Page 7 of One Good Crash
Next to me, the stranger gave a quiet scoff. "Quit bitching," he told the guy. "That was just a tap."
I bit my lip. It hadn't looked like a tap to me. It hadn'tsoundedlike one either.
But then again, what did I know? I'd never seen a fist-fight, at least not in person. I didn'twantto see one, especially now. Desperate to smooth things over, I said, "Let's just forget it and move on, alright?"
Of course, my suggestion was promptly ignored by all of them, including the limo driver who looked ready to throttle someone. He lumbered forward until he was standing just outside swinging distance. He glowered at the stranger and said, "You sucker-punched me. Asshole."
In a near panic, I said, "It can't be a sucker punch if he warned you." I turned and gave the stranger a hopeful look. "Right?"
He grinned. "I like the way you think."
His smile – so darned cocky – did funny things to my insides, and I felt an obscenely warm glow settle somewhere south of my stomach.
It lasted for only a split second before the driver gave a guttural roar and plowed forward head-first toward the stranger.
In a fast, fluid motion, the stranger turned to the side, leaving the limo driver to skim past and tumble forward of his own momentum. His hands and knees hit the pavement a split second before his forehead, and I couldn’t help but wince even as he yelped, "Son of a bitch!"
He pushed himself up and whirled toward the stranger. "You did that on purpose!"
The stranger shrugged. "You think?"
The driver made a noise that sounded suspiciously like a growl. If he started foaming at the mouth, I wouldn't have been surprised.
I yelled, "Just stop it, okay?" I gave the limo driver a pleading look. "We don't want any trouble." I looked to the stranger for confirmation. "Right?"
His gaze met mine, and I swear I saw the hint of a smile. "I don't mind a little trouble."
A nervous scoff escaped my lips. "Good thing, since I've caused you loads."
Behind us, my mom demanded, "But what aboutme?"
Huh?
I turned to look. "What about you?"
She gave me a frown. "You've causedmetrouble, too, you know."
Right.Because ithadto be about her.
What else was new?
From a few feet away, the limo driver was glaring at all three of us. I half expected him to charge again, but he didn't. Instead, he zoomed in on my mom and said, "Screw this. I'm leaving. Are you coming or not?"
She was still frowning. "But what about the dress?"
The driver muttered, "Hey, I tried."
Ignoring that disturbing tidbit, I turned to stare at her. "Seriously? Youstillwant the dress?"
Her lips formed a pout. "I'm just saying, since you're not using it—"
"Iamusing it," I told her. "What do you expect? For me to run around naked?" As soon as the words left my mouth, I wanted to take them back. What was I? Some sort of glutton for humiliation?
My mom was saying, "I think there's a tablecloth in the limo. You could use that."
Well, I had to give her points for persistence.
But she could persist all she wanted. I was done arguing. "Forget it." With that, I turned away, intending to march to the stranger's car with my head held high.
