Chapter 6: Bar shift

I put the song Dog years by Maggie Rogers on and started walking into the woods, letting Moose off his lead. I thought about the flower which I stupidly left in my locker. I started researching on my phone which flower it was and found out it was the Treasure Flower. Looking at the path in front of me, I wondered who had given me this flower and who broke into my locker to put it there. Maybe Javier? He was the only one I could think of.

I sent him a text, sending him the details for the party on Friday, ending my text with a flower emoticon. I looked around me, feeling happy with all this greenery around me and taking breaths of fresh air. I was lucky to be living so close to the forest, where you could just escape the hectic life for a bit. I came here almost every day, always with Moose.

We often visited the lake in the middle of the forest and the waterfalls surrounding it. We tried to make some bird friends but once they saw Moose they all flew again, watching us from a safe distance. My friends sometimes joined as well, having picnics on the forest floor. I should take them soon again, maybe we can swim with all of us before it's too cold. Strong by London Grammar came on, a song that was perfect for a calm walk and I walked deeper into the forest.

Moose was running around, very hyped up and asking for lots of treats. Suddenly he started barking at something behind me so I whirled around but couldn't see anything. I looked around, took my ear buds out and turned the music off. The forest was eerily silent, no sound to be heard. Normally the birds were still singing now. It was also darker than normally. I checked the time, seeing it was only 8pm. I looked at Moose, still tense.

No. I wasn't going to be one of those girls that got murdered because she ignored danger signs. I was going to get the hell out of here, not interested in seeing what my dog was barking at. I called Moose with me and quickly walked back, nearly tripping over a branch. I caught myself on time, holding on to a tree the same time I heard another branch snap. One that I didn't snap. I didn't even look behind me and started running home.

I got home without any problems, out of breath and Moose panting. I said goodnight to my mom and went to bed. I texted for a while in the group chat with everybody about nothing, just sharing some memes. Javier text me, saying he was excited to see me but said nothing about the flower. I went to bed and had one of the best sleeps I had in a long time.

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When I woke up on Tuesday, I felt much better. I had a full 9 hours of sleep, the spot on my forehead had disappeared and my hair was actually looking really good for once. I had a day off today, so I did all my homework and chilled with mom. We did some gardening together and drove to the big lake to walk Moose. My mom cooked her signature dish, spaghetti Bolognese and we just watched some tv until it was time for bed.

Another peaceful sleep. It was Wednesday and after my relaxing day yesterday I was ready for anything. My favourite crop top was clean so I was feeling like a Rockstar. I quickly walked Moose, avoiding the forest and Kenna was already waiting for me when I came back from my walk. Moose run up to her, Kenna being one of his favourite people. They shared lots of cuddles and then we drove to school. We put Call Out My Name on by The Weeknd and as always, sung on the top of our lungs till we reached our school.

At first we had gym class where we played badminton. I didn't mind gym classes, especially when we did fun stuff like just playing badminton where we could talk with our friends. After gym we English which also went by in a blur. It was another introduction class so they just talked about what to expect for the next year.