Great. Not only do I have to follow through now that I’ve stuck my nose into their business, but I have to deal with a guy who’s too drunk to realize just how outclassed he is.
“What are you looking at, asshole?” the man snarls, his words slurring slightly.
I could answer. I could insult him and wait for him to self-destruct. He’s so drunk that he’s more likely to punch himself than me. Normally this would be amusing to watch.
But this isn’t just some man in the bar threatening everyone around him into a fight he has no hope of winning. This is a man who was threatening a young woman on the side of the road, in the middle of the night, clear intent in every line of his body. Now that I’m here and I’m a little more awake, I feel a little disgusted that I ever considered turning away.
Who knows what would have happened next, with no one around to stop it.
So I don’t reply. Instead, I pull back my fist and punch him in the face.
The man drops instantly. I don’t know if it’s because he’s shocked or because I just knocked him out, but I don’t care. I grab the wrist of the woman, who is staring at her attacker, stunned by how quick that was, and pull, almost yanking her off her feet before she realizes that I want her to follow me.
For a moment she resists, and I can’t say I blame her; I’m a stranger, and going anywhere with a stranger at this time of night is foolhardy. But then she glances at the man on the ground and follows me instead, apparently deciding to take her chances with me rather than the person who has already proved that he can and will attack her.
I set a harsh pace and she stumbles a few times to try and keep up. Finally, a block away from the convenience store, we duck into an alley and I stop. Only then do I let go of her wrist.
“There,” I say gruffly, glancing at her. She’s rubbing her shoulder. “Are you okay?”
“Huh?” she asks, startled. She’s blinking too much, as though she can’t comprehend what’s happening to her. “I… Yes, I’m fine.”
“You should probably head home,” I tell her.
I should just leave her here. But we’re not that far away from the store and I don’t know if that man saw where we went. So, instead, I hover awkwardly in the alley, not sure what to do next.
“Yeah,” she agrees, rubbing the back of her neck.
She seems rattled. I don’t blame her.
“Did he hurt you?” I ask, noticing that she’s still rubbing her shoulder.
“What… Oh, no, not really,” she says, shaking her head. “He just…grabbed me a bit.” She frowns. “He’s never done that before.”
I frown. “Is he your boyfriend?”
“No!” she exclaims before laughing. It’s high and unsure, and the sound fades away as she realizes that I’m not laughing with her. “No, he isn’t. I mean, he was, but we broke up a few weeks ago.”
I snort. “I can see why.”
She stares at me. Then a laugh escapes her again. This one, however, is a nice sound and far more genuine.
“Yeah,” she agrees, her shoulders finally relaxing. “Sorry, I’m a bit all over t
he place; I haven’t seen Jesse since we broke up and I wasn’t expecting him to flip out on me like that.”
“I’m guessing he didn’t take the break-up well,” I say, deadpan.
“That’s an understatement,” she snorts. “He’s probably got it into his head, now, that it’s all my fault.”
I frown. “Will he come after you again?”
“Jesse?” She seems startled by the idea. “No way. This was just an accident. He’s an idiot, a drunkard and a huge coward; when he wakes up tomorrow, he’ll rant and rave to his friends, and then he’ll pretend I never existed.”
That doesn’t seem accurate, based on what I just witnessed. The man I intercepted did not look like the sort of person to just let this go.
But I shrug. This woman knows her ex-boyfriend better than I do. Maybe I was just reading too much into it, and this had just been a freak occurrence because he was far too drunk to think rationally.
“Either way, thank you for your help,” she says after a moment. “He was definitely out of control tonight.” She laughs suddenly. “And I’m not going to say that I didn’t appreciate seeing you deck him, either.”