Page 104 of Oceansong
“You got it, boss.” The men ambled away with Scruffy at the helm.
Angie jerked from Nick’s grasp one last time, but he threw his free arm around the front of her shoulders, keeping her back flush against his chest. “I want you to behave, Angela.”
“Don’t tell me to behave. I’m not a child.” She clenched her jaw and clutched at Nick’s arm, but he didn’t budge.
Giving her a hair’s width of space so he could spin her around to face him, he continued his diatribe, his face flushed and eyes manic. “You’re a race betrayer, and you’re crazy. No wonder your mom didn’t want you and offed herself. I can’t wait until your dad finally punishes you.”
His last words ignited a blazing fire in her.
“Fuck. You.” Angie widened her stance and rammed her shoulder into his chest as hard as she could. When he staggered, she reared her head back, driving her forehead into Nick’s nose. He stumbled into Cyrus’ tank, and with a violent sway, the worktable rolled backward, the back of the tank slamming into a protrusion from the wall behind it. A loudcrackfilled her ears, coming from the tank. With a loud yelp, Nick failed to regain his balance and teetered before falling to his hands and knees. Angie glared at him as he began to stand.
Sharp pain detonated behind her eyes and bright white stars filled her vision, but she ignored it. What was that saying about never kicking someone when they’re down, because karma will find a way to turn things around?
“Consider this your karma, asshole.” Fueled by fury and vexation, she gave him a final, swift kick to the stomach with a loudthump. “And this is for hurting Cyrus.” She delivered another blow, her foot slamming into his crotch. He fell back to his side and Angie fled, face flushed and hands trembling.
“Angela!” he screamed followed by a stream of what sounded like French curses. Her last glimpse was of him clutching his crotch.
From his lips to her ears, Angie stumbled on a piece of gangway debris sticking from the pebbled ground. When she was safely out of Nick’s earshot, she leaned her head against the warehouse’s wall, tears pricking at her eyelids. This time, she allowed them to fall.
His words cut deep, like a freshly sharpened knife slicing her heart into tiny, tiny pieces.
After a half hour, Angie’s forehead still throbbed as she sat in Bàba’s office, waiting for him. Her fingertips and toes were numb. Nick’s cruel words stung as if a man o’ war had brushed its poisonous barbs along her naked limbs.
He had messaged her minutes ago, asking her to meet him in his office. Saying he wanted to give their high emotions a chance to settle before they discussed what was to happen next. Her feelings were far from settled in light of everything that happened earlier today.
Nick strolled through the door first, one hand over his stomach, and the other holding an ice pack to his nose. Angie stood straight up. “The Hells are you doing here?”
He lifted one shoulder in a casual shrug that infuriated her, and he pointed behind him. “Dad asked me to join.” He sat in the office chair next to Bàba’s desk. “Think you got away with what you did to me?”
Bàba strode in soon after, and took his seat. His usually warm brown eyes were cold as if she were simply an unruly worker he had to deal with instead of his daughter.
The notion was a forceful gut-punch.
It reminded her of sitting in her high school principal’s office when she was fourteen, after she had called Angie’s parents to tell them she skipped school. The dread as she waited for Bàba and Mama to arrive. Angie had wanted to scuba dive on the nicest day of summer that year, and hadn’t thought skipping one day of classes was a big deal. Her parents understandably did, and after berating her for her irresponsibility, took away her scuba gear for a month and made her stay in her room for a week, only to come out for meals and school. She never skipped school again.
“Nick, why don’t you start? You wanted to be here too, right?” Bàba motioned to Nick, and Angie kept her posture tall, her hands on her lap, staring him dead in the eyes.
She swore Nick flinched a smidgen at her hard stare.
Good.
“So, what do you have to say for yourself after you attacked me?” He spoke with spite, but avoided her stare.
“You started it.” Angie kept her angry glare fixed on him.
“Beibei, what has gotten into you?” Bàba cut in.
“Wait, what?” Angie threw out her hands. “He was holding me down and saying horrible things in French.”
Bàba’s face remained stony. “A few other workers who witnessed the altercation confirmed Nick’s story. You attacked him.”
Angie suppressed a groan. Of course, Marc and Ian took his side.
Nick sighed. “This is what I get for worrying about you.”
“What are you talking about?” Angie’s hands balled into tight fists.
“About yesterday. I had to go out of my way to find out where you were. Make sure you were okay.”
