You Are Stuck With Me

It was hard for Aaron to swim because of Tyler's weight. The lady swung towards them before she held Tyler as they both swum forward.

They raised their heads and discovered they were in an enormous sea. Tyler was still unconscious and was losing a lot of blood.

Aaron held Tyler tightly before he swam to the shore. When they got to the shore... It was already very late at night.

"Tyler" Aaron placed him on the wet sand as he tried to wake him up.

"He has a bullet in him; let's go to my place, and we could help him take out the bullet," the lady suggested, and Aaron looked at her.

Then his eyes darted to the necklace on Tyler's neck.

"Can you do me a favor?" Aaron asked in a pleading tone.

"That's what I have been doing," she sneered.

Aaron retracted the watch and looked behind it. There was a small green substance stuck to it. He took it out and stared at it. "This could be the tracker"

Then he took off his necklace and that of Tyler. "Please take my friend to safety and help with his injury; I will come back," he explained, and the girl laughed mockingly.

"Are you trying to run away?"

"Will I run and leave my friend with you?"

"Of course, you could just be a greedy person who doesn't want to share the money with him."

"He is my family," he said sincerely, and she felt like she could believe him.

"Fine, then, where will you go?"

"Sending some people to India," he said with a wicked smile.

"I don't understand a thing you are saying, but how will you find me once you are back?" Everything confused the girl. How was she even going to help this boy remove a bullet from him? And she couldn't take him to the hospital.

"Let's meet in the basketball field down the street in two hours," Aaron said before he lifted Tyler.

"I am trusting you with my friend; please don't go to the hospital," Aaron said before he stopped a cab. He covered the blood on Tyler's body with his wet jacket.

"Get in," he ordered, and the lady walked in. She gave her location to the cab driver, who drove away. Though he was curious as to what was happening, he decided to mind his business.

*

After two hours, Aaron was done with his task. He placed the trackers in a bag and threw them in the governmental trucks that were used to transport the less privileged to neighboring countries.

He sat on the empty basketball field and rubbed his palms. He had never been this nervous in his life.

"Oh boy," he scanned around; any movement or sound made him scared.

Then he heard some footsteps approach, and quickly he turned to run. "Hey," the lady who had helped earlier yelled at the top of her voice.

Aaron sighed in relief, seeing she was the one. "Oh, it's you," he smiled.

"Were you expecting someone else?" she questioned.

"No, the most dangerous people are the ones you don't expect."

"So how is Tyler?" he asked. The lady chuckled before she picked up a ball from the numerous balls in the net and shot it into the basketball pole, but it missed.

"If you get this ball in, then I will tell you."

Aaron frowned at her. "Listen to me, girl; I had a tough night, and I just want a break." He was impatient, as his mind wouldn't be at rest until he was assured that Tyler was fine.

"First, I am Lara, and second, I am not your girlfriend, so I can't give you a break," she snorted.

"You want to see your friend, then follow me."

Aaron took the ball from her; he sited the pole and threw the ball right in. "That's right, my girlfriend can never miss an easy shot," he fired back, and Lara stared at him in disbelief.

She was speechless and didn't know what to say. They both walked down the street and arrived at an immense mansion, which made Aaron alert. "Do you live here?" he asked cautiously.

Lara was dressed in rags, and her hair was cut short like that of a boy. To add to that, she stole from the church, so she can't be living here.

"The question should be, do I survive here?" She raised her brow before she spied through the gate.

"It's clear; let's go in." Lara pushed the gate open slightly, and she and Aaron sneaked in and went to the stables, where the horses were kept.

"Who lives here?" Aaron asked, What if he was walking into a trap set by this girl?

"My father and his family," Lara answered, and then they spotted a lady in her twenties washing her hands.

"Adel, I am back," Lara said, and the lady stared daggers at them.

"Once he is awake, you all should get out of here," Adel said angrily as she clenched her fist.

"I already helped you a lot, Lara. Your father will be so mad if he discovers there is an injured kid here. So just leave; no one will care after all," she hissed, and this made Aaron angry. He took a step forward.

"I will pay you for your services and for keeping our secret," he suggested, and Adel chuckled mockingly.

She took a step closer and patted Aaron's head like a kid. "You can't afford my services; you are just another kid ruining his life." Then she walked to the entrance of the house, stopped on her path, and looked at Lara.

"We both know life out there will be better for you," she said, and Lara nodded as a tear rolled down her cheeks.

"Are you okay?" Aaron asked, and Lara smiled.

"We better check on your friend and leave before my father returns."

Aaron nodded; he wasn't the type to probe deeper into emotional matters that didn't concern him.

So he followed Lara inside when he found Tyler sleeping peacefully on a sheet laid on the floor. He wore dried and different clothes. "Adel is a doctor, luckily for you," Lara said before she walked to a backpack on the left.

She picked it up and took out a few clothes from beside them and parked them inside. Aaron noticed the scene, but he didn't ask. It was her life; they all had theirs.

"Thanks," he said, and Lara chuckled.

"A thanks won't help me; I don't know what you and your friend are up to, but what I know is that you guys are stuck with me."

"No, I will give you your reward, but that doesn't make you a part of us." 

"It doesn't look that way to me, I mean... My bag is already packed." Lara rolled her eyes before she sat next to Tyler.

"So tell me, that watch... What does it do?"