up?”
Marcus froze, “What other guy?” He tried
to act confused as he started the car’s engine.
“The one who ran away after you yelled
at him.” Brayden’s voice was small.
“Um, well, because he pushed Ms. Hewitt
down.” Marcus chanced a look in his mirror to gauge his son’s reaction.
Brayden’s eyes grew wide with disbelief.
“Why would he do that? Ms. Hewitt’s so nice.”
“I don’t know, Bray,” he sighed. Maybe
because he needed to score some fast cash for his next fix. Marcus had only
seen the guy for a moment, but his blood shot eyes and rail thin body told him
enough to know the guy was probably a junkie. His thoughts flashed to Vanessa
and he wanted this conversation to end. He didn’t want to talk to his son about
how some people are so consumed by addiction they jeopardize the safety of
innocent people to get their next fix.
A light came on in a third story window
of the building as he pulled away from the curb.
“Is Ms. Hewitt a good teacher?” Marcus
asked, thinking back to how Brayden just said she was so nice .
“She’s okay,” Brayden said with a shrug
and popped his earbuds back in, returning his attention to his video game.
Okay! Marcus thought, he thinks she’s okay! That was high praise coming from Brayden.
Chapter
Six
Emma huddled on the couch next to Seth.
He held her hand while she called the police and reported the attempted crime.
The officer she spoke with said the department would look into it, but didn’t
offer any reassurance that they’d catch the guy. Next, Seth ran her a warm bath
and simmered a pot of tomato soup for their dinner. Emma’s appetite for Chinese
food had vanished.
After a few requisite slurps, Emma set
her bowl on the coffee table.
Seth finished off his bowl and set it
next to Emma’s. “Promise me something?” he asked, throwing an arm over her
shoulder and pulling her closer to him. Emma let her head relax onto his chest.
“What?”
“That you won’t walk home from school in
the dark again.”
“Don’t worry. I think I’ve learned my
lesson. And having to sit on a donut for the next two weeks will be my constant
reminder.” They both laughed, which felt good for a moment as it relieved some
of her pent up tension, but then it hurt. Her fall onto the sidewalk jarred her
insides and left invisible bruises.
She ran through the attack a hundred
times since coming home. A list of what ifs had taken form as she imagined all
the other possible outcomes of the evening. What if the guy had a weapon, what
if she’d hit her head on the pavement and blacked out or what if there had been
more than one guy? She chastised herself again and again for her stupidity to
walk alone in the dark. If Mr. Lewis hadn’t driven up when he did she could
have suffered a much worse fate.
Seth picked up the remote and flipped on
the TV. Emma pulled the soft cream-colored throw from the back of the couch and
tucked it around her legs. She settled in again with her head on Seth and he
drew his other arm around in front, holding her.
She sighed deeply, reveling in how good
it felt to be wrapped in someone’s arms. With Seth’s strong arms around her she
felt safe, protected. Thank goodness he was here tonight. If she was alone, she
would probably go into hysterics. Emma closed her eyes, thinking about how she
wanted to stay right here with Seth protecting her forever.
The alarm buzzed and Emma awoke with a
start trying to remember how she got into her bed. She sat up and a deep pain
shot down her back before settling at the bottom of her vertebrae. The pain
reminded her of the attack from the night before and then of Seth holding her
in his arms. Seth resonated in the back of her mind and the dream she awakened
from came flooding back.
She was at her parents’ house in Orchard
Creek with Seth and two little boys. Audrey, Finn and her nieces were there
too. They were posing for a family picture with her parents in the center
flanked by Audrey’s
Marcus froze, “What other guy?” He tried
to act confused as he started the car’s engine.
“The one who ran away after you yelled
at him.” Brayden’s voice was small.
“Um, well, because he pushed Ms. Hewitt
down.” Marcus chanced a look in his mirror to gauge his son’s reaction.
Brayden’s eyes grew wide with disbelief.
“Why would he do that? Ms. Hewitt’s so nice.”
“I don’t know, Bray,” he sighed. Maybe
because he needed to score some fast cash for his next fix. Marcus had only
seen the guy for a moment, but his blood shot eyes and rail thin body told him
enough to know the guy was probably a junkie. His thoughts flashed to Vanessa
and he wanted this conversation to end. He didn’t want to talk to his son about
how some people are so consumed by addiction they jeopardize the safety of
innocent people to get their next fix.
A light came on in a third story window
of the building as he pulled away from the curb.
“Is Ms. Hewitt a good teacher?” Marcus
asked, thinking back to how Brayden just said she was so nice .
“She’s okay,” Brayden said with a shrug
and popped his earbuds back in, returning his attention to his video game.
Okay! Marcus thought, he thinks she’s okay! That was high praise coming from Brayden.
Chapter
Six
Emma huddled on the couch next to Seth.
He held her hand while she called the police and reported the attempted crime.
The officer she spoke with said the department would look into it, but didn’t
offer any reassurance that they’d catch the guy. Next, Seth ran her a warm bath
and simmered a pot of tomato soup for their dinner. Emma’s appetite for Chinese
food had vanished.
After a few requisite slurps, Emma set
her bowl on the coffee table.
Seth finished off his bowl and set it
next to Emma’s. “Promise me something?” he asked, throwing an arm over her
shoulder and pulling her closer to him. Emma let her head relax onto his chest.
“What?”
“That you won’t walk home from school in
the dark again.”
“Don’t worry. I think I’ve learned my
lesson. And having to sit on a donut for the next two weeks will be my constant
reminder.” They both laughed, which felt good for a moment as it relieved some
of her pent up tension, but then it hurt. Her fall onto the sidewalk jarred her
insides and left invisible bruises.
She ran through the attack a hundred
times since coming home. A list of what ifs had taken form as she imagined all
the other possible outcomes of the evening. What if the guy had a weapon, what
if she’d hit her head on the pavement and blacked out or what if there had been
more than one guy? She chastised herself again and again for her stupidity to
walk alone in the dark. If Mr. Lewis hadn’t driven up when he did she could
have suffered a much worse fate.
Seth picked up the remote and flipped on
the TV. Emma pulled the soft cream-colored throw from the back of the couch and
tucked it around her legs. She settled in again with her head on Seth and he
drew his other arm around in front, holding her.
She sighed deeply, reveling in how good
it felt to be wrapped in someone’s arms. With Seth’s strong arms around her she
felt safe, protected. Thank goodness he was here tonight. If she was alone, she
would probably go into hysterics. Emma closed her eyes, thinking about how she
wanted to stay right here with Seth protecting her forever.
The alarm buzzed and Emma awoke with a
start trying to remember how she got into her bed. She sat up and a deep pain
shot down her back before settling at the bottom of her vertebrae. The pain
reminded her of the attack from the night before and then of Seth holding her
in his arms. Seth resonated in the back of her mind and the dream she awakened
from came flooding back.
She was at her parents’ house in Orchard
Creek with Seth and two little boys. Audrey, Finn and her nieces were there
too. They were posing for a family picture with her parents in the center
flanked by Audrey’s
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