Page 27 of Bad for You

Lenny soon reads her stance and mirrors her movements. It’s kill or be killed, and I suddenly fear how accurate that saying may be.

Gianna clearly knows how to fight. The way she moves, she looks like she can bring a man to his knees with ease. I watch with interest because something inside me stirs in excitement. I want to carry the confidence she does.

“Hit me.”

Lenny knows she isn’t joking, so he advances and attempts to strike her without hesitation. But Gianna reads his moves withease and effortlessly dodges his attack. She doesn’t give him time to rethink his decision because she bends low and uses an upward sweep of her palm to hit him in the stomach.

He staggers backward, inhaling sharply because she winded him.

He soon recovers and advances with fire behind his eyes. He’s mad she was able to catch him unawares. He attempts to connect with her ribs, but she jumps back and kicks him in the flank.

He clutches his side, breathing deeply through his nose.

I can’t look away because Gianna isn’t breaking a sweat. I’ve seen Lenny fight, but he doesn’t compare to Gianna. She’s a beast and makes it look so easy.

He lunges out to strike her, but again, she is too fast and spins in a circle before punching him in the kidneys.

“You disappoint me,” she tsks, brushing back a stray hair that has come loose—one single hair while Lenny looks like he’s about to pass out. “Perhaps fighting someone a little more in your league then.”

She turns to look at me, and I now understand why she asked me to disrobe.

She did this so I would be vulnerable—to Lenny and myself. She thought if I was half naked, then I would be too occupied protecting my modesty to protect myself. And Lenny wouldn’t want to hurt me while I was vulnerable this way.

A lesson learned—if you are vulnerable, your enemy will exploit that for their gain.

But there is another way to look at it; what if the prey was really the predator in disguise? Could the little lamb fool the Big Bad Wolf into thinking she was nothing but a weakling when, in reality, she was just biding her time, looking for his weaknesses to use against him and play him at his own game?

Only one way to find out…

“I will not fight her,” Lenny says, making it clear Gianna can go to hell.

I whimper, wrapping my arms around my frail frame. Gianna watches me closely. Can she see through my ruse?

“It’s okay, I won’t hurt you,” Lenny says, walking toward me, only offering me comfort.

This is wrong, and I know it is. Lenny has been nothing but nice to me. To betray him this way leaves me riddled with guilt. But I have this urge to please Gianna. Or perhaps I have something to prove.

I’ve been the underdog my entire life, and now, I can change that, but it’s at the expense of my only friend. What sort of person does that make me?

Lenny has been there for me when no one else ever has, and now, I plan on exploiting his trust.

What do I do?

The closer he gets, the louder my heart beats. I don’t think I can.

I suddenly feel light on my feet. This is not the person I want to be. I don’t want to be someone who treats people this way, especially Lenny.

But I’m also sick of being weak.

I refuse to be feeble a second longer.

The way Gianna was able to protect herself is what I want. No more being at the mercy of vile men like Father Merry. Or his friends.

No more.

I’m done being a victim.

I will sacrifice who I must to never be at the mercy of anyone ever again.

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