The Bad Boy Computer Programmer At Wattpad

DELTA FORCE (Part 1)

Go! Amanda screamed inside her head.

Now!

Without thinking.

Now or face endless regret later.

Taking a deep breath, Amanda lowered her body even further towards the pavement so her stomach laid flat against the ground--a disgusting sensation seeping through her shirt as though she'd fallen onto a yogurt covered Slip-N-Slide. Pushing thoughts of having to get a tetanus shot out of her head, she pressed her cheek against the slimy asphalt so she could see into the darkness under the dumpster.

Winnie was pressed against the wall on the opposite side, shivering due to wet fur and fear.

Amanda stretched her arm out towards the feline, her hand nowhere near where it needed to be to grab her. "Winnie," she begged. "Come here."

Scooting herself farther away from Amanda's hand, Winnie sank her back end down and securely planted her front legs as though bracing to resist any rescue attempts.

Stretching her arm as far as it would go--fingers splayed--Amanda pressed her body into the sharp metal edge of the dumpster's underside. Pain pinched her shoulder. Pain dug into the side of her face. Pain squeezed her chest. Pain gripped her heart. Pain clouded her mind.

"Winnie," she pleaded, a tear dripping onto the already moist pavement. "Please."

She was trapped under a mountain of trash, reaching for something that didn't want what she had to offer while simultaneously turning her back on a call holding unknown possibilities. This moment was like a snapshot of her entire existence.

Amanda's hand dropped and laid lifelessly on the ground. Her whole body went limp. She desperately wanted to be available for the interview with Wattpad Headquarters, but she couldn't abandon her furry companion to do it. Tears invaded the surface of her eyes and blurred her vision. She held her breath as though trapped under a frozen lake without a hole broken in the ice to escape. When her lungs demanded breath or death, she gasped for air. As she exhaled this unconscious choice for life, Amanda whispered, "I surrender. You win. I surrender."

Defeat.

Silence.

Nothingness.

All evidence of life, as experienced through the five senses, vanished from Amanda's dumpster surroundings--except for a slight tickling on the tips of her fingers.

Amanda blinked to redistribute her tears so she could see again. When her surroundings gradually focused, she saw Winnie licking her fingers and gently rubbing the side of her whiskered face on her hand.

Carefully securing her fingers around the scruff of Winnie's neck, Amanda tenderly pulled her furry friend from under the garbage heap. Sitting up, she cradled the cat in her arms and buried her nose in Winnie's fur. A spring of emotions welled up inside her. Vulnerability. Relief. Surrender.

Clutching Winnie to her chest, Amanda rolled onto her knees--then her feet--and ran back to her condo. Gasping for air as she crossed her home's threshold, she secured the front door before placing Winnie on the floor. Without a moment's delay, she ripped open her computer bag and flung the laptop on the table.

Her hands shook.

Her body shivered.

Amanda plugged in the electronic device and logged into her Google Hangouts account. It appeared Delta had not tried to contact her--yet.

She placed her palms across her chest as a sign of relief. Her shirt's sticky texture triggered a warning to her conscious mind she probably looked like a hot mess. Glancing in a mirror, Amanda's concerns were verified. "Gross."