by Mia Archer
“Hey, you don’t just try out for them!”
“Whatever. I’m going to get my Chinese food,” I said.
“They probably have your order ready to go,” Richard muttered.
“You coming with me or staying here?”
“Think I’ll pass on that. It’ll be bad enough that I have to endure the smell of that nasty stuff when you get back here. I’d rather not prolong the experience.”
“You really don’t know what you’re missing out on,” I said.
I stood and made my way out of the church basement where everyone was gathered tonight to get their nasty local pizza from a place down the street that had been shut down by the health inspector so many times that it was a miracle they were still in business. I could do without any of that thank you very much.
It was a short walk to the Chinese place which is one of the reasons I always came back time and again. That was one thing I was going to miss when I went to school, though they probably had Chinese food at the university too.
I breathed in the warm evening air and enjoyed the sights surrounding me. This was the last night I’d be at one of these lock-ins. This was one of the last connections to my youth and after tonight it would be gone. Graduating, aging out of youth group, getting ready to go to college.
Everything was changing and it made me feel sick sometimes to think about it. I’d heard someone say once that they wished they could know they were in the good old days while they were still the good old days, and I definitely felt like I was in the good old days every time I thought about leaving town.
Sure there were plenty of people who couldn’t wait to get out of here, but it was like Robin said: this was home.
I blushed as I thought of her. That was probably the least scandalous reaction thinking about her could prompt. The things we’d done that night. Just an innocent kiss, but it was so much more than I thought I’d ever let myself do with a girl. I’d put up barriers around those feelings and they came crashing down with her.
I pushed thoughts of Robin from my mind as I stepped into the Chinese place and saw that they already had my order ready. Oh the joys of smartphones and saving your favorite order online.
“You going to college soon Mari?” Mr. Li asked.
“I’ve got another month and a half an then I’m off to school,” I said. “Don’t worry. Plenty of time to keep you in business between now and then.”
He winked. “You be sure to come back and visit!”
I grinned and made my way back out. I was about to cross the street back to the church when I felt something wrap around my arm. I didn’t have time to let out a scream before a hand went around my mouth as well.
This wasn’t happening. This couldn’t be happening. This didn’t happen in our town. The worst was the cops occasionally busting someone for selling drugs or a house getting robbed, but crime here hardly ever got violent.
Only it seemed that violent crime like you saw in the city had tracked me down. I figured I wouldn’t have to worry about this sort of thing until I got to school. Dad even bought me a can of mace that I’d rolled my eyes at, but I sure as hell wished I had it on me now.
Whoever was attacking me slammed me back against a wall and I saw stars for a moment but didn’t black out. I blinked a couple of times to clear my vision and was both surprised and not surprised at who I saw standing there.
“Alan? What the fuck are you doing?”
“I saw you with that bitch last week,” he hissed.
I felt a chill that had nothing to do with Alan pulling me into an alley. He was standing away from me a bit so it seemed like he didn’t mean me any harm. Maybe. Except for the part where he shoved me against a wall. What the hell was he thinking?
“What are you talking about Alan?”
“I saw you walking back to youth group. You didn’t show up to Sunday school and then I see you walking around with Robin? What are you thinking Mari? Are you a fucking lesbian now or something?”
I looked him up and down. I had to be careful. He looked mad. Mad enough to do something stupid that I’d really regret. I really didn’t want him to do that. Yet at the same time I was pissed off. I wanted nothing more than to deck him.
And of course there was the fear. What if he talked? What if it got around?
What if it got around? Did I really care? It felt so right and I was about to get the hell out of here for good, so did it really matter if he started a stupid rumor?
My parents might freak out. Actually scratch that. Dad was pretty equal opportunity. Not to mention he was usually so busy worrying about his next case that he didn’t have much time for freaking out over the small stuff like his daughter maybe being a lesbian.
Mom would freak the fuck out though. I wasn’t looking forward to that.
That was something to think about later when I wasn’t stuck in an alley with him blocking my escape.
“What I do on my own time is none of your damn business Alan,” I said. “I think I’ve made it clear often enough that we’re not happening. Ever.”
“Oh yeah? Is that what you think?”
There was a dangerous glint in his eyes. A glint that I didn’t like. I started edging towards the edge of the alley he’d pulled me into. Why did the people who built this town a hundred years ago put in so many alleys?
He moved to block me.
“Alan, let me go,” I said.
He grinned. “What are you talking about? Are you afraid or something? I’m not going to hurt you Mari.”
I let out a small sigh of relief that I didn’t want him to see. For a moment I thought he would try to hurt me or something. I’m not sure why I’d think he was capable of doing something like that. He might be a jerk sometimes but this was still Alan. I’d grown up with him going to all the same stuff at the church and that had to mean something.
I almost felt bad for thinking he’d do something like that. Until I tried to walk out of the alley and he was on me again, knocking my food out of my hands and sending it flying all over the ground.
“Yeah, you’re not going to leave because you don’t want to. I’m not gonna hurt you because I know you want it,” he said. He tried to lean in to kiss me and I pulled away. “Come on Mari. I know what you did all alone with that bitch. You can give it to her but not to me? After how long we’ve known each other? We could even do a threesome or something! Robin’s a bitch, but she’s a hot bitch!”
“Alan, stop it!” I shouted, hoping someone might hear me.
His only response was to put a hand over my mouth. Terror surged through me. Was this really happening? It didn’t seem possible. I was back to disbelief, as though not believing that something like this could happen would be enough to make the problem go away. Not likely.
His hands moved down my sides and I felt tears coming to my eyes. Not like this. I didn’t want it to be like this. In some dark alley with fucking Alan. The look in his eyes said he was out of control, though. There was no escape even though I tried to hit and claw at him. He was stronger than me and there was nothing I could do.
I tried to knee him but he was ready for that. His leg moved up and blocked me. I wanted to scream. Actually that sounded like a good idea so I did just that. The only problem with that plan was he was waiting for it. One hand ceased its exploration and moved back over my mouth and my scream was muffled even as his other hand moved down to continue his very unwanted exploration.
Just before he hit his goal Alan let out a surprised grunt and he was off of me. There was a loud thud from somewhere down the alley. I turned and stared in astonishment as I saw a shadowy figure on top of Alan in the night. There were a couple of muted wet thumps that didn’t sound anything like the noise a punch made in the movies and then the shadows separated.
“What the fuck?” Alan screamed.
“What the fuck? What the fuck were you doing? Who the fuck do you think you are pulling that shit with Mari?”
I breathed a sigh of relief. I
t was Robin. I didn’t know how she knew that I was here, but she’d come to my rescue. I’d never been so happy to see someone before.
Wait. She came to my rescue? I knew she had a reputation, but was she really beating on Alan? She was so petite and he was big and it didn’t seem possible.
Alan stood and there was just enough light moving down the alley to see him looking between me and Robin. He was taller than her but she looked ready to do murder. Apparently he didn’t like his odds because he turned and ran down the alley and disappeared.
I leaned back against the wall. I didn’t even care that it was grimy brick. All I cared about was that I was safe. I also wanted to track Alan down and beat the crap out of him, but Robin had done a surprisingly good job of that so far.
Robin was next to me in an instant and I wrapped my arms around her. Held her close. I didn’t want to let go. I didn’t want to be away from her. Alan was still out there somewhere and the last thing I wanted was to run into him again.
I really didn’t want to go back to the youth group. He might be back there. I realized in that moment that something I loved might be ruined forever because that asshole was there.
“Are you okay?” she asked. “Did he hurt you? I swear if he hurt you…”
Something about the tone of Robin’s voice said it wasn’t going to go too well for Alan the next time they met. Not that it had gone very well for Alan this time.
I let out a shuddering laugh. It felt weird to laugh at a time like this when someone had just tried to force himself on me, but I guess everyone reacts differently to stress. Nervous laughter was something that always happened with me and it always drove me nuts.
“I think I’m going to be fine. He bruised my ego more than anything else,” I said.
“Good,” Robin said. “I’m glad you’re…”
I didn’t hear whatever else she said. She put a hand on my shoulder and I don’t know what it was exactly. Maybe I was more freaked out than I thought because I reached up and smacked her hand away. For a moment all I saw was someone in the alley moving in towards me and I pulled away, then I realized what I was doing and felt like an idiot.
“I’m so sorry,” I said. “I guess it was just a reaction and…”
“Don’t worry about it,” she said, taking a step back. I smiled at her keeping her distance. It was like she knew exactly what I needed. I reached out and took her hand.
“No, really,” I said. “I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have done that. You’re the one who saved me, after all. The knight in shining armor is supposed to get a kiss, not a slap. Or are you the princess in shining armor? Guess the old gender norms don’t really work here…”
Robin grinned and I blushed as I realized exactly what I’d just said. A kiss? Really? Luckily it was dark enough now that she couldn’t see that blush. Still, I wanted to die from embarrassment. I didn’t even know if she was interested in me like that.
I mean I had a pretty good idea. I wasn’t dense. It just felt weird to think of things like that after what had just happened. I suppose it was a sign I wasn’t totally freaked out.
“Come on,” Robin said. “Let’s get out of here.”
I paused for a moment and she turned to look at me, the question obvious on her face even in the darkness. I’m sure she was wondering if I was about to have another freak out. I looked down the street towards the church where youth group would be starting right about now, but I didn’t have any interest in going back there.
I was going to skip it again to spend some time with Robin, and it was odd how that felt so much more natural than going to church. I wasn’t sure where we were going, but I knew this felt right.
8
Robin
I waited for a moment at the alley entrance and wondered if she was going to try and run back to her church or something. The way she’d pulled away from me and freaked out back there broke my heart.
I knew if I ever ran into that Alan asshole in a back alley or something then it was going to be very bad for him. I’d been a little worried that it would end badly for both of us when I threw myself down the alley without John to act as the muscle, but we weren’t doing business tonight so he wasn’t around.
The only reason I’d been around was because of a feeling. I knew they were having some thing at the church tonight and I figured it might be a good idea to hang around.
Turns out my hunch about that Alan asshole had been absolutely correct. It felt so good to feel my fist connecting with him, even if I was a little sore now. I’d been pleasantly surprised at how quickly he went down.
A wimp on top of being an asshole. How about that?
“You coming?” I asked.
Mari hesitated. I suppose she could decide to go home too. Come to think of it it seemed silly to think she’d go back to that church when someone from her youth group had just assaulted her. The prick. I saw red just thinking about it. I wanted to march over there and beat the crap out of him in front of everyone.
Though that would probably end badly for me. He was the sheriff’s son, after all. The way things worked in this town I’d be the one who wound up in jail even though he was the one who just broke the law.
There were times when I really hated this place, but looking at Mari reminded me that there were also good things that could come out of this town.
I looked down at the ground. There were noodles all over the place and a package from the local Chinese restaurant. Oh. So not only had that asshole assaulted Mari, but he’d also ruined her dinner.
That gave me an idea though. I held out a hand to her. She eyed it warily for a moment and I thought about the way she’d pulled away from me. Yeah, she was still freaking out right about now and I could understand it.
All the more reason to want to track down that Alan asshole and beat his face in. My fist, the hand I wasn’t offering to Mari in the moment, clenched and unclenched a couple of times as I thought of what I’d like to do to him.
“How about we get you some dinner?” I asked. “On me?”
Finally she smiled and came over to join me, but she didn’t take my hand. I frowned, but didn’t say anything else. She could take all the time she needed considering everything that just happened.
“What were you thinking?” she asked.
“Well Chinese is what you were about to have, right?” I asked. “Besides, they’re the only place near the town square that’s open right now. Otherwise we’d have to drive somewhere.”
Mari wrinkled up her nose in a cute little look. “No thanks. There’s nowhere in town worth driving to unless you’re leaving.”
“You’ve got that right,” I said.
For a moment I thought about how nice it would be to drive out of this town for good. To put it in my rear view mirror and never think of the place again. It would be nice if Mari was right next to me while that was happening. Maybe I’d have my arm around her or something.
Not that it was likely to happen. I was going to be stuck here for the rest of my life. Some people got to leave and go to school, but I wasn’t that lucky.
“Are you going to be okay?” I asked, knowing it was a hollow question even as I asked it. How could she be okay after something like that?
She looked at me for a long moment and I worried that she was somehow associating me with that time in the alley. That I would become inextricably linked with Alan attacking her in her mind and that would be that.
Then she leaned in close. Pressed herself against me. I blinked in surprise a couple of times. We were out in public, after all, even if the town square was mostly deserted at this time of night.
I wasn’t going to knock it though. I put my arm around her and pulled her in close. That seemed to be what she was looking for because she leaned her head against my shoulder and let out a cute little sigh.
Yeah, I could get used to this.
The moment lasted for as long as it took to get to the Chinese restaurant and step through the door. Unfortunately i
t wasn’t wide enough for the two of us to go through at the same time, because otherwise I would’ve been more than happy to squeeze through with Mari on my arm.
“Mr. Li!” I said.
“Robin! What are you doing here?” Mr. Li asked. Then he saw Mari and he looked confused. “And Mari? Where is your food? Is something wrong?”
Mari froze up. She seemed at a loss for what to say so I stepped in for her.
“Some asshole attacked her and took her food,” I said.
That was close enough to the truth without telling the actual story. The actual story might get Mr. Li to call the cops. Calling the cops was the last thing I wanted considering one of the most powerful cops in the county was Alan’s father.
“Yeah, that’s it,” Mari said, turning to favor me with a small smile. “Luckily Robin came along to save me.”
That small smile went right to the pit of my stomach. Amazing how something so innocent could get me all twisted up in side.
“That’s terrible! You want me to call the police?” Mr. Li asked, already picking up the phone with his thumb hovering over the 9.
“No,” Mari said, her voice suddenly filled with a heat that had been missing since the attack. “The police aren’t going to do anything.”
Mr. Li shrugged. “If you say so. I’ll make you a new order though. On the house! You want something too Robin?”
“I’ll have what she’s having,” I said.
We took a seat in a booth in the far corner of the restaurant. That booth meant we’d be free from prying eyes looking in off the street as well as out of view from Mr. Li, mostly.
I figured Mari would sit across from me at the booth, but she surprised me by squeezing in next to me and moving in close. Again, I wasn’t going to knock it if she wanted to get close to me.
“This is nice,” she murmured into my shoulder.
“You’re telling me,” I said.
“Thank you for saving me Robin,” she whispered.
