Kick, Punch, Dance?

Chapter 4- Every Bone in Your Right Hand

!Declan's POV!

"What are you going to do if I don’t?” I questioned. I felt Tess stiffen behind me, and that’s when I realized just how close she was. But I didn’t have time to think about that before the owner of the restaurant- Wank’s, or Wayne’s- came out and shoed us outside.

“Twinkle Toes, I don’t know what’s going on but your male friends here need to take it outside. You’re scaring the customers.” He seemed to say that right at Tess who nodded her head. Suddenly her hand was on my elbow and she was tugging both me and the douche of a guy behind her, outside the diner.  

“Hunter! What the hell was that? And you- what the hell are you doing here?” she turned to me. I was about to shrug my shoulders when this Hunter kid stepped in front of me, blocking me from her view.

Excuse me? I bristled but I stayed silent.

“T. baby, come on. You know you can’t live without me. You need me baby, come one. Let’s let sleeping dogs lie and all that shit.”

This guy is extremely pathetic.

“Hunter, you need to let me go. I’m sure that whore from the party would be more than willing to have you now. Or does she only want lying, cheating man whores?” I heard her fire back. I felt a spark- like I was proud of her? How can I be proud of her-I barley know her! Save for a few choice words in class here and there, I haven't spoken to her since about a week ago. 

Before I had time to react, Hunter moved his arm back and his hand went flying through the air, his back knuckles landing with a smack on his target.

“Tess!” I think it was Grace who screamed...or growled. Which ever, Grace was on the ground helping up the girl who I had tried to protect, but was doing a fucking fantastic job at it. 

I finally was moved into action- I used my hand to cup his wrist, tugging it behind his back. He bent on his knee but didn’t fall. I kicked the back of his knees out from under him, tumbling him to the ground.

“Get off me!” he yelled. Instead I used his bucking body against him and flipped him on his back, my foot pinning his throat. His hands wrapped around my ankle trying to buck me off but he only succeeded in choking himself on my chucks. 

“I don’t want to see you near her again. If I do, I’m going to break every bone in your right hand, and then I’m going to do the left, and so on so forth. Are we clear?”  Under my sneaker clad foot, he nodded slightly. 

I let him up but before he could, I grabbed him by the shirt collar and then through him about three feet. Hunter scrambled up and raced to his car.

“Tess! Don’t!” I heard a yell behind me. I turned to see a red face, pissed off , teenage girl holding a glass bottle. Where she got it had no idea, but watched as she wrenched her arm back ready to throw the bottle. I took two steps and grabbed her wrist, before she could let fly.

The force behind her throw wracked my arm as I gripped her wrist, the bottle crashing against the pavement at our feet. 

“Jackass!!” she screamed over my shoulder at the retreating car.  I watched as she huffed up and down, her eyes wild and angry, her breathing ragged. She stood in front me, barley inches apart. When I finally looked at her faced, I noticed that her face had an angry red mark that I knew for sure was going to bruise. Yet, no tear marks trailed her face.

“Shit.” I said under my breath.

!Tess’s POV!

“Shit.” Declan said under his breath. I noticed that I was standing a little too close to a boy I barely knew, but had a feeling I should get to know him a little better.

I watched as his hand came up and he brushed the back of his knuckles across my sensitive skin.

I opened my mouth to say something, but I was beaten to it by Grace.

“eh Hum,” she cleared her throat to the side of us. Immediately, I stepped back with a redness, not caused by Hunter, escaping up my face. Yet, Declan just sighed and shoved his hands in his pockets.

“Well since that escapade is over, and Tess you seem to be okay. I’m going to go tell Big John that you’re sick and need to go home for this lovely Friday night. I’ll cover your shift. “

“But you’re my ride home, Grace. I can just stay-”

“I’ll take her home.” Declan said, from behind me. I turned slightly to see him looking at Grace. Between the two of them, I could have sworn there was a secret conversation going on that I didn’t know about.

“Get her home safely and clean her up. Her dad will have a field day if he finds out about this.” Grace said. Her words held finality to them.  Declan came to stand beside me, he then moved his hands in a sweeping gesture to motion to a car. A sleak black motorcycle, to be exact. 

Oh this’ll be good. and extremely scary...