Never Make A Promise

Never Make A Promise 26

A little late. Sorry peoples. I was busy. There's no school tomorrow, either, so I'll most likely update on JARAJ. So yeah. Awesomesauce.

<3 Nikky~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

How many people get caught in situations like this? How many people actually get caught up in the types of situations that consist of being caught between two SUV's- belonging to the same dangerous gang that wants to beat up, possibly kill, your boyfriend and they're after you to get to him- after you try to quietly and quickly get away without being caught by them? Oh! And who vows off promises for the rest of their lives only to be caught in that whole 'I promise you, you promise me' cycle? Because both scenarios were what I was in right now. It was kind of a let down. I was still hanging on to Damon's hand, staring into his eyes. I was going to keep my promise to him, that was for sure. I wouldn't let go of it. Unless I absolutely HAD to or if he aske- TOLD me to let go.

"Hayley," Damon said. I blinked slowly.

"Yeah," I whispered.

"I PROMISE you that I will NOT let anything happen to you tonight," he said. I nodded. Nothing bad was going to happen to me. Nothing bad was going to happen to me. I kept repeating that in my head so I could convince myself that Damon would stay true to his word and protect me. Someone's back was against the door beside Damon's window and they casually knocked on it. He rolled his eyes and rolled that window down.

"Yes?" he asked pleasantly, still hanging on to my hand.

"You put up a really good chase back there," I hear Jake say. He didn't bother turning around to look at us or anything.

"All a show for you, buddy," Damon said sarcastically.

"Well it was very entertaining, I must say," Jake said. "But now we have to get down to business."

"Whatever," Damon mumbled. "Do what you want to me, just leave her alone."

"Ah, yes. The lovely Hayley," Jake sighed dreamily. I was too busy trying to distract myself by looking at Damon that I didn't even notice someone else- I'm guessing it was Larry- leaning on my door. So now we were really trapped. I couldn't get out my door and Damon couldn't get out of his. If we climbed in the back seat and tried to use those doors, it would take too long and Jake or Larry would be there in a heart beat.

"You. Are going. To leave. Her. Alone," Damon snarled at Jake. At this, Jake laughed and finally looked in the car.

"I think that's going to be for the guys to decide. Tell you what," he said. "How about we bring her out of the car and we let them take a look at her? Then they can decide if we let her go or if we keep her for our own amusement. Maybe we could become a modern version of Bonnie and Clyde. Huh, what do you think Hayley?" he smiled devilishly at me. It's not like he wasn't good looking- believe me he was- that made me puke in my mouth, it was the fact that he was threatening my boyfriend and was talking about showing me off to the gang like I was....I don't know, something that would be sold at an auction or something and now he was talking about me and him as a couple. It didn't really settle well with me and I could tell that it just flat out pissed Damon off. His other hand, the hand I wasn't hanging on to, and his jaw were both clenched and he looked as if he were going to punch Jake at any second.

"Hayley?" Jake said.

"Don't speak to her," Damon snapped. Jake chuckled darkly.

"Or what?" he asked. Damon rolled up his window and, to my surprise, Jake moved.

"Hayley," Damon began. "I want you to let go of my hand now. After that, I'm going to get out of the car and I want you to stay in here until I tell you to run," he whispered. Was he crazy?

"What exactly are you planning to do while you're out there?"

"I'm just going to keep them distracted," he said, looking away from me. There was more to it than that. He wasn't telling me some part of his plan and it was a part that he knew I wasn't going to like or go with. I just know him like that.

"How are you going to keep them distracted?" I pressed.

"You'll see," he said as he unlocked his door. I squeezed his hand harder.

"Damon," I warned.

"Hayley, I made you a promise and I'm not going to break it," he said harshly and quickly. Then he slipped his hand out from my grasp. He kissed me, but I didn't like it. It was like the type of kiss someone would give you if it was going to be the last time you would see them. He pulled away and got out of the car. I ran a hand through my hair. Damon walked to the front of the car where Jake was now waiting with his arms crossed and a wicked grin etched on his face. The doors of the SUV in front of the car opened and eight guys got out and four more walked around the car to the confrontation up front. I looked over to see if Larry was still blocking my door. He was. Jake's lips were moving, but what he was saying was near inaudible to me. It was a soft murmur, if anything.

"What? You're not letting Hayley join the party?" I hear Jake ask. Damon had his back to me, so I couldn't see his expression.

"You're going to leave her alone," he said so I could just barely hear him. Jake said something, but that I couldn't hear. Damon must have been talking because after a little while, Jake snapped his fingers, said something else, and then two other guys from behind Damon grabbed him and held him back. They held his arms back while Jake punched him in the chest. I'm guessing it was the chest because it was too low for his face, but too high for his business. I was about to get out of the car and go to him, but I remembered Larry was still standing by my door and there was a replacement for Jake by Damon's door. Slowly, so I wouldn't rock the car, I started climbing to the back seat. I stuck my foot over the side and leaned over until my hand made contact with the seat. I lowered myself down until my chin was on the edge and brought my other leg over. I did all of this successfully WITHOUT moving the car. When I was completely in the back, I looked out and saw that Larry had not moved. So he didn't notice. I looked around to try and see if there was a way out of here. I could get out on the other side, but there was a tree pretty close to the door. It wasn't as close so there was no room to open the door, but it wasn't far enough away for me to get out. So I either wait god knows how long for Larry to move or I get out now and try to get past Larry. I looked at a few of the gang guys and wondered how the hell they got past that tree by the door I could be getting out of. I also saw out the windshield that Damon, out of the other guys' grasp, was now fighting back. He punched Jake hard on the eye and that made Larry and the other guy run to help. This is my chance, I thought. Get out now, get out now, get out now. I opened the door and got out as fast as I could and ran up to where a big fight was starting, trying to find Damon from behind the handful of guys who were just watching from the sidelines.

"Hayley!" I hear him shout out. I continued looking around for him, but there were so many guys in the way. "Run now! Go!"

"What?" I whispered to myself. This guy was insane! Did he really think that I was going to leave without him? He was crazy, crazy, crazy if he thought that was happening.

"Go!" he shouted again coming into my view. He was just finishing knocking some dude twice his size to the ground. I started toward him, but he got out of the gang, took my arm and started running with me in tow.

"What the hell are you doing? Go get them!" I hear Jake shout. I picked up speed to keep up with him. We ran and ran and ran until I nearly smacked into a tree. He stopped me before I even touched it. I leaned against that tree to catch my breath and he leaned over onto his knees.

"Are they following us?" I asked Damon. He looked over his shoulder and shook his head.

"Not anymore, I don't think," he said. I nodded my head and sighed. Anger flared up inside me then.

"What was that?" I snapped at him. He looked confused.

"What was what?"

"That? Back there! You went out to get yourself beat up or-or killed?! And you expected me to just stay in the damn car and watch?! Are you crazy or something?!"

"Hayley-"

"No, don't Hayley me!"

"Hayley."

"I mean, dude! You could have been killed! Jake could have killed you! Do you know how many guys were out there with you?! There were a lot, there would have been no way for you to...to-" I stopped when I ran out of breath. He wrapped his arms around me and whispered apologies in my ear.

"I'm so sorry," he said. "I thought it was the only way to get you out of there safe."

"How could you not know, though?" I whispered back. "How could you NOT know that I wasn't going to go anywhere without you?"

"Hayley."

"What?"

"I kept my promise. They didn't touch you, they didn't hurt you."

"They hurt you though."

"Pft, yeah. They punch like girls," he said. I pulled away and glared at him. "No offense," he said quickly. I rolled my eyes at him. He smiled and kissed me.

"Damon?" I said against his lips.

"Hmm?"

"What are we going to do now?" I asked. He pulled away looking surprised.

"Uh....we're in the woods. I didn't really think you would want to...out here."

"No! That's not what I meant!" I said. "I meant how are we going to get back to Aspen? Are we going to go back for the car after we're sure they're gone or something? What's the plan?"

"Oh, okay that's....I got it. The plan is-"

"And it better not include anything that could get you killed."

"Okay," he whined. "Then I got nothing."

"Damon!"

"I'm kidding! I have...SOMETHING."

"What?"

"We walk back to the Bed and Breakfast."

"Why would we walk back there?"

"Catch a ride with Seth," he said simply. I raised an eyebrow and started shaking my head when I figured what that meant.

"Nu uh. No way. There is NO way that I am bringing Seth into this too," I said.

"Hayley he's the only option we have right now that we can be sure is safe."

"Uh, how about a taxi?"

"In this small a town?"

"Good point."

"Look, we're just going to get a ride back to Aspen with him. We can pretend like we don't know him for the gang."

"He's going to Bowling Green."

"He is?"

"Didn't I tell you this?"

"If you did, I'm failing to remember."

"He's going to visit his dad."

"In Bowling Green?"

"Yes."

"But he's going to Aspen right after, isn't he?"

"Yes, but...I don't want to go with him to see his dad."

"Why not?"

"Because."

"Hayl," he said. I sighed. Seth asked me not to tell anyone and I...technically promised him that I wouldn't. I never said the words 'I promise', but then again I didn't when Damon told me not to let go of his hand in the car. I didn't really see any harm in telling Damon. It's not like he wasn't going to find out sooner or later.

"Seth is my cousin," I admitted. Damon tilted his head slightly.

"How-"

"I guess it was some fling my uncle had with his mom because he just found out that my uncle, Ed Wilders, is his father. His REAL father."

"And who told him this?"

"His mom," I said. Damon nodded his head slowly and looked over his shoulder.

"We should start moving again," he said. He took my hand and led me through the trees in the direction I was guessing was going back to The Bed and Breakfast. I seriously want to know why Ella and Stuart call the place that. It's really not all that creative.

"Uh oh," Damon said.

"What?" I asked, preparing for the worst. What if Jake or Larry found us? Or someone else from the gang? What if there was no way out of these woods? What is he 'uh ohing' for?

"I have to pee," he whispered. I tsked and smacked his arm as he snickered.

"That's not funny," I scolded him.

"It is if you saw the look on your face," he smirked, letting go of my hand to go behind a bush.

"Well, I thought it was something serious!" I whisper-yelled. "You would be freaking out too if I did the same to you."

"Would not!" he said.

"Psh, yeah okay," I said sarcastically. "Let me know when you're done." I kicked at a couple twigs that were around until I heard one snap a couple feet ahead of me. In horror movies, when ever there was a suspicious noise and that one stupid girl went to investigate it, I was always one of the people screaming at the screen for her to get the hell out of there. Now, I was being that stupid girl who was going to investigate the twig snapping. I walked slowly to where I heard the noise, but didn't see anything. When I thought I had gone far enough, I stopped and shook my head.

"Nothing Hayley," I whispered. Then out of nowhere, a rabbit leaped out of the bushes and ran across to the other set of bushes, causing me to jump back five thousand feet and clutch my chest and gasp. "Holy crap," I whispered. I wanted to laugh at myself. I had thought that noise was something serious and scary, then it turns out that it was just a rabbit. I turned around and was about to start walking back to where Damon was when someone's hand came over my mouth and their other arm went around my arms. My eyes widened in surprise and my automatic reaction was to scream, but it was muffled against the hand.

"Don't scream," I hear a voice whisper harshly in my ear. Oh no. I didn't want to hear that voice. I really, really didn't want to hear that voice. "You're going to come with me now, got that?" What the hell did he want me to do? Say 'oh sure, what ever you want'? He started pulling me back with him through the woods until we came to the still empty road where Damon and I had just run from.

"Ah, Hayley! There you are!" Jake exclaimed as soon as we came into view. How many seventeen year old girls get taken hostage by...what? A thirteen year old kid? Though in my defense, Larry was stupidly strong for his age.

"Found her wandering the woods," Larry told Jake.

"Aw, what happened? Did your man ditch you Hayls?" Jake cooed at me. I didn't want him to call me that. That was a nickname only my friends and Joyce could call me. Hearing it coming from his mouth just made me mad. I tried to kick myself out of Larry's grasp, but no such luck. His arm was still around my arms and his hand was still clamped over my mouth. I tried biting him, but there was no such luck on that.

"Quit trying to get away from me," Larry said. "I'll let you go when I feel like it."

"No, you'll let her go after you get her in the damn car," Jake snapped. Larry sighed.

"Fine, boss," he said. "Come on, you," he said to me. Did I have a choice? If so, I choose to go back to Damon. Larry half dragged and half carried me to the black SUV, the one I was guessing he and Jake would be riding in, and tried to get me in. He finally managed to get me in and he sat on my right side while Jake quickly got in on my left. So I was wedged between the two of them and I really disliked it. No, I didn't dislike it. I HATED it. I hated this situation that I was in.

"Let's get out of here," Jake said, patting the driver's seat in front of him. The big guy sitting there looked in the rear view mirror and nodded once. He started the car and that's when I started to fight. I tried jumping over Larry's lap to open the door and get out, but Jake caught me before I even touched the door handle.

"Whoa, we got a fighter here!" Larry exclaimed. I scratched his eye and he screamed out. "You little!" He raised a fist and was about to bring it down on me, but someone stopped him. It was Jake.

"We need her," he said to Larry. "Don't touch her."

"She just scratched me!"

"You aren't bleeding. Quit being a baby and suck it up."

"I'll get you later," Larry mumbled evily to me. Before I could make another escape attempt, the driver started driving. Taking me to god knows where with these creeps for who knows how long. Damon, I thought. Please find me soon.