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“She’s shaking like a leaf.” The woman holding me whispers to her husband, but I can’t focus on her. Ben is closer to Josh than he is to me.
“You’re okay, kid.” Her husband hushes beside us as he keeps his eyes on Ben’s back. All of our eyes are on Ben’s back.
“You’ve got some fucking nerve.” Ben’s mad. I watch as he glances to the red head standing behind Josh, young and beautiful and innocent, and then his shoulders shake and bitter laughter tears from his chest. This isn’t my Ben’s laugh - it’s full of pity and anger - but when he speaks, his words are soft and filled with unfiltered concern. “If I were you, I’d run far and fast now. He’s not the nice guy he pretends to be.”
The girls eyes meet mine for just a fraction of a second before she shakes her head and drops her gaze. She’s not going to listen.
“Ben.” My voice is weak and I hate it. “Let’s just go.”
He turns back to me instantly, the contempt falling from his face as he moves to my side, and takes my hand in his, he smiles tightly at the couple still holding me up, and they nod before the woman grabs hold of my other hand.
“Whatever he did -” her head juts in Josh’s direction ”- it was not your fault. You hear me?” Her eyes are filled with understanding as she reaches up and wipes my cheek. “You remember that.”
I nod and Ben pulls me away from them, his breath ragged with rage.
We move quickly, despite the crowd seeming to thicken around us, and Josh’s gaze sears into my skin, tearing away at the bliss I felt just moments ago.
“Your back seems to have healed nicely, Mikaela.”
Ben’s hand is no longer in mine and he lurches away from me. I hear the grunt as his fist connects with Josh’s face and the girl beside him cries out. The man who had pulled me to his wife voices his approval and, as I spin back, his wife is glaring at him.
My knees shake and I push myself away.
I stumble forwards as I hear him calling out to me, following me back to the car, and I shove through the crowds. I shield my eyes from the light.I shake as I struggle to suck in enough air.
It’s all too much.
