Gabe
Shadows look menacing when it’s dark outside. Morning shadows slowly diminish and roll back into sunlight, stretching their way over the city blocks like a sweet frosting but Evening shadows just stretch and distort like they’re trying to grab you; pull you back into them and all the dangers that come with the rising moon. It’s not easy to have to push yourself around everywhere, avoiding oversized cracks in the sidewalk and other people in the streets.
You know it’s dangerous to be out after dark, especially in the city, but you hadn’t even realized the shadows rising like dough, slow as they turn into something entirely different from what they were earlier. Now it’s all you can think about--every sound, every motion-even every scent you pass by makes you turn your head and push your chair harder with every move.
It’s a cat, of all things, that makes you turn your head. It’s meow having a bit of a bite to it at first, making you gasp and turn your head, chair still moving as you watched the small black ball of fur scurry under a streetlight. Then your chair stops suddenly, forcing your upper body forward which, in turn, causes the air to be pulled from your lungs yet again.
Whipping your head back around to the front, your eyes widen at the sight of a taller teen, maybe a year or two older than you standing with both of his hands in a steel grip on your chair’s armrests. Your body moves back instinctually, pressing against the back of your chair in attempts to get at least a little more space between you and the stranger.
“Hey Mason, look at this--a little freak kid rolling home.” Mason laughs and a blush crawls up your cheeks in embarrassment.
“Can you just let go? I have to get home, I-”
“Let you go? Sure,” he says, pulling your chair to the side and letting it fall on it’s side. You feel your elbow collide with the ground and your hiss in pain as you try to readjust yourself to at least get back in your chair a little.
“Oh my god, she looks so pathetic,” Mason laughs as your eyes start to sting. You’re really trying not to cry but it’s like your body is betraying you, making you feel, if possible, even more helpless.
“Shit, she’s even crying. Bet she’s used to her mommy yelling at anyone who says anything about her retarded chai--” a thump cut off the rest of his words and you’re distracted from keeping the tears back to look up, frowning in confusion. There’s a third person there now--tough looking with dark features and lips that looked like they were caught smiling rarely. Your mind puts two and two together a little too late as this new boy’s fist swings again at the Mason boy’s face.
“Hey dude, what the hell?” The new boy glares and shoves your bully’s shoulders, hard enough to shove him up against the brick wall of the building you were wheeling past.
“What is wrong with you? Do I need to punch you again? Maybe it’ll rattle your brain enough to make you act like a normal human being,” he growls and it’s shocking to you how completely pissed off he sounds. This is someone you’ve never even met and he’s treating you like you’re his best friend. Without waiting for a reply, the boy standing up for you drives his fist into the other’s stomach hard and you gasp softly, almost feeling how much that probably hurt.
“Look man, we don’t want any trouble,” the beaten boy wheezes out and the boy helping you just shoves him away from you.
“Neither did she. Now get the hell out of here before I have you eating through a straw for the rest of your life,” he threatens. You raise your eyebrows as the two boys run away, just staring after him without taking notice of the other boy looking down at you.
“Are you hurt?” he asks and you shake your head as he starts kneeling down to slip you back into your chair and stand it upright again slowly. “There we go...” he says as your chair eases back onto four wheels.
“I--thanks, you--didn’t have to do that, they could’ve like...had a knife or something and--” you stumble through your words, still simultaneously shocked and awestruck as you stare up at the boy.
“I don’t care, those guys were assholes.” You try to hold back your smile and bite your lip, not wanting to question it any further. “I’m Gabe by the way,” he says like it’s a formality to know your bully-savior’s name.
“Anna,” you say back.
“Anna, why don’t I walk you home?” He offers and you feel like you’re heart is going to swell right out of your chest.
“Yes!" you blurt out instantaniously, but rethink your answer as soon as it's out. "I mean...sure. Whatever...doesn’t matter to me,” you say, trying to keep your cool, but you almost lose it when those hardly-smiling lips curl into a faint smirk.
Short and I didn't proofread it, but I'm not looking to win writer of the year.
For this beautiful girl: http://youregoldenchild.tumblr.com/
