“Please don’t. I just wanted you to take me home, that’s all.”
I rushed forward, grabbed the man’s shirt, and dragged him away from Ari. He stumbled back, arms flailing as he tried to keep his balance.
“What the fuck?” he cried out.
I didn’t wait for him to regain his equilibrium. I punched him in the face and pushed him down the steps.
“Get the fuck away from him!” I growled, my chest heaving. It took everything inside me not to beat him to a bloody pulp. His bloody nose wasn’t nearly damage enough.
“You broke my nose,” the guy yelled. “I was just doing what he asked me to do. Tell him, Ari.”
“I told you to stop,” Ari sniffled. “I didn’t mean to lead you on. I just wanted a drive home. That’s all.”
“You lying bitch, tell him the truth! That you begged for this. You didn’t want me to stop.”
“Get in the house, Ari,” I said through clenched teeth. He shuffled away from the wall and rushed through the doorway.
“Ari, you tell him the truth right now, you fucking tease!”
I clambered down the steps, and he ran toward the car parked in the driveway.
“Get off my property!”
“He’s a liar. A fucking liar. You keep him away from me, or I’m gonna fuck him up for what he did.”
He dove into his car and backed out of the driveway. I watched until he rounded the corner, then made my way back inside, slamming the door shut behind me. Ari yelped. He was huddled against the wall, his arms wrapped around his body.
“I’m sorry,” he said, his head bowed. “It’s all my fault.”
“No, no, you’re not going to blame yourself for him putting his hands all over you.” I slowly approached him, meaning to give him just comforting words, but this was Ari. The sweetest boy I knew. I couldn’t let him suffer like this alone. I held out my hand, and with a sob, he scrambled up and dove right into my arms.
“I shouldn’t have gone with him,” he sniffed, face pressed to my shirt front. “I just didn’t want to disturb you. I know you have to work tomorrow.”
“I’m not going to blame you for what that asshole tried to do to you.” I tucked his head under my chin, my heart pounding. What if I hadn’t woken up when I did? He was so small. He wouldn’t have stood a chance against that other guy.
“I did kiss him,” he whispered. “But it was only supposed to be one kiss.”
“It doesn’t matter if you gave him a kiss. The moment you said stop, he should have backed off.”
“You’re not mad at me?”
I groaned. If only I had that asshole before me again so I could deliver another punch. This time I’d knock him out and call the cops to deal with him. He’d touched Ari. My Ari.
“You need to file a complaint against him at the police station.”
He shook his head. “Please don’t make me. I just want to forget it happened.”
“If he tries anything—”
“I won’t give him the chance. I was being stupid when he offered me that ride and I accepted.”
I tipped his head so I could see his face. “You know him?”
“Yeah, he was a year ahead of me in high school.”
Which meant I should know him as well, but I never got a good look at his face. I’d been too enraged to see straight.
“Did he hurt you?”