Page 25 of My All American Girl

11

SARAH

“Did you just flip off my girl?” The man that had been in my face earlier came back for more.

He looked angry and entitled and he acted like he owned the joint. Like he and his buddies were the gatekeepers to this dive. I squared my shoulders, refusing to back down in the face of his aggression.

“That’s my cue,” Kylee muttered before slipping away into the crowd, leaving me to handle the situation on my own.

I could feel the eyes of the entire bar on us, the tension thick in the air as they waited to see how this confrontation would play out.

I took a step forward, meeting the man’s gaze head on. “She can handle herself just fine,” I said, my voice steady despite the adrenaline coursing through my veins. “She started this shit.”

“You’ve been giving her dirty looks since you walked in here,” he growled. “You think your shit don’t stink.”

I squared my shoulders, meeting his challenging gaze with one of my own. “I don’t give a damn about your girl or her fragile ego,” I retorted. “And as for my pride, well, let’s just say I’m not the one starting fights in bars over a glance.”

The man’s face turned an alarming shade of red. His fists clenched at his sides as he took a threatening step closer. I could practically taste the violence in the air, the tension escalating to a breaking point.

“You stupid little bitch,” he hissed. “Someone needs to take you down a few pegs.”

I pulled back to punch him, but someone caught my elbow and put my arm behind my back. “Hey!” I shouted, kicking and squirming against whoever had a hold of me.

I was dragged outside and tossed on my ass. I came up spitting mad, ready to kick some serious ass. But the person I was about to knock the shit out of turned out to be Dean Ryker. That took the wind out of my sails.

My eyes narrowed. “What are you doing here?”

“Do I look like I answer to you?” he retorted.

I brushed off my butt and glared at him. “What the hell?” I spat. “How are you here?”

“My truck.” He shrugged.

“Don’t be a smartass. Why are you here, at this bar in Mississippi?”

Dean seemed to be conveniently in the right place at the right time a lot. What was with that? My temper was practically vibrating through me. I got all worked up and then had my release taken away from me. Now, I looked like the idiot being dragged out of the bar when everyone else was still inside.

“I’m here because I can be,” he replied. “You are walking a fine line. You’re acting like an entitled brat. No one likes nepotism. No one wants to see someone like you get promoted and get the cushy jobs because of who your daddy is.”

“Fuck you,” I hissed.

The words stung more than I cared to admit. His words felt like a physical blow, the truth behind them leaving me feeling exposed and vulnerable. I had always known that my father’s position had raised eyebrows and stirred resentment among my fellow pilots, but to hear it voiced so blatantly by someone I respected really hurt.

I wasn’t one to take anything sitting down and I was certainly not going to start now. I stepped closer to Dean, our faces mere inches apart. “You don’t know anything about me,” I spat. “You have no right to judge me or my abilities based on who my father is. He didn’t get me here. I did. I worked my ass off.”

He shook his head, not giving an inch. He looked down his nose at me. “Your daddy isn’t going to protect you,” he hissed. “He can’t protect you in the Air Force. Not even the President of the United fucking States can stop what will happen if you continue pulling stunts like this. Sooner or later higher-ups are going to notice, and they’re going to give you the boot. You’re too reckless for your own good.”

“They won’t kick me out after they see me fly,” I said, lifting my chin defiantly.

“Entitled, bratty, and cocky. What a mix. It gets you nowhere.”

I did a curtsy. “Thank you.”

His jaw flexed with irritation, which made me proud that I had gotten to him. “No one will respect you. You think this is all fun and games. If you manage to get through this program and if you somehow manage to find yourself in the cockpit in a high-stakes situation, you’re going to discover just how important it is to have the respect of your fellow pilots. Without a good wingman by your side, you might as well be flying blind. You’re not just risking your life up there. You’re risking the lives of everyone else around you.”

I clenched my fists at my sides, trying to push down the surge of emotions threatening to bubble over. “I don’t need a lecture from you,” I shot back, my voice trembling slightly despite my best efforts to appear unaffected. “I know what I’m doing.”

Dean’s gaze bored into mine, unwavering and intense. “Do you?” he challenged. “Because the way you’re going, you’re going to crash and burn. And the last thing I want on my conscience is to have to drag your sorry ass out of flaming wreckage. So, either shape up or ship out, because I won’t hesitate to report your reckless behavior to the higher-ups if I have to.”