Kris could hear the commotion outside of her bedroom window. As she leaned out to look down to see what was going on the yelling and laughing grew louder. On the street beneath her brownstone she saw her neighbor and best friend Ari surrounded by three guys from down the street that went to their rival high school. It took her a moment to process what she was seeing as the boys ganged up on him, surrounding him on every side so he couldn't get away. The words coming from their mouths sent anger raging through her. She ran out of her room, down the staircase, and out the front door.
Two of them had their hands on either side of Ari, holding him while one of the other boys threw a strong punch into his stomach. "What the fuck are you doing? Leave him alone!" Kris yelled as she jumped down the last few steps and ran over to the group. She grabbed his arm before he could throw another punch.
"This doesn't concern you, bitch." The stocky boy that was throwing the punches growled at her. "We're just trying to teach this ---"
Her tanned fist collided with his jaw before he could get out the next word, a word she knew should never be said. He grabbed his jaw. The two boys holding Ari pulled him backwards while the fourth boy appeared next to the first. The ring on her finger had cut his cheek and small specks of blood were dripping over his pasty skin.
"You'll pay for that." He wiped the blood off his cheek and swung at her. She was fast though, years of boxing lessons had taught her how to dodge. He stumbled as his fist went past her. "Fucking bitch."
"I told you to leave him alone, or it won't just be your cheek that's bleeding." She spat at him. His large pig-like face was a bright shade of scarlet. His fists were balled up, his stance was hunched. "You think you're little girlfriend here can save you?" The next words that came out of his mouth were just one slur after another about his skin color. Kris moved to punch him again but this time he reached into his sagging pants and pulled a gun on her. A small handgun that was more than likely his father's. She backed up as he pointed the gun in her face.
Ari screamed for someone to come out and help. But no one did. Kris eyed the bully up and down and laughed.
He shook the gun at her. "What's so funny to you bitch? You think this is funny. I'll fucking kill you right here."
"Feel's like your overcompensating for something." She looked down at his crotch and back up at him. "You know?" She held her fingers up just about an inch apart.
He stepped closer to her, holding the gun to her throat. "You think I'm joking." The gun clicked.
"I know you are, because I know that you know you won't make it down the street without being caught if that gun goes off. I also know that you can see the camera's that are on the outside of the building behind us." She glanced back under his grip to look at the clearly visible camera just above the front door pointing out onto the street. "It's a high crime area, there are camera's everywhere. The one behind us has audio too, and I think you've been loud enough for it to hear every word." She felt very smug as she spoke. He dropped the gun and stepped back, nodding for the other two to let Ari go.
"This (slur) and his (slur) loving girlfriend aren't worth it." He backed off more as the two other boys joined him, the three of them walked smugly down the street as if they'd just won. Kris rushed over to Ari who was doubled over on her front step.
"Are you okay?"
"I'll be fine. Thanks for that." He looked up at her and back to the camera. "Doesn't that only work like half the time."
"If we're lucky, but they don't know that." She smiled at him, reaching down to lift up his shirt. Even with how dark his skin was she could see the start of a few nasty bruises on his torso. "Let's go inside and I'll get you some ice."
"Thanks." He smiled and let her help him to his feet as she slowly led him up the stairs and into the house. She sat him on the couch and went into the kitchen, grabbing a few ice packs and two sodas and walking back to him. He had laid down on the couch, resting his head back on the large pillows and holding his arms over his stomach. "You didn't have to stand up for me, he could have shot you."
"I know. But I couldn't just stand there, besides, if we're lucky that cut will scar."
"I don't think we're that lucky." He chucked and then winced in pain. "Why did you stick up for me?"
"Why wouldn't I?"
"Because you didn't have to."
"I know. Like I said, I couldn't just sit there and listen to him call you every name in the book and beat the shit out of you." She placed one ice pack on his stomach and the other on his chest. He winced at first and then breathed a small sigh of relief. She handed him a soda and smiled. "I wasn't sure what you'd like, but it's a root beer"
"Root beer is good." he didn't sit up but placed the soda on the coffee table and relaxed back down. She sat on the ground next to him and brushed her hand across his forehead. She leaned down and softly kissed the top of his head.
When she leaned back she wasn't sitting in her house anymore, she was laying on the street in front of her brownstone. Ari was screaming behind her for someone to come help. The gun had fired. She couldn't feel where she had been shot but she knew she had. Another shot. Ari's screaming stopped. The distant sound of a police siren started to move closer but the closer it got the more it seemed to fade into the background.
The three boys had run off. She didn't know what had happened to Ari, but she couldn't hear him anymore. If she would have been able to look behind her she would have seen him, laying on the steps of her brownstone, blood dripping from his chest.
The blue and red flashing lights grew closer but her vision was failing. Shadowy figures hovered above her, then the blue and red lights were the only thing she could see, before total darkness.
She was pronounced dead before the ambulance left the street. Ari was still alive. He had made it, brought to the hospital and saved. That camera had captured everything.
