Page 99 of Drama Queen

A few other people ask to join in, so we let them, happy to add to the circle. One guy catches my eye, but not for a good reason. He’s giving Kara a full body scan as we play, taking his time to look freely at her. While I don’t outwardly show it, internally red flags are flying all over and I recognize that he needs to back the fuck off. He keeps trying to make passes at Kara and she’s turning him down, looking increasingly uncomfortable. That won’t do. I don’t want to see her upset.

Her limit is finally hit, and she excuses herself from the game, claiming she wants some time in the shade. My instincts are on high alert, and I follow along, claiming the same. Unfortunately, douchebag decides he should join, and follows along. My eyes keep him in sight even though my focus is onKara. He’s still trying to talk to her, and she’s still politely telling him to back off.

When we reach the blanket, she turns to confront the guy head on. Fuck if that doesn’t get me a little hard. Again.

“I said ‘no’ and you need to back thefuckoff now.”

“Sweet thing don’t be like that. I’m just tryin’ to be friendly. We can have a good time together, you know?”

The asshole even rubs his hands together and licks his lips like she’s some piece of meat at a buffet.

Man, some people just don’t take a hint, do they?

I’m sure Kara could handle this asshole, but I really think he needs a bigger lesson. He needs to understand women aren’t meat, and hereallyneeds to understand that Kara’s ours. He doesn’t get to have her unless she says so. I move my body to stand next to Kara.

“You heard her, man. Time to go,” I tell him like we’re chatting about the weather.

“Fuck that noise, man. You bangin’ her? Wanna share?”

“Nah, man, you need to go.”

“What? You gonna make me? You’re big, but all you’re doin’ is smilin’. You ain’t no threat.”

I shrug, done with the warnings, and look over at Kara for permission. She leans into me slightly and gives a single nod before moving away. The minute she steps away, my right hook is sailing through the air and catches this asshole in the temple. He goes down hard, but doesn’t stay down.

He shakes his head and looks up at me, murder in his eyes. I was hoping one punch would do the trick, but I guess not. Looks like he needs a few more. It’s been a while since I’ve beat the shit out of someone, so maybe this will be cathartic. As I think through how this could go, I see him straighten up, wobble a bit, then roar before he lunges at me. I’m unsure if he’s trying to tackle me or punch me with that stance, but I move out of theway, directing us more to the water than to the blanket. I don’t need him bleeding on things we own.

He face plants into the sand, and I wonder if he’s much of a bleeder. I haven’t split his skin yet, but I bet he does, probably cries a bit too.

Poor guy.Must be hard to miss a first punch.

I glance back toward Kara to see her packing up. Probably a smart move. She’s so great. Chest heaving, the asshole picks himself up again and wipes his face off. I wait for him to recover as I try to predict what his next move will be.

“The fuck are you still smiling for?” he yells at me.

I shrug. “It’s a nice day; be a shame not to smile.”

“Fuckin’ psycho,” he mutters as he moves in close to take a swing.

I’ve been called a lot of things, including psycho, and for a while it really bothered me. Who is anyone to judge me for who I am? I decided after meeting my group that I don’t care what anyone else thinks. They accept me for who I am and that’s all I need. When this asshole tries to swing again, I duck and come up with a jab to his nose, hoping that will be enough to keep him down this time.

He howls in pain and covers his nose. I thought I felt a crunch, but I wasn’t really paying attention. Maybe I broke it. I can see the guys coming back to the blanket, beach ball in hand. Zeke looks concerned but not angry, which just proves my point that my guys love me for who I am. If “Daddy Zeke” isn’t angry, then I know he’s okay with me doing what needs to be done for Kara.

A couple of guys come up to the asshole and fuss over him a bit, exclaiming about the amount of blood pouring out of him. Zeke raises his eyebrow at me, asking if I’m good, and I nod my head with a smile. Flynn follows Zeke over to the supplies where they help Kara collect our stuff. She did quite a bit on her own,but having Zeke and Flynn will be a huge help. Troy, of course, stands right next to me, his hair up in a bun off his shoulders to try to keep cool.

Flynn knows I’ve always had a soft spot for Troy, but I’m not sure if Troy knows it or not. I don’t care if someone is a guy or girl; I like who I like. Troy puts a hand on my bicep, and I’m pretty sure he squeezes ever so slightly. He looks up at me, eyes wide.

“Are you okay?” he asks breathlessly.

“Yeah, of course.” I smile back at him.

“Thank goodness you were here to help our girl. She’s a badass for sure, but who doesn’t love having a strong guy stand up for them? Especially when he’s cute.”

I shake my head and laugh at Troy, deciding that the asshole harassing Kara is down for the count enough that I can walk away. My arm slings around Troy’s shoulders and I guide him to the group.

“Let’s go back to the tent and drink some beers. Sounds way better than staying here,” I tell him.

Before we can go far, I feel someone’s hand grab my shoulder and spin me around. Before I can gather myself, I feel a fist slam into the side of my head. I feel the impact jar my senses, but I don’t go down, just wobble a bit.

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