there weren’t this many people in here just a second ago. I saw you pull in and was worried when you dropped—thought you’d hit the ground.”
People filled every booth and table and even more milled about, some in line for food and others standing around talking. Quite a few were around our age, and on nearly every face, there was an expression of fear or worry. The noise level drowned out thought.
A handful of kids gathered near one of the cash registers, and I couldn’t help but stare at a couple of them because they were huge. One was unnaturally big, like close to seven feet tall. Their matching jackets told me they were on the same sports team at their high school.
I tugged on Taran’s coat. “Do you go to school with them?”
He looked where I indicated with a nod of my head, then grimaced. “Yeah, I do. Unfortunately. The tall one, Billy, is an asshole.”
Billy picked that moment to glance over, and the scowl that scrunched already-rough, craggy features put my back up. He looked at Taran as if he’d just scraped him off the bottom of his shoe. He walked closer and my neck bent back. I’d never seen anyone that tall in person. His shoulders were twice the width of the kid next to him. His face was so strange—sort of wide and slightly flattened as if he’d been dropped on it when it was still forming.
“Yo Breen, how come you aren’t in jail? Your daddy pull some strings?”
The noise in the restaurant trickled into silence.
I understood Taran’s grimace then. He leaned down to put his lips by my ear. “He’s Stark’s best friend. That first kid who was hit with my hammer, remember?
Without thinking about it, I pulled off one glove and slid my hand into Taran’s, threading our fingers together. He straightened and smiled, surprise in his eyes as he squeezed my fingers gently.
Billy came even closer and I noticed another group our age watching from a table on the other side of the restaurant. One of the boys at the table was big, too.
What did they put in the water here?
“Breen,” Billy sneered when he stopped a couple of feet away. Then he surprised me by stepping right into Taran’s personal space. Which meant he stepped into mine, as well. Bristling at his bad manners, I put my hand on his chest to stop him. He looked down at me in surprise. Then, the slimiest smile crossed his mouth, and he let his body go loose, hunched his shoulders and leaned toward me.
“Are you trying to make yourself look smaller so I’m not scared of you or something?” I asked. “Because it’s not going to work.”
“Aw, you’re really cute. So small, I could put you in my pocket.”
“I suggest you don’t try that,” Taran said, voice low.
Billy continued to stare at me. “Don’t be scared of me.”
“I’m not. I meant you can’t make yourself look smaller.”
“Breen’s the one you should be worried about. Guess you don’t know he’s going around beating people up. Hit a girl once, too.”
I didn’t believe that for a second. Taran’s hand started to sweat as it tightened around mine. I wanted to reach out and stroke his side for some reason. The thought made me release the most gods-awful, girlie giggle ever. I promptly blushed—more out of humiliation.
Billy took it as a flirty noise, and from the short glance of shock I got from Taran, he did, as well. I gave him the raised brow “as if” look and he bit his lip as if he was trying not to smile, then looked back at the giant. But the tension I’d felt building in him lessened.
“I can’t believe you have the nerve to just walk around town like you’ve done nothing wrong, Breen.”
“I haven’t hurt anyone. Cops know it. They let me go.”
“And your daddy had nothing to do with that?”
“Nope.”
The giant kid suddenly grabbed the lapels of Taran’s coat and lifted him to his toes. I gasped, let go of Taran’s hand and kicked the big kid in the shin.
“Hey now, watch those crazy orange
People filled every booth and table and even more milled about, some in line for food and others standing around talking. Quite a few were around our age, and on nearly every face, there was an expression of fear or worry. The noise level drowned out thought.
A handful of kids gathered near one of the cash registers, and I couldn’t help but stare at a couple of them because they were huge. One was unnaturally big, like close to seven feet tall. Their matching jackets told me they were on the same sports team at their high school.
I tugged on Taran’s coat. “Do you go to school with them?”
He looked where I indicated with a nod of my head, then grimaced. “Yeah, I do. Unfortunately. The tall one, Billy, is an asshole.”
Billy picked that moment to glance over, and the scowl that scrunched already-rough, craggy features put my back up. He looked at Taran as if he’d just scraped him off the bottom of his shoe. He walked closer and my neck bent back. I’d never seen anyone that tall in person. His shoulders were twice the width of the kid next to him. His face was so strange—sort of wide and slightly flattened as if he’d been dropped on it when it was still forming.
“Yo Breen, how come you aren’t in jail? Your daddy pull some strings?”
The noise in the restaurant trickled into silence.
I understood Taran’s grimace then. He leaned down to put his lips by my ear. “He’s Stark’s best friend. That first kid who was hit with my hammer, remember?
Without thinking about it, I pulled off one glove and slid my hand into Taran’s, threading our fingers together. He straightened and smiled, surprise in his eyes as he squeezed my fingers gently.
Billy came even closer and I noticed another group our age watching from a table on the other side of the restaurant. One of the boys at the table was big, too.
What did they put in the water here?
“Breen,” Billy sneered when he stopped a couple of feet away. Then he surprised me by stepping right into Taran’s personal space. Which meant he stepped into mine, as well. Bristling at his bad manners, I put my hand on his chest to stop him. He looked down at me in surprise. Then, the slimiest smile crossed his mouth, and he let his body go loose, hunched his shoulders and leaned toward me.
“Are you trying to make yourself look smaller so I’m not scared of you or something?” I asked. “Because it’s not going to work.”
“Aw, you’re really cute. So small, I could put you in my pocket.”
“I suggest you don’t try that,” Taran said, voice low.
Billy continued to stare at me. “Don’t be scared of me.”
“I’m not. I meant you can’t make yourself look smaller.”
“Breen’s the one you should be worried about. Guess you don’t know he’s going around beating people up. Hit a girl once, too.”
I didn’t believe that for a second. Taran’s hand started to sweat as it tightened around mine. I wanted to reach out and stroke his side for some reason. The thought made me release the most gods-awful, girlie giggle ever. I promptly blushed—more out of humiliation.
Billy took it as a flirty noise, and from the short glance of shock I got from Taran, he did, as well. I gave him the raised brow “as if” look and he bit his lip as if he was trying not to smile, then looked back at the giant. But the tension I’d felt building in him lessened.
“I can’t believe you have the nerve to just walk around town like you’ve done nothing wrong, Breen.”
“I haven’t hurt anyone. Cops know it. They let me go.”
“And your daddy had nothing to do with that?”
“Nope.”
The giant kid suddenly grabbed the lapels of Taran’s coat and lifted him to his toes. I gasped, let go of Taran’s hand and kicked the big kid in the shin.
“Hey now, watch those crazy orange
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