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"Sorry, sorry, I'm all out! What awful timing, right?" Drew sighs. He gives me a little smile. "You'll live."
"What the hell is your problem with me?" I demand. "It's bad enough you got me fired! Now this?"
"Getting you fired was never aboutyou, Filia." Wrinkling his nose, he shoves the cart up the aisle, away from us. "Excuse me, I'm very busy."
My whole head is buzzing. "I don't understand."
"Neither do I," Marco snaps. He stands up in the aisle.
"Wait, where are you going?"
"I can't sit here after what he did to you. I refuse."
"No! Not here!" I beg, holding his wrist with both hands. His whole body is tight as a fishing line. "Marco, confronting him won't help!"
He seethes quietly. Passengers are staring; Marco strikes quite an image as he breathes heavily in the aisle. He fills the space and his energy fills the whole damn plane.
"Fine," he whispers, dropping down beside me.
I let out a relieved sigh. "Thank you."
Marco stares angrily at Drew. Drew is oblivious as he pours water for a young woman. "I need a favor."
"What?"
"Let me sit by the window. If he comes too close, I don't know that I can resist snatching his pencil-neck and choking him out until he apologizes to you."
My face flushes with a mix of unease and...pride. It’s nice to be with someone so eager to defend me. We shift apart so he can take my seat and I have the aisle. Just then the plane jostles. "Oh!"
"Careful now." Sally is at my side; she grips my shoulders to keep me from falling over.
I give her a grateful smile. "Thanks. You'd think I'd be better prepared for turbulence."
Her smiles fades away as she releases me. "Okay, well, I've got to bring a hot towel to a gentleman in section F, so..." She tries to squeeze by me.
I spread my feet to stabilize myself and block her. "Sally, wait, we need to talk."
"About what?" She won't look me in the eye.
"About me getting fired! About you saying you'd come help me and never showing up or calling to tell me what happened!"
"Nothing happened. I don't know what you mean."
"Sally!"Gripping her upper arms, I work to make her look at me. "Aren't we friends?"
She says nothing.
My chest tightens, my eyes get hot, but I press on. "Even if we're not friends, what's stopping you from telling me what happened that day?"
"I..." Her head angles towards me.. "Filia, I can't. It'll get worse for me if I do."
"What––"
"Sally!" Drew snips. She stiffens under my hands. We both turn to see Drew at the front of the aisle, his face screwed up in annoyance. "Sally, stop playing around. There's work to do."
Sally doesn't hesitate, she pushes me away, hurrying towards Drew. I snatch at her wrist and miss. "Sally, wait!"
"I'm sorry." She whispers it so soft I almost mistake it for the air coming from the air conditioning vents. Then she's too far for me to respond.
