Unpredictable (A Dance Story)

Chapter 7

I followed Holden into the frozen yogurt place. I had kept the bandages wrapped tightly around my arm and worried people would notice. I saw a couple of people who I faintly recognized, but they paid me no attention.

"Okay, what do you want?" Holden asked.

I browsed the yogurt choices, deciding on raspberry with a little bit of cake batter mixed in. Holden doled out the frozen yogurt for me, pouring a lot more than I usually got. He then scooped in the toppings that I pointed out and handed me the bowl while he got his own yogurt.

"My treat, by the way, Ford," he said.

I began to protest, but he cut me off. "You just got out of the hospital. Sit down."

I shook my head and sat at a tall table, waiting for Holden to bring over our dessert. He hopped up on the chair opposite me and slid the yogurt across the table.

"Thank you," I said genuinely. He'd been my biggest supporter throughout this whole ordeal and I was truly thankful for that.

"No problem," he replied, reaching across the table and scooping ice cream out of my bowl, then shoving it in his mouth.

"You have your own," I said playfully, guarding my yogurt.

"I like a bit of diversity. Here."

He shoved his spoon at me and I took it, trying his chocolate concoction.

"Hm. With all this chocolate, you definitely need a bit of diversity," I joked.

"Well, what do we have here?" Asked a familiar, whiny voice.

I turned to see a girl with silky bright red hair and green eyes, heavily lined. Her makeup stopped right on the line of her chin, allowing us to see just how much she was wearing. Beside her were her two sidekicks, one with pale blonde hair and the other with jet black hair. The three of them were the same shade of fake tan. Kaela, the ringleader, wrinkled her nose in disgust. Courtney and Miriam copied her, eyeing my stitches and scratches.

"Holden, did you have to drag her out of the sewer to get her here?"

I blinked, hurt. I knew I didn't look like a Victoria's Secret model, but I didn't think I was that bad.

Holden glared back at her. "For your information, Kaela, I'm bringing my best friend here straight from the hospital. So, shove it."

"Was she trying to re-do her face?" Miriam scoffed, "At least she looks better than she did before."

I raised my left hand to my right cheek, feeling the bumps that the stitches created. Holden jumped down from the chair, his brown eyes blazing with anger. He was taller than all three of them, but they didn't seem scared. They knew he was too much of a gentleman to do anything but intimidate them. I sat in a daze as he spouted curse words at the three of them, ending with, "Why don't you eat some of that makeup and see if it makes you pretty on the inside, *insert swear word here*"

I felt myself being tugged out of the chair and realized the Holden had grabbed my right wrist. I hopped off of the stool, leaving my yogurt. I didn't look at the three girls mocking me. I heard Holden sigh and drop the limp hand, going back to get my yogurt for me. The arm swung of its own free will and I angrily grabbed it and held it tight against my chest, conscious of the girls' curious gazes.

"Look," Courtney whispered, "Her arm is weird."

They giggled and I looked up, feeling a tear against my cheek. "C'mon, Ford," Holden said softly. I turned away from the girls and heard their flurry of whispers. Anger suddenly burst inside me and I turned back to them.