Turn Around Bright Eyes
American Tourister suitcase. Over her left arm, she held her purse as she grasped the keys to her car. “You were so incredible this evening,” yelled a much younger boy sitting in the back bed of the Chevy. He watched as Cassie came closer to their two vehicles. “You kissed her a good ten times, Buster, before you realized she was a boy,” rebutted the taller young man now standing next to Cassandra. An uneasy feeling pulsed through Cassie’s body, the type of warning signal that reminds you things are not right. “Oh boys, the three of you are so damn precious”, Cassie interrupted, trying to work her way to the car. In her mind, she realized she almost used the word ‘adorable’, but caught herself, as nothing made her seem older than referring to college-aged men as adorable, sweet, or cute. “Bet you fucking think it’s funny when you catch three straight guys in your fucking fag bar.” In six seconds, the air in the parking lot vanished. Cassie looked nonchalantly around the parking lot, hoping to catch the attention of a random barback taking out the trash or a bartender leaving for the night. As she glanced off to the right, she realized the older person next to her had lifted his arm. An excruciating pain shot through the left side of her face as this man, twice her size, struck her with all his force. Falling backwards, she tumbled over her blue bag, forcing her to cartwheel head first onto the concrete parking lot. By nature, her body forced her arms into the air trying to prevent her fall, only to feel a second facial blow, but this one dead on. She felt her nose snap to the side. Terror was in her heart. Cassie knew instantly this was going to be a fight she would not win. She knew this fight would not end unless someone opened the rear door of the bar leading into the back parking lot. With the same thought came the ripping of her cheek as it grated across the asphalt, placing rubble where there was once skin. She was able to let out a scream, but only for a moment, as her body collapsed in the parking lot followed by the first kick into her gut. By Steve Hammond
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By Todd Kachinski-Kottmeier