How to Punch Soren McKinin | ✓

BONUS

SIX MONTHS LATER...

S O R E N

It was odd to notice the small details about someone, I had never had a 'someone' before to notice about but I did now. I notice the warmth of her hands as she tired a blindfold over my eyes.

"Well this doesn't make me feel vulnerable at all." I said sarcastically, stumbling to follow her hand that tug on mine.

"You'll be fin- -" she struggled to catch me as I fell due to her lack of information that I was at the curve in the road, "Probably."

"Comforting." Jay chuckled softly as she opened the car, well I believed it was car.  An awkward entrance into the led to a strangled cough from Jay, "I don't have a car so..." she trailed off as the car started.

Knowing all too well the sound of my own car a whimper of despair left my lips, "Jay I just got my license again... Let me drive, you'll kill us both."

Getting my drivers license back was one of the best moments of my life, it repented a new beginning. A pledge that I wouldn't go back to the boy I used to be. I was man who had a purpose, one that involved living.

Considering that I could drive better with the blindfold than Jay on an empty road with full vision, that wasn't being cocky, that was an fact.

The car reeved and my stomach dropped as we reversed out the driveway, roughly turning around in the middle of the street before she put her foot on the gas. "Holy Fuck, Jay it's a 40 zone." Knuckles white, I gripped the seat.

It was less than twenty minutes of comforting conversation between us both before Jay screamed, slammed the her foot on the break and swerve slightly.

Chest slamming into the seatbelt, a piercing pain striking my body from my still healing body. My own yelp of pain started a burst of guilty apologies from Jay. I couldn't see her but I could still feel her grinning.

"Please tell me you swerved to save some old lady crossing the road or so help me." I groaned through the sizzling of pain in my chest.

"Kind of..." She said softly before elaborating after my sigh, "I thought the dead animal on the road was still alive... I didn't want to run it over."

Turning to face her even though I could see I gaped, "Wait, you thought the run over piece of fluff on the road was a living breathing animal?" I raised a blindfolded eyebrow before grumbling, "Is the surprise you're trying to kill me?"

"Oh, you're fine. Shush." The car lurched forward in sync with my groan of fear.

Knuckles still white, I reluctantly unclenched my hands from the black leather of the car when the engine fell into a pattern of sleep.

A door opening and another closing, Jay led me out of the car as I shakily followed her until we were both engulfed into aircon, and the need to throw up had ceased.

A door creaked open and faint laughter filled the room in which she led me, it stop with our entrance.

People were looking at us, a lot of them — I could feel it. The awkwardness caused me to move closer to Jay who surprising let go of my hand to pull the blindfold off.

The large room filled with multiple families and news reporters caused me to loose feeling in my hands and heart. Just simple faces, most crying and holding onto a love one, maybe they loved each other but I would never know.

I recognised them, I knew who they were. Not the adults but the children. Jays arm fell around my shoulder and gently pushed me towards the crowd, I was grateful for that because I couldn't walk on my own.

I hadn't known their condition, if I had gotten them all out. To see them...

A mother walked toward me, she was plump and held a handful of flowers. Pulling me into a hug I didn't expect, I let myself hug her back as she cried, "You saved my daughter..."

The hugs, words and tears that came next were something I never expected in having the honoured of hearing.

"You saved him."

"Thank you so much."

"You are our angel."

A boy tugged on my hoodie. His smiling face made me turn away quickly, I didn't want to cry because I knew who he was. It was the boy in which I'd thought I was spending my last moments with.

Kneeling down to his level, unaware of the cameras and eyes fixated on us — I smiled.

"Hey, buddy..." I chocked our through thick emotion, the tears rolling down my cheeks broke my face into a soft but sloppy grin, "Do you remember me?"

He was so young, his black hair falling into his eyes but he nodded softly. He looked at his feet, then to an action figure in his small, dark skinned hands.

I waited patiently before his brown eyes found mine and he spoke, "You're the boy who came into get me." I nodded softly. "My mom said that you risked your life for me, that you almost died."

The whole room went silent, my heart louder than his words as my shaky hands took the toy he offered me, "Here you go... He's my favourite."

I turned the action figure over to see Superman staring back at me, "and why's that?"

"Because he reminds me of you." His voice small but thundering in my ears, enough to make me snapped my head up to look into his eyes.

He fell into my arms which caused a wave of hugs. Small body hugged my back, others my side, hands gripping onto my hoodie jumper. I was centred in hug consisting of crying parents and small children. Feeling each heartbeat echo my own, hearts that could have easily stopped that day.

Crumbled onto the floor, a police women this moment to wonder over to Jay who was standing alone in the corner of the room.

Her hand fell onto  Jays small shoulder in a comforting manner. There was a calm silence between the two, something they valued.

"I don't know how you picked this guy out of the crowd but love, don't let him go." The police officer grinned, Jay had only smiled. The women tucked her thumbs into her belt and leant against the wall,  "I chased him through the streets once and now look at him. To tell the truth, I've arrested him a few times." She laughed before her smile faded and she stared almost lost in thought at the crowd, "I locked him up enough to think he was a lost cause, I was mistaken."

Jay shrugged as we caught each other's eye, "I don't know... I think he just needed someone to give him a chance, someone to believe he could to be gold again."