anybody

She really hated how pissed off she would get sometimes...often while she was doing it. Not that that ever really changed anything. No matter how unreasonable she felt she was acting, once her temper was put into motion there were few things that could stall it.
This time it was just a cumulation of a day's worth of frustrations that tore her from her mother's embrace and made her lunge at her sister to strangle her. Knowing what flak she would get for this later she instead picked up a pen and threw it at her...then stormed out of the bedroom.

It was dark outside. Of course it was dark outside it was after 11 at night. Before closing the door fimly behind her she made sure the deadbolt was unlocked and set off up the driveway, trying not to think of all the homework she had to do. At least she wasn't crying this time. The oak leaves crunched under her feet...the only sound breaking the chilly silence.
When she reached the street she looked around her and contemplated her 4 choices of wanderings to take. The two streets to her left she ruled out immediately. They led up into the hillside and were far too dark for her comfort...not that walking around alone at night was comfortable anyway. Considering she'd never walked through her hillside neighborhood this late before she decided on a somewhat well-lit direction.

The lamps on this street shone down with an orange light. She sat down underneath one right in the middle of the fork in the road where she could see for blocks straight ahead of her, and watched the headlights of cars come from far away then finally whiz past in two directions. She made a little game out of guessing which way they would turn before they seemed to run right into her, each time feeling slightly exhilirated. She tilted her head up and stared through the branches of the tree above, the bright orange light on the leaves framing a brilliant blue-green night sky spread with thin clouds. She had looked up just in time to see the half-moon dash behind the silver lined blanket and shine through translucently. She felt guilty about her mom and how unfairly she treated her. She lowered her chin and gazed ahead of her. It was really cold. She put her hands in the pockets of her sweatshirt and drew her knees closer...if only she had used the bathroom before she stomped out. She became very uncomfortable as a result of this, and the inklings of her somewhat irrational but often nagging thought of animal and human predators beginning to creep into her head, so she pulled up her hood and stood up. She decided to turn left.

This street was a winding one, so she stayed on the sidewalk to avoid the occasional cars screaming around the bends. Not to mention she was wearing black; she wasn't that brave.
She ran into a spider web and swiped a her face. Passing a dark, shaded area the idea of stopping to pee grew very tempting...but not enough to risk the akwardness of the procedure. Being a girl really sucks sometimes.
After two or three blocks she stopped under a dim light amidst some low-hanging branches. Gazing searchingly at the tangled, somewhat ominous looking hillside across from her, she wondered how much further she should go this way. She habitually glanced over her shoulder and started walking again. A bush rustled about 10 feet in front of her. She turned around and headed back.

Passing her own street again, she continued down where she would have turned right. Instead of streetlights, lining this way were lampposts; old-fashioned ones that had angular heads and gave off a bluish-yellow glow. She stopped near one and noticed she was next to a holly bush...or at least one with a bunch of red berries on it. They seemed to look even redder in the cool light, and she grabbed a handful of them. The noise of someting in the tree across the street startled her; she threw the berries in that direction and kept walking, once again checking over her shoulder.
Every time a car would pass, she hunched her shoulders and took a wider stride so to appear more...threatening? masculine? inconspicuous? She didn't even know. But she did it anyway.
Ahead of her a figure suddenly came to her attention that was headed towards her at a quicker pace that she was maintaining. She pulled her hood down further and stepped to the side and continued on as a pudgy man in a white t-shirt puffed past her. She looked up. "Hello," she said.
He smiled.

For whatever reason, after that, all fear of vicious coyotes and potential rapists left her and she strolled in freer thought and higher confidence past fake jack-o-lanterns, numerous signs advertising Kerry and Bush supporters and through several more spider webs...but those didn't even bother her anymore. There was somehow such a strange surreal, haunting feeling to her surroundings that she longed to sprawl in the middle of the street, clambour to the top of one of the gnarled old trees or run as fast as she could towards the busy highway. Only the tingling sensation in her bladder kept her in close touch with reality.
As she walked she thought she spotted a strange light several blocks ahead on the other side of the street. It was large, and it pulsated on and off. Stopping, she tried to make out what it was. It was no use. She cursed her blurry vision and quickened her pace out of curiosity. The closer she drew to it, the more she became anxious to find what it was...

She stood before it and marvelled at it's glory. The warm light shone on her face and dissapated, again and again. It was the tackiest inflatable electric giant Halloween decoration she'd ever seen. She laughed at herself.

She'd been walking for blocks...but didn't know for how long. She didn't really care; but obvious factors convinced her it was time to turn around.

The stroll back was uneventful, yet lovely all the same. She walked slower and slower as she drew closer the street of her family's house. Despite the ache in her lower belly she delayed her entrance into the darkened entryway for as long as she could stand it...and wasn't too surprised at the lack of enthisiasm at her return. She shut the bathroom door and turned on the heater...and wondered how long she would have stayed out if only she wasn't female...