Simple as Hello

Part Three

He had to have spun me around about eighty times, it seemed to be the only dance move he knew. As we sit on a couch near the outer edge of this gigantic party house, which didn't seem as big when we were partying it up with everyone else, I begin to feel the exhaustion set in. My eyes start to water as I let out a big yawn and Calvin does the same. He looks over and laughs, wrapping his arm behind my shoulders. I shudder at the touch, being one who has always hated that specific motion, coaxing me into previous mistakes.

"What? Not a touchy person?" How did he completely read my thoughts?

"Um, I guess. It's nothing really."

"No, Mae, it's definitely something." His eyes draw into me skeptically and his arm drops, waiting for an answer.

"I, uh, I can't hear you really-" It's not even that loud.

"Let's go somewhere else then." He says cutting me off and grabbing my arm.

He drags me outside of the house and walks down the sidewalk to a bench which he apparently knew existed.

"Then let's talk out here!" He says with a grin.

"About what?"

"About how you don't like to talk about things?"

"Huh?"

"At first I thought you were just very, ya know, shy. But I don't think that's the case," his voice somehow deepening, "you need to talk about it I think. I'm sorry if I'm prodding into your life but I just have this gut feeling that you're not the type of person that easily opens up to people and-"

"I don't need this, you know."

"Huh?" His eyes show the hurt.

"Well I don't need to talk about anything." I could already feel myself receding, back into a comfortable place of only three people, just me, myself, and I.

"Okay, I understand," He says, looking down and crossing his hands, "if you uh need a ride home I can take you, because I'm going to head out."

"I'll call a cab, don't wanna cause you the trouble, thank you though!"

He nods and heads off in the other direction. I stand there, looking up the number for a cab on my phone. Before I can hit 'call', I hear a breath ever so close to my face and turn thinking maybe Calvin came back for me.

"Hey hun." The voice is so unsettling, especially coming from a smokey-breathed forty-something year old man.

"Please leave me alone." I try to say sternly, but it only comes out as a wine.

"And why would I do that?" He says caressing my arm.

I shove it away, and he grunts, grabbing my other arm harder. His nails dig into my skin and I let out a cry. As I resist more his arm swings up, clipping me right in the jaw, and I hear a crunch. As I try to hobble away, he pulls me back to him, this time his fist hitting my eye. I fall to the ground and clutch my stomach thinking of what's going to happen next. What guys like him do to girls like me at this time of the night. I begin to cry not only from the pain that was throbbing both from my eye, jaw, and now my head again from falling the day before. Suddenly I hear shoes slapping the sidewalk and open my blurry, but fully capable, eye to see Calvin socking the guy straight in the eye and then kicking him where no guy wants to be kicked. He grabs my arm, stutters a bit, panting, and then picks me up like a baby. I try not to let out anymore sobs, but I can't help it. He runs toward his blue pickup truck, sets me in the passenger seat and then precedes to go to the driver's side. As soon as he gets in, I can't hold it in anymore.

"He was gonna-" The rest doesn't come out before another round of tears floods my eyes and my voice runs out.

"I know, I know," he says grabbing my hand, and I turn towards him, "Oh my goodness! Mae, your face, oh my. Move your hands from your eyes, I need to see-" He grabs my hands away and takes in a breath with his mouth clenched shut. "I didn't realize... I... we need to get you somewhere, uh, not here. Let's get some ice."