An unexpected event.

Mila drove a relatively modern German sports car. She and Alice both drove manual transmission cars while Sarah and Grace drove automatics. I still thought it was a bit too extravagant, and Mila had only picked it because it looked nice without knowing that it was made for high performance. Still, it was a nice car and I was jealous.

“At least you keep it clean on the inside now…” I teased her as I drove out the school parking lot.

“Wait, Mila’s messy?” Thomas asked from his seat at the back, smirking.

“Yeah. First time we went on a date, there were bags and her brother’s toys all over the car.”

“...And the first time he went into my room it was a mess, too,” Mila said, slumping in the co-pilot seat. “It’s so embarrassing to think about.”

We talked, but I was more focused on driving than in the conversation. There was some pressure on my shoulder then. The firmness of the wheel in my hands, the change in speed at the slightest press or release of the gas pedal, the shift in balance when shifting gears… It should go without saying, but it was no video game. Still, all those hours, days practicing under Alice’s tutelage gave me confidence.

As we came closer to the store Mila and Thomas needed to go to, I began to recognize the area. Yes… Yes, we’d been here before.

“Hey, this is close to the hotel we went to for Valentine’s Day, isn’t it?” I asked Mila. “I think I remember passing through here.”

“Yeah, it is,” Mila said. “The hotel is actually like five minutes away from here.”

“So I DID get in the way!” Thomas said, laughing.

“Nah, it’s too expensive,” Mila told him, laughing along. “I mean, it’s amazing, and we were lucky to get a discount since it’s before the official inauguration, but still. It’s not the kind of place we can go to every month.”

“It really was nice, though,” I said. “A room for two should be cheaper, so invite Maria there, Thomas.”

“I just might,” he said, nodding. “We’re usually at her house since she lives alone, but changing it up every once in a while is important, right?”

“Oh, definitely,” Mila agreed. “Everything going well between you two, then?”

“Yep.” Thomas let out a content sigh. “Honestly, I didn’t think relationships could be this… comforting. Sometimes it’s a bit awkward because of the age gap, but it’s usually me being… well, eighteen, you know?”

“For what it's worth, I’ve never heard her complain about you,” I told him.

“Complaining about her boyfriend to his best friend would be stupid, though,” Mila told me.

“Ah, right.”

We parked somewhere close to the store, thankfully with ample space to do it safely. I still needed a bit more practice with parking.

“Congrats, Oliver,” Mila told me, kissing my cheek. “That was a smooth ride.”

“Yeah, congrats, dude.” Thomas gave me a thumbs up. “Want a kiss from me, too?”

“Stay away,” I told him, keeping him away with kicks to the air.

Thomas and Mila laughed, then we made our way to the store. I was a little taken aback by how many people there were inside. The place, thankfully, was spacious enough to not be cramped. A long queue saw us grab the number 167 when they were only just calling number 151.

“Oh God, we’re gonna be here a while…” Mila groaned.

“Hopefully the line will move quickly,” Thomas said.

It didn’t We waited for about ten minutes and the counter only advanced two numbers. All the while, however, I was… looking around. Most of the customers in the store were women, and… What were the chances that one of the women I was still looking for could be here? The receptionist worked at the hotel nearby, right? There was a chance she’d be here.

Sadly, I didn’t find either of them. That was also not what I meant before. No, what I’m talking about happened after we had waited 20 minutes and the number had gone up to 159.

“Ugh, now I’m thirsty,” Mila said. “Oliver, can you go buy me a water bottle? I’ll stay here and make sure we don’t suddenly lose our spot.”

I nodded. “Sure.”

“Want me to come with you?” Thomas offered.

“I’ll be fine. I’d rather you stay here with Mila.”

“Then buy me an orange juice, will you?”

I nodded again and made my way out the store… at the very same time as another customer. A slender, older woman of small breasts, long, straight blonde hair and bangs that reached below her eyebrows. She wore a loose white blouse and a long blue skirt, her purse hanging from her shoulder.

As I turned left out of the store, so did she. As I walked, looking for some place to buy some drinks, the woman walked behind me. It was almost like she was following me, but she was keeping her head down on her phone as she typed, so it was a complete coincidence that we were going the same way. Still, it made me a little uncomfortable, and considering that she might actually be following me made me pay attention to her. Problem was the woman wasn’t paying attention to anything else but her phone.

That was when it happened, and I regret to say I couldn’t react in time. I hadn’t expected it and it happened behind me. Some guy in a hoodie came out of nowhere I could see and took the phone away from the woman in a single swipe, but not having enough with that, he also grabbed her purse.

The woman was slow to react, but still held firmly onto her purse, pulling away from the thief while screaming. It was said screams that made me turn around, frustratingly just in time to see the son of a bitch punch the woman in the face so hard she let go of her purse and fell on her knees holding her face.

I felt every fiber of my being freezing, unable to respond. Everything happened in barely a few seconds, but my mind couldn’t process it until the thief turned away from me and ran. Then, every drop of blood in my body boiled, melting the ice that had me stuck to the ground.

I ran after him with all I had. He had maybe three or four steps ahead of me, but I somehow managed to catch up in half a block. I grabbed him by the back of the hoodie, slowing him down just enough for me to kick him behind the knee without a drop of mercy. The thief stumbled, cursing me loudly until I pushed him down on the floor.

I heard a dull thud. The guy hit his chin on the concrete of the sidewalk. Onlookers began to scream and gather around as I pinned the guy down. My heart was racing, my arms and hands shook. It wasn’t until I was holding the guy’s arms behind his back that I noticed how tired my jaw was from gritting my teeth.

“The police!” I yelled. “And that lady! Someone please check on her!”

Maybe my voice was what brought them out to check. Thomas and Mila came running out of the store towards me. “Mila, go check on the lady back there.”

“Y-Yes…!” She ran past me and kneeled beside the woman. I thought I saw some blood on her face and in her hands on her nose.

Thomas, meanwhile, immediately helped me restrain the struggling thief below me without a word. With the both of us, he didn’t have enough strength to even resist anymore. Fury in my chest, I held his head and pushed it hard against the floor.

I was still trembling when the police came and took the thief away.

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