Chapter 2

John wasn’t in any hurry; he knew he fucked up his life long ago. Moving any faster would only speed up the process.

Standing outside his old, beat-up Subaru parked near the street’s curb, he just stood there staring, thinking. Did Linda have Megan this weekend? He couldn’t remember. He was late, anyway. Late as fucking usual.

The school rested far in front of him, behind one of those circle drive things with a small courtyard built inside of the area the streets encapsulated. All the cars were gone by now, long gone, leaving the area vacant with nothing but the groupings of pine trees that outlined the campus and the rolling green graze fields in the various distances. John just stood there with his hands in his pockets, caught up in that daze he often found himself in as of late. He still had his business suit on, or at least something passable; uninspired, the simple white collar shirt, khaki pants and plain loafers screamed workplace monotony. His tie was OK, even though it looked a little funny there, flapping in the breeze.

John turned to get into his car when he caught site of a young girl sitting under one of the campus trees. She didn’t seem to notice him; she just sat there, like she was watching morning cartoons or something. John glanced around, but he didn’t need to; he knew no one was there. The way it looked, no one would be there for a long time.

He remembered stories he heard throughout his life, men that would snatch children after school and do God knows what with them. Demons, monsters. John felt a little unsure about checking on her, but he knew if the morning news headlined a missing child report, he’d feel something a hell of a lot worse. He did feel sure about one thing, though: he wasn’t a monster. Taking his hands out of his pockets, he casually trekked towards the large pine tree the girl was under.

Nearly reaching her, a stick snapped under his shoe. Her head darted over; eyes caught in-between shock and a tired haze. John reflexively held his hand up, as if to stay her like a wild animal frightened to the point of running off.

“Hey, it’s alright, I’m just seeing if your ride’s coming,” John said in the friendliest voice he could muster. The girl sat there for a second with that startled, confused look still showing through, allowing John the time to get a good look at her. The pace of his breathing increased a little; he didn’t expect her to be so ... gorgeous, really. Her dark brunette hair, loosely held together by a wood-streaked plastic clip, was the immediate starting point. Everything she wore matched it, with a neckline on her black cotton blouse matching her eye color, more of a dark brown and intoxicating to gaze into.

After overcoming her initial panic, she smiled a little and gave a genuine laugh that sounded musical, all the while covering her mouth with her hands out of embarrassment. Her smile still seeped through her fingers. John felt a flush run through his chest, but he ignored the feeling and carried on with his expected adult responsibilities.

“What’s your name?” John asked, politely. The girl let down her hands from her mouth, half-smiling still. She stood up, wrangling her way up off the ground as she did, and immediately turned her attention to her backside where she softly brushed away dead pine needles from her butt. She was wearing a simple, black skirt. It wasn’t super short, but John was no less affected by its allure. As much as he tried not to, his eyes drifted down her small, streamlined body. Her hand, elegant and tender, lightly brushed against the fabric, giving brief glimpses of the smooth curvature her bottom possessed. Just above, her blouse hugged her waist, showcasing her thin, sexy frame. A little skin from her stomach peeked through.

Seeing this, John forgot where he was ... and the hand stopped. His eyes shifted back to her face and she was staring at him. She had clearly caught him looking. He quickly brushed off her shoulder, trying to play it off like he was helping her.

“You had a little ... it’s OK, it’s gone now,” John stammered out. Ashley knowingly smiled, giving John another flush in his chest. She reached out with her right hand, the same hand she was brushing her bottom with.

“Hi, I’m Ashley,” she said. Her voice was lovely and surprisingly mature for her age. John reached out with an awkward rhythm and took her hand. She held his hand tighter than he held hers, even though her hand couldn’t fully grip his own. Her fingers felt small, but smooth while lightly rubbing against his skin as they shook hands. He had a strong desire to kiss it, like gentlemen used to do during romantic courtships. He knew that wouldn’t be wise; Linda would have a field day if somebody saw them and it got out. John regained some of his composure, reminding himself why he was speaking to her in the first place. He pulled his hand back and tried to not let his interest in her carry over to his voice.

“I didn’t want to leave without making sure you had a ride ... and it looks like it might rain. Are your parents running late or something?” Ashley rolled her eyes. John thought this made her look silly, but also amazingly cute at the same time. Her face was angelic, soft lips with a delicate chin and faint dimples in her cheeks when she grinned. Her skin was full of youth, the skin that women work diligently every day to maintain, but girls like her simply have. Dark, wispy bangs cradled her face on one side.

“Yeah ... my dad ... he’s not the most dependable chauffer,” Ashley replied, again with that womanly cadence mixed with a young girl’s timbre. John was hypnotized by it.