Filed to story: Penny and Navy Brother Asher
She presses her lips together, then mutters under her breath, “light Navy SLALA!
It wasn’t even hand.
The city only has a handful of venues that could host hundreds of dancers on a Sunday:
And his parents had said what side of the city it was of
It wasn’t rocket science,
“Get in,” I say again, more impatient now,
But instead of obeying, she straightens her shoulders and says, “No,”
I blink at her, the shock slamming into me like a brick wall.
She turns on her heel and starts marching away, her sneakers scuffing hard against the pavement, her bag thumping awkwardly against her hip.
For a second, I just sit there, stunned.
Then I curse under my breath, slam the car back into gear, an and pull up beside her again.
“Penny, get in the damn car, I grind out, leaning across the seat
She glares at me, her mouth a tight, furious line, and keeps walking
I watch, incredulous, as she veers off the sidewalk and starts cutting across a scrappy patch of empty lot, away from the road, away from the only damn source of light and safety she’s got
My hands clench the steering wheel so hard the leather groans.
I lean out the window, my voice hard and loud, sharp enough to slice through the dark
I’m asking one more time,” I snap. “And then I’m gone.”
She doesn’t even turn around
My blood boils, the fury a low, steady drumbeat under my skin.
Fine
Fine
I wrench the wheel to the side, cursing violently, and punch the gas, driving off down the street, the lights blurring past in angry smears.
Stupid.
Prideful
I don’t owe her anything.
She wants to be a martyr? Fine.
I’ll let her be one.
But even as the thought crosses my mind, even as I speed away, something beits ugly and sharp in my chest, rooting itself desp
Because it’s dark now
And this neighborhood isn’t safe.
And no matter how angry she makes me, no matter how much she drives me Insane, she doesn’t deserve to be left out here alone.
Islam my hand against the steering wheel, growl under my breath, and swerve into a U-turn, tires squealing against the cracked asphalt.
When I get back to the spot where I
She’s gone.
I last saw her
I throw the car into park, yank the door open, and jump out, scanning the sidewalks, the alleys, the shadows
Nothing
My heart kicks hard against my ribs, the anger rising again, hotter, harder, mixing now with something darker underneath.
Where is she?
I start walking, fast, cutting through the nearest alley, my boots crunching against broken glass and loose gravel.
And then I hear it.
A voice.
Thin.
Scated
“Please stop.”
My blood turns to ice.
I move faster, feet silent now, instincts kicking in without thought, every muscle coiled tight.
I round the corner into another alley and see her.
Surrounded.
Three guys-maybe college-age, maybe older-towering over her, crowding her against the brick wall.
One has his hand on her arm, rubbing slow circles into the fabric of her sleeve.
Another has s her dance bag dangling from his wrist, smirking like he just found a new toy.
The third stands behind her, too close, breathing down her neck.
I catch the tail end of their ugly laughter, their words slurring together.
‘C’mon, baby… what’re you to scared of? You’re in toft..
**You’re out here alone… what were you expecting?”
Penny’s face is pale, her mouth trembling, tears glassing over her wide eyes
And something inside me
I move before I think.
Before I breathe.
Before anything else matters.
Three steps and I’m there, towering over them, my body a wall between her and them.
They all turn, startled, sizing n me up with the cocky confidence of drunk k idiots who’ve never lost a fight they didn’t pick fair.
One of them-hag still dangling from his hand-steps forward, sneering
“Get lost, old man,” he says, laughing
I crack my knuckles,
“You have one chance,” I say, voice low and lethal, the calm before a storm.
“Or what?” the one touching Penny sneers, squeezing her arm hard enough to make her flinch.
It’s the last thing he does.
In a flash, I grab his wrist, twist it back sharply until h
The second one funges- he cries out, the bag dropping to the ground with a clatter.
I dodge easily, plant a fist in his gut, watch him crumple like paper.
The third besitates too long-
I shove him hard against the wall, the
, the breath leaving his lungs in a startled wheeze.
In less than ten seconds, all three of them are on the ground, groaning, clutching themselves, wide-eyed with the kind of fear that only comes when you realize too late you picked a fight you were never going to win.
I turn, planting myself between them and Penny, during them w every inch of my body to try again.
They don’t
They scramble to their feet and run, cursing and tripping over each other, disappearing into the shadows.
I stand there for a second, breathing hard, hands clenched at my