• As I huddled on my rock-hard bed with my back against the freezing wall as I scribbled in my journal. It is Wednesday, January 23nd. The trees’ branches are bare and frosted with pure white snow. My birthday is coming up, on the 26th, Saturday. I wondered what I should do on that day. Should I throw a big party and invited all my friends? Or just hang out and wander around town all day with my friends? Or spend the day with Aiden? So many choices bloated up in my head, making my head spin, but the choice that stood out from the rest of them was Aiden. I imagined his slim image with pitch-black, messy hair and his piercing glowing pale blue eyes.
    I glanced at my alarm clock, in bright red lights, beaming at me. It was 3:00 in the morning. My eyes grew heavy. I decided to call it a night and plodded on my bed with my journal resting on my small oak side table. I closed my eyes and waited for tomorrow.
    The next day after school as I shoved my books into my locker, a familiar voice said, “Hey Violet,” I quickly turned around and there he was. Aiden was standing in front of me wearing a black T-shirt with a black and red plaid scarf loosely wrapped around his defined neck, along with long dark skinny jeans paired with a silver studded belt.
    "Hi," I said surprised.
    He smiled and asked, "So, what are you doing Saturday?”
    "I don't know yet," I replied and continued to shove books into my small locker.
    "What? You always know what you're doing on Saturdays," he said surprised by my response.
    "Well, I guess this is my first time then," I said sarcastically, "And Saturday is my birthday, so I don’t know what to do,"
    "Oh, good thing I didn't forget," he remembered as he reached into his pocket, "Close your eyes and turn around,"
    I closed my eyes and turned around facing my locker mirror. After a few seconds, I felt a cold, thin chain brush through my hair and dangled along my neck.
    "And now open them," Aiden finally said.
    I slowly opening my eyes and looked into my locker mirror. A silver necklace with a charm shaped as a V and an A joined together with tiny diamonds bedazzled into the letters, stood out from my coal black hair as it hung around my neck.
    “Wow, it’s beautiful,” I said fingering the diamonds in the A, “Thanks,”
    “You’re welcome,” he said with a smile.
    “So do you want to go down to Robert’s Ice Cream and get our usual chocolate sundae?” I asked, still staring into the mirror, admiring my new necklace. I slowly closed the locker door, can’t resist staring at the reflection of my necklace in the mirror.
    “Sure, I’ll buy,” he offered and smiled.
    We strolled down town and entered the shop. When we walked into the shop, the room had a strong scent of chocolate, strawberry, and vanilla ice-cream.
    “Get us a table. I’ll go order.” He whispered to me and headed for the front counter. I looked around looking for an empty table and spotted one next to an old man reading the daily newspaper. I wondered if people now still read newspaper. They could just get it for free online.
    I plotted my messenger bag on the chair and sat down. I looked at the paper that the old man was reading behind me. There was a picture of a muscular man, in the late 30’s I should say, with a black buzz-shaved haircut and a badly shaven beard. Underneath the picture, big bold letters said the word “WANTED”
    “What are you staring at?” my boyfriend asked walking over to the table with two chocolate sundaes, snapping me back to reality.
    “See the newspaper that old man is reading?” I pointed out.
    “Yeah, what about it?” he asked confused.
    “There’s a picture of a creepy guy and he’s wanted. Do you think he’s around this area?” I asked curiously, still having my eyes glued to the newspaper.
    “Uhm…don’t think so,” he replied suddenly quiet, “Let’s not worry about him. I don’t think we’ll ever see him,”
    “Ok,” I said finally taking my eyes off the newspaper and looked down at my sundae. I scooped a spoon-full and shoved it in my mouth. The freezing cold chocolate ice-cream melted against my tongue. The hot chocolate fudge was warm and thick, sprinkled on top was roasted peanuts, one of my favorite toppings.
    We spent the rest of our free-time talking about school and our favorite bands. After 6:00, Aiden walked me home.
    “Sweet dreams,” he said as he kissed me on the forehead at the front door.
    “You too,” I wished as I hugged him and turned the door knob. I turned around and watched him walk down the driveway, then waved a final goodbye.
    The next day, he wasn’t at school. I sat through class wondering why. He was perfectly fine yesterday. I waited for the final bell to finally ring. After school ended, I went to visit him at his house. I walked up the porch stairs and rang the doorbell. I patiently waited in front of the door. After a few minutes, nobody answered. I rang the bell again. Soon my patience started to fade. I went around the back and looked through the glass backdoor. No lights were on and nobody was in sight. I started to turn away, but something caught my eye. I spotted a piece of torn paper caught underneath the door. I gingerly slipped the piece of paper out and read the writing. In neat capitalized handwriting wrote, “WESTBURGE WOODS ON 26TH” I figured it wasn’t Aiden’s handwriting. I searched up the place on my I-phone. Westburge Woods was on the other side of town. Today is the 25th.
    Today is the 26th, immediately after my mom left the street, I pulled on my black skinny jeans and slipped on black and purple tiger-striped hoodie. I wrapped a black and purple plaid scarf around my neck and I slipped on my converse, then grabbed some money from my purse and headed out.
    I hopped the bus to the other side of town. It was a long ride. I looked out the window, I imagining what I would come to when I get to Westburge Woods. At the last stop, I jumped off the bus. I felt loneliness, lost and regret once I got off. I walked into the woods. I wandered around for a long time, shouting Aiden’s name. Finally I found an abandoned wood shed. The paint on the shed faded into a light brownish color and the windows are all cracked and broken. The sides of the shed had vines twisted around it as if the tree of the vines were feeding off the shed and pulling it into the ground. I looked into the windows of the shed and called my boyfriend’s name, but no answer. I walked around the shed.
    Suddenly, I heard a familiar voice call from behind, “Hey, what are you doing here?” I turned around and to meet the sight of my beloved boyfriend standing in front of a tree, dressed in a neon green T-shirt underneath a black and green stripped hoodie paired with black skinny jeans along with a black studded belt with green splatter spots,
    “Shouldn’t I be asking you?” I said relieved, but didn’t bother answering his question.
    “It’s not safe here. Go home,” he said solemnly
    “But…” I started to complain.
    “No, you have to go now,” he cut me off in the middle of explaining myself.
    “Aiden!! Where are you, son?!?” I heard an angry voice shout.
    Aiden turned to me and warned,” Hide now!!”
    I quickly turned and hid behind the shed. I peeked from behind and saw a familiar muscular, tattooed man, in the late 30’s with a buzz-shaved haircut and a badly shaven beard. Then it hit me, he was the guy from the newspaper. I couldn't believe it, my boyfriend is the son of a wanted prisoner. Shock spread throughout my body sending shivers down my spine.
    I tip-toed around the shed to get a closer view, but my last step made a big crack.
    "Who's there?" his dad said and glanced toward my direction. He stomped his way toward he shed and caught me red-handed. He snatched my arm and dragged me out into the open.
    "Who is this?" he asked Aiden suspiciously as he threw me on to the ground.
    "No one," Aiden replied not even looking at me.
    "No one huh? Then i guess she'll just have to kick the bucket," he assumed ad he picked out a pocket knife from his back pocket and held it against my neck. My eyes widened and tears began to well up.
    "No!" he shouted and he charged into his dad. "Run!" he yelled still pinning his dad down. I tried to run but i couldn't. It was like my feet were glued to the ground by shock. It wasn't long until Aiden broke off of Aiden's grip. Aiden backed off, standing to the side.
    "you're going to protect her over me? your own father?" he said fuming.
    "you're no father to me," Aiden said stiffly
    "then go burn in hell with that b***h," he yelled outraged by the betrayal and charged toward me with the pocket knife stuck out. Aiden jumped out between me and his dad at the last second. His eyes widened as his father and him charged into him. Aiden had his hand over his stomach with blood gushing through his fingers. He fell to the ground as i knelt down beside him.
    "you're next," the murder grinned sinisterly and began to lunged toward me. Before he could strangle me, Aiden sat up and ripped out the knife from his wound with a hand still covering the blood to stop it from bleeding. He plunged the pocket knife into the murder's chest. His dad stopped and stood there with his hands over his chest. He stared at Aiden and me and grinned faintly as he fell to the ground.
    I looked back at Aiden. "Im so sorry," I cried as tears dropped to the ground. Aiden sat there, leaning against my arm with one hand still over his wound. He rised his other hand to my face and cupped my chin.
    "you have nothin to be sorri about," he said as tears ran down his cheek. He leaned in and kissed me. "Im sorri," he said as more tears poured down from his pale blue eyes and stroked my cheek. He slowly lets go of his soft grip around my face His eyelids slowly covered his eyes forever. His heart stopped beating. A flood of tears overflowed my eyes.
    "No im the one's that's sorri not you," I whispered into his ear, not knowing if he can still hear me.