I sat in a locked stall, playing with my lighter, listening to person after person as they peed, wondering how things could possibly get worse.
I got my answer when my scheduled community service time rolled around. A member of campus security came to collect me after my last class for the day and escorted me to the cafe. Allan, Cole and Winston were there, but so were Randi and Karen. Maybe they finally got busted for smoking. Maybe they got into a fight because Karen had refused to back Randi up during lunch yesterday. It didn’t matter. This was my worst nightmare; all the people in Seattle who hated me were in the same room and I couldn’t escape.
We were instructed to clean the kitchen from top to bottom. The head cook showed us where all the supplies were and then left us in the capable hands of the security guard.
Randi elbowed Karen and nodded at me. They shared an eager grin while they washed dishes. Allan, Cole and Winston took turns glaring at me and slicing their fingers across their throats. I alternated between mopping the floor, checking the clock, checking the door, and checking to see if our babysitter was catching all of these silent death threats I was receiving. The guard played on his phone the entire time.
I’d been feeling shitty all day but I hadn’t wished for a smoke, not until then. Because I knew they were going to gang up on me the second I left campus. If I’d been allowed to keep my phone, I might’ve been able to text an SOS to Aunt Dinah, and have her come a little early. Then I could just race to her car before these creeps had the chance to jump me.
My hands shook as I worked. My heart thumped, hard and unsteady, in my chest. I couldn’t seem to get enough air in my lungs. I let out a strained little laugh when I realized I was scared. I hadn’t felt this way since I’d broken up with Marty, the night before I was scheduled to fly to Seattle. Three other members of the gang had agreed to stand by me so he wouldn’t hit me when I said the words out loud. Looking him in the eye, admitting I didn’t want to try a long-distance relationship, was the hardest thing I’d ever done.
Surviving this afternoon was going to be harder.
When the hour was up and we were allowed to go, I decided I wasn’t going to run. I didn’t need anyone spreading rumors that I was a coward. I had my trusty switchblade in my back pocket. Maybe I could hurt a few of them before they could pin me down. If I survived until Aunt Dinah came to get me, maybe she’d scare them away. I just couldn’t let them drag me somewhere no one could see us.
My heart was still jumping around my ribcage as I walked through campus, toward the main entrance of the school. I heard them behind me. Quick footsteps. Heavy breathing. Muttered threats. Frenzied chuckles. The minute I passed through the front gate, I pulled out the switchblade. It clicked open and settled comfortably in the palm of my clammy hand. I revisited the memories of all the street fights I’d been in before, hoping to prepare, maybe find a strategy where I’d end up winning. But I’d only ever fought two people at a time. I swallowed hard, glancing around in the hopes that Aunt Dinah had heard my telepathic cries for help and had come early.
She hadn’t.
The neighborhood was completely deserted. Music and the occasional shout sounded from the houses across the street. Wind whistled through the trees planted on our side of the road. Up ahead, there was a Baptist church with a colorful cross hanging from the side of the building. The clouds rumbled ominously above. A distant flash of lightning drew my attention to the horizon. The crack sounded later.
I stopped under the tree where I always waited for Aunt Dinah, switchblade still in hand. Leaning the heel of one foot against the bark, I regarded my followers through half-lidded eyes. I hunched my shoulders against the wind, suppressed a shiver of fear and adrenaline.
I wasn’t gonna give them anything. I’d stand my ground and go down fighting. No matter what.
They had me surrounded before I could even finish the thought. Cole was in a knee brace and on crutches. He wouldn’t be part of this fight, probably just a cheerleader/lookout. But it was still four against one.
“Is this the part where one of you gives a threatening speech?” I asked, waving a lazy hand between Randi and Allan.
Allan smirked. “That’s right. Get all your tough talk out while we’re in the open.”
My stomach quivered. I forced myself to remain expressionless but my grip on the switchblade tightened.
“You have a habit for pissing people off.” Randi spat at the ground by my feet. “I think it’s time someone broke that habit for you.”
“We can start by breaking your face,” Karen chimed in, bobbing her head from side to side like a cobra waiting for its chance to strike.
“Then get it over with,” I snapped. “My aunt will be here any minute. I’d hate for her to ruin your good time.”
Allan lunged at me.
I swung my book bag at his face. He staggered back, holding his forehead. Winston came at me next, going for my arm. I dug the end of my knife into the back of his hand. He leapt away from me with a shouted curse. Randi and Karen, having learned from their predecessors’ mistakes, charged together. I ducked the fist of one and stayed crouched to stab the other in
