Chapter 8
Riker POV
I watched Alex call her parents on the phone. I was in total disbelief. She just ruined everything! I walked over and sat on a bench close to the edge of the road. After Alex got off the phone, she walked over and sat down next to me.
I looked at her and shook my head before getting up and walking away.
"Riker wait!" Alex shouted, grabbing my arm.
"Why are you doing this Alex? I want to understand, but I don't!"
"Riker, calm down. I didn't tell my parents you were here. I just asked them if they could pick me up."
"So I'm stuck here!?"
"No! I wouldn't do that to you!"
"Well then what's going on?"
"I don't know! Either I'll make up some excuse of how I ran into you, or I'll sneak you in or something! We'll figure something out! But right now, we need to get back to the gas station."
"We're 100 feet away from it. What's the problem?"
"It's dark out! We were just in those woods! What if something followed us here?"
"What do you mean, something?"
"I don't know! Nobody does!"
Alex pulled me back to the wall of the gas station.
"Well if you're so concerned, why don't we just go wait inside then?"
"No! I'm not going in there! The cashier guy looks creepy!"
"Well how long until your parents show up?
"I think about 20 minutes."
"Ok. What do we do until then?"
"Think of a plan to get you home."
"Well I like the sneaking me in the car idea."
"Ok, well I think my dad drove the minivan, so, if we do this right, I think we could sneak you in. You might not be able to wear a seatbelt, and you might not sit in a seat, but you'd get a ride home."
"What?"
"When my parents come to pick me up, you'll hide somewhere. I'll have your backpack, and I'll tell my dad I want to put it in the back before I get in. So, he'll unlock the back, you'll get in, I'll close it, then I'll get in, and we'll go home. Easy."
"No! Not easy! I have to ride in the back of a minivan without a seatbelt for an hour until we get home!?"
"Do you want to be stuck here all night?"
"No!"
"Do you want my dad to kill you?"
"No!"
"Well then yes, that's what you're doing!"
"That's not safe!"
"Well neither was being in All Hallows Woods at night without cell phones or flashlights!"
"Yeah… But-"
"Do you want to get home or not?"
"Well yeah-"
"Then this is what we're doing."
"What if your dad crashes?"
"He's not going to crash."
"How do you know that?"
"Because for once in our lives, it's our turn to have something go right for a change."
"You're really risking my life like that?"
"Riker, you'll be fine."
"Alex, I can't do that. I can't risk getting hurt. It's too dangerous. And for a whole hour!? That's crazy. Maybe if it were for 15 minutes, but an hour? No way."
"Fine. Then we're telling my dad."
"Alex-"
"No Riker. I'm not leaving you here. Not near All Hallows Woods at night. I'd rather have to break up with you, and know you're safe at home, then still be with you, but not know if you're alive or dead, or hopelessly wandering around, lost in the woods, possibly being followed by something. Or worse… Someone."
"There's nothing else we can do?"
"It's too late anyway. Even if there was something else, I already called my parents. And they're pulling in now."