I duck into the last stall.
I’m wriggling out of my jeans when I hear them.
“Well, look what we have here. Millie-Moo. Bringing your little sister to play dress-up?”
My pulse stutters. I keep getting dressed, my fingers fumbling with my bra.Whoever that is, I already don’t like him.I think about pulling the curtain aside for a peek, but until I’m fully covered, I better not.
“What are you doing here, Billy?” Millie asks, her voice strained with a nervous edge I’ve never heard before.
“Come on now, baby,” the voice says, dripping with condescension. “Don’t sound so surprised to see me. A man gets lonely.”
“Be right back, Sisk,” Millie says, her voice too high, too bright.
That’s it, I have to see. I pull the curtain aside just enough to peer through. Billy has his hand wrapped around Millie’s upperarm, his fingers digging in as he pulls her toward the front of the store. She stumbles along, her head down, not fighting back.
I shove the curtain aside and step out to go after her, but another guy steps into my path, blocking me.
“Millie-Moo didn’t tell me she had a sweet thing for a sister,” he says, his eyes crawling over me. “So pure… I bet you your hymen’s still intact.” He reaches out, his rough fingers already grazing my collarbone, feeling for the strap of my bra.
I open my mouth to scream, but he’s faster. His hand clamps over my mouth, the sour stench of his palm cutting off my air. He shoves me back inside the small, stuffy cubicle, the curtain flapping shut behind us.
“Relax,” he grunts, pressing me against the mirror. “We’re just gonna have a little chat.”
I try to move, to struggle, but his grip is unforgiving. “I wouldn’t make a peep, unless you want your sister to have to work double tonight to cover the cost of me shutting you up.”
I go rigid. He sees my eyes widen in the mirror, and a disgusting grin spreads across his face.
“Oh,” he says, his voice laced with cruel delight. “Tell me you didn’t know… Sorry to burst your bubble, little bird, but your sis is great at selling the pops. A real natural.”
Suddenly, the curtain is ripped open with a violent jerk.
Millie stands there, her eyes blazing with fire. In her hand, she’s clutching a heavy, wire coat hanger, which she swings like a club. It connects with the guy’s head and he yelps, stumbling back, clutching his skull. “What the fuck, you crazy bitch?”
Millie doesn’t hesitate. She shoves him hard, sending him crashing into the flimsy wall of the stall. “Get away from her!” she screams, her voice harsh with rage. “Get the fuck away from my sister!”
Whatever-his-name-is stands there, stunned. “Babe, easy on Trey. Save the feisty for me, you know I like that.”
Trey’s still clutching his head, his eyes narrowed on Millie. “You bitch, I’m gonna?—”
“Shut up, Trey,” Billy orders him, his eyes cold and calculating as he surveys the scene. He looks at Trey, then at the coat hanger in Millie’s hand, and finally at me, trembling behind my sister.
He lets out a low chuckle. “Alright, Mills. You’ve made your point. Let it go.”
“Get out,” Millie yells, holding the coat hanger like a weapon. “Both of you. Get the fuck out of this store and don’t ever come near her again.”
I notice the store worker purposely ignoring us all, bet this isn’t new around here.
Billy holds up his hands. ”Okay, okay. We’re going.” He looks at Millie. ”But you know how this works. You’ll pay us back later, won’t you, babe?” He reaches out and slaps her ass. Millie flinches, her whole body going rigid, but she doesn’t back down.
“Get. Out,” she says, her voice shaking.
Billy just grins, grabbing Trey by the arm and pulling him toward the front of the store. “See you soon, Mills.”
The second they’re gone, the fight drains out of Millie. The coat hanger clatters to the floor, and she sags against the wooden frame, her body trembling. I rush to her side, wrapping my arms around her.
“Are you okay?” I ask her.
She just shakes her head, tears streaming down her face. “I’m so sorry, Sisk. I’m so, so sorry.”
