Page 42 of Save Me

Suddenly, I’m sixteen again, and Tyler has just shown up to class with a black eye.

I nod at her, but instead of tilting her head up at me like she’s proud of it, she ducks her head to the side.

I frown, but class has started, and I can’t ask her. As soon as class lets out, she tries to slip out without talking to me, which just rings my alarm bells.

“Wait!” I grab her sleeve to slow her down.

Tyler doesn’t slow down. “Not in the mood today.”

“What happened?” I hiss, catching up to her.

“Nothing. Just lost a fight.” But she still won’t look at me, and it makes the skin on the back of my neck prickle.

“With who?” I hiss. I don’t remember hearing anyone talk about Tyler at school today. Usually, she brags about her fights anyway.

She just shrugs me off. “Mind your business, Micah.”

Who could it be? If no one at school…Tyler’s family isn’t exactly nice. I’ve met them once, when her dad picked her up from school early. Usually, he’s late. I wait with her, but she always dismisses me as he rolls up.

Is it her dad? Did he hit her?

Uncontained rage rolls through my body. How dare he? How dare he go after someone smaller than him?

Is this why Tyler’s always getting into fights? Because she’s being beaten at home?

I wait until after school, telling Tyler I’ve gone home early. The rage is simmering in my bones, and I can’t take it any longer. I watch from inside the school, then when he pulls up, I’m sprinting out the door, holding onto my backpack.

Tyler turns around in surprise, and I grab her, pulling her back. “Was it him?”

“What?” she hisses, trying to pull away from me.

I jab a finger at the car. “Was it him?”

“Micah.” She twists away from me, but she doesn’t say no.

Immediately, I let her go and stalk to the car.

“Wait!” There’s panic in her voice.

“No. He needs to know it’s not okay to hit people.” What exactly am I going to do against a grown man? I’m not sure, but I’ll find out. All I care about is that my best friend is getting hurt.

“Micah! No!”

But the driver’s door is opening, and I’m stepping up into his face. “Are you Mr. Clark?”

I don’t need to ask though; he has the same strong features as Tyler.

“Who the fuck are you?”

“You think it’s okay to hit women?” Then, I swing. I land one solid punch in his face before there’s a return fist in my own face. It snaps my head back hard, much harder than I’ve been hit before, and I spin on my feet trying to catch my balance.

There’s screaming; I think Tyler is screaming. She’s getting hurt! I snap out of the dizziness and launch myself back. I land on top of Tyler and her dad. Tyler is pulling him back, screaming at me to stop.

I don’t stop. I want to hurt him.

I want to kill him.

Then there’s a solid shove to my shoulders so hard it knocks the wind out of me. It’s Tyler, then she’s shoving her dad toward the car. I stagger back to catch my balance, and the look Tyler turns on me makes me stop in my tracks.