The Choice (a Painful Past)

129

I could hear steps stopping all around me, but I could barely see a thing. Just the dark outline of people around me.

I shifted the bag from around my shoulders and pulled out the largest flashlight that I could find. Once I could see, I started handing out all of the lights in my bag. It made it considerably lighter, which helped my back out a lot.

"Okay, here we go." I said, turning back to go towards where I knew the jail was located.

After about 20 feet into the trees, I saw the massive gray brick wall that I was looking for. The door was more towards the far end of the building, and it was covered with that thick, green ivy that trailed up to the higher stories. There was supposed to be someone waiting for us, to open the door, but I couldn't see anyone around.

"Hello?" I yelled, as I swung my flashlight to the left, then to the right, trying to see if anyone was here.

I found no one.

"Maybe they're already inside." Denise said, a small grin on her face.

She was up to something. I knew that little grin all too well.

"What's going on?" I asked, hesitantly.

I didn't like to not know.

"Nothing." She exclaimed, giving me the same smile. "Why would you think that? Come on, just knock or something. Just to see."

I sighed and turned back to the door, thinking that I was about to get jump scared so badly. In a way, I was. I knocked on the door, then waited.

A minute later, it creaked open slowly.

"Oh my God, that's creepy." Ben whispered.

He wasn't scared at all though. He was literally bouncing on the heels of his feet, ready to go inside. I loved this kind of stuff, but I wasn't stupid about it.

When a heavy metal door creaks open, showing a dark room and nothing else inside...yeah, I wasn't about to take myself or all of these kids in there.

I peered into the dark entryway and felt my nerves kick into high gear. I couldn't see anyone or anything inside.

"Hello?" I whispered, as I shone my light inside the building. "OH!" I gasped, when a shadow darted out of the way of my light. "There's someone inside!"

"Well, yeah!" Ben exclaimed. "The ghosts! Don't you remember the stories that you told me about this place? There's even a murderer ghost in there!"

"What I saw wasn't a ghost." I whispered, as I moved inside just a hair, so that I could get a better look inside.

All of a sudden, several things happened at once. First, I felt cold fingers wrap around my wrist. Second, I dropped my flashlight, and the room went dark. Third, I screamed like I have never screamed before, and started hitting whoever was holding onto me.

Fourth, the voice that yelled "OW, would you chill?! It's just me!" made my heart fall to my feet.

I froze and sucked in my breath, still unable to actually see who had said those words. I knew who it was though. I knew that voice well, by now.

I had been speaking to it, late at night, for a few months.

"Colby?" I whispered, not daring to believe what I was thinking.

Then a bright light flashed, lighting up his face, in a very spooky way.

"Boo." He said, with a smile on his gorgeous face.

God, he was even more gorgeous in person.

How was that even possible?

And why was I thinking about my FRIEND like this at all? I stood in shock, just long enough for that smile to falter. When it did, I unfroze and literally threw my arms around his neck.

"OH MY GOD!!! WHAT ARE YOU DOING HERE?!" I screamed, as I clung to him.

He chuckled, deeply, and I felt the rumble against my own chest.

"Mom? Are you okay?" I heard Ben ask.

The door pushed open more and I could see our shadows on the wall behind Colby. He let me down, until my feet touched the ground, then he turned me, and threw his arm around my shoulder.

"I'm okay, baby." I replied, as I shielded my face from his light. "Can you stop blinding me?"

"Oh. My bad." He said.

He lowered his light some, and only then, did he see who was standing next to me, since Colby had shielded his face from the light too. I almost laughed when his eyes went wide, and his jaw went slack. He stared at Colby for a few seconds, then shook his head, before he went back to staring.

Colby lifted his hand in greeting at Ben, with a smile.

"Hey dude, happy birthday." He said.

Ben was silent for a little while longer, until I began to worry.

"Ben? You good?" I asked, taking a step towards him.

He nodded, then looked towards me.

"Mom, is that Colby Brock?" He whispered.

Unfortunately for him, the room we were in carried his whisper, so that Colby heard him.

"Yes, baby. It is." I whispered back.

"What's he doing here?" He asked, still whispering.

"We're here for your birthday." A different voice replied.

Ben's eyes shot towards where the voice came from and went wide again.

"SAM?!" He yelled, "WAHOO!" He jumped and punched the air at the same time, before he ran straight for the blonde man who had literally appeared out of nowhere.

Sam looked like he didn't know if he should get out of the way of the teenage boy, or if he was supposed to stand where he was. I giggled at the indecision on his face. I was mildly curious myself, if Ben planned on jumping him, or if he planned on stopping.

It only took him a second to get to Sam and he skidded to a halt, about a foot away from him.

"Did you really come for my birthday? Or is this really a haunted place that you guys came to explore?" He asked, speaking so quickly that his words ran together.

"We're really here for your birthday." Sam replied.

While I was watching their exchange, I noticed two things.

First, the sound of excited voices coming from just outside the doorway, with a few heads popping inside, then darting back out. Second, Colby still had his arm around my shoulders and I kind of liked it. It felt nice to be this close to a man again.

Maybe I was lonelier than I thought.

"I feel like chopped liver." Whispered in my ear.

His warm breath drifted over my skin, sending chills over my body. I giggled at his words and turned my head up to look at him.

"I told you. The kid idolizes him." I whispered back.

He smiled down at me, and I was again taken by surprise. That smile made my stomach do weird back flips and my knees weak. It was like a secret superpower, or something.

"Can we come in now?" Ben's friend, Cason, stuck his head inside the doorway, waiting for a reply.

"YES!" Ben yelled, turning back towards the door. "Come in! I TOLD you that I was friends with Sam! And my mom is really good friends with Colby. She talks to him almost every night!"

"Wha-?!" I sputtered, surprised by what he had said.

I hadn't really tried to hide it, but I did usually wait to talk to Colby until after Ben went to bed.