BURN (Wattys2015?)

don't you dare

"What would you like?" I ask, looking across the worn table at her. She's studying the menu, frowning in concentration. She peeks up over it at me. I'm learning what she likes and what she doesn't.
"I can't read." She finally states, slouching back in the plush booth seat.
I stifle a smile. Whoops, I forgot. Maybe we can work on it over the summer. She already knows her alphabet.
"Well," I think for a moment. "What are you in the mood for?"
She bites her lip, bashfully staring at the table.
"Ice cream?"
I laugh.
"We can get ice cream afterwards. But what do you want to eat?"
"Mac n cheese!"
"Okay, sure." I glance back at the menu, wondering what I'd eat. I wasn't hungry. I was never hungry anymore. But I knew I should eat something. That way she wouldn't know something was wrong.
She points to a picture of some type of cake, glazed in chocolate and sprinkled with almonds. Giggling, she tells me to get it.
"I can't, I'm allergic to almonds." I smile sadly at her.
"Will you blow up like a balloon?" She gestures as if her head will explode, making a whooshing noise. I laugh, shaking my head.
The waitress, a frazzled young Hispanic woman, rushes from table to table. I'm in no hurry to order, I'm just savoring the time I get with the girl in front of me.
She points to the waitress, and tells me I should marry her because she looks like a Disney princess.
I open my mouth and feign shock, telling her I'm too young for that.
We talk about everything, about life and the people in the restaurant with us. I hear the jingle of the door, but I don't pay attention to who walks in, until I catch a set of cold blue eyes staring daggers at me. I freeze, and reach across the table to grab her hand, asking her to come sit with me.
Too late.
He's squeezed in next to her, sizing her up hungrily. I clench my fists, preparing to launch myself across the table.
He grins at me, and starts to speak asking me about her, and "my! she looks just like you. is she...?" I hate his southern drawl. She stares at me, her eyes wide and fearful.
He places his hand on her small back, and something about it is familiar and it bothers me.
"Don't you dare touch her." I seethe, hissing through my teeth.
He cocks an eyebrow, smirking. "Why? I remember you liked it."
Something inside me snaps, and the next thing I know I'm dragging her out of the restaurant. He screaming curses behind us, clutching a broken nose. My knuckles are cracked and once I decide we're far enough away, I lean down and brush the hair out her face. She hasn't shed a tear, but her face is white, drained of color and full of fear.
"Are you okay?" I ask, studying her. I'm out of breath, my heart beating rapidly and every inch of my being screaming to protect her.
"That was a bad man. That was a very bad man. He had the meanest eyes."
I pick her up, holding her tight. She wraps her arms around my neck, threatening to squeeze the life out of me.
"Let's go get ice cream, okay?" I say.