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Rescue Me
Chapter 3

~Annie's Pov~

"Come on, walk with me," i said. Benji was at my side in a second with no hesitation.
"You know, most people stay away from me. They act like i'm contagious or something," i told him, a bit surprised that he wasn't running for the hills right now.
"Why, because you like girls? Lots of people like girls, you aren't the only one. You'd be surprised how many girls in this school are like you. You're just the only one with the guts to admit it." I stared at him for a second. The was no mistaking the sadness in his voice when he talked.
"Really, though, what's wrong?"
"It's...nothing. It's my problem."
"Let me show you something." I grabbed his hand and pulled him across the street to a tall fence. I pulled one side out and climbed under.
"Annie, this is barbed wire," he said.
"No duh, Captain Obvious, just come on. Trust me!" I held the fence open while he climbed under, then I led the way down a quiet dirt path. Fall was approaching fast; the most beautiful time to visit the woods. Squirrels kept running across the path in front of us. I wasn't sure where i was going today, unlike other visits, because the majority of the birds had moved to another place. I always followed the sounds of the birds.
"Annie? Where are we going?" I shrugged and hauled my body over a huge fallen tree.

~Benji's Pov~

I started to think Annie was leading me into the woods to chop me into tiny pieces. It scared me that she didn't even know where she was going.
As we walked deeper into the woods, i noticed that the sound of chirping birds was growing louder. And i noticed why: Just up ahead, on every branch of every tree, there were birds. Squirrels sat on tree roots. It was like a scene directly out of Enchanted: All the animals chilling in harmony with eacother and the people who came to visit.
"What the hell?" I muttered. Annie turned to smile at me, then sat down on a tree stump and started getting out a notebook. I stood in shock at not only what i saw, but a memory. I had never seen this place before, but i definately knew it existed.

"How about i make you a promise, pretty boy?" Rob said. "The day you accept yourself, i'll take you to my special place." I wanted to tell him to shut up, he's wrong, but i got tired of lying to myself. Curiosity got the better of me.
"What place?" I asked.
"Oh, you'll love it. It's so peaceful, with hundreds of birds surrounding you all the time. They don't even care that you're there. It's the most amazing place in the world." He smiled, thinking of this beautiful place that i couldn't see.
"Okay, it's a deal."

"Benji...Benji!" Annie broke through my thoughts and i looked around, taking in the beautiful sight that Robbie once promised to show me. If i accepted myself...
"It's beautiful, isn't it?" She was grinning from ear to ear, no longer the tough girl i first saw this morning.
"It's...amazing," I sighed. Robbie isn't here anymore. he wanted to show me this.
"You knew Robbie Miller, didn't you?" She asked suddenly. I stared at her for a minute before answering.
"Y-Yes. How did you know?"
"He used to talk about you all the time. He said...never mind."
"Tell me."
"No"
"Why not?" I was getting frustrated trying to figure out what Robbie told her.
"Promise you won't get mad?"
"Promise."
"He said you were probably the biggest closet case he'd ever known."