As we drove down the dimly lit alleyway, the adrenaline from the frightening encounter with the gunman began to ebb and was being replaced by a creeping sense of vulnerability.
Vincent's unexpected appearance saved me from a potentially dangerous situation, yet, his disheveled and blood-stained look left me unsettled. His cryptic explanation only further heightened my anxiety.
Though I was glad and relieved that he came to my rescue, just like an angel, he showed at the right time. However, I was still in a state of bewilderment, my mind in a whirlwind of unanswered questions.
What stressful work was he doing in the neighborhood that would have left him looking like this? Or is there something more than meets the eye that he is telling me?
The car windows were winded down. The cool evening breeze and my cold body from perspiration made me shiver a little bit. I could also scent the sweet scent of Vincent’s car that had the smell of cherries. Oh, it felt so refreshing, though I was so lost in my thoughts.
“Gosh, what a day!” I thought to myself, taking a deep breath. The argument with my parents, the encounter with the gunman, and now Vincent! Was he in any kind of danger?
Vincent who had been quiet all this while noticed the deep breath I just took and the bewildered look on my face.
“Don’t worry, you are safe now” he reassured me, his voice calm yet filled with an underlying tension.
"Arrh!" "My head aches." I muttered, rubbing my temples as if to physically push away the stress.
"How bad?! Hope that strange man didn’t hurt you?”
"Do you need to see a doctor? I don’t mind taking you." Vincent said softly, with concern etched on his facial features.
"Don't worry, I'm fine, it's not that serious," I replied sharply. I was surprised that he even cared.
I turned to look at him and my eyes met his face, however, I was seeing flashes of Ethan’s face, sending a cold shiver down my spine. Memories flooded back, unbidden. Memories of Ethan, his sharp tongue and cruel voice, a constant tormentor lurking in the shadows of my past.
I could see our assembly hall at Regina Patrice, the harsh fluorescent lights, the loud sound of the bell, the noise, and laughter as students filed to the hall one by one dashing in from various corners of the school environs.
Ethan made his entrance through the lens of the crowd, walking with lofty self-respect to the front line to hear the essence of the bell.
"What does this empty barrel have to say?" Ethan said gazing in fury.
"I look forward to seeing excellence in your daily activities. No loitering, no chit-chat, avoid been caught." The walls vibrating as the school head boy echoed.
"I thought as much. That's all he ever have to offer, nothing new." Ethan mocked.
The fluorescent lights buzzed overhead as the crowded hallways of the High School emptied out.
I was alone at this moment still in school. I always stay back to do my coursework.
Unfortunately for me that day, I got surrounded by some threatheners led by Ethan Rowland, a senior known for his sharp tongue and ruthless demeanor.
"Oh mine, wrong timing. How do I go about this trick with this naughty human? If I had known earlier, ha."
My instinct hinted me to take a leave before the day draws to the dark.
Courageuosly, I hunched my shoulders and my steps behaved cautiously as I navigated the maze of lockers.
He leaned casually against the metal frame of my locker, his smirk a mirror to the mischief glinting in his eyes.
"Well, well, well, if it isn't little Michelle, who else?" He drawled, his voice dripping with disdain as he blocked my path with an outstretched arm.
"What brings you to our neck of the woods? Looking for some crumbs to sweep up?"
The question ddidn’t seem right to my ear. The arrogance floated as a beam of wave around my drum walls.
“Mitchele… Mitchele…” The tap on my shoulder and Vincent's voice cut through the haze of my thoughts, pulling me back to the present. "We're almost at your street," he said, his tone gentle yet insistent.
I clenched my jaw. As the memory washed over me, I looked away from Vincent as I felt a surge of defiance rise within me. Ethan was such a pain, but no longer would I be the victim, cowering in fear. I had survived Ethan's torment once, and I would not let him—or anyone else, not even my parents—dictate my fate again.
Ethan is a charming, handsome young man, but I knew all too well the cruelty that lurked behind his charming facade, the scars of his past verbal assaults still fresh in my memory.
He was relentless in his pursuit, his predatory grin widening with each step I took.
"Aww, don't be like that, sweetheart," I could remember his voice cooing, taking on a mocking lilt as he trailed after me like a shadow.
"I just wanted to catch up with my favorite little peacock. Or should I say, Cinderella?"
The laughter of his cronies echoed in the distance, fueling Ethan's bravado as he closed in on me, his words like daggers aimed at my already fragile self-esteem.
Despite the weight of his cruelty, I refused to let him see my falter, my spine stiffening with a quiet resolve.
"Let me be, please. I'm not interested, I can't do what you're asking of me, please, just let me be, I beg you."
My yearning for mercy went on a dross as his guys pressed me down on a desk.
"I'm trying to be calm to you and you're proving a hard nut, let's see how far you can win,” He roared.
I was once again lost in my thought. Vincent had just pulled into the driveway in front of the apartment I shared with my nasty parents.
And as the memory of that fateful encounter faded into the recesses of my mind, I vowed to never again be at the mercy of those rough guys. For beneath the attractive appearance of my meek front lay a steely quality of mind, a fire that burned bright in the face of adversity.
Vincent turned off the car engine, I nodded, grateful for his presence, for this moment of reprieve from the chaos of my thoughts.
The car door opened as I stepped down with a full gauge, "Thanks for the rescue, Mr. Vincent," I said, offering him a small but genuine smile.
He nodded, his expression unreadable, before driving off into the night.
I squared my shoulders and made my way towards the looming silhouette of my house, steeling myself for the battle to come. But this time, I would not be alone. This time, I would fight back.
As I expected, they were waiting for my return with glooming faces as I walked past them with no exchange of glances avoiding the weariness they put on.
"Hahaha…. She's here o, the pig is here o looking like the devil herself." He laughed.
"Comon stand there you fool, am I not talking to you? Don't let me make a mark on you." His voice thundering with rage.
I had no choice than to stand still.
Then he calmly began as though his remorseful self was back.
"Just a little strike and you ran off like a chick scattering it wings." He boisterously murmured, accompained with a wicked laughter.
"The heat is much, I will make sure to increase it intensity, I'll make sure of that."
I quietly listened to all he's got this time and they were all nonsense as always. "Oops! Did I just caved that line of thought? I shouldn't have, they are still my parents."
I thought it was a plea for remission, but all turned the very negative.
Anyways, it doesn't matter to me right now.
He was done and then I went on to the kitchen, picked a knife, went back to them with a word of threat. Any one that tries anything funny, the unspeakable will definitely happen. I am ready for the worse.
If you two try me this night, oooh, you won't like the aftermath.
Fear was their embrace as they saw the surety of every word I said.
I headed straight to my room to have my rest.
All through the night, I couldn't gain any peace, my heart quakes for all the troubles on me at this tender age.
"Oh God, this isn't me."
Am I not taking this too far?