Page 100 of Puck Princess

Summer is stumbling down the sidewalk, nearly falling off the curb as a guy in a dirty Metallica shirt attempts to help her into his Civic. The strap of her dress is slipping down her shoulder and her hair is in her face.

“Hey!” my voice is loud enough to stop everyone between here and there, but Rock Boy ignores it. Summer can barely lift her head.

I close the space between us in a few strides and grab her arm before he can stuff her into his backseat.

He tosses his black hair from his face as he scowls at me. “Yo. What are you doing?”

“I should be asking you the same goddamn thing,” I growl at him.

Summer’s head rolls back. Her pupils are empty black holes. She’s looking right at me, but no one is home.

I tug her against me. “She’s coming with me.”

“Like hell she is, dickhead. Get your hands off my date.” He tries to pull her back, but I roll her behind me and lean forward so my face is directly in his.

“I recommend you get your hands off mysister.”

“Owen?” Summer mutters. “I don’t feel so hot.”

Her knees buckle, and I help her down to the sidewalk, making sure she isn’t going to go face first into the gutter. Then I stand up and face the dead man walking again.

He’s suddenly a lot nicer. “Listen, your sister is a bit of a lush. I was just going to drive her home.”

I grab him by the shirt and slam him into the car hard enough to knock the wind out of him. When I let go, he slides down to the ground, gasping for air. Easy enough. I didn’t even have to hit him. I’m a little relieved, seeing as how my fist is still swollen.

I search Rock Boy’s pockets until I find his wallet. Then I take a photo of his ID and toss it back at him.

“I want to go home,” Summer starts to cry. “I want Nicky. Where’s Nicky?”

I scoop her up, cradling her in my arms as I make my way back to my car. I can hear cameras clicking behind me but it is what it is. It’ll be all over the media and she’s going to hate herself for it. But at least she’s safe. I got here just in time.

“He’s safe with Callie. Nicky is safe.”

As I carry her down the sidewalk, she murmurs into my shoulder. “I’m sorry. I’m so sorry.”

“It’s okay, Summer. You’re safe now.”

I can’t decide if I’m lying to her or not.

Callie made a bed for Summer in the nursery out of couch cushions and extra blankets. After making sure she has water and a trashcan next to her, I check on Nicky before quietly slipping out of the room.

“How is she?” Callie asks, handing me a cup of hot tea as soon as I walk into the kitchen.

“Out of it.” I let out a deep sigh.

“What do you think he gave her?”

“Beats me. Could have been anything. I’m just glad I got there when I did.”

Callie nods, hugging her own cup of tea in her hands. “I don’t even want to think about what could have happened to her.”

“I don’t have to. I’ve seen it before. With my mom.” My hands ball into fists on the counter. “This is exactly what I wanted to prevent. It’s like watching reruns sometimes. Twisted home movies. This time, I just hope I can do something to change the ending.”

“Owen, you’ve done all you can. At the end of the day, people are going to do what they’re going to do. We can only help them so much.”

I think about that. It’s a hard pill to swallow.

“I don’t want Nicky to go through what I did.”

---