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Date Posted: 16:59:13 07/01/01 Sun
Author: blank page
Subject: Naive

October, 1983
I

Julie trudged down Organek Road, shoulders hunched, balled fists weighing down the pockets of her jean jacket. She had already walked the mile from Steve's house to the main route, where Organek Road ended. She had another mile to go before she reached home.
Dusk was settling fast, and Julie had to be home by dark. Her stride was quick and purposeful. She wanted to get there on time. There had been rules posted by the State of New York for her very own case; she couldn't screw up, or she might end up in foster care again. And the last thing Julie needed right now was to face her mother's wrath, on top of the humiliation she'd already subjected herself to at Steve's house.
Had any motorists passed her on her trek, they would have assumed by the set of her jaw and the crease between her eyebrows that Julie was an angry young girl. They would have been right. She was angry at Steve, for pushing her. She was even more angry at herself, for not stopping him.
He'd already tried to take her once, laying her down on the carpet of red and orange leaves behind the stone wall across the street from where she lived with her mother. She'd protested and pushed him away after a few minutes of making out. It was already dark, and the leaves provided little protection from the gravel beneath them that bit into her back. And Julie didn't want her first time to be that way. Not there, not then, not like that, and most likely not with Steve. She wasn't ready. She'd saved herself that night, but she'd still caught hell when she got home.
Tonight, she hadn't saved herself, but had been saved instead by Steve's father.
Julie and Steve had hung out for a while in Steve's basement bedroom, listening to music while he practiced on his base. He always gave her the mike, to sing while he played. But this time, Steve lost interest quickly and shut all the equipment off well before it was time for Julie to leave.
The pushing began again.
Steve shut the light off and pulled her down beside him on his bed, kissing her. He kissed her more. He laid her down, still kissing her. When his hand slid beneath her shirt, Julie felt the first hint of alarm, but thought, "It's okay. At least it's safe territory." But when Steve's hand slid down her stomach to unbutton her jeans, the warning bells went off loud and clear. Julie grabbed Steve's hand and held it away from his intent.
"Come on," he whispered in her ear. "It's okay. It won't hurt you, you can't get pregnant. Let me. Please?" He tried to pull from Julie's grasp, but she held firm, not trusting.
He kissed her again and relaxed, and so did Julie, but the nervous tension remained tight inside her chest. She was afraid. Afraid she'd slip and get herself into trouble.
In spite of herself and her misgivings, the next time Steve's hand slid down, Julie didn't stop him. She was afraid that he would eventually tire of her putting him off, and get really angry. But her conscience called her.
"What am I doing?" She thought. "This is wrong, wrong. I'm not even old enough for this. I only turned fourteen last month. I need to leave. Stop this now and leave." But Steve's bed was soft and warm and comfortable, and he was making her feel so good...
Julie heard the door open at the top of the stairs. Then, clump CLUMP, clump CLUMP, clump CLUMP. Steve's father was coming. He had a distinct limp that identified his footfall.
Julie waited a moment, wondering if Steve would acknowledge his father's approach. He didn't.
"Steve!" Julie whispered urgently. "You're father's coming!"
But Steve was greedy and not quite there. "Don't worry about it," he whispered back thickly. "It'll take him forever to get down here."
So what? He'd make it downstairs eventually!
Again, against her better judgement, Julie half-relaxed, but still listened to the footsteps getting closer, closer, closer.
The door opened, the overhead light flicked on, and Steve and Julie were on their feet in a flash, blinking and dazed. Steve's father stood in the doorway. He stared for only a few seconds.
He looked at Julie. "Get your clothes on and go home!"
Julie looked down and nearly gasped. Her pants were all the way off. Her underwear were on, but her bra was gone as well. She was dressed in her socks and her extra large ADIDAS t-shirt.
"Oh, my God, oh, my God," she repeated over and over to herself. "How the hell did my clothes come off?" Embarrassed beyond description, Julie hastened to put her clothes back on.
Steve hadn't been allowed to walk her home. No doubt, his parents were tearing him apart. Julie probably wouldn't be able to see him again. "Better off," she said to herself. "There can't be a next time."
Julie had reached a stretch of road that contained a copse of trees on the opposite side from where she walked. The sun had gone down; the barest daylight remained. Julie looked at the trees across the road. She could see the pale, watered down light glowing between their twisted and gnarled shapes. A chill was settling in the October air. Julie shivered and pulled her jacket closer around her. Then she nearly stopped dead.
Someone was watching her. Someone was following her. The hairs on the back of her neck were standing on end.
She kept walking, but turned around in a full circle so that she could see behind her. No one. Nothing but her on this deserted stretch of road.
Julie stepped up her pace a little. The feeling didn't subside, but grew stronger. She found her eyes drawn again to the closely grouped trees across the road.
"You've never had to walk this alone before," she thought. "There's nothing here to be afraid of."
But the feeling persisted, and grew so strong that she could almost feel whatever it was gaining on her. Any minute now, she would hear it's rancid breath breathing next to her ear as it reached out...
"Stop!" She chided herself. "You're scared shitless, but calm down. Keep walking. If there is something out here, don't run." She speedwalked instead.

II

Julie reached home before full dark, and nothing got her.
Joey Licardi came to see her.
Joey was Steve's best friend, and his opposite in every way. Where Steve was dark haired and dark eyed, Joey was blonde and blue eyed. Steve had a huge nose, but Joey reminded Julie of Tom Petty, except for the nose. Steve was moody and had a tendency to talk too much, where Joey was steady, quiet and thoughtful. Julie's mother chased Steve away from the house when he knocked on the door, but she let Joey in. And while Steve was pushy and demanding, Joey was gentle and laid back, never saying or doing anything out of line. Until he told Julie he loved her.
Julie's sex education from her mother had been quick, concise, technical, and dealt only with the biological. Julie wished her mother had told her more about emotions. Emotions were the things that really got you into trouble. And boys. Julie's mother hadn't explained about boys. How did they think? Who were they, anyway? Why did they do the things they did? And why did Joey have to tell her that? Did he seek to confuse her? Was he trying to see if Julie reciprocated? Or was he after the same thing Steve was?
Julie didn't think so. When Joey came over, they sat and talked for hours about everything under the sun. When Julie went to visit Joey's little sister, Jean, Joey let her into his room so she could listen to his tapes and his stereo, even if he wasn't there. Joey was nice.
On this night of all nights, Julie told him about her scary experience on the way home.
"Where was that? By that one patch of trees? Right before Organek Road?"
"Yes," said Julie.
"Maybe you picked up on something," said Joey. "There used to be a cemetery back there. But all the bodies were relocated to the new cemetery, in town."
Julie felt a chill go down her spine.

III

There was no "next time" with Steve Organek. Though he and Julie continued to be together for the short time she remained in Schroon Lake,she never let him get as far as he wanted. Julie and Joey remained friends and never spoke of him telling her he loved her; he and Steve were best friends, after all.
The mysteries of these odd relations were never given the chance to be fully discovered, and Julie only walked by the spooky copse of trees in the daylight.
And on January 6, 1984, Julie left Schroon Lake and never saw Steve, Joey, or those woods again.

***This is a strange story because of the two totally different stories contained within. However, this is based on actual events, and the "two stories" are too closely tied for me to be able to separate them, at this point.

SRM

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