Free Seasons of Change by Olivia Stephens Page A

you!”
     
    “Right, and can you tell me why that’s made you start acting like a crazy person?” I ask incredulously, amazed that Jake seems to think that his behavior is completely justified.
     
    “Like a crazy person. Huh, right.” Jake shakes his head like I’m the one making no sense and takes a swig of his beer as he sits down on the seat that Nic has vacated. “I’m just looking out for you, that’s all. Trying to keep you away from would-be Casanovas like ‘Nic’,” he says, making air quotes with his fingers around the name.
     
    “Well thanks, Protector,” I say sarcastically, “But I think I can defend myself from charming men who want to buy me drinks.” I laugh, but Jake doesn’t.
     
    “You thought he was charming?” he asks, sounding somehow hurt. I can tell that he’s looking at me now, watching for my reaction, and I don’t know why my answer suddenly seems to be weighted with so much importance.
     
    Rather than looking back at Jake, I take a moment and look around the bar, trying to avoid the question. When my eyes rest on the front door, I catch some movement there and have to do a double-take to make sure that what I’m seeing is real. “Oh no,” I say, letting out a low whisper as I catch sight of a group of people walking into the bar.
     
    “Aimee?” Jake asks, instantly forgetting about the awkward conversation.
     
    He lays his hand over mine, holding onto it tight as soon as he sees that the color has completely leached out of my face.
     
    “What?” Jake asks, spinning around, following my gaze, but he keeps hold of my hand. If anything, he holds onto it even tighter when he sees what I was looking at.
     
    It’s Suzie, but not just her. She’s with a couple of bikers, one of whom is Ryan, and they all look like they’ve been doing more than just drinking.
     
    Suzie doesn’t make any sign that she’s seen Jake and me. Instead she’s led over to one of the tables near the back and pushed into a chair by one of the bikers, which I’m guessing is the one that claimed her. You always find the nicest guys , I say to her in my head, wondering if these men that treat her badly are the only type that she believes she deserves.
     
    “I need to go talk to her,” I tell Jake, slipping my hand out from underneath his.
     
    “Aimee,” Jake says to me under his breath. “Don’t do this. Suzie wouldn’t want you to make waves,” he tells me, and I can see the concern in his eyes.
     
    “She’s my friend,” I say, surprised that Jake is telling me to just sit back and not do anything. “She’s our friend,” I remind him. “I need to make sure that she’s alright.” I slip off the stool and walking purposefully towards the group of Bleeding Angels, focusing on my friend. I can hear Jake cursing behind me, but I don’t stop.
     
    “Well look who we have here.” Ryan’s head snaps up almost immediately as I approach their table, and even from this distance I can see that his eyes are bloodshot and his pupils are dilated.
     
    “Ryan,” I respond, keeping my voice as even as I can and doing my best to avoid his eyes. “I just wanted to check on my friend.” I nod towards Suzie and take a step towards her before I’m blocked by the tall guy that I’d seen push her into the chair.
     
    “Your friend’s fine, little girl,” the guy says, taking a step towards me so I’m forced to take a move back. I slam into Ryan then, who is now standing behind me.
     
    “Look, I don’t want any trouble,” I tell them, holding my hands up. “I just want to speak to Suzie,” I repeat to the guy, whose vodka-scented breath I can smell.
     
    “Well maybe she doesn’t want to speak to you, Aimee, ” the guy says, making a point of showing that he knows exactly who I am.
     
    My psych textbook would call it another control tactic, designed to make me feel uneasy that he knows more about me than I do about him. He gets as close as he can to my face—so close I can