phone. “I think I’d better call the cops anyway.”
Amber made eye contact with him. “You may leave. Go home. Get drunk. Pass out on the couch.”
He put away his phone. “Sounds like fun.” He turned to leave.
Jared left them barely conscious. He took out his phone and snapped a picture of them before walking off, muttering to himself about how awesome he was. The steel-toe boot print on Guppy’s face was really the best part, or maybe it was when he slammed Turtle’s head into the brick wall.
She came up behind him, her boots echoing off the sidewalk. “Hey, thanks.”
“Huh?”
She flipped her hair and smiled. “Jared, right?”
“Yeah, sure,” Jared said dismissively.
Walking faster, she caught up to him. “You okay?”
“Yup.”
“I’ve never seen anybody move like you before.”
“Nope.”
“You’re not bad.”
“Yup.” Jared continued onward, showing no interest.
“Okaaaaay,” she said with a smile. “This is new.”
“Where the hell am I anyway?”
“Light and Pratt.”
“Hmm. Okay. Food. It has to be around here somewhere.”
“How about you let me thank you for the rescue. What if I bought your dinner?”
“What makes you think I’m hungry?”
Amber blinked. “You just said — ”
“Oh, right. I almost forgot. You probably want my . . . yeah.” He fished out a small notepad from his jeans back pocket and a pen from the front. He began scribbling. Once he was done, he tore out the paper, handed it to her and walked off.
The paper read . . .
@JaredRules
She glared at him. “You gave me your twitter handle?”
“Yup. You should be lucky. I have 29 followers.” He pointed at her. “And you could be number 30.”
Amber gave him a disbelieving smile. “Um, I was hoping for something a little more —”
Jared sighed. “No offense, but you don’t know me. You’re cute and all, and you’ve got some amazing eyes there.” He glanced down. “And legs, but I just wanted to beat some bad guys up. Job’s done. I’m a hero. Good night.”
He went to walk away.
Amber eyed him with a scowl. Seriously? What a flippant ass! Was he making a conscious effort to be ignorant?
After all the trouble she had gone through just for him too . . .
She took a breath. Normally, she wouldn’t let her annoyance get the best of her, but this was a special case. She decided to press it. She closed her eyes and let the words reverberate in her mind. Once the spell was complete, she opened her eyes, revealing a lighter shade of violet. She followed him down the sidewalk.
“When you were young, you saw something. It hurt you. No, scarred you. It was so ugly, you still feel it till this day. You feel it so strongly that you have a need to hurt others. That’s why you pick bullies, right? Every time you see a bully, you feel the need to punish him, to hurt him.” She paused and spoke softly, “it . . . helps make the pain go away.”
That stopped Jared dead in his tracks. He faced her, eyes narrowed.
“What did you just — ? You know what? I don’t care. You have no idea who I am or what I’ve been through.” Jared scowled, turned around, and walked off.
Amber watched him as he disappeared among the crowd of commuters.
If he only knew.
“Goodbye, Jared,” she whispered with a confident, eerie smile.
What was that? Jared thought to himself, casting a final glare at the girl. Who did she think she was? Creepy Goth chick . . .
Behind him, a light bulb popped. One of the streetlights. Broken glass sprinkled down on the street below. This city was falling apart. He could feel the darkness behind him. Then, a humming sound. The streetlight.
What the—?
He turned around, expecting Violet Eyes or “Amber” as she called herself still tailing him. The streetlight that had just popped flickered on.
Didn’t it just break?
He searched the sidewalk behind him for the girl. On it was nothing but dirt, cracked pavement and broken glass.
She was
Amber made eye contact with him. “You may leave. Go home. Get drunk. Pass out on the couch.”
He put away his phone. “Sounds like fun.” He turned to leave.
Jared left them barely conscious. He took out his phone and snapped a picture of them before walking off, muttering to himself about how awesome he was. The steel-toe boot print on Guppy’s face was really the best part, or maybe it was when he slammed Turtle’s head into the brick wall.
She came up behind him, her boots echoing off the sidewalk. “Hey, thanks.”
“Huh?”
She flipped her hair and smiled. “Jared, right?”
“Yeah, sure,” Jared said dismissively.
Walking faster, she caught up to him. “You okay?”
“Yup.”
“I’ve never seen anybody move like you before.”
“Nope.”
“You’re not bad.”
“Yup.” Jared continued onward, showing no interest.
“Okaaaaay,” she said with a smile. “This is new.”
“Where the hell am I anyway?”
“Light and Pratt.”
“Hmm. Okay. Food. It has to be around here somewhere.”
“How about you let me thank you for the rescue. What if I bought your dinner?”
“What makes you think I’m hungry?”
Amber blinked. “You just said — ”
“Oh, right. I almost forgot. You probably want my . . . yeah.” He fished out a small notepad from his jeans back pocket and a pen from the front. He began scribbling. Once he was done, he tore out the paper, handed it to her and walked off.
The paper read . . .
@JaredRules
She glared at him. “You gave me your twitter handle?”
“Yup. You should be lucky. I have 29 followers.” He pointed at her. “And you could be number 30.”
Amber gave him a disbelieving smile. “Um, I was hoping for something a little more —”
Jared sighed. “No offense, but you don’t know me. You’re cute and all, and you’ve got some amazing eyes there.” He glanced down. “And legs, but I just wanted to beat some bad guys up. Job’s done. I’m a hero. Good night.”
He went to walk away.
Amber eyed him with a scowl. Seriously? What a flippant ass! Was he making a conscious effort to be ignorant?
After all the trouble she had gone through just for him too . . .
She took a breath. Normally, she wouldn’t let her annoyance get the best of her, but this was a special case. She decided to press it. She closed her eyes and let the words reverberate in her mind. Once the spell was complete, she opened her eyes, revealing a lighter shade of violet. She followed him down the sidewalk.
“When you were young, you saw something. It hurt you. No, scarred you. It was so ugly, you still feel it till this day. You feel it so strongly that you have a need to hurt others. That’s why you pick bullies, right? Every time you see a bully, you feel the need to punish him, to hurt him.” She paused and spoke softly, “it . . . helps make the pain go away.”
That stopped Jared dead in his tracks. He faced her, eyes narrowed.
“What did you just — ? You know what? I don’t care. You have no idea who I am or what I’ve been through.” Jared scowled, turned around, and walked off.
Amber watched him as he disappeared among the crowd of commuters.
If he only knew.
“Goodbye, Jared,” she whispered with a confident, eerie smile.
What was that? Jared thought to himself, casting a final glare at the girl. Who did she think she was? Creepy Goth chick . . .
Behind him, a light bulb popped. One of the streetlights. Broken glass sprinkled down on the street below. This city was falling apart. He could feel the darkness behind him. Then, a humming sound. The streetlight.
What the—?
He turned around, expecting Violet Eyes or “Amber” as she called herself still tailing him. The streetlight that had just popped flickered on.
Didn’t it just break?
He searched the sidewalk behind him for the girl. On it was nothing but dirt, cracked pavement and broken glass.
She was
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