“Can you drive me?I'm not sure I can handle it by myself.”Just getting into my stupid, ugly, brown car would be challenging enough.Driving would be a whole other thing, though.And if—I mean, when—the car stopped, I'd need help opening the hood and dealing with whatever I had to do.
Felicia sat there silently for a moment before she burst out into laughter.Well, she was definitely laughing, but tears were still falling from her eyes.“Work?Are you out of your mind?”Her arms flung out to her sides, palms up in question.“First of all, how the fuck are you going to leave the house?And second of all, how the fuck are you going to actually work?You can't even—” she took a deep inhale, “chew!”
I felt a bit like she'd just burst my bubble.Not that going to work was a great, fun thing.Because it wasn't.
“I'll get by, Fee.I always do.”I stepped over to the sink and started washing my cup and plate.A sharp pain stabbed me in my ribs, and I had to hold my breath for a few seconds until the pain became manageable.
“They won't let you leave the house.Look what happened when you tried!”she exclaimed behind me while I dried my dishes.
“I'll figure it out.They can't stop me from going to work.If they give me trouble, I'll talk to them.”I shrugged and put the cup back into the cupboard.Which wasn't easy, seeing as I couldn't lift my arm up that far.
“Like you did last night?”Felicia said incredulously.
Gingerly, I turned around, still holding the dishtowel.“Last night, I was sneaking out.That's totally different than leaving for work.It's my job, Fee.”
Felicia's jaw dropped open, and her eyebrows lifted.“You're certifiable right now.Those guys,” her finger jutted out and pointed toward the front door, “are bad guys, Franny.As in, bad, bad dudes.The last thing they're going to let you do is go to fucking work.”
I huffed and threw the towel at her.She ripped it off her head and tossed it onto the table.
“Fine.If you don't want to drive me, just say it.Don't do anything for me.See if I care.We can all starve to death.”I wanted to storm off.But the best I could do was shoot her a dirty look and walk slowly to the front door.
“Franny!”Felicia called out.“Don't open the—” was all I heard before I grabbed my keys, opened the front door, slipped through, and slammed it behind me.
I stood on the steps and looked around.There was an expensive-looking black SUV across the street.It definitely didn't belong in this neighborhood.I waved at it and started down the steps, hanging onto the railing for dear life.Each step down felt like someone was punching me in the ribs.
A loud screeching sound got my attention, and I looked up.Another dark SUV came to a stop directly in front of our house.The greasy guy from last night—Aldo—jumped out.“What are you—” he said, stopping mid-sentence once his eyes landed on me.He came to an abrupt halt.His gaze lowered to my feet, then gradually made its way up to my face.He swallowed and walked up to me.“What the fuck?”he said, his eyes narrowed in on my face.Or what was left of my face.“Who the fuck did this to you?”
A sharp, painful laugh flew out of my mouth, and I grabbed my ribs.“Who?Like you don't know.”I rolled my eyes—or at least I tried to.
He set his hands on his hips and leaned in.“Who did this to you?”he enunciated every word slowly, as if I couldn’t understand him.
Maybe it was the pain.Maybe it was the fact that I'd been beaten and tossed around last night.
Or maybe it was the fact that I'd had just about enough of this.I, too, narrowed my eyes and put my hands on my hips.Just like him.“I'm pretty sure you already know the creeps who beat me up in my backyard last night, Aldo.Don't try to pretend you don't.”
His eyes widened, and a murderous look replaced his formerly pissed off one.“What did you say?Two guys did this to you?”His voice instantly grew quiet.“Two fuckin' guys beat you up?In your backyard?”He stared at me without blinking.And something in the way he looked at me made me believe that he didn’t know what had happened.
Almost.
As much as you could believe a guy like Aldo.
“Well, technically, one guy beat me up.And the other guy showed up just in time to see him undo my jeans.”Part of me felt like a first grader tattling on the playground bully.And part of me wondered if Aldo was going to call the bully back here to finish off the job.
“Get in the house,” Aldo said, grabbing my arm and jerking me back.
Hot, fiery pain exploded up my arm and into the rest of my body.My knees gave way, and I crashed to the cement underneath me.The pain was too much.My stomach roiled and emptied right on Aldo's shoes.
Served him right, though.
“What the fuck?”he said a few times, stepping away from me and trying to clean off his shoes.
“Don't touch me, asshole,” I said, my voice sounding like some kind of demon from a late-night movie.I spat and wiped my mouth with the back of my hand.And then somehow—with a whole lot of effort—I stood.
“Get the fuck inside.”Aldo walked back to me, but didn't touch me.
“I have to—” I started saying.
Aldo cut me off.“Inside,” he said, jerking his head toward my house.
