will tremble as I enter the classroom.”
Hannah rolled her eyes. “Yeah, that sounds very pedagogical.”
“Oh, we’re at the gas station, by the way.”
“Hmmm. Ben really drives like a maniac.”
“Yeah, he’ll only be a minute, there’s no one here. Everything will be fine. Don’t worry, okay?”
Her gaze drifted to the road ahead of her. Oh , crap. In the darkness, she could see three guys were approaching her car. They looked drunk. One of them was carrying a half-empty case of beer, and the other two were shouting at each other in unsteady voices.
“Shoo t.” She couldn’t help whispering into the phone. “Josh. There’s a bunch of drunks walking in my direction. They’ve seen my car.” One of the guys was pointing at her Datsun right at that moment. “Oh, damn.”
“Are your doors still locked?”
“Yes,” she quivered.
“So just ignore them. They can’t bother you when they can’t get in.”
“ I suppose.” Despite his words, her heart was beating in her throat.
In the meantime, one of the guys had stopped next to her window. He bent over to look at her through the glass. “You okay in there?” he asked.
“Yeah, I’m fine.” Hannah swallowed hard. “My car broke down, but help is on the way.”
“Woul d you like a drink?” the second one asked, holding up a beer bottle.
“No, thanks.”
“Can’t we sit in your car for a while?” the guy next to her asked in a velvety voice. The third one plonked down on the hood of the Datsun, staring at her through the windshield without saying a word. The look in his eyes was downright creepy.
“I don’t think that’s a good idea.” Her voice was getting shaky. “I don’t know you guys, and I’m all alone. No offense.”
Her eyes were darting from one guy to the other. The way they moved was odd. It was like their bodies responded to one another, reminding her of a documentary she’d recently watched about packs of wolves and their group behavior. Goosebumps spread all over her arms.
“Come on, don’t be a party -pooper.” The guy on the other side of her door tried the handle and discovered the car was locked. He violently pulled the handle again, a few times. The sound echoed in Hannah’s ears like it was coming from far away.
Oh my God, she had to do something before this got out of hand. Say something. Scare them off.
“Keep your dirty paws off my car,” she barked, as snippy as she could manage. “I just told you to stay out of my car. Are you deaf?” She fixed the guy with an angry stare. He wasn’t even that much older than the pupils she taught. She could do this outside the classroom, too. Make clear where her boundaries were.
The guy on the car hood crawled closer and tapped a finger on the glass, leering at her. “Maybe you’re blind,” he replied. “There’s three of us and only one of you. You really think we can’t force you out of that old car if we want to?”
A cold shiver ran down her spine. Her right hand reached for the glove compartment, finding the unloaded gun she kept there for emergencies. “Just in case,” her mother had said when Hannah first got her driver’s license. She wasn’t a big fan of firearms, but right now she silently thanked her mom.
“Fine.” She pointed the gun at the guy on the hood. “Go force the door open. Let’s see how far you’ll get after that.”
They stared at her wide-eyed. The guy in front of her slid off the car hood. “Come on, let’s go. That chick is nuts, ” he muttered, kicking against the front tire and glowering at her. “Have a nice life.”
Hannah followed the guys with her eyes until they disappeared into the dusk. She let out a shaky breath. Her heart was hammering like crazy.
“Hannah?” A tinny voice piped up from the passenger’s seat. “You still there?”
She grabbed her cell phone. “Yeah, I’m still here,” she replied softly.
“If I ever get my hands on those bastards.” His voice trembled. “Are they
Hannah rolled her eyes. “Yeah, that sounds very pedagogical.”
“Oh, we’re at the gas station, by the way.”
“Hmmm. Ben really drives like a maniac.”
“Yeah, he’ll only be a minute, there’s no one here. Everything will be fine. Don’t worry, okay?”
Her gaze drifted to the road ahead of her. Oh , crap. In the darkness, she could see three guys were approaching her car. They looked drunk. One of them was carrying a half-empty case of beer, and the other two were shouting at each other in unsteady voices.
“Shoo t.” She couldn’t help whispering into the phone. “Josh. There’s a bunch of drunks walking in my direction. They’ve seen my car.” One of the guys was pointing at her Datsun right at that moment. “Oh, damn.”
“Are your doors still locked?”
“Yes,” she quivered.
“So just ignore them. They can’t bother you when they can’t get in.”
“ I suppose.” Despite his words, her heart was beating in her throat.
In the meantime, one of the guys had stopped next to her window. He bent over to look at her through the glass. “You okay in there?” he asked.
“Yeah, I’m fine.” Hannah swallowed hard. “My car broke down, but help is on the way.”
“Woul d you like a drink?” the second one asked, holding up a beer bottle.
“No, thanks.”
“Can’t we sit in your car for a while?” the guy next to her asked in a velvety voice. The third one plonked down on the hood of the Datsun, staring at her through the windshield without saying a word. The look in his eyes was downright creepy.
“I don’t think that’s a good idea.” Her voice was getting shaky. “I don’t know you guys, and I’m all alone. No offense.”
Her eyes were darting from one guy to the other. The way they moved was odd. It was like their bodies responded to one another, reminding her of a documentary she’d recently watched about packs of wolves and their group behavior. Goosebumps spread all over her arms.
“Come on, don’t be a party -pooper.” The guy on the other side of her door tried the handle and discovered the car was locked. He violently pulled the handle again, a few times. The sound echoed in Hannah’s ears like it was coming from far away.
Oh my God, she had to do something before this got out of hand. Say something. Scare them off.
“Keep your dirty paws off my car,” she barked, as snippy as she could manage. “I just told you to stay out of my car. Are you deaf?” She fixed the guy with an angry stare. He wasn’t even that much older than the pupils she taught. She could do this outside the classroom, too. Make clear where her boundaries were.
The guy on the car hood crawled closer and tapped a finger on the glass, leering at her. “Maybe you’re blind,” he replied. “There’s three of us and only one of you. You really think we can’t force you out of that old car if we want to?”
A cold shiver ran down her spine. Her right hand reached for the glove compartment, finding the unloaded gun she kept there for emergencies. “Just in case,” her mother had said when Hannah first got her driver’s license. She wasn’t a big fan of firearms, but right now she silently thanked her mom.
“Fine.” She pointed the gun at the guy on the hood. “Go force the door open. Let’s see how far you’ll get after that.”
They stared at her wide-eyed. The guy in front of her slid off the car hood. “Come on, let’s go. That chick is nuts, ” he muttered, kicking against the front tire and glowering at her. “Have a nice life.”
Hannah followed the guys with her eyes until they disappeared into the dusk. She let out a shaky breath. Her heart was hammering like crazy.
“Hannah?” A tinny voice piped up from the passenger’s seat. “You still there?”
She grabbed her cell phone. “Yeah, I’m still here,” she replied softly.
“If I ever get my hands on those bastards.” His voice trembled. “Are they
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