“Remember, you asked for this,” she warns, and I smirk.
She moves her leg, trying to knee me quickly and with a sufficient amount of force, but she isn’t quite fast enough for me. Before she realizes what’s going on, I’ve twisted my body and have the leg she tried to kick me with wrapped high around my waist, my hand on her thigh. She gasps and loses her balance, but I pull her into me, her body crashing into mine.
“You can’t protect yourself against me,” I tell her. “If I wanted to kiss you right now, there’s nothing you could do about it. If I wanted to take advantage of you, my hand over your mouth to silence your screams, there’s nothing you could do about it.”
She swallows hard, her eyes on mine, our bodies far closer than I should allow. “Caleb isn’t you. I’d be able to get away from him.”
I tighten my grip on her thigh and bury my other hand in her hair, barely able to restrain my anger. “Damn right, he ain’t me. That still doesn’t excuse what happened today. You shouldn’t have to defend yourself at all, I know that, but the world isn’t as pretty as we’d like it to be, no matter how unfair that might be. Don’t put yourself in this kind of situation ever again, you hear me?”
She nods, and I let go of her. Alanna takes a step away from me and looks away. “Thank you,” she murmurs, her voice so soft I nearly missed it.
“What the fuck do you see in that asshole, anyway? Who is he?” I shouldn’t ask, but I can’t help myself. I’m irrationally angry at the thought of her being with him. She’s too good for him, whether she sees it or not.
“I… it isn’t really like that. We aren’t dating or anything. We both had a free period, and we’re supposed to write a paper together. He suggested we go for a walk to talk it over and divide our tasks, and I didn’t think much of it.”
I sigh and shake my head. “Promise me, okay? Don’t put yourself in dangerous situations. I don’t agree with you volunteering at the shelter, but I definitely don’t agree with you doing this kind of stupid shit.”
She nods and falls into step with me as we head back to the park’s entrance. “Yes, Si,” she says, her voice filled with defeat. “I promise.”
I pause and take my phone from my pocket. “If you ever do find yourself in trouble, you call me, okay? No matter when or where. If I can help you, I will.”
I hand her my phone, and she gives me her number, letting it ring once, so she’s got mine too. “Why are you so good to me? First at the cemetery, and now too.”
I look into her eyes for a moment, wondering the same thing. “I don’t know,” I whisper. The years I’ve spent homeless have hardened me, but I have a soft spot for her.
“Let me walk you back to school.”
She nods, a small smile on her face. Each time I speak to her, I’m left feeling unsettled. There’s something about her that tugs at my heartstrings, and I hate it.
I hate it, yet I keep finding myself entangled with her.
Chapter Seven
Alanna
I’m nervous as I make my way to the shelter. I’ve been working there for a few weeks now, and usually Si just ignores me, clearly going out of his way to avoid me. I wonder if he’ll do the same today. I’m not sure why he purposely keeps me at a distance, but I love catching glimpses of the boy he used to be.
I haven’t been able to stop thinking about the way he helped me in the park last week, and the strength with which he held my body against his. I’m not blind. I’ve noticed his muscles and the few faint scars on his face that weren’t there before. I can’t help but wonder what his story is. How does a guy like him end up in a homeless shelter?
Each night, I wonder if I should text him, perhaps to thank him for his help. I find myself curious about him, and I won’t deny that I find him attractive. I suspect that he still sees me as the little girl from the cemetery, and I can’t help but want to change that.
Ricardo waves at me when I walk in, a warm smile on his face. Over the last couple of weeks, I’ve come to understand why my father values him so much. I’ve never met a person as genuinely good and caring as Ricardo, and he makes me want to be a better person, too.
“Hi!” I tell him.
“I’ve got a boring job for you today.”
“What is it? Packaging food?”
Ricardo grins and nods. “How did you know?”
I shake my head. “I have been coming here for a while, you know? Usually when you tell me it’ll be a boring day, it means packaging food to distribute. Boring days are my favorite, because that’s when you tell me stories about my dad while we work.”