Paperboy | Fillie

t h i r t y - e i g h t

I couldn't help but notice the way other guys were looking at Millie.

It made me angry. I could feel an annoyance building up inside me. They looked at her like she was some type of meal, and they hadn't eaten in weeks.

She was hard not to look at. I found myself constantly staring too, but not in the same way that they were. I was admiring her, not planning when I should attack. Of course she was oblivious to it all though. She was having fun and I wasn't going to ruin that and make her uncomfortable by telling her.

She had been nervous at first, sticking to my side a majority of the time. She loosened up a bit though, dancing with Sadie and Gaten too after a while. I only danced with her when there were slow songs because I was not about to embarrass myself trying to dance to the faster ones.

"I'm going to go get water."

I started to stand up as Millie did but she pushed me back down by my shoulder gently.

"By myself."

She giggled and I nodded, blushing a bit. I was going to question it but I didn't want her to think I was worrying too much. She would be fine on her own, the drinks were only across the gym. I waited impatiently, my foot tapping. She was taking too long. Maybe I was just overreacting. It seemed like forever had passed when she finally came into my view again. I got up fast, noticing that the Caleb guy was behind her and her face looked distressed.

"What did you do to her?"

I put Millie behind me and glared at him. He put his hands up.

"Hey, I just pulled some guy off of her so don't be mad at me."

I turned to Millie with my eyebrows raised.

"What?"

I grew angry all over again.

"Who was it? Who touched you!?"

A few people looked as I raised my voice and Millie's eyes widened. She cupped my face in her hands and forced me to look her in the eye.

"Let's go outside."

I nodded, not being able to say no when she looked at me like that. She thanked Caleb quietly before pulling me through people and out the door. I could tell her hand was kind of shaky and that pissed me off. I swear I was going to kill whoever touched her.

"Calm down Paperboy, I'm fine."

I shook my head.

"That doesn't matter. Whatever prick touched you-"

"I slapped him Finn."

I stopped talking, my mouth hanging open a bit. Millie hit someone? How was she so calm about this? I took a deep breath in and walked over to a bench that sat in front of the school. She followed, sitting close to me and grabbing my hand.

"What happened exactly?"

She sighed.

"I was grabbing water and he put his hand on my waist. He told me to dance with him and I said no that I had a date. He pulled me closer to him and said that you didn't have to know. So I turned around and slapped him. He didn't like that but before he could do anything Caleb had pushed him away."

She explained fast, leaving me no room to interfere.

"Are you okay?"

She nodded and squeezed my hand.

"And you're sure you don't want me to go hit him?"

Millie giggled.

"No, it's okay. Caleb scared him pretty bad."