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Panic set in. I moved as fast as my legs would carry me. The thing was right behind me. I knew it. But I didn’t dare look back to see. I just ran.
The fence was less than thirty feet away.
Brent was pointing now, jumping up and down, like he didn’t know what to do.
Twenty feet.
Ten.
I didn’t even bother looking for the opening in the fence I’d gone through the other day. I made a leap for the chainlink, landing with a chink and climbing straight up the side.
I scrambled to the top. Without pausing, I half jumped, half tumbled forward off the fence.
I fell and landed with a thud on the hard grass.
My legs ached. My sides ached. I was gasping for breath. But I had to see.
I spun around and looked.
Past the chain link fence stood the woods. Grass swayed and leaves rustled in the breeze.
Then I heard the kids start laughing.
Nothing was chasing me. There was no monster. It was all a joke.
I turned and saw Zach busting a gut, holding onto his sides laughing. Brent was right there with him, laughing obnoxiously loud.
“You should have... seen the look... on your face!” said Zach between laughs. “It was classic!”
Another group of kids came running over, grinning.
“We saw the whole thing,” said one boy. “That was hilarious!”
“Yeah,” said another with a toothy grin. “So funny.”
Emily was chuckling to herself with her hand covering her mouth.
“Oh man, you’re so gullible,” said Zach, partially recovering.
I felt my ears turning red again.
“Look,” said the kid with the toothy grin. “He wet his pants!”
I’d forgotten my pants were soaked.
“I did not!” I protested.
But that made them laugh even harder.
Hailey came jogging over from down the field. Zach was wiping tears from his eyes. “Oh man, what a wimp.”
“Stop it, Zach!” called Hailey.
“Why?” he shot back. “Is he your boyfriend?”
“No,” said Hailey as she ran up to us. “But you’re being a real jerk!”
“It was just a joke,” said Brent. “Look how scared of the woods he is!”
“You’re scared of them too,” said Hailey.
Brent opened his mouth to say something, then shut it again.
“She’s right,” said Zach laughing. “But not as scared as Scotty Wet-pants!”
At this, a whole new round of laughing started. Now I wasn’t scared. I was mad.
“I am not scared of the woods,” I said.
“What’s that?” asked Zach.
“I am not scared of the woods!” I said again, louder this time.
“Really?” he laughed, “‘Cause you sure looked scared to me.”
“I’m not.”
Zach smiled, and looked straight at me. “Then prove it.”
“I will,” I answered.
“How?” he asked.
I tried to think of a way. All the kids were looking at me, waiting for my answer. Then I blurted out the first thing that popped into my head.
“I’ll spend the night in them.”
I saw the other kids’ eyebrows raise. The kid with the toothy grin nodded, impressed. Brent’s mouth just hung open. Emily’s hand was still over her mouth, but now she wasn’t laughing.
“Really?” she whispered.
“Yeah,” I said, my courage building. “I’ll spend tonight in the Shaggy Creek Woods.”
Zach scratched his chin, looking at me, sizing me up. “All right,” he finally said. “You spend the entire night in the woods, alone, and I’ll never call you a wimp again.”
I nodded. He spit in his hand and held it out to me. That’s disgusting, I thought. But I shook it anyway.
We heard the gym teacher’s whistle blow. Most of the kids with us and across the field began jogging back toward the school. Zach took another look at me and laughed.
“Hope you have an extra pair of pants,” he said.
He and Brent started jogging with the other kids. Brent gave me a glance back, his mouth still hanging open.
Hailey stood there with her arms folded, not saying anything.
“What?” I asked.
“You’re kind of an idiot, you know,” she said.
I held my hands out in protest, but she shook her head. “Why would you make a deal with him?” she asked. “And why would you even think about sleeping in the woods?” She gave me a look, then said, “You better get checked in.”
The teacher’s whistle blew again, harder this time, and Hailey turned to leave.
I stood alone for a second, watching her run toward the school building. The kids were all in a group now around the school gym doors.
I glanced up at the partially cloudy sky. It looked like it was going to clear up. No rain tonight.
I looked back through the fence at the woods. Dark and gloomy as ever.
My heart sank. My courage was suddenly gone. Hailey was right.
I am kind of a total idiot.
What had I done?
