“See, Zain?”, I grumbled “I told you I don’t know anything about archery at all!”, I threw down the bow in frustration. Zain and I were up at his farm on a moderate day with little breeze, teaching me archery using a hay bale from the horse pin. He knew I sucked at the sport, but was persistent to teach me. I’m just an ordinary teenage girl. Why should I even bother with this lesson? Why should he even bother with this lesson? Zain himself is a typical teenager just like me; I don’t understand why he loves this sport so much! I spun on my heel and began to walk away, but Zain grabbed me by the shoulder to stop me. I turned to him. “Delphine, let’s calm down for a second. We’ll try once more, okay?”, he said. He held out the bow towards me, urging me on to take it. Zain’s calm, emerald eyes gave me no avail. I sighed heavily, taking the bow in my hands, and snatching it from him. “Let me help you out this time.”, he said. He gathered up his midnight black hair and tied it behind his head, a dark streak cascading down to the middle of his back. The animals nearby made their trademark noises, as if in protest of Zain and I’s proximity of another.
“Alright, it’s your funeral if it ricochets.” I said, pulling another arrow of out the quiver. As I readied the arrow, Zain came from behind and wrapped his hands around mine.
“Your pose is too stiff. Loosen up, or you’ll never hit the target.”, he said. His breath on the back of my neck gave me chills, the way similar to that of walking into sunshine after sitting in a cold room. Goosebumps rose all over my arms, neck, and shoulders. His hand tightly gripped around mine, Zain drew back the bowstring. His arms, which were longer than mine, became entangled with my own the farther he drew it back. When the bow reached its limit, time seemed to stop. I felt no breeze; I couldn’t hear any sounds of the animals nearby either. All the weight of the world, felt like it was on this arrow. This arrow had to make its mark. Zain and I released the arrow, the weight fleeing from me with it. The arrow embedded itself in the target that was a twenty feet from us. It was a head-on bull’s eye. Excitement and relief bubbled inside me, spreading throughout my body, which eventually became nothing less of a tingle to be felt in the tips of my fingers and toes. I grinned widely at my small victory.
“I knew you had it in you.”, Zain whispered, sending more chills down my spine. I spun around and hugged him. I guess he was right.