my sister at the start of that year. She wrote of a secret place, a peaceful hideaway, that she would go to when she needed to be alone. Along with the directions of how to find it, she urged me to keep it a secret, and never tell anyone about it.

    The first time I went to the hideaway, I understood why. The site was breathtaking. The sun shining down fully on the water, the reflection lighting everything that surrounded it. It was here that I would find peace, comfort, and discovery. That pond would become a piece of my life I would not soon forget.

    --


    "Did you get the invitation my mom sent to your house?" I asked aloud, my eyes on the ground in front of me as I walked the path home from school with my friend Andrew.

    In truth, Drew was my best friend, and had been for as long as I knew since his parents and mine played cards every Friday night. He and I were inseparable, and many said we were like twins; sometimes I wished we were.

    Andrew Riley was 11 years old, had blue eyes, and blond hair cut in a bowl style that dipped low in the back and was parted down the middle. I had green eyes, short brown hair that was always spiked up, and was turning 13 in less than a week.

    He and I had the same type of short skinny body frame and a very different style in clothes. He tended to keep to white tee shirts and black shorts finished off by a pair of gray tennis shoes. I preferred to wear blue jeans, a light colored tee shirt, topped by any button down shirt (never buttoned) that looked decent, finished by a pair of gray tennis shoes, identical to Drew's.

    "Yep, my mom's taking me to get your present when I get home," he replied, nodding as he looked over at me while tugging adjustable straps on his backpack "Who do you have sleeping over after the party?"

    His question I could only answer with a shrug and sigh. "I don't think many people are even coming. They never do. Mom says Ashley might come to visit for my birthday, but she says that every year." Just the thought of my sister visiting upset me.

    I never was quite sure why, except that didn't even know anything about her, besides what I'd been told to me of the problems she went through before leaving home. Who could blame her for leaving after going through all of it? I began thinking about the hideaway then, and it started to calm me down. I guess it showed a little too much, because only a moment later Andrew nudged me with his shoulder, a wide grin on his face.

    "Why are you so happy? Oh! I know!" he would say with a laugh, nudging my shoulder again, causing me to nearly run into a tree, "Who is it? Come on Tyler, you can tell me!"

    I didn't like being pushed, and he of all people knew it, so I gave him a shove in return, sending him falling to the ground. My words came out harsh, like the crack of a whip, my face reddened with sudden rage: "It's no one, alright?! No one likes me anyhow!"

    It had never occurred to me right then how certain things said can break another's emotions. I would stand there, eyes narrowed upon him still in response to his pushing, only to watch him stare back up at me from where he sat on the ground, a pained expression on his face.

    "Fine! I'm going home, since apparently the person I thought was my friend doesn't think anyone likes him," Drew said angrily as tears gathered in his eyes, while he climbed to his feet and brushed himself off. Without another word, he would turn away and run off towards his house, leaving me to stand there, feeling both guilty and confused in the worst way.

    I thought about going to the hideaway then, but quickly decided against it after realizing how upset my parents would get if I didn't come straight home. I felt bad enough now already, without having my mom and dad worrying about me.

    --


    "Oh good, you're home. How was school today?" My mother asked me from the kitchen, as she popped her head out into the hallway with a tired smile to greet me. She'd been working nonstop for days to get everything ready for the party that weekend.

    Shrugging, I dropped my backpack in the hall, and headed up the stairs to my bedroom, mumbling over my shoulder, "Same as always." I didn't feel like talking to her, or offering to help with whatever she was still doing for my birthday. I was thinking too much about what Drew had said before he ran off. Even for being 1 ½ years younger than I was, Andrew Riley was the only true friend I had. For him, as an only child, I was the closest thing he had to a brother. We grew up together and had always shared just about everything.

    I really hadn't expected him to be so bothered by what I had said, but then, I wasn't quite sure what he meant either. I mean really, I was answering his asking if I liked someone. What about that could have gotten him upset? I don't know quite how long I was laying on my bed thinking about that question before my mom called me from my room.

    --


    "Tyler! Come on downstairs, you have a visitor!" She shouted up to me from the bottom of the steps. With a sigh, I walked slowly down the stairs, surprised to find Drew standing by the front door, looking up at me.

    "What are you doing here?" I asked as I stood on the last step, my left hand resting on the end of the railing of the staircase, meeting his stare with one of my own. "I thought you went shopping with your mom."

    Drew shrugged as he lowered his eyes to the floor, causing me to wonder if I had upset him again. "I told her that I didn't want to go. She didn't want me to be home alone, so I asked her to drop me off here. I hope that's ok.." he said before looking back up. "Um, hey.. I'm sorry I yelled at you.. It's just.. I don't know.."

    "I'm sorry too.. I hadn't meant you though," I told him as I walked over to him, my own eyes darting to the floor for a moment once I got there. Scratching the back of my head lightly, I shrugged. Then it hit me; I knew how I could make everything better. Grabbing my coat from off its hook on the wall to my left side, I called out, "Mom! We're going outside!"

    We were halfway out the door as my mother answered, "Alright honey, don't get into any trouble, and I want you two back inside this house before it gets dark!"

    --


    Grinning, I took off in a full sprint away from the porch, knowing well that Andrew would be close behind, like a dog in hot pursuit of a cat. In a few minutes, I came to a skidding stop a short ways along a dirt road down the way from my house, sending a cloud of dust into the air and a spray of small rocks bouncing across the ground.

    Drew's stop was not as graceful as he attempted to mimic me. Instead of skidding to a halt, his feet slipped out from under him, and he landed butt first on the ground. I couldn't help but to laugh as I helped him up, watching him brush off the dust that coated him and complain about how much the ground hurt while catching his breath.

    Once I had my laughter under control, we continued onward as I led him down a hidden path through the woods until we came to a scattered wall formed by 3 or 4 overgrown berry bushes and a cluster of trees. It was here my footsteps ended, and I faced him once more. Leaning against one of the tree trunks, I grinned at him, "We're here!"

    "Where's here?" Andrew asked, as he looked around, "What's the big deal about this place? I've got trees and bushes near my house too you know."

    With a shake of my head, I pointed towards a break in the wall of bushes, "See that? That's what I want to show you. It's a secret, so you cant tell anyone about it. My sister told me about it in her last letter." Grabbing him by the arm then, I pushed through the bushes, dragging him along behind me.

    Once into the clearing, we stood on the banks of the pond with the evening sun shining through the leaves of the trees that hid this location from the rest of the world. I couldnt help but smile to myself when he stood next to me, using my arm to lean against as he stood in awe, taking in the view with a simple comment to perfectly describe it all. Wow.

    --

    CHAPTER 2


    The rest of the week seemed to fly by. Before I knew it I was woken up by a group of three people singing around me. It didnt really surprise me that Andrew was the first to show up at the door that morning, adding his high voice to those of my parents as they belted out the verses of "Happy Birthday" to me. No sooner had I managed to kick them out of my room and start getting dressed, that the sound of knocking at the front door echoed through the house.

    Groaning, I walked down the hallway to the bathroom, and procceeded to stand infront of the mirror, running a glob of gel through my hair to spike it. I listened for a moment, expecting to be called down the stairs at the pre-party guest arrival, but instead heard nothing except silence. With a quick shrug, I carried on with what I was doing, putting the finishing touches into styling my hair when I saw a face in the reflection of the mirror watching me from the doorway.

    I dont quite know why I became frozen, standing there with my eyes locked onto the reflected gaze of the girl who stared at me. Somehow, the smile she held upon her lips seemed strangely familiar. It was the same one my mother greeted me with everytime I walked through the front door after I got home from school.

    "Hey birthday boy, you sure have grown up.." she said with soft sigh, "Last time I saw you, you were only just a little older than my son is.. Now look at you.. Already thirteen years old.."

    Lowering my eyes to the sink, I answered with a silent nod as I washed my hands, watching the water as it was sucked down the drain for a few moments before saying aloud: "Hey Ashley.." Truthfully, I didn't know what to say to her. I had never gotten to know her, save for the few things she wrote in her letters.

    I had been scared of the idea about her coming to visit for my birthday, because deep down, I wanted to hate her. Now with her standing there, I just wanted so much to yell at her, to scream at her. My face burned with the deep desire to blame her for the troubles in my life, for the cruel way kids treated me because I was the brother of "..the Jacobs girl. The one who got attacked by two perverted stalkers in the same year.."

    There were still people in the town who say she wanted it to happen, and that she left because she was an embarrassment our family. Shutting off the faucet and drying my hands, I walked out into the hallway where she waited, forcing a smile before giving her a hug.

    Back downstairs the party went smoothly.. at first. Meeting Ashley's husband Robert, and their 2 year old son Blake, was an ackward start to say the least. I'm not sure if it was the apologizing from my sister for not being around the past 10 years of my life while we were enjoying cake and icecream that triggered the buildup of my anger. It could have been when my new brother-in-law tried telling me how great of a person my sister was, and how much she had looked forward to coming to see me for my birthday when the time came to open the presents.

    When the years of bottled-up emotions finally exploded within me, I took off in a run out of the house, tears streaming down my face as I shouted something about how she cared only about herself. Wrapped gifts were sent flying in every direction as I kicked them out of my path, leaving everyone else completely stunned where they sat. I desperately wanted to be somewhere else, though only one destination held within my mind.. The hideaway..

    --


    As I sat on the bank of the pond, staring absently at the watery reflection of my own face, I watched as it was obscurred by the occasional small ripples created by the tears that fell off my cheeks. Behind me came the rustling of movement through the wall of bushes, the voice accompaning it was none other than Drew's, "Where is that opening.. Ow! Dang it, lemme go you dumb overgrown shrub! Tyler? You in there?"

    As I fought back a laugh, he finally emerged onto the bank and settled himself on the ground beside me. "What kind of stupid question is that? Where else am I gonna go?" I said finally with a sniffle.

    "I dont know, you could've gone into the woods and hid or something.. Anyways, your mom and dad asked me to come find you." Drew replied, leaning forward as he looked at me, "So what was all that about?"

    Sighing, I shook my head, leaning against him. "I dont know.. I mean, I know she cares about me, and I know she wants to make up for not being here, but she doesn't even know what my life has been like.. Most of the other kids know me only because of what their mom's and dad's have told them about what she went through, and that I'm her little brother.. Because of her, no one else wants to have anything to do with me.." Somehow, just telling Andrew this brought tears streaming down my face once more. As much as it bothered me that I didn't have any other friends but him, I was actually glad that he was the only one.

    He remained quiet for a few moments after I finished talking, but made up for the silence by hugging me, and allowing me to use his shoulder to cry on. Somewhere in that time between him comforting me and letting me get out all my sorrow, when he said quietly, "You dont need them.. I care about you, and I'll always be here..", it all started making sense. I began to understand why he had gotten upset the week before, though I did not know to what extent, and it was then I realized that the feeling was mutual as an emotional calm washed over me once more.

    I dont know how long we actually ended up sitting there together before finally walking back to the party, but I found comfort in being with him at the hideaway as I rested my back against his chest. Staring up through the break in the tree tops at the soft white clouds as they drifted across the light blue sky, he draped his arms over my shoulders, my fingers entwining with his. "Happy birthday to me.." I thought with a smile.

    The after-party sleepover didn't turn out as anticipated. Besides my visiting relatives, Andrew and his parents were the only guests to attend my birthday. It didnt really bother me; I was actually glad at that point for him being the only one staying over. The night was spent in my room; reading comic books, talking about anything and everything that came to mind, playing cards and videogames. Somewhere in the early hours of the morning, to the low droning volume of the television, lying beside one another with his head resting upon my chest, we finally fell asleep.

    --

    Chapter 3


    Awakened to the smell of burning food and the sound of a smoke alarm beeping loudly, I found myself alone in my room with the door cracked open slightly. After quickly slipping out of my night clothes and throwing on a pair of jeans and a teeshirt, I made my way downstairs and into the kitchen. I couldnt help but laugh at what I saw, as I watched Andrew and my mother frantically use towels and newspaper to fan a thick cloud of smoke out the windows and backdoor, apparently caused by the over cooking of bacon as they worked to fix breakfast.

    Between batting at the billowing grey mass and the shouting over the noise of the triggered smoke alarm, they didn't even notice me leaning against the doorway until I fell into light a coughing fit, at which they looked over and began yelling at me to help. It wasn't long after that Robert came rushing in, disarming the smoke detector before joining in on the chaos.

    After breakfast was scavenged, Andrew and I decided to go to the hideaway. Nearly half of the way down the road, shaking my head, I stopped walking and looked over my shoulder towards the house, "We should go back.."

    Giving a shrug of his shoulders, Drew turned around and stood beside me. Looking towards the house also, he cast a glance towards me, stating simply, "You want your sister to come too? Then let's go get her."

    --


    That's one of the things I liked most about Andrew Riley. He usually knew what I was thinking without my even having to say it. Perhaps that was why we were such close friends, because he understood me better than anyone else.

    Once we had returned to the hideaway, everyone sat upon the banks of the pond, admiring the serenity of the secluded area while Ashley and Rob remanisced openly about their times spent there. They told of when she had first discovered the place, how she had always thought it to be a little piece of paradise, tucked away from the chaos and troubles that rested outside of it within our town; The first time Ashley had led Robert to the location, the peacefulness they found there, and how it became someplace special for them to spend time alone together. I knew exactly how she felt, as I leaned against Drew, staring out over the water with the sun casting its warm rays of light down upon us.

    "You two look cute together.." Ashley said in a soft tone, leaning over to ruffle my hair. Normally, I would have gotten upset at anyone messing with it, but that morning I hadn't really gotten a chance to spike it up with the battle against the smoke cloud and burnt breakfast.

    "Huh?" I responded after a brief moment of silence, blinking a few times, not entirely certain I had heard her comment correctly. Apparently Drew had been caught off guard just as much as I, because he tilted his head back to look around me at her with a questioning expression on his face.

    The humored grin, that stretched across my brother-in-law's face as he watched our reactions, told me that I was not mistaken about what was spoken. I didn't know how to answer that, if there really was anything that could be said by either me or Andrew, whether in defense or otherwise.

    --


    (Unfortunately, after the first time I posted this for viewing, life forced me to leave this story incomplete.. I do hope one day to have the opportunity to write more.. Until then, I hope you enjoyed it.)