"Do you really think it would be good to give Jade a teddy bear?" I was in a shopping mall looking at a large sized brown teddy bear - the kind you could use as a pillow - while talking to Sally on my phone.
"Yeah, I'd really love to have one." Sally replied.
"I said Jade, Sal, not you."
"Whatever. It's nice though, she'll like it."
"Alright, I'll take it."
"Don't you think it's high time you reconcile with Jake?" She suddenly asked as I was about to end the call.
Not this again "No, why?"
"Because you should be talking to Jake right now, not me."
"Why?"
She sighed, "'cause he's your best friend and admit it Jenny, you felt alone without him throughout this week."
I knew Sally was right in some way but I wasn't just going to give in. "I wasn't feeling alone, I had you and Josh."
"Oh please." I could imagine her rolling her eyes as she spoke. "Are you still dating that douche? I caught him flirting with Bianca."
"Or you caught Bianca flirting with him." I countered matter-of-factly.
"They're both the same thing, I really think you should break up with him Jen."
"Thanks for the advice Sal, but I still like Josh."
"What about your cru-"
I ended the call before she could complete her question. Sally was a pain in the neck.
I took the teddy bear and headed for the counter.
I had earlier come here to get a good-bye gift for Jade as she was leaving for college soon. Plus, I needed to go out and receive some fresh breeze to cool off from the events of the week which was not really much of an event as I kept avoiding Jake and Nathan to a point they stopped trying to talk to me.
Jason on the other hand seemed to have forgotten our encounter on Tuesday as he avoided me, or so it seemed since I didn't even see the back and of him even at basketball practice.
Josh kept his promise and made up for being absent on my birthday by giving me an expensive jewelry while Sally kept on pestering me to talk to Jake.
The teddy bear was suddenly snatched from my hands, bringing me back to the present.
At first, I was startled to even understand what happened but after it dawned on me that someone had stolen the teddy bear from me, right inside the mall, I looked around frantically for any sign of someone with a teddy bear.
I noticed someone stealthily leaving the mall through the glass door. I couldn't see the person's face. Just the back. And from the build of the body, I could tell it was a guy. He was wearing a black hoodie and black trousers with black shoes. And as he left the mall, I saw a brown stuffed leg dangling at his back. He was definitely the teddy bear thief.
"Excuse me, weren't you holding a large teddy bear moments ago?" The woman by the counter asked when it got to my turn to check what I bought.
I had to look away from the guy in black to face the woman. She was giving me a weird look filled with mistrust.
From that look, I knew telling her that some weird guy snatched my teddy bear from my hands wouldn't sound reasonable or believable to her. So I did the next possible thing that came to my mind.
I ran.
"Hey."
I didn't even look back to know who was calling. It sounded like the woman behind the counter. I just ran away from the mall, cursing the thief-in-black silently in my mind.
I looked back to see if anyone was chasing me but there was no one except the people who were just going their own way and chatting randomly with one another.
I faced forward and that was when I sighted the guy-in-black looking back at me but immediately he saw me looking at him, he turned his face away.
I only caught a glimpse of his features - green eyes with a mop of black hair at the front.
In just a few strides, I might be able to catch up with him but when he sensed me coming towards him, he started running with the teddy bear in his hand.
I chased after him.
He continued running with the advantage of being ahead of me and he was also fast as he ran through, above and past different obstacles.
I followed him, running as fast as my feet could carry me. Most girls would have definitely given up on this ordeal but as I was a relentless basketball player and coach usually gave us tough training once in a while, I was able to keep up.
He covered an alleyway and I almost hit my face flat on the wall if had it not been my swift turning.
My legs gave way and I fell. It wasn't a hard or painful one but one borne out of tiredness. I was panting heavily, trying to catch my breath as I sat on the floor.
The guy-in-black also stopped too but he was standing ahead of me and looking at me with a mischievous glint in his green eyes and a smirk on his clean shaven face. The hood was still covering his hair but some fringe of jet black hair could still be seen.
He threw the teddy bear at me and I caught it. "Why did you steal it if you were just going to return it this easily?" I asked when I finally found my voice.
"I was wasn't trying to steal your stuffed animal, I just wanted to have some fun. I guess that did it."
Is this guy a psychotic maniac or what? "So you came to the mall with the sole aim of snatching a large stuffed teddy from someone and taking off?"
"Nope, not if you put it that way. I came into the mall, got bored, saw a brunette looking lost in thought and holding a teddy bear; she seemed like the perfect prey so I 'took' it and left the mall and she chased after me just the way I anticipated it."
I stared at him in amusement. He must have escaped from a psychiatric home. Sine did malls become a place to have fun?
"I can't believe I ran past more than four blocks chasing after a lunatic." I muttered audibly.
He chuckled lightly, "I'm perfectly sane Teddy, you might want to watch your tongue." But the look on his face didn't seem as if he took offence in what I said. Rather, he looked amused. "And if you look on the bright side, you don't have to pay for the stuffed animal anymore."
"What makes you think I wouldn't go back there and pay for it." I said in a challenging tone.
"If you do, you'd look stupid." He said with a poker face. He run his back and took off in the blink of an eye.
If I were strong enough, I would have kicked his butt before he had a chance to leave but I used up most of my strength in running.
I would look stupid if I went back and paid for the the teddy bear? Challenge accepted.
I got up with the little strength I had left in me and started to leave in the opposite direction.
But there was a problem.
I couldn't remember which path I had followed to that place. After walking past similar silent and empty alleyways, I stopped at a dead end with it two possible ways for me to leave - left and right.
I didn't want to take a chance with any of the routes and there was no one nearby I could ask for directions as the street was empty. I became panicky.
I brought out my phone and dialled Jade's number.
She picked up. "Hey sis, how 'you doing?"
"I'm missing." I replied, trying to calm my nerves.
"If you were really missing, we would be looking for you and you wouldn't be able to reach me." She sounded less concerned.
"Okay, I'm lost."
There was a short pause. "Are you serious?"
"Yeah." I couldn't hide the panic in my voice any longer. "I've been walking through similar alleys for like an hour now and I can't seem to get back to the main street."
"How did you get lost?" She sounded worried this time.
I told her everything that had transpired in the mall and how I chased after the weird guy in black but I didn't tell her that it was a teddy bear or that I was getting something for her so as not to ruin the surprise.
"I'm not really good with place, I think you should call Jake."
"I can't."
"Why? Are you guys still not on talking terms?"
I took a deep breath before replying, "yeah...kinda."
"Well then, there's really nothing I can do for you so I guess I'll just wait till your portrait is posted on the walls of the street with 'missing' written boldly on it, then we can think of what to do about it."
"Jade."
But she had already hung up. Jade is such a shitty sister.
What am I going to do now? I couldn't call Jake. And Sally.... She'd be of no help and would probably also suggest calling Jake but I didn't want to call him. So u guess I'd find my way without anyone's help afterall.
I forged ahead.
I suddenly stopped.
I could hear footsteps... And voices -- thick masculine ones -- from the right direction. But before I could even think of moving, I saw two huge and muscular men, standing right in front of me making me feel so small.
I scrunched up my nose, they reeked of alcohol. I took a few steps backwards to reduce the smell.
They came closer. "What are you doing all alone in this deserted place lass?" One of them asked.
I felt a little bit relieved. They didn't seem to have any bad intention maybe they might help me find my way back. "I got lost."
The other man smirked. "You got lost in the right place and time then."
My heart sank. What did he mean by that.
They both moved forward, smirking at me while I moved backwards until they successfully cornered me as my back slammed against the wall and the teddy dropped from my hand.
"What do you want from me?" I managed to ask as my heart beat sped up."
"What do you think?" He had an evil grin on his face.
As I was about to take a swift move away from the wall and from them, he held my shoulders with both hands and pressed me against the wall with his body looming over mine.
I tried jerking my knee upwards to see if I could hit his groin but he caught the action and hit my foot...hard.
My face contorted in pain. I tried to wriggle myself free from his grip but it was impossible. He was just to strong for me.
He was watching me with devilish amusement -- the way a cat would look at a mouse it caught by the tail but was still trying to run. So I stopped trying while my brain worked up some other means to escape but it was immediately cut short as he roughly grabbed my jaw and jerked my face upwards. The smell of alcohol got stronger as his breath fanned my face and I almost choked as his lips was about to land on mine.
"Why don't you pick on someone your own size." A kinda familiar voice said, interrupting whatever the man was about to do.
The man who cornered me released my chin and turned to look at where the voice came from.
It was the guy whom I had earlier chased, leaning against the wall with the usual gleam of mischief in his eyes. I felt somewhat relieved at the interruption but at the same time I was angry that it had to be him as he was the one who put me in this terrible situation in the first place and the same reason my whole body was seriously hurting.
"And I presume that you're the right size?" The huge man asked while the other seized my arm before I could even think of taking a step forward.
"No I'm not, you can go on with whatever you were doing." He said with a shrug. "I'll just take my leave."
My eyes widened in horror. Did he really just say that?
The man's grip tightened on my arm as he turned to stand right in front of me, grinning down evilly at me. "It seems like you're on your own now, pretty face."
Before anything more could happen, I heard a sharp grunt of pain from the man who held me and he simultaneously removed his hands from my arm.
I saw that it was as the guy in black who caused pain to the man, whatever he did. And he was standing in a defensive manner as if waiting for an ambush.
"Run." He quickly mouthed as his eyes met mine. "Take the left route, you will find your way back to the mall."
As I was about to take to my heels, the second man tried to grab hold of my arm but the guy in black gave him a swift kick on his groin, gesturing for me to run away while the other man was still writhing in pain.
I didn't hesitate, grabbing the teddy bear that fell off and running off in the direction he told me to. I didn't even look back.
I finally came out of the endless maze of walls and I could see mall from where I was standing.
I went into the mall and I saw the same woman behind the counter.
"How can I help you miss?" She asked with a welcoming smile on her face.
She didn't even recognize me as the girl who ran off without paying for the teddy bear, I guess my frenzy look added to it. He was right. I felt kinda stupid.
I shook my head. "No, wrong place." I said politely and left the mall, heading for home.
I walked weakly into my house, expecting Jimmy or my mum to welcome me with a sour comment on my look before I remembered that he had earlier gone out with his friends while my mom on a function.
So, it was only Jade that was home since my dad was at his work place.
I went to Jade's room, she was lying down on the bed with her fingers rapidly over her phone. She dropped it as she sighted me. "What are you doing here? I thought you were missing."
I rolled my eyes as I sat on the bed. "I found my way back."
"Good for you." She looked at me carefully as if trying to fish something out. "You look haggard."
"Yeah, I was assaulted and almost raped."
Jade sucked in a sharp breath, covering her mouth with her hands in shock as she adjusted and sat cross-legged on the bed, facing me. "How did that happen in broad daylight?"
I shrugged, "it was an isolated street, so it didn't really come as a surprise to me."
"How did you escape?"
"Someone saved me."
She suddenly smiled. "Was it Jake?"
I frowned, "No, he didn't even know where I was."
She gave a careless shrug. "He might have been passing...so who was it?"
"Some weird guy." I replied.
"Weird guy?"
"The one I told you I chased after."
"Oh." Her face brightened up. "Is he handsome?"
I looked at her in surprise. "Why are you asking me that?"
"Because knights in shining armor who saves damsels in distress are always handsome." She stated as if quoting from a book.
I shook my head, "You read way too many novels, Jade."
"You should also read novels, do you want me to lend you one?"
"No, thanks." I rejected her offer.
"So tell me, is he handsome? I'm sure he's very built for him to have saved you from those men." She gave me a dreamy smile.
I stood up from the bed as I could not take anymore of her impertinent questions.
"Bye."
I threw the teddy bear at her. "I got this for you though since you're leaving for college." I said and closed the door behind me and headed to my room.
"Thanks." She shouted through the door.
I entered my room and plopped down on the bed. As I was about to drift off, my phone vibrated in my pocket, ringing out loudly.
I brought it out and checked who it was and when I saw it I couldn't take my eyes away.
It was Jake.
He had stopped calling me after I ignored all his calls. Could something have come up for him to call me again? I hoped all was well with him.
I didn't know if I should pick up the call or not. While I was still contemplating on my next action, the phone stopped ringing and I felt a bit relieved.
I immediately switched off the phone and laid back on my bed, facing the ceiling. I felt guilty a little for doing that but I wasn't just ready to talk to him yet.
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