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chapter forty-four think first, then react
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Rue felt hot and angry. Her leg bounced quickly under the table as she tried to wipe her bleeding nose with her hands. She stared at the crimson red stain on her hands for a long minute before realizing how her hands trembled violently. Rue closed them into a tight fist, letting her nails dig in her palms before she opened her hands again. She sighed after noticing they still trembled.
Embarrassment eventually duelled onto her mind. It was heavy, like a sack of sand had been suddenly thrown over her shoulders. She couldn't believe she had started a public fist fight against Jake and lost. In front of everyone. It would have been better if he had killed her so she wouldn't have to live with the embarrassment and he'd suffer from the guilt for the rest of his tragic life.
Rue only looked up from her bloody hands after someone had walked up to her. She half expected it to be the paramedic again—the manager of Rink-O-Mania had called an ambulance after spotting what remained from the fight. Rue had refused to be treated by a paramedic for fear of incurring a large medical bill that Joyce would have to pay at the end of the day. Angela, on the other hand, was not stable enough to refuse. Rue was proud of El for punching her so hard that she was absolutely disoriented and out of it.
Mike Wheeler approached Rue, holding a first-aid kit. She let her lips part in surprise and gaped for a second. She could have expected anyone but Mike to be willing to assist her, including Janice Banner. In pure Mike Wheeler manner, Mike scoffed, "You're an idiot."
Rue didn't say anything, and she watched as Mike sat next to her, opening the first aid kit and digging inside. Rue fought the urge to smile at Mike's worried antics, and she made sure to use this against him in the future.
