Something in the Woods

Chapter 8

Barrett was going to leave in December. That thought had been stuck in Katie's mind for weeks; this wasn't the first time she dealt with a friend moving away, but this was different. Once Barrett left, he would never be seen again. He could go home to be greeted by his family and friends and tell the story about how he survived out in the wild and avoided getting caught by humans. But Katie would have nothing… her story would have to be a secret for the rest of her life, and she would have to go back to being the loser who has no one in her life again. 
Every friday, Katie would hear peers whispering about what they were going to do this weekend, spend the night, go to the mall, see a movie, go to a party. And as the time moved forward, Katie's heart could only sink further because she knew her time with her only friend was limited. She was so tired of being stuck in this ever-lasting loneliness, but the feeling of having a friend only to walk out of her life again hurt so much more! What was the point in having friends if they weren't going to be with her for very long?
It broke her heart but she knew she had to end her friendship with Barrett. 
~~~~
School ended and Katie made her way into the woods. Dread built up in her stomach with each step she took, she worried that seeing Barrett's face would cause her to back out. Maybe going to tell him was a bad idea, maybe she should just run out of the woods and never step foot again. But then she remembered in fourth grade, a girl she made friends with did that to her when she found out no one liked Katie. She just completely stopped talking to her, it made her feel worthless. Katie couldn't do that to Barrett, the least she could do is give him an explanation. 
She found Barrett at the lake, he dipped his hands into the water and splashed it on his face. Little droplets ran down the side of his cheek and fell off his chin, Katie quietly waited until he was finished. 
"Oh, Katie?" Barrett used his shirt sleeve to wipe his damp face. "How long were you standing there?" 
"About a minute." 
"Should have said something sooner." He smiled. "So, what are we going to do today?" 
Katie opened her mouth, she wanted to break the news to him, but anxiety began to grip her voice. So she gave a shrug. 
"Well, how about you tell me more about what happens next in Galactic Territories." He suggested. "I wanna know what happened to Jean after she got shot by the General." 
"Well… after the battle on Ceres, Vix didn't want to put Jean in danger." Katie took a shaky breath. "So she thought it would be best… to leave her." 
"What? No way!" Barrett exclaimed. "She can't do that after everything they've been through!"
"That's what Jean said. But Vix was adamant on keeping her out of the war, and that's what she did… she just got up and left that night." Tears pricked the corners of Katie's eyes. "She just abandoned her!" 
Barrett could hear her voice cracking as she forced out that last sentence. He leaned down to be more eye level. " hey, are you okay?"
Katie immediately turned away from his massive face as tears streamed down her face. She couldn't look him in the eye if she wanted to tell him the truth. "Nothing is fine! We can't hang out anymore!" 
"Why?" He gasped. 
"Because there's no point in being friends if you're just going to leave in a few months." Just saying that felt like poison shooting through her veins but it needed to be said. 
"So you're just going to stop talking to me because I'm gonna go home?" He scoffed. "Do you realize how ridiculous that sounds?" 
"But do you realize how upsetting it is to watch your friends leave you, year after year!?" Katie snapped. She wanted to be mad at Barrett, she didn't care how big he was, he was just another friend who would abandon her in the end. 
But when she glared up at him and the look of shock and confusion on his face, her anger just disintegrated. Katie hung her head and sobbed, tears staining her glasses. "You're the coolest person I've met in my entire life… but once you leave, I'll have no one again." 
Fingers suddenly wrapped around Katie's small body, she let out a gasp as she was lifted in the air, and pressed against the fabric of his chest. It took her a second to realize but she soon figured out that Barrett was essentially giving her a hug! His hand firmly, yet softly pinned her to his chest, and the warmth surrounded her like a blanket; it's been so long since Katie had a hug that made her feel like everything will be okay for a moment. 
"You'll never stop being my friend, no matter where I am." He spoke softly. 
"I know…" Katie sniffled. "But I'm tired of being alone." 
"So, come with me." 
"What?!" Katie craned her neck up to look at Barrett. "You can't be serious?" 
The giant pulled her away from him and looked her dead in the eyes. "You've said so yourself, you have no one here that would miss you. So why not run away from this cruddy place and live with me?" 
"Are you sure?" Katie asked. 
Barrett flashed a smile. "Of course! I'm sure my mom wouldn't mind, we would have to make some adjustments to make the house more accessible for a human to walk through but that'll be easy!" 
This was the adventure Katie had always dreamed of going on! She could live her life like in her comics, except instead of aliens and space, it's giants and portals! "Oh my god, yes Barrett! I'll go!" 
Barrett grinned ear to ear. "That's great, you're gonna love Jotunheim!" 
He began to explain all the exciting things they could do in Jotunheim, but Katie's mind wandered to other topics. She had given up the idea of getting adopted in a family, but now, she would have to disappear off the earth by the end of twenty-ten to get that family. And she couldn't be happier.