Both Kate and Natalie grabbed for her and pushed her through the crowd. They slammed her into the nearest wall and lifted her in the air. The girl was pale and shaking as they got in her face. Her lip trembled and I wondered if she would puke in their faces.
The girls’ friends scattered. Jasmine and Parker kicked at their heels as they did. One of the girls tripped. When she fell to the floor, she looked over her shoulder in horror. When she saw that Jasmine and Parker hadn’t descended on her, relief flooded her and she pushed herself back up. She ran after her friends.
“You think you’re funny?” Natalie glared at the girl, an inch from her face.
“No—oo—no,” the girl stuttered. Her mouth opened and closed.
Natalie pressed harder against her throat.
“I—” the girl gasped. There was no sound after that. When her face changed to a blue color, I shoved through the crowd and yanked Natalie away.
Kate rounded on me but stopped short.
The girl fell to the ground. Her knees buckled as she landed with a hard plop on her bottom.
“What are you doing?” Natalie started to get in my face.
I shoved her back. “You were choking her.”
She quieted but not before looking at Kate for confirmation. Both of them edged back a step to regard me.
I knelt beside the girl. “You okay?”
Her hand massaged at her throat, but she nodded as she coughed for air. “…anks…”
I glared at the other two but couldn’t contain my animosity as I snapped at the girl, “Next time, shut your mouth.”
Kate and Natalie shared a look and I knew they wondered if that was meant for them, but I shoved past them. I didn’t care. As I walked away from them and merged with the crowd that was still gathered on the court, I let my hands fall to my side. They were clenched in fists and I shook them free. My fingers had stiffened, and they were white from blood loss.
Then I let out a deep breath. I hadn’t realized I’d been holding it. That was starting to become a pattern for me, but I knew what those girls were like now. They were rough and they were in your face. They used force while the girls at the Academy used whispers and gossip. I took another deep breath. I wasn’t sure which was better, but it didn’t matter. They were two sides of the same coin.
As soon as I stepped out into the concession area I had come in from, there were more loud shouts. People sprinted past me. Some shoved against others in their pursuit and alarm flared inside of me. Whatever Natalie and Kate had been doing, it didn’t compare to what was going on there.
“Where the FUCK are they?!” a guy shouted over the rest.
There was movement from the crowd around him. A wave of people pressed back. A girl tripped next to me, but I caught her and held her up. When I saw it was one of the girls who had left their friend inside, my hand let go as if scalded. Then I turned back. There were more shouts and curses.
The same guy yelled out in a low baritone, “I’ll rip them up! I don’t care about no goddamn restraining order. Let go of me—”
Another wave went through the crowd. People were pressed against all sides of me and I gasped for air.
“No!”
“Get him!”
“Stand down!”
“Fuck you all—”
A hand grabbed my arm and I reared back, ready for a fight. Then I saw Kate’s somber gaze. She tugged me behind her. When I didn’t move, she yelled in my ear, “They wouldn’t want you here. Come on.”
I shook my head.
She snorted in disgust and let go of my arm. Then she shouldered her way to the back. A part of me wondered if I should’ve gone, but then three people slammed against me. I went down. As I was about to hit the floor, I grabbed for the nearest arm and gritted my teeth. I used all my strength to keep myself upright. I would’ve been trampled under the crowd if I went down. A girl cried out in pain, but I didn’t care. Then I turned and started to shove my way back through the crowd.
As I progressed past a hallway, there was a shout. I squashed myself against the wall as a line of police men sprinted past me. They were dressed in full swat gear. It wasn’t long before screams and wrangled cries filled the air. I knew they were pushing their way towards the guys in the front, whoever they were.
Police whistles screeched in the air and I winced. The high-pitch was painful to the ear, but I kept pushing backwards. I didn’t know their school and the only exit I knew to get to my car wasn’t an option, so when I found an empty hallway, I stopped and leaned against the lockers. Then I bent forward and gasped for air.
Holy hell.
I gasped for more breath. My arms trembled. My knees shook. I slid to the ground. I couldn’t hold myself upright.
I couldn’t contain my hands. They were violently quaking. As I pressed them to my face, I flinched when one nicked my eye. I shoved them underneath me. They couldn’t hurt me if I sat on them. After awhile, a long while, I was able to sit there and calm down.
My breathing evened out and my limbs no longer shook, as much.
Then I looked back up.