Resistance- ON HOLD

Icy Glare

Adeline's hands uncomfortably played with the hem of her dress as the pair drove in stiff silence. Every time she looked at Leon, his mouth opened and closed like a fish, as if he wanted to say something but kept changing his mind. The tentative girl decided to break the silence with some small talk.

"The weather is so nice today. Don't you think-".

"You are the prettiest girl I've ever seen. And, uh, the nicest. You are so sweet. I can't believe you even got in the car with me; I mean, I saw you with Dutch Kaiser in town, so I was nervous about picking you up in case he got here before me, but he was out gathering some flowers for this bouquet when I was getting in the car, so I figured I was pretty safe. Did I mention we're neighbors? Gosh, you're cute". Leon rambled, mumbling some parts and taking in a sharp breath.

Adeline blanched. She thought, People saw us in town and assumed we were together? Isn't that taking a bit of a leap? Who was he gathering flowers for? Wait, Dutch Kaiser gathering flowers? That's really cute-

Leon continued rambling on until they drove past a row of charming brick houses, each with a trimmed yard and well-kept gardens. Adeline's stomach turned when she counted at least eight swastika flags on the street. The black symbol was so formidable, so intimidating. It made her very nervous, but she couldn't quite say why. Helga's family had a swastika flag, so it couldn't be that terrible. Helga was a nice friend, one of her best friends. She wouldn't have something bad waving in the wind in front of her house. She just couldn't.

"That's my house, right there with the tan door. Two houses down is Dutch Kaiser's. Oh, look! There he is! It's ten minutes to the dance, so he still has time to pick up his date. I mean, I'm guessing he has a date because of the flowers. Wait, Dutch Kaiser never brings a date. Wait, wait, wait! Dutch Kaiser never even goes to dances! What's he doing? Oh look, he sees us. You're his friend right? Wave! Oof, he doesn't look happy to see us. That's weird. Wow, your hair looks really pretty..."

As Leon was talking, Adeline's big doe eyes met the icy stare of Dutch. His jaw clenched and his hand fisted around the flowers. He had been halfway into the car, but when Dutch saw the pair he stepped out completely, turned around, and threw the bouquet under the nearest bush. Adeline jumped back in her seat, utterly confused. By then, they had passed his house, but Adeline couldn't shake the feeling that something bad was going to happen tonight, and it had to involve Dutch Kaiser.