“Be a lot cooler if ya did.” He tosses a tater tot into the air and catches it in his mouth.Idiot, I think to myself. “Anyway,” he steps off his stool. “Let’s go. I’m done here.”
“Done?” Panic begins to crawl up my spine. “But my friends haven’t gotten here yet.”
“Yeah, well, they’re taking too long, and I’m over this joint.” He shakes his jacket out as if it got dusty while he was sitting. He turns to me. “Come on.”
“No,” I say as calmly as I can muster while anxiousness swirls like bile in my stomach. “I’m not leaving until my friends get here.”
“Fuck your friends. Let’s. Go.”
My heart rate kicks up tenfold, and I can feel it pulsing in my neck. “I’m not leaving.” I try to sound confident, but it falls on deaf ears.
“I’m not asking,” he hisses as he takes a step toward me, the smell of bourbon wreaking on him. He’s buzzed. Maybe a little more than that, though his stance is steady and his eyes are clear. I know he can handle his alcohol well, among other things, but I also know if there’s anything that makes Derek nastier than he already is, it’s dark liquor. I’m not up for the fight. Whatever plan Jake had in mind will just have to be put on pause for now.
I hop off my stool, the unimpressed look of a stubborn toddler painted on my face. Anger flares in his eyes before he grabs my wrist and pulls me behind him, leading me toward the bar’s exit. Safe from Derek’s scrutiny, I look around the room insearch of Jake, hoping he can see what’s happening and call this whole thing off.
Derek opens the door forcefully, getting us multiple glances from the bystanders on the sidewalk.
“You know, Alana, I’ve put up with a lot of shit from you. Alotof fucking shit. And for what?!” My eyes frantically scan the small crowd he’s pulling me through. I have no idea where his mind is exactly, but for whatever reason, he’s angry. I know better than to argue with him. I try to pull myself from his grasp as he drags me to the parking lot, but his grip around my wrist only tightens.
“Ow, Derek. You’re hurting me.” I grab his hand that’s holding mine and try to loosen his fingers. He tightens them even more, making me yelp. Then he spins me and slams my back against an empty car in the lot. My body aches from the harsh impact.
“You being a fuckingbitchto me, that’s what I get. Your miserable fucking face and your nasty little comments. And what’d I ever do to you, huh?” He points a finger in my face, his grip still strong on my wrist. “You think you’re so much better than everyone,” he seethes. “You and your piece of shit brother! With your fucking scholarships and police academybullshit. You’re not better!” he screams.
I’m nearly brought to my knees from the pain his grip causes. His hold is so strong, it feels like my bone might snap like a pencil.
Panic and fear rage inside me. My eyes begin to sting, and my spirit shrinks to someone unrecognizably small. For the first time in a long time, I’m genuinely afraid and have absolutely no way out.
“Derek, please,” I plead pathetically. But I won’t apologize. I refuse. I treat him like shit because it’s what he deserves. Aftereverything he’s admittedly done to my family, he should get worse.
He must see my defiance, even through my pleading, because his eyes light with an evil fire as he raises a hand to hit me. I flinch and snap my eyes shut, turning my face away as I await the impact.
But then he releases me, my wrist throbbing thankfully from the new release in pressure.
I drop to my knees, massaging my wrist as a gargling sound fills my ears. It takes a few blinks to clear my vision from my tears, and then my eyes go wide in horror.
Jake has Derek’s neck trapped in a headlock. Derek’s eyes are wide, clearly shocked from the attack, his face turning red with its lack of oxygen. Jake’s eyes are on me intensely, veins straining along his arms and neck. The look in his gaze is something I’ve never seen before. It’s something animalistic. Instinctive. Protective.
Derek’s eyes regain focus and he raises an elbow, slamming it hard into Jake’s ribs. It causes him to let Derek go.
He spins around, hands already raised as he pulls breath back into his lungs. “What’s up, motherfucker? You got a problem?” he seethes.
Jake’s eyes bounce to me quickly, and I shake my headno, fright evident in my eyes, but he pays me no mind. He sets his right foot backward, angling his body as he raises his large fists into position. He wipes the side of his nose with his thumb and tucks his chin, his eyes dark and angry.
Panic. Dread. Fear. Shock.
All of it swarms me in a rush, and my belly rolls with nausea.This can’t be happening.
“Tough guy, huh?” Derek provokes as he spits off to the side. “Let’s see what you're made of, hotshot.” He throws a jab,and Jake sidesteps, dodging it completely. He throws another, and another, and they begin to circle, Jake bouncing lightly on his feet.
Derek chuckles. “Oh, he’s a fighter. What are you fighting for, huh? This bitch over here?” Derek spits again in my direction. “Trust me, kid, she’s not worth it,” he says, tone vehement.
My heart continues to sink. Jake remains silent and focused, his eyes never moving off Derek as they circle. Derek grows impatient with the dance and throws a jab as he tries to inch closer to Jake.
Jake sidesteps each one, watching his opponent like prey, tactfully waiting for his opening.
The moment he sees it, he swings with his right fist, connecting it with the bridge of Derek’s nose. The cracking slap of flesh hitting flesh reverberates in the air, followed by a popping sound.
Derek stumbles backward as his nose begins to ooze blood. Jake moves toward him, taking advantage of Derek’s momentary delirium as he hits him again and again.
