Hocking Hills {EXCERPT}

Chapter Four

The next thing I heard was a girls voice yelling, "Michael! What are you doing? Michael!"

It felt like my arms were being squeezed. "Can you hear me?" The voice came from right in front of me. It was male and unfamiliar. "Hey, can you hear me?"

The state I was in could only be compared to being forced out of a deep sleep, yet I knew I hadn't been asleep. When my eyes finally came into focus I was looking directly into someone's face. A guy's face and it wasn't Dylan the deputy.

This guy was much younger with baby blue eyes and brown hair that was cut short and parted on the side. He had a boyish look compared to the deputy. And I could tell by his build that he must have been in high school if not my age. But he couldn't have been older.

Once I realized the grip he had on my arms I took in a shallow breath and jerked away from him taking a step back. "Whoa," he said as if he were talking to a frightened animal. "Do you know where you are?"

I looked around me while keeping an eye on him making sure he didn't try to make any sudden moves towards me. As I tried to gather my composure I did know where I was. The roadside was the same one I'd remember driving before I stopped my car on the side of the road. But then I realized I wasn't in my own car. I was standing on the side of the road.

"My car," I said with an edge of panic.

"It's behind you," he nodded in that direction. "You must have walked about a good thirty feet away from it. Where were you going?"

I heard the same girl's voice when I'd regained consciousness. "Michael, I'm going to be late!" Her voice sounded closer so I instinctively turned around to see who it was.

She was wearing the same navy blue T-shirt that Brooke wore at Hills Diner. Her dark brown hair with bright red highlights was the first thing I noticed as she came close squinting her eyes, looking at me in the face. She then looked at the guy whom she called Michael and said, "Is this the same girl you nearly hit yesterday on the road?"

"Yeah," he said looking at me with concern.

The girl walked past me and stood right next to him, and then faced me again with a serious frown on her face. She looked me up and down briefly before she said, "What's wrong with you?"

"Jesus, Andrea. What a thing to say."

"Nothing, I—" I took a minute to look myself over not knowing what had just happened to me. Even though they both looked to be around my age, I didn't know them and I certainly wasn't going to try and explain something I had no clue about anyway. "I pulled over because I didn't feel well and—"

"So you thought it be a good idea to walk along the road?"

"I guess I just needed some fresh air," I said quickly in a tone that let her know I wasn't fond of her either.

"Andrea, come on." He then looked at me and said, "Were you aware that you were walking away from your car?"

The serious and considerate way he asked that question seemed to irritate Andrea by the look on her face. I realized quickly what their situation was so I made a surrender gesture with my hands and said, "Look, I'm sorry, I didn't mean to cause any problems. I just didn't feel well there for a moment. But I'm fine, really."

I caught Andrea roll her eyes as she stood there with her arms folded in annoyance.

"I was on my way to Hills Diner anyhow. I can tell Brooke what happened if you're concerned about being late."