Fawkes

Thank God You're Pretty

Dick left me after I told him I was gonna catch the bus, and I waved him goodbye, smiling to myself once he was around the corner. I could still feel the way his lips had felt on mine, and I touched my mouth gently, expecting them to still be there. Wishing they were.

Maybe it was the concussion, but my head was fuzzy as I walked along the sidewalk, so I almost thought I was seeing things when a familiar head of strawberry blonde hair caught my eye.

Lauren was walking with her nose held high, her ponytail swishing back and forth and making me want to take a knife out and slice it off. I wondered what she was doing down here, as it wasn't the direction her house was in, and she didn't seem the type to go for afternoon walks. I kept my eye on her, watching as she began texting rapidly on her phone, barely watching where she was going. I found myself rolling my eyes at the stupidity she was displaying; she was practically asking to be attacked. Her earbuds blocking out any noise, her eyes trained on her screen. If I was still a criminal she would be the first person I'd mug.

Maybe that said more about me than her.

I spent my time judging her as I walked closer to the zeta tubes, and I was about to turn the corner onto the street where they were when I saw her heading for a crosswalk that had just changed. She clearly thought she was still walking with a green light, as her step did not slow, and she ventured on towards the now busy intersection. I looked down the street, where a car was racing her way, and my breath hitched in my throat.

I heard Dick's voice in my head, telling me that I was stupid for sacrificing myself. I remembered telling him I hadn't thought twice to let myself die for him, but with Lauren it was different. I despised the girl, so I mulled over letting her get hit by a car for a good three seconds before I came to my senses. I reminded myself that I was supposed to be a hero now, and this is what a hero would do.

So I found myself sprinting towards her, yelling her name and praying she heard me over whatever stupid pop song she was using to tear through her ear drums. Once it was evident she couldn't hear my shouts, I focused on sprinting harder. I dropped my backpack to pick up speed, watching as the truck didn't slow down, even as Lauren crossed the middle of the street and was right in its path.

I heard honking, but I ran onto the crosswalk anyway, tackling the blonde to the ground just as the car whipped past us, the wind sending our hair flying as we skidded along the pavement and were narrowly missed by the wheels.

The light turned red again, and we both just stayed there, me breathing heavily and her staring in shock at the retreating truck, glancing at her cracked screen before looking up at me. I expected her to yell at me for breaking her phone, or cry about the road rash on her legs and arms, but she just said nothing, giving me the chance to snap at her first.

"Do you have eyes?" I scolded in annoyance as I sat up on the crosswalk, brushing myself off, "or do you insist on keeping them glued to your screen like a deranged lunatic?"

"You saved my life," she said quietly, and I grumbled.

"Yeah, no kidding. Honestly, I thought you at least had a few brain cells up there, but I guess I was poorly mistaken."

"You saved my life."

"You know, I heard you the first time." I snapped my gaze to hers, stopping my angry brushing when I saw her expression. Tears brimmed her eyes, and her glossed lips were parted as she stared at me with an expression I could only describe as gratitude.

"I-I, you . . . I don't know—" she stuttered hopelessly, looking down at her hands as if they'd tell her what to say, "thank you."

I stood up, scratching the back of my neck awkwardly and shrugging.