followed. Stupid. Stupid Thea. I think to myself.
Barely out of the alleyway I hear “Hey wait a minute princess. I think we can work something out. Come back and take my picture.” One of them says. I glance back continuing to keep walking and see that three of them are practically on my heels. Just then one of them grabs my shoulder roughly swinging me around and the others surround me.
“Hey guys. Look I am sorry I stepped onto your turf. I am just doing a project for my class. I won’t bother you again.” I say. One of them chuckles and reaches out to my hair touching the pink and moving his face in close. He takes a deep breath trying to inhale me.
“Just what I thought , your hair smells like pink roses.” he says.
I take a step back shaking my head so his fingers are forced to leave my hair. For an instant I think about doing nothing. I think about how I might deserve whatever it is they might do to me. How letting this happen might take the guilt I feel away. But then I start thinking of how I could use my camera as a weapon. I do have a pretty strong flash setting if I can get it turned on quickly.
A car screeches next to us alongside the sidewalk. I hear a voice yell “Get away from her.” And I know it’s David. I fumble with the buttons in my hands and quickly lift my camera clicking the button in the guys face just as he makes a move to get closer to me. The flash goes off blinding the one temporarily and the others jump. The guys take off and David has his arms around me.
“Oh my god Thea. Are you ok?” he asks. “ Your leg. It’s bleeding.” He adds and I can hear the concern in his voice and I look down at my leg and see the cut in my jeans and red stuff underneath the slightly open gap the jeans are making. Physical injuries don’t mean much though. They are on the outside. They don’t compare to how it feels to lose a brother.
“I’m fine. I think I cut it on a car in the alleyway” I say.
“Alleyway! What were you thinking Thea?”
“About my photography project.” I say with a little sarcasm.
“Well…” He stumbles with his words “You…Get in the car .” he says.
He opens the car door for me without his arm leaving my side. When I get in I smell an overwhelmingly delicious smell of pizza.
“Pizza?” I say as he gets into the drivers side of the car.
“Ya I was out on a delivery when I happened to see you in trouble.” he says. “I’m calling the police.”
“No .” I say. “You don’t need to do that. It’s fine nothing happened. I am ok.”
“Ok? You’re hurt.” He says.
“Really. I am ok.” I say.
We sit in silence for several minutes.
“Thea. Are you sure you don’t want me to call the cops?”
“Yes. I am sure.” I say.
“Ok. Let me finish this delivery real quick. It’s a block away. And then your coming back with me to the shop to get that leg cleaned up.” We sit in silence as he pulls the car over in front of a meter. “Don’t go anywhere.” he says with a serious tone. I think he is only gone a minute before he returns back to the car. The rest of the car ride is more silence. I feel like crying but then I remind myself they may have put their hands on me but they didn’t hurt me, not where it really hurts. On the inside. But they aren’t the reason why I am really upset. I am upset about how I let my remaining guilt almost get me into trouble. I am upset because for an instant I might have gone through it. With letting them hurt me. The cops wouldn’t be able to help with that, not with really happened. Plus it was my fault. I am the one who walked up to them in the alleyway. I am the one who lingered when I knew I shouldn’t have. I asked for it.
David parks the car in front of a building with a sign that reads Vinnie Van GoGo’s Pizza . It’s green and yellow like his shirt. I didn’t notice it before but his shirt has the same text as the sign. He turns off the engine, takes out the keys and turns to look at me.
Barely out of the alleyway I hear “Hey wait a minute princess. I think we can work something out. Come back and take my picture.” One of them says. I glance back continuing to keep walking and see that three of them are practically on my heels. Just then one of them grabs my shoulder roughly swinging me around and the others surround me.
“Hey guys. Look I am sorry I stepped onto your turf. I am just doing a project for my class. I won’t bother you again.” I say. One of them chuckles and reaches out to my hair touching the pink and moving his face in close. He takes a deep breath trying to inhale me.
“Just what I thought , your hair smells like pink roses.” he says.
I take a step back shaking my head so his fingers are forced to leave my hair. For an instant I think about doing nothing. I think about how I might deserve whatever it is they might do to me. How letting this happen might take the guilt I feel away. But then I start thinking of how I could use my camera as a weapon. I do have a pretty strong flash setting if I can get it turned on quickly.
A car screeches next to us alongside the sidewalk. I hear a voice yell “Get away from her.” And I know it’s David. I fumble with the buttons in my hands and quickly lift my camera clicking the button in the guys face just as he makes a move to get closer to me. The flash goes off blinding the one temporarily and the others jump. The guys take off and David has his arms around me.
“Oh my god Thea. Are you ok?” he asks. “ Your leg. It’s bleeding.” He adds and I can hear the concern in his voice and I look down at my leg and see the cut in my jeans and red stuff underneath the slightly open gap the jeans are making. Physical injuries don’t mean much though. They are on the outside. They don’t compare to how it feels to lose a brother.
“I’m fine. I think I cut it on a car in the alleyway” I say.
“Alleyway! What were you thinking Thea?”
“About my photography project.” I say with a little sarcasm.
“Well…” He stumbles with his words “You…Get in the car .” he says.
He opens the car door for me without his arm leaving my side. When I get in I smell an overwhelmingly delicious smell of pizza.
“Pizza?” I say as he gets into the drivers side of the car.
“Ya I was out on a delivery when I happened to see you in trouble.” he says. “I’m calling the police.”
“No .” I say. “You don’t need to do that. It’s fine nothing happened. I am ok.”
“Ok? You’re hurt.” He says.
“Really. I am ok.” I say.
We sit in silence for several minutes.
“Thea. Are you sure you don’t want me to call the cops?”
“Yes. I am sure.” I say.
“Ok. Let me finish this delivery real quick. It’s a block away. And then your coming back with me to the shop to get that leg cleaned up.” We sit in silence as he pulls the car over in front of a meter. “Don’t go anywhere.” he says with a serious tone. I think he is only gone a minute before he returns back to the car. The rest of the car ride is more silence. I feel like crying but then I remind myself they may have put their hands on me but they didn’t hurt me, not where it really hurts. On the inside. But they aren’t the reason why I am really upset. I am upset about how I let my remaining guilt almost get me into trouble. I am upset because for an instant I might have gone through it. With letting them hurt me. The cops wouldn’t be able to help with that, not with really happened. Plus it was my fault. I am the one who walked up to them in the alleyway. I am the one who lingered when I knew I shouldn’t have. I asked for it.
David parks the car in front of a building with a sign that reads Vinnie Van GoGo’s Pizza . It’s green and yellow like his shirt. I didn’t notice it before but his shirt has the same text as the sign. He turns off the engine, takes out the keys and turns to look at me.
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