Willow by Donna Lynn Hope

scouts were right.”
    The rider with shoulder length dark hair grabbed both of his fists and all was silent for a moment. They looked as though they were talking without speaking. Shuddering, I tucked my chin into my scarf and walked away with Amber by my side. I had no intention of staying around to be a part of some freak show and I was bothered by all the weird behavior.
    “Wait,” I said, stopping suddenly. “Our chairs.”
    Amber prompted me to keep walking. “Reece will get them.”
    When we reached the truck I sensed him before I heard him. I looked over my shoulder to see Haven standing just inches behind me.
    “What now?” I demanded to know, not caring if I sounded rude.
    I found his behavior rude, not to mention confusing. In fact, the entire night was just that.
    Haven took hold of my arm and guided me away from Amber who was pretending to mind her own business.
    “Let’s talk.”
    He pulled his hand away from my arm and looked down at me. I stood there impatiently, with my arms crossed. “I’m listening.”
    “You’re not making this easy,” he said. “There are things we should discuss.”
    “So where have you been?” I asked. “You know how to get in contact with me and you wait until now to reach out to me? Did anyone ever tell you that you have awesome timing?”
    He walked a few steps forward, backing me up until I was almost resting against a tree.
    “I can’t be your friend,” he said as he placed his right hand on the tree by the side of my head.
    He gazed at me until I felt forced to look away.  I was uncomfortable but at the same time I was inflamed. How could that be? I tried to create space between us as he had the physical advantage. My attraction to him was maddening but I didn’t want him to know it. And that was the problem. I was hiding my feelings. I was a hypocrite. People shouldn’t be left to wonder how another person feels about them. They shouldn’t have to guess where they stand but I couldn’t bring myself to speak what I was thinking.
    I turned my attention to him. “What do you mean?”
    “It means what you think it does,” he said, causing the blood to rush to my cheeks. He clearly had all the advantage and that knowledge both frustrated and pleased me. I knew I couldn’t trust myself around him so it was best to put some distance between us.
    “I should be going,” I whispered as I attempted to move past him. “And what makes you think I need a friend anyway?”
    “Stop running,” he demanded, putting his other hand on the tree, blocking my passage.
    I didn’t know why but I began to panic. Was it the truth in his words or the fact he could read me so well? I spotted Reece who was carrying all our chairs and I called out to him, “Reece, are we leaving?”  
    I heard Haven chuckle. “Very well Willow.”
    He dropped his arm, letting me pass. “We’re not finished though.”
    I looked back at him but said nothing more.
    “What was that about?” Reece asked as he looked in Haven’s direction distastefully. “Could he have been any closer to you?”
    “We were just talking Reece. So, what happened back there, who are they?”
    “Who knows,” he shrugged. He put the chairs in the back of his truck and when he saw that I was waiting for further information, he sighed. “No one knows Willow. They aren’t from around here but they don’t look like they’re up to any good.”
    “And people fear what they don’t know...”
    We both looked up to see that Lacey had been listening all along.
    As if on cue to diffuse an awkward moment Amber called out to Reece and I watched as he walked over to her. They stood in front of the truck and talked in hushed voices.
    “Haven likes you, you know.” Lacey’s dark eyes were looking at me longer than necessary.
    “Oh,” I said flatly, suddenly regretting how stupid it sounded.
    “Reece too,” she added. “How can one girl get so lucky?”
    Lucky? Yeah right . I was an orphan. I didn’t know