Suzie’s House 186: It’s Like, You Know, Right?

If he smirked one more time, Tracy was going to bop him . Hard.

“So you know what they were doing, right?” Gene grinned. At least he wasn’t grinning at her, but that might only be because he was walking her home and had to pay attention to the sidewalk so he didn’t stumble in the dark and look all un-cool.

“Yeah, yeah. I know. They weren’t beating on each other, and that’s what matters.”

“Uh-huh. Yeah. That’s what matters.” Still grinning in that patriotizing way, like he knew something she didn’t

“You think it doesn’t?”

“No. I know it’s important. Except. If they had been, then walking in on them wouldn’t do any good.”

“What do you mean? Of course it would do some good. We might have been able to save one of them.”

Gene shook his head, all trace of humor gone.

“You don’t understand, Tracy. People like that, they don’t want to be saved.”

“That can’t be true.” She thought about the people she’d known who were abused. Some of them snapped at her at first if she tried to help, but they only said she was a kid, not that they didn’t want help.

“They want the other person to stop doing it, but they don’t want to leave the other person. Just for him to change.”

“Him?”

Tracy gave Gene a long look. When she’d first seen him she thought he was the kind of guy who would need her, really need her. That’s why she’d picked him over Ben. She would have picked him even if Ben and Lisa were already gaga over each other when she met him, because she needed to be needed, if that made any sense.

Gene didn’t say anything, but his chin came out. Great. Now he’d clam up.

Tracy took his hand and swung it as they walked, feeling like a little kid. He let her get away with it, too, even grinned at her, and not that smirk that drove her up the wall.

“So…. You want to do it?”

“Do it?” She was already holding his hand. What could he be thinking?

“What Miranda and Vin were doing. Want to do it with me?”

“Sure.” She’d love to get to know him better.

Gene stopped right there in the middle of the sidewalk at least two block away from home still. He still had her hand in his, and made her stop with him. He stared at her with saucer-wide eyes, in total shock.

“What?” She started feeling uncomfortable.

This time his grin was totally predatory. He took as slow step toward her, and then another. Tracy backpedaled fast.

“Wait! No. I didn’t mean…. I mean not right now.” She was babbling and couldn’t stop herself.

His chin came up and his eyes went narrow. “Didn’t think so,” he said, then he tugged her toward home and they started walking again. “But let me know when you do.”

“Um. Yeah. I’ll do that.” Tracy said as she started to relax.

If you enjoy Suzie’s House and would like to see more, please leave a comment. Suzie’s House is powered by its readers.