Page 23 of Kickoff

“Always, Cap.”

Outside, the night air filled my lungs, bringing me a sense of calm. Keeping my head down, I snuck away, escaping the mass of people trying to strike up a conversation with me.

I trudged toward the cars parked at a weird angle across the patch of grass lining the street, with the intention of walking home. The forty minutes trek should be enough time to flush away all the remaining flecks of anger coiling me tight.

I stopped by my brother’s car to grab the hoodie I had left there earlier and slipped it on. I resumed my walk when the sound of a heated conversation a bit further on my right stopped me in my tracks. The breeze carried the voices of a guy and a girl arguing.

“I’m not doing this with you. I already said no. Twice.”

Every cell in my body froze. That voice. I would recognize it amongst a thousand others.

Bracing myself for a fight, I clenched my fists at my sides. If Fucking Bellevue had done anything to hurt Melinda, I would kick his ass to Neptune. In just a few strides, I zigzagged through the parked vehicles until I spotted Nathan’s pine-green pickup truck with the “Fuck The World” sticker on the slider.

“Stop flirting with me if you won’t open your legs for me.”

The distinctive sound of a hand slapping a cheek resonated in the night. “That’s my girl,” I whispered to myself, pride filling me at the idea Melinda had put this jerk in his place.

“You bitch.” Nathan’s tone had gone from annoyed to pissed. “You wanna touch me? Is that it? Well, I’ll show you⁠—”

I saw red. Enough that fury blurred my vision.

From a distance, I saw that Nathan had Melinda pressed against the back door of his truck, one knee between her legs and the full length of his body caging her while he held her hands above her head like she was at his mercy. She had no way out of this. The jerk had at least forty pounds and a few inches over her.

Silent tears rolled down her cheeks. “Let me go. Please, I don’t want this. I wanna go home. Don’t do this.”

“Shhh, relax. It’ll be fun.”

She shook her head. “You’re wrong about me. I thought we were friends. I’m not who you want.”

His grin turned devilish as he leaned back. “Friends? Nah. See? I don’t agree with you. A sweet little pussy like yours is exactly what I crave. Let me take care of you. I didn’t waste all this time with you over the summer to get nothing in exchange. I’ll make this worth it, trust me.”

“Please. No. No, no, no. Nate, don’t do something you will regret.”

“Touch her and die.” They both went rigid at the sound of my voice. Nathan didn’t have time to finish his sentence before I tackled him and tossed him aside. Melinda watched me with big, teary eyes, her back molded to that jackass’s truck frame, her arms folded around herself like a shield.

The sight of her, shaken and scared, fractured a piece of my heart.

My pulse went haywire as I took in her ripped shirt and unbuttoned cut-offs. Nearing her, I pulled her into my arms, careful not to squeeze her too tight in case Fucking Bellevue had hurt her. Her sobs doubled in intensity as she buried her face in my chest, her frame feeling so small in my embrace. How many times had I dreamed of having her in my arms just like this? And the first time it happened, it was because she had almost been assaulted by a fucker. With her body taut against mine, I held her until her muscles relaxed and she calmed down, then wiped her wet cheeks with my thumb. “Are you okay? Did he hurt you?”

With careful fingers, I pushed her hair back, studying her face, searching for clues—or his marks on her porcelain skin.

She watched me for a long moment before she whispered a quivering “Nnnn-o.”

“Gimme a sec, okay?”

Her voice sounded broken when she said, “O-okay.”

A cocktail of emotions swirled inside me. I had to cool off, or I’d do something bad like re-rearranging the fucker’s face. He kinda deserved another facial makeover and a brand-new nose.

I let go of Melinda, and seconds later, charged in the direction of Nathan trying to lift himself off the ground.

“What’s wrong, Pierce? You want her as a sidepiece too? Pretty sure she’s untouched yet. No doubt she’d be the best lay in all Elk River High. Come on, have you seen that ass of hers? I’ve been dreaming of riding it for a while now.”

My wrath spiraled to a new high I’d never experienced before when he flashed a crooked smile my way. “Asshole, shut your mouth, or the only thing you’ll ride is my fist.”

“I’m not greedy, man. We can share. She can blow you while I fuck her hard and fast from behind.”

With one hand, I fisted the collar of his T-shirt and lifted him two inches above the ground. “You son of a bitch. She told you no. She fucking said no. N.O. No. That’s the first word you learn as a baby, you dickhead. You’re a sick psycho. Is something wrong with your hearing, or are you as much of a creep as everyone says? You’re speaking about her like she can’t hear you. Are you dumb? She’s not a toy you can play with. Didn’t Mommy Bellevue teach you to respect women growing up?”