Page 9 of Bad to the Bone
“This don’t concern you, breed,” Mike said, circling to the side as JC advanced, boxing Crae between them.
“There’s no call to be rude,” Crae replied. “Why don’t you two go home and sleep it off?”
“Why don’t you come with us? Let’s find out what you got underneath that faggy suit.” JC lunged at Crae, and in that instant all hell broke loose.
Crae jumped forward, raising a knee to connect with JC’s chest in a move of almost balletic grace. The impact of the blow knocked him to the ground. Before he could react, Crae spun and blocked Mike’s punch with a forearm, then drove the other into Mike’s face. A gush of blood spurted from Mike’s nose, but he bellowed and dove back in with fists flying. Crae sidestepped them with ease and swept a kick to the side of Mike’s knee, taking his feet out from under him. JC had struggled to his knees, but one look at Crae—who wasn’t even breathing hard—convinced him to back off and help Mike rise unsteadily to his feet instead.
“For your information,” Crae said, “I identify as nonbinary. That means I don’t lock myself into the concept that there can only be male or female gender expression. As for what’s under my clothing, unless I choose to get intimate with one of you, it’s none of your damn business. And since that’s not within the realm of possibility, I guess you’re shit out of luck.”
“Now get out of here before I take you in for creating a public disturbance.” Sam had her badge out, and at the sight of it, JC and Mike scrambled off. “And if you’re as drunk as you look, you better not get behind the wheel or I’ll pull you in for DUI,” she called after them.
“What the hell just happened?” Alex asked Ricky Lee, who had made his way over to them as Crae straightened the jacket of “that faggy suit.” He shook his head in awe. “What was that?”
“Muay Thai,” Ricky Lee answered. “It’s the national sport of Thailand. It’s called ‘the art of the eight limbs’ because it uses hands, feet, forearms, and shins. That’s how Crae and I met. I was looking for a new workout technique, and Crae was already a nak muay—a practitioner.”
“So you took classes together?”
“Crae was the instructor.”
“Appearance can be deceiving,” Crae said, joining them. “When you look like this, people tend to underestimate you. That’s an advantage that can be exploited.”
Alex could believe this wasn’t the first time Crae had needed to engage in self-defense. While Crae’s response to the two obnoxious louts had answered one question about gender, Alex was still uncertain. He was sure it wouldn’t be right to refer tohimorher, but he didn’t know if there was a better solution.
“Crae, is there a way you prefer to be addressed?” he asked, not sure if he was wording it correctly but not wanting to be inadvertently offensive.
“Thank you for asking,” Crae said with a smile. “I actually prefer just to be called Crae, but I know that’s not always practical. You can use ‘they’ and ‘their’ if you need to. It can be confusing to refer to a single person with what’s usually considered a plural pronoun, but the other nonbinary pronouns are too unfamiliar for most people to use.”
That explained why Ricky Lee had been careful to refer to Crae only by name and not by pronouns. Alex had to admire his sensitivity and resolved to try to do the same.
“If you’re going to be in town for a while, I’d like the chance to talk with you about Muay Thai,” Sam told Crae. “I’m not familiar with it, but it looks like it could be a useful skill to learn. Since I’m the only female on the Freeland police force, there are times I could use that kind of advantage too.”
Crae slanted a questioning glance toward Ricky Lee, making Alex wonder once again about the nature of their relationship. “We’ll be around for a while,” Ricky Lee answered. “I think we need to talk too, don’t you?” he asked Alex more quietly as Crae started describing the martial arts discipline to Sam. “Can I take you out for dinner?”
Alex fought back the urge to answer with an immediate yes. “Tomorrow we’ll be dismantling the gym,” he replied, going over the week’s schedule in his head. “Monday I have a library board meeting, Wednesday there’s a town council meeting the board is presenting at, and Tuesday, Thursday, and Friday are my nights at the store.” He couldn’t expect Ricky Lee to hang around town a full week, could he? He didn’t know how to ask without giving away how much he wanted to know the answer.
“Do you save any time for yourself?” Ricky Lee shook his head. “Don’t make any plans for the weekend, Alex. Next Saturday night, your ass is mine.”
