Just Your Average Girl

Chapter 1: Heroine

The bullet pierced his skin and he lay there bleeding. The brutes were holding my arms behind me as I screamed and wept bitter tears, groveling in my own sorrow. He wasn't my boyfriend, let alone a friend at all. I know him from school and we just happen to live in the same direction. I bumped into him and we wound up walking together. Then these thugs kidnapped us and tried to force him to give information to them.

No one told me that I should avoid Damian. No one told me that people would kidnap you. No one told me that a seventeen year old boy could be shot mercilessly.

Panic rose in me and all I could shout was no. My tears began to choke me and I felt my strength return. I grabbed the wrist of the man pinning my left arm. I moved my arm up and twisted his, turning him around. I did the same to the man on my right, who began hitting my back, and pulled my arms in front of me, pinning their arms to their backs. I smashed their heads together until they went unconscious in a heap of leather jackets.

I ran to Damian and cradled his head in my arms. His breathing was shallow and jagged, and his eyes stared at me in bewilderment. Fiercely, I whispered to him, "Don't die, oh please don't die on me." I tried to pull him up a bit, but I felt myself go weak as I began to cry again. Damian shouldn't die like this; no one should.

A barrel of a gun was pointed at me. The gunman was shaking in fear, but he was determined to kill me. "What the hell are you?"

I stood up, gently resting Damian's head on the ground.

"Get down or I'll shoot!"

I stepped towards him.

"Stop coming closer you bitch!"

I moved closer and he fired three times, each missing me. I sprinted and pressed hard into the criminal's chest. He fell backwards as I pulled his gun arm behind his back and disarmed him. I slid the gun across the ground. Somehow he punched me in the face and I released my grip. He began to throw punches, but I dodged them, grabbing his wrist and turning into him. I slammed the side of his neck and watched as he fell with his eyes wide in shock.

I heard a faint moan and returned my attention to the wounded victim. Damian was losing consciousness so I carried him on my back to the nearest hospital. (I saw it two blocks back when they stuffed us in the car) More like dragged him. Cars drove pass and sped up when they saw us. I ran as fast as I could and pushed my way through the door of the hospital.

"Emergency! He's been shot!"

Five nurses came and rushed him to the emergency room. One asked me what happened but I suddenly felt weak.

"Call... police...warehouse on 20th street..." I gasped for air, "They... try kill us..." Fatigue grasped me and I muttered one word before I fell unconscious, "Damian."

I woke up with Tammy and Mom sleeping at the edge of the hospital bed.

"Mom- Tammy?"

Tammy rubbed her eyes and smiled at me. She shook Mom awake and hugged me. I sat up and felt a tug at my arm. An IV.

"Tammy, what happened?"

"You passed out after dragging Damian here."

"Damian... Damian... Damian! How is he? Is he okay?"

"Surprisingly. He was shot in the stomach and the bullet missed any vital organs. He did suffer a lot of blood loss and got a transfusion."

"Good ̶ I'm glad. I guess training martial arts in the mountains for six years has served its purpose. ̶ You know ̶ I was terrified. When I saw the bullet hit him I was so shocked I kept crying. I was scared he was just ̶ gone. Gone."

My mom lead my head back to my pillow. "Honey, Leni, you just have to rest. You've been out for two weeks and now reality is just smashing at you. Rest. Dad's gonna come home early to see you."

"Daddy?"

"Yes, now sleep."

I slept for five hours until I woke up hungry. A nurse was fixing the IV and I asked her for something to eat. She headed out and I began to go through memories. I saw myself looking at Damian on my first day of school. I was in the 6th grade and he was in 7th. Every girl from 6th to 9th grade doted over this tall youth with dirty blonde hair and deep green eyes. I decided not to be like them; even if he was captain of both the basketball and junior football team. I knew deep in my heart that I liked him, and finally talking to him that wicked day made me begin to fall for him.

"But now that he's seen my strength, he'd be too afraid of me to like me. It's happened so many times with my friends," I thought aloud.

"You shouldn't worry about it too much Niña," replied a male voice.

"Daddy?" I tilted my head to the left to see the owner of the voice. "Oh. It's just you Enrique. What are you doing here?"

"Insulting! I just came to see my girlfriend."

"Shut up. You know as well as I do that I'm not your girlfriend."

"I've been asking you out since the 7th grade. You know he won't date you, and especially now because he knows your strength."

He pissed me off. He is so selfish when it comes to me and boys. "Get out, Ricky. You're supposed to make me feel better."

He came over and kissed my cheek then walked out. Just as the door squeaked close my father flung it open and rushed to my side. "Leni, Baby, are you awake? You okay? I heard that you saved that boy. I'm so proud of you. I knew sending you to Japan for martial arts training in the rural mountains was good for you. And she's the world female judo, karate, and tae kwon doe champion..." He began to go off into his own thoughts.

"Dad ̶ Dad!"

He came back from his thoughts of me dressing and acting as a girl. "Hey. I am awake. I'm fine, I just have a few bruises on my arms and a bit of fatigue. I know training was a good idea and I'll probably be out of here tomorrow. Did you hear about the condition of the boy I saved?"

"He's fine. Actually about half of your school is crowded outside his room. Even the principal and superintendent are in there. He must be a pretty popular kid, huh?"

"Yeah."

"Len? You know what I don't get?" I lifted my head and he continued, "How could they just completely ignore you, the heroine? I heard that they're even going to get the news on it."

"Did they ever catch the criminals?"

"Yeah. Two of them have concussions and the leader had a bruised clavicle and nerve damage." He gave me a sly smile and I giggled. Dad mussed my hair a kissed my forehead. Just as he reached the door he turned, "Len?"

"Yeah?"

"I'm proud of you. You're a real hero."

"Thanks, Daddy."

He left and I lay back down on the pillow. I really didn't feel like a hero. I stared and the tile ceiling until the nurse came in with a bowl of chicken soup and a grilled cheese sandwich.