The Hike

Tyler plopped down in the snow. His ankle swelled in his boot. How could Jessica leave him out here? For three months things had been good between them, he thought. He flipped his scarf around his neck. It was getting dark, and colder. A wolf howled.

When they left her house, the plan was to hike the Econ. She immediately whined her feet hurt. They argued. She always cut the hikes short. Then Tyler twisted his ankle. She just walked away. He shook his head. Three months into this relationship and he did it again. He got mad and selfish. Why was he such a jerk? How was he going to get off the trail now?

He looked around for a stick, something to help him keep the weight off his ankle. He crawled over to a large branch lying near the trail. It was still attached to a tree under the snow.

“Crap,” he said, looking around. Not seeing anything to help him, he began to half crawl, half slide, back down the trail. She really wasn’t coming back, was she? That was their last fight. She was gone. It was his fault. The wolf howled again.

“Great. This is how it ends then,” Tyler shook his head, laying back in the snow. He was a jerk. Maybe he deserved it. He looked to the hill where he had heard the wolf.

“Hey, Wilderness Adventurer!” the call came from down the hill.

“Jess?”

“What did you think I was going to do?”

“Leave my ass out here,” he laughed. He had been mean to her, he knew.

“Get this girl some good hiking boots,” the paramedic behind Jessica said.

“Yessir.”

Word Count: 281