His knee comes up, and when it connects with Derek’s crotch, Derek screams. I wonder if being hard made it worse.
He doesn’t say anything but continues to hit Derek with a fury I’ve only seen in an action movie… something I thought was fake, but this guy is proving me wrong.
Derek’s face is split open in several places, and he has blood running down to his crisp white shirt. After one final punch to the gut, he falls to the ground.
My savior stands over Derek’s still body, watching, waiting for him to flinch. After a minute with no movement from Derek, the guy turns around and looks at me. His eyes rake from my head down to my sparkly silver toenails and then back up again. “You good?” he asks.
I nod. Now that you’re here. “Yes. Thank you.”
He grabs my tattered panties and hands them to me. “I’ll walk you home.”
He begins to take off, and I scurry to catch up to him. We’re not far from my home, but it’s not that close either. I could easily call my parents to come and get me, but I don’t want to stick around here and wait for them. I feel safer with him, as if nothing could touch me because he won’t let it.
I have to work double time to keep up with his strides, and after a few blocks, my feet begin to burn. I am wearing heels, after all.
“I need to slow down,” I tell him.
He turns to me, looks at my shoes, and then slows his pace.
“So, uh. Thank you. Again.”
All I receive is a nod in acknowledgment. No “you’re welcome” or anything.
“Why were you there? I didn’t see you at the dance.”
He doesn’t answer, so I try again. “What’s your name?”
“Ty.”
I take his short or non-answers as my cue to be quiet and just follow him. I don’t know how he knows where I live, but I’m too overwhelmed to think much about it right now.
We’re only two blocks from my house now, but my feet are killing me. I stop by a tree and slide my heels off, then walk on my bare feet. Ty waits for me to catch up with him then turns and scoops me up in his arms.
I gasp and grab his shirt. He looks ahead, not at me, but I stare at him. His thick eyebrows, the three freckles on the right side of his nose, and his black eyelashes. How his eyes constantly scan his surroundings.
Beneath the shirt, his heart beats against my fist. Strong and steady. Just like him.
He sets me on the bottom step of my porch, turns, and starts to walk away. He gets to the sidewalk before I shout, “Wait!”
I run down the walkway, ignoring the pain in my feet. “You can’t just leave.”
“Go inside.” He turns me by my shoulders and gives me a slight shove. “Now.”
I turn around. “No.”
He sighs and crosses his arms. “What, Jessa?”
“You know my name?”
“Yeah.”
“What were you doing there?”
“Meeting friends.”
“Why haven’t you been in school?”
“Listen,”—he widens his stance as he glances around—“I was in the right place at the right time. That’s all, okay? Hopefully, that prick won’t mess with you again.”
“I don’t know—”
“I’ve gotta go.” He turns and jogs away before I even have the chance to reply.
I have so many questions, and so much more to say to him. His presence helps to take away from what just happened with Derek, and I’m afraid that when Ty’s out of sight, the terror of what happened and what could have happened tonight will hit me. I’d rather just sit with Ty all night, but since I don’t have the chance, I hang my head and go back to the porch. When I turn around, he’s disappeared.
Chapter 2
Jessa
eighteen years old
“You ready for tomorrow?” my mom asks, joining me on the front porch.
“Yes, I’m so glad high school is done.”
“What’s on your mind?”
Leave it to her to know something’s up. Motherly instinct, I suppose. “He was there that night, Mom.”
“I know, honey. I believe you.”
“I think about him all the time. I just don’t understand how I can barely know him,
He doesn’t say anything but continues to hit Derek with a fury I’ve only seen in an action movie… something I thought was fake, but this guy is proving me wrong.
Derek’s face is split open in several places, and he has blood running down to his crisp white shirt. After one final punch to the gut, he falls to the ground.
My savior stands over Derek’s still body, watching, waiting for him to flinch. After a minute with no movement from Derek, the guy turns around and looks at me. His eyes rake from my head down to my sparkly silver toenails and then back up again. “You good?” he asks.
I nod. Now that you’re here. “Yes. Thank you.”
He grabs my tattered panties and hands them to me. “I’ll walk you home.”
He begins to take off, and I scurry to catch up to him. We’re not far from my home, but it’s not that close either. I could easily call my parents to come and get me, but I don’t want to stick around here and wait for them. I feel safer with him, as if nothing could touch me because he won’t let it.
I have to work double time to keep up with his strides, and after a few blocks, my feet begin to burn. I am wearing heels, after all.
“I need to slow down,” I tell him.
He turns to me, looks at my shoes, and then slows his pace.
“So, uh. Thank you. Again.”
All I receive is a nod in acknowledgment. No “you’re welcome” or anything.
“Why were you there? I didn’t see you at the dance.”
He doesn’t answer, so I try again. “What’s your name?”
“Ty.”
I take his short or non-answers as my cue to be quiet and just follow him. I don’t know how he knows where I live, but I’m too overwhelmed to think much about it right now.
We’re only two blocks from my house now, but my feet are killing me. I stop by a tree and slide my heels off, then walk on my bare feet. Ty waits for me to catch up with him then turns and scoops me up in his arms.
I gasp and grab his shirt. He looks ahead, not at me, but I stare at him. His thick eyebrows, the three freckles on the right side of his nose, and his black eyelashes. How his eyes constantly scan his surroundings.
Beneath the shirt, his heart beats against my fist. Strong and steady. Just like him.
He sets me on the bottom step of my porch, turns, and starts to walk away. He gets to the sidewalk before I shout, “Wait!”
I run down the walkway, ignoring the pain in my feet. “You can’t just leave.”
“Go inside.” He turns me by my shoulders and gives me a slight shove. “Now.”
I turn around. “No.”
He sighs and crosses his arms. “What, Jessa?”
“You know my name?”
“Yeah.”
“What were you doing there?”
“Meeting friends.”
“Why haven’t you been in school?”
“Listen,”—he widens his stance as he glances around—“I was in the right place at the right time. That’s all, okay? Hopefully, that prick won’t mess with you again.”
“I don’t know—”
“I’ve gotta go.” He turns and jogs away before I even have the chance to reply.
I have so many questions, and so much more to say to him. His presence helps to take away from what just happened with Derek, and I’m afraid that when Ty’s out of sight, the terror of what happened and what could have happened tonight will hit me. I’d rather just sit with Ty all night, but since I don’t have the chance, I hang my head and go back to the porch. When I turn around, he’s disappeared.
Chapter 2
Jessa
eighteen years old
“You ready for tomorrow?” my mom asks, joining me on the front porch.
“Yes, I’m so glad high school is done.”
“What’s on your mind?”
Leave it to her to know something’s up. Motherly instinct, I suppose. “He was there that night, Mom.”
“I know, honey. I believe you.”
“I think about him all the time. I just don’t understand how I can barely know him,
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