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“Sang?” Mr. Griffin said. He sniffed loud and his head tilted from side to side. I wondered if he was dizzy. “What kind of hippy-dippy name is that? And look at this fucking house. It’s a trash heap.”
I swallowed and glanced around but didn’t see any trash.
“Leave, Sang,” Nathan said.
I wanted to listen to him, but I was petrified. I didn’t want him to be alone if his father was mean. I froze in my panicked state.
“Fucking right she should leave. You’re in a hell of a lot of trouble. Go home,” he snapped at me. “I’m not letting my son get the neighborhood whore pregnant.”
“Don’t talk about her like that,” Nathan snapped. “Sang, go. Now.”
My body moved instantly at his command. My shoes were by the front door. I didn’t want to walk around Nathan’s dad to get them. I ran for the sliding glass door, shoving one aside so I could flee.
“Where the hell is she going? You’ve got her going through the back? What the fucking hell, Nathan?” His hand shot out, slapping Nathan in the side of the head with a loud smack. “I thought you had things together down here and I walk in and you’re fucking some girl on my fucking couch.”
I froze just outside the glass. Had his father just hit him?
Nathan had his hands up protectively again, taking a step back. “Back off, Dad. I’ll clean the house.”
“Fuck you,” Mr. Griffin reached around Nathan’s hands, popping him on the side of the head again. “Don’t backtalk me. I’ll tell you what you’re going to do.”
Nathan half turned, his arms still up defensively. He caught me staring through the glass. “Go, Sang.”
Nathan’s urging had my legs moving. I dashed around the pool, and made it as far as the shed before I stopped, realizing I was probably making a mistake. I was abandoning Nathan when his dad was hitting him. I couldn’t leave him now.
I dropped my hand into my bra, finding my phone. I found Kota’s app and hit the red button. As the emergency text was sending, Nathan backed his way out of the house. His father was following.
“Back off, Dad,” Nathan bellowed, stepping out into the porch on the back side of the house. He waved his arms in front of himself. “Don’t touch me again.”
I clutched at the side of the shed, squeezing myself back and crouching. There were some lights on inside the pool, and the ceiling light on the overhang. I was pretty sure I was in shadow behind the shed. I’d gone this far, but I couldn’t leave him any further.
Mr. Griffin shoved a finger toward Nathan’s face. “Are you threatening me? You might have gotten all those fancy belts, but I’m still your father, and I’ll kick your sorry ass. You’re a spoiled little shit.”
Nathan dodged the finger, smacking it with the back of his hand to push it away. “Stop,” he said, his shoulders rounding out. I didn’t think I’d ever seen Nathan pull himself together like that, to where he looked so massive.
Nathan’s dad snatched up Nathan’s wrist. His other hand shot out, smacking Nathan in the ear. “You think you can have some fucking whore on my couch. Haven’t you listened to a thing I’ve told you? When you’re under my roof, you keep your pants on. Do you want a baby at fifteen?”
“I’m sixteen,” Nathan said, half sarcastic. “I’ve had a birthday.”
“Well happy fucking birthday.” Mr. Griffin smacked him on the ear again.
“Don’t.”
“Don’t tell me what to do. And don’t talk back to me.” Mr. Griffin stepped forward, but the move was shaky. His head kept wobbling back and forth. The finger that he was pointing at Nathan swayed, as if he wasn’t sure where to point. “Keep the skank bitch out of my house.”
“Don’t talk about her like that,” Nathan growled.
I swallowed hard, pressing myself against the side of the shed. I wanted Nathan to run. Why wasn’t he running? Why didn’t he just walk away?
“What, Nathan?” Mr. Griffin bellowed, his open palm closed into a fist and he shoved it toward his son, who dodged it. “You telling me how to talk now? You think you can do that? This is my house.” He swung outward, his fist striking Nathan in the ear.
Nathan dodged out of the way of the next one, backing up a few more steps, holding his hands up, but his feet moved apart in the way he did during self-defense training. “I’m not telling you how to talk, but don’t talk about Sang like that.”
I opened my mouth, ready to call out to Nathan to run instead of fighting. I didn’t care what his dad was saying about me or him. I wanted Nathan to be safe.
Fingers cupped around my lips and an arm stretched over my waist, pulling me back. I sucked in a breath, but caught myself before I could cry out, catching the scent of sweet spice.
Kota pulled me to him, pressing me up against the wall of the shed. He turned me enough that he could lock eyes with me. His green eyes darkened, narrowing on my face for a moment before lifting his hand away from my mouth. He touched lightly at his lips, indicating to be quiet.
I pleaded with my eyes at him. Don’t let Nathan get hurt.
Kota’s arm around my waist tightened. He picked me up and carried me back toward the fence gate behind the shed.
That’s not what I wanted. I started struggling. I didn’t want to leave Nathan alone. I shook my head at him. Didn’t he understand?
Kota was merciless. He seized me around the waist, picking me up off the ground again. When he had a good grip, he started toward the gate. If I wasn’t going willingly, he’d drag me out.
“Kota,” I breathed. “We can’t...”
“Not now.” He shoved me back against the fence outside of Nathan’s property, pinning me against the wood, ducking his head around the open gateway, scouting for Mr. Griffin before focusing on me. “Go to the diner,” he said. “Go there and stay there until I come to get you.”
“But...”
“Sang, I can’t help him until you go,” he said. His hands found mine and he shoved one toward his mouth, kissing my knuckles. “Trust me, okay? I can help, but I can’t do it with you here. We can handle this.”
There was more shouting. I started to turn. It felt wrong. I didn’t want to run off.
Kota captured my chin between his fingers. “Look at me, Sang. I’ve got Nathan. He’ll be fine. I’m going to go in and talk his father down. I can’t do it if I’m worried about you.” He pulled me away from the fencing and nudged me toward the wood plank bridge. “Go to the diner and find Luke. Stay with him.”
I started to nod, moving toward the bridge and walking down the path. I glanced back just as Kota disappeared beyond the fence. I stopped where I was, afraid to leave them. Family first. I wanted to help. I wanted to trust Kota, but this wasn’t the time to run away, was it?
There were more shouts. I tiptoed quietly to the fence. I peeked between two slats.
Nathan was holding up his hands again in front of his father. Kota approached behind Mr. Griffin, his hands were up. Mr. Griffin cursed, but due to the distance and his slurring, I wasn’t exactly sure what he was saying. Kota replied. Nathan looked a little less stressed.
Mr. Griffin leapt at Kota. I was about to call out to him when Nathan lunged at his father. He made a side sweep at his feet until his dad tumbled forward, knocked to the ground.
/> Mr. Griffin got up, lunged back after Nathan. Nathan was ready with a fist, and he struck out at his father, hitting him in the stomach. Mr. Griffin fell back. Kota caught him, holding his arms down to restrain him. Mr. Griffin struggled, but Nathan claimed his legs. Together, they shoved Mr. Griffin, sending him flying into the pool.
Time slowed for me. The scene captivated my attention, and I was unsure of what I’d just witnessed. Kota and Nathan attacked Mr. Griffin. Mr. Griffin would surely call the police on them, wouldn’t he?
I backed away from the fence, stumbled across the wood plank bridge and dashed through the woods, heading toward the diner. They needed help. I wanted to find someone who could do something about it.
DISTRACTIONS AND TIPS
My bare feet crunched over leaves, my heart in my throat the whole way. Conflicted feelings had me wanting to run in different directions; I wanted to check on Kota and Nathan, to slow my pace and hope they caught up, but I also wanted to hurry and get to Luke so someone could go after them and help.
I made it to the end of the path through the woods at the end of Sunnyvale Court. The old church, now renovated into Bob’s Diner, had the lights on in welcome.
I stood just short of the gravel drive, shifting from one foot to the other in the cool grass, my mind whirling as I tried to figure out what to do. I reached up and clutched at my cell phone that was tucked away in my bra. I was tempted to call North or Silas. I thought they could help. I thought of Mr. Blackbourne, who would surely drive out here and stop the chaos. I wasn’t sure who could help best, but I would have settled for anyone. Kota was already there, but for some reason I couldn’t seem to shake the need to do something more.
Luke and Gabriel were somewhere within the diner. They were the closest and they would know what to do. I padded carefully across the gravel, trying to hurry.
The front entryway was empty. The parking lot wasn’t full, so I guessed it wasn’t busy. At the dining room doors, I stopped just inside the opening.
I scanned faces but didn’t see Luke or Gabriel.
