Page 88 of Embrace

She doesn’t answer this time, and I’m getting more pissed by the second. I’m sure the drink I had is adding to this restlessness, butI’m still pumping with adrenaline from the game. There’s some underlying context here that I’m not enjoying.

Look at me, Scar.

“You can make it up to me,” Adi says with a sly smile. “One dance.”

Scarlett’s eyes go wide, and there it is. One singular glance my way and it’s over.

“She won’t be doing that.” I step in front of her. Nothing about her body language says she wants to dance, and he’s an idiot if he doesn’t realize that.

Adi raises a brow. “Yeah? Why don’t we let her answer then?”

I stare down at him. “Don’t need to. You can forget it.”

“You don’t know—”

A warm hand touches my biceps, and Scarlett moves forward. She’s still close enough that she’s almost fully shielded by my body.

“I don’t,” she says quickly. “I don’t want to dance. I was leaving.”

A bubble of pride rises in my chest. She’s been doing that lately, letting herself make decisions she wouldn’t have before.

“You’ve got some nerve, telling me who I can talk to, Ishida. You think a girl like her would ever be yours? You don’t even know half the shit I’ve seen her do.”

My blood vibrates beneath my skin, something dangerous and untapped. Even through the beer and fried food I can still smell the citrus scent behind me. Surrounding me. Tightening my hands into a fist.

“Yeah? What makes you think you know her better than me?”

He smiles, evil, satisfied. “Well, her pus—”

I snap.

When my fist connects with his jaw, I black out. I see red, and soft brown, and tears. All the things Scarlett’s told me about the way people have treated her. All that built-up irritation explodes inside me and blows out through my fist.

The next thing I know I’m being pulled away, and Scott, the owner, is yelling at everyone. Cole’s whispering a threat into someone’s face, and Seb’s got another guy in a chokehold.

Patel’s team is kicked out, and Scott tells them they’re banned as they carry away their bloody captain.

“That was fun,” Cole says, wiping blood from his lip. “We got your back, Cap.”

“Anything for you, Cap,” the rest of the guys say, shaking out their fists. The warmth of having my team around me, stepping up for me like family, only grows brighter. But I know this is bad. And my first thought is:Scarlett.

What did I just do?

I turn to look for her but she’s not there.Shit!

We’re there for a few more minutes when Scott waves us out. “You guys gotta go too.”

The team protests, blaming Brown for even being here in the first place. I’m still looking around the place, trying to find Scarlett. Even the photo booth is empty.

I mutter a low curse, flexing my hand to test if it’s broken. It’s numb, and I’m thankful for the adrenaline coursing through me, because I’m sure it’ll hurt tomorrow.

“But we just got here. That’s not fair,” one of the guys says.

“I know, I know, but you can’t fight like this. If someone reports it, the university won’t be happy. Go on, everyone out. You, too, Scarlett.”

Her name cuts through the noise. I turn, catching sight of her weaving through the crowd, a bag of ice and a tea towel in her hand.

Scarlett shakes her head as she stops in front of me.