Hazel tapped in her response. Hazel might have been a masochistic thrill-seeker, taking any chance to fight her sudden enemies, but she also believed in people. She wanted desperately to have a friend like Christine, someone who saw her for who she was, and didn’t care about the rest. Friendship and acceptance. That was it. Nothing more.
So for a moment, I ignored the fact that I didn’t trust Christine. She could have been the exact friend that Hazel needed. Besides, Kiley was on the hunt. She would find out the truth soon enough.
“Let’s talk about jobs,” I said. She moved her legs so I could sit on the stool next to her. She faced me. We were close. The proximity was unnerving. I could smell her. Coconut and sweet fruit. Like she was fresh out of the shower. Her hair had mostly dried, but my mind wandered to seeing her in that tiny towel after we played. “If not college,” I asked, “then what?”
“What do you mean?”
“What’s next?”
She contemplated the question, her turquoise eyes fixed on me. It was a simple question, and yet she was focused on it, like it had another meaning.
“You’re really asking me, aren’t you?” she asked.
I knew better than to trick Hazel. She might have liked being dominated until she was helpless, but that didn’t mean she wanted to be forced into any situation. She fought, and she fought hard.
I knew she needed an actual answer. “Yes,” I said. “What do you want? Your dream scenario.” A smile flitted across her face, amused at the idea. “The goal.” I paused, then added, “Or whatever works until you get to that goal.”
“I don’t know.” She shrugged. “Honestly. I’ve always been on the move. I’ve never stopped to think about where I was going. I just went.”
I could see that. “But you’re here now,” I said. I put my hands on her knees. “And I’m in your corner. Whatever it is that you want next, I’m here to support you.”
Her knees flexed at the contact, but she didn’t move. She blushed.
“You know,” she said, crossing her arms, “Sometimes I have to remind myself of what happened. You’re way nicer than I thought you would be.”
I smiled, then sat up straight, letting go of her knees. I let her words hang in the air. For me, it was the opposite. I had known the fire inside of Hazel from the moment I first laid eyes on her.
“A job, I guess,” Hazel said. “It’s better than nothing, right?”
“We can find you a job on the Strip.”
“Or Fremont Street?” her voice perked up. She reached for her phone. That was right. It was where Christine worked.
Perhaps it was better to keep Christine close. I could keep an eye on her too. “Or Fremont Street.” I stood up. “Let’s do some training.” I held out a hand. “We have a couple more moves to go over. Then we can fill out some applications.”
She studied my hand, as if weighing her options. Then she took it. Her hand was cold in my palm. I wrapped my fingers around her grasp, helping her off of the stool. Then I gestured in front of us, letting her lead the way.
Once we were both in exercise clothes, we met in the workout room. I hadn’t moved any of the equipment back to their original places, so there was still a decent amount of space in the middle.
“Bend your wrist,” I said. She flexed it, showing a flat palm. “Go for the nose or throat. Strike hard and as quickly as you can.”
“Right now?”
“Yes.”
She jammed her palm, and I moved, enough so that she made contact, but didn’t do any damage.
“Good,” I said. “Now, remember: eyes, nose, throat. Those are the best points to attack. When in doubt, go for the weak areas.”
“Eyes, nose, throat,” she repeated. “Groin too?” A smirk glimmered in her eye. I nodded.
“But the best thing you can do is to run,” I said. “Once you’re free, run. Don’t look back.”
“Go crying like a coward?”
“Be free.Be alive.” I braced myself for the next attempt. “Now try again.”
She hammered her whole body forward, about to run into me, but let go of her palm right as she got close. She didn’t want to hurt me.
