Forest Lake

Chapter 6

Emma POV

My mom didn’t answer her phone.

I called her a couple of times and she never answered.

I wasn’t surprised, really. I knew she would only answer if she saw that the principal was calling her, and I couldn’t ask the principal to call my mom. I would have to explain a lot, and I really didn’t want to do that. She will probably change her number again, now that she knows that I have this one.

Why didn’t she just put me up for adoption or leave me with my dad?

The rest of my first week went by slowly. I avoided my brother as much as I could. I kept my head down in class and made sure to be as quiet as possible.

That still didn’t stop him from glaring at me the whole time. I could feel his eyes on me and each time I looked at him, the coldness in his eyes made me want to cry.

I was consumed with thoughts about ways of leaving this school. Nothing came to mind. I could go home, but I couldn’t change schools without my mom. And I wasn’t going to throw away all my hard work and not finish the year because of him.

By the time Friday came by, I was more than ready for a party. I needed a distraction, and when Hazel asked me again, I agreed. Hazel said there would be a lot of people there, so I was sure Mason wouldn’t even notice me there. I will have fun and I will be able to hide from him in the crowd.

I was wearing jeans, my knee-high, high-heeled black boots, and a black, long-sleeved body. I tied my hair into a ponytail and applied a little bit of makeup. I was just finishing putting on my mascara when Hazel walked out of the bathroom.

“You look great, Em.” Hazel said, smiling at me.

She was wearing black jeans with high-heeled ankle boots and a white shirt. She let her hair down and her makeup was minimal, just like mine.

“You too, Hazel.” I smiled back at her.

“Are you ready to go?” she asked me as she grabbed her purse.

I nodded, taking a deep breath.

“It’s going to be great, Em.” she smiled. “Don’t worry.”

I followed Hazel out of the room, trying to calm myself down. As much as I wanted to go, I was nervous. What if Mason did see me? What if he gets mad?

Hazel and I left the building and started walking down the path toward the lake. It was 9 pm and it was really dark. Hazel had to use her phone’s flashlight so we could see where we were going. There were a couple of people walking in front of us and behind us. They were chatting and laughing excitedly.

I could hear the music getting louder, so I knew that we were getting closer.

A few minutes later, Hazel and I arrived at the lake.

Hazel was right. There were a lot of people. They were laughing, talking, and dancing. I saw some kids swimming in the lake, and a shiver went down my spine. The water must be freezing cold.

“Let’s go get a drink.” Hazel told me and took my hand in hers.

I followed her to the table full of bottles filled with different kinds of drinks. Hazel grabbed two plastic cups and filled them with beer from the keg. She handed me mine and I took a sip.

I looked around, but I couldn’t see Mason anywhere. That was a good thing. If I can’t see him, he can’t see me. I could use a break from his cold stare.

“Emma!” I heard my name being called, and I looked over my shoulder.

Oliver was standing behind me with a huge grin on his face. He walked over to Hazel and me. He was a little drunk already. I could tell by the way he was swaying while he walked.