Page 25 of Fight Or Flight

Ethan’s smile dropped, replaced by a scowl.

He had just opened his mouth to lecture her on the importance of the snakes to the overall ecological balance of the land when, out of the corner of his eye, he saw a flash of red moving across the floor toward him.

He pulled his gaze from Natalie and looked over to find Lindsay staring at him with a Joker-like, bright red smile slashed across her face. Following her was Derek, wearing a messy black suit with a matching red tie.

Amy followed Ethan’s gaze. A sick look took over her face, prompting Adam to look as well. His eyes dropped closed for a second in exasperation.

“Fuck,” he muttered.

Yes, thought Ethan. Fuck, indeed.

“Ethan!”

Ethan dropped his face into neutral, and nodded.

“I’ve been meaning to come say hi. How are you?” she asked, leaning in close, nearly pressing her chest against his arm.

“Fine,” he said without elaborating. He took a sidestep away from her, bringing him closer to Natalie.

“Natalie Monroe?” Derek chimed in with a greasy smile. “Is that you?”

Natalie looked at him, then bared her teeth slightly. “Derek?”

“Yeah! It’s me, Derek.”

She looked over at Lindsay. “Lindsay Carlisle?” she asked incredulously.

Lindsay nodded. “Wow. You haven’t changed at all,” she said. “Still that same horrible expression on your face.” Lindsay mimicked Natalie’s annoyed face, then laughed.

It made his skin crawl.

Natalie stared at Lindsay until she stopped laughing. Seconds ticked by. Lindsay started fidgeting and finally looked away. Natalie glanced over at Amy, who had shrunk with nervousness, then back at Lindsay. “What the hell are you doing here?”

Adam choked on his drink with a laugh.

Ethan remained, in his view, stoically neutral.

Derek leaned in closer to Natalie, probably to diffuse the situation. “Do you want to dance?” he asked, placing a hand on her forearm.

“No,” she said, then seemed to remember her manners and added, “thank you.”

“Oh, come on,” he pressed. He gripped her forearm, attempting to pull her toward the dance floor.

Natalie wrenched her arm away, then squared her shoulders, bringing herself up to her full height. “I said no.” She stared at Derek, unflinching, until he shrivelled. Then she twisted the knife. “Go. Away.”

Derek’s face turned the exact red of his tie. “What the fuck?”

“What are you confused about?” she asked.

His tomato face turned vicious in a second. “You were always such a bitch. Come on, Lindsay,” he said, then stomped off to their table without waiting for her.

Lindsay looked from Amy’s uncomfortable face to Adam’s smile and finally Natalie’s pissed-off stare. As if to save face, she mumbled, “Whatever,” then turned and left.

The group collectively watched them retreat.

Adam broke the silence first. “That was spectacular. He’ll hate you forever.”

Natalie tilted her chin up. “Good. The feeling is mutual. Deplorable Derek and Lamentable Lindsay can sod the fuck off.”

---