Free Pretty Girls Don't Cry by Tony J Winn

him across the face, hard. Twice.

Chapter 5
    After Nora struck him, Murray stumbled back, his hand now on his cheek. Stevey from the morning show was standing right behind Murray, open-mouthed.
    Sputtering, Murray said to Kylie, “What's her problem?”
    “We're all sick of hearing about your dick,” Kylie said.
    Murray pointed a finger at Kylie. “I did not say that word. You said that word. I know what's improper.”
    Nora grabbed his arm and twisted Murray's fingers. “Don't you point your pervy little finger at her.”
    She would have slapped him again, too, but Stevey was pulling her back with his big, strong arms.
    Nora went into reflex mode, as she had all those times in school when she'd scuffled with the boys who'd taunted her.
    She bit down on Stevey's arm. He screamed and released her.
    Nora stumbled forward and held her fists in front of her, like a boxer. Murray, showing some intelligence for a change, bolted.
    Behind Nora, Stevey asked if there was something wrong with Kylie, who was crouched forward in her chair, retching into her garbage can.
    Nora pushed Stevey out of the way and went to Kylie's side, rubbing her back. “I'm sorry, honey, it's going to be okay.”
    Kylie coughed and spat into the can. As Nora smoothed down Kylie's shirt, she noticed she could feel her spine and ribs jutting out. Kylie looked so small, crouched over the can.
    A minute later, Nora said, “Come on, let's get you cleaned up,” and pulled Kylie to her feet.
    “What is going on around here?” Stevey asked.
    “Thanks for keeping me from murdering Murray,” Nora said. “Now scram. Get back to the studio. You don't want to get involved.”
    “But, I ...” He rubbed his arm where she'd bit him, and took another look at Nora's face. “Right.” He turned and disappeared.
    *
    Kylie went home early, citing stomach flu. In the afternoon, Nora made her way to the studio, aware of every set of eyes in the place watching her.
    One of the younger interns, a skinny guy with an unfortunate skin disease, made a big show of clinging to the wall when she passed him in the hallway. His buddy laughed, and Nora refused to acknowledge either of them.
    The morning show's producer called her Killer when she entered the studio.
    She responded with, “Please clear your food debris and take it with you when you leave my studio. Thank you.”
    When she went on the air, Nora had a lot to say about office politics and harassment versus regular joking around, but she kept it to herself. To stay safe, as always, she focused instead on a fan favorite topic: worst haircut ever.
    She ran through celebrity makeovers and shared her own ill-fated attempt to relax her tight curls. The story ended with her reassuring her listeners, “Don't worry about hair. Hair grows back.” She looked up at the two interns watching her from the hallway. “Dignity, however, is another story. Unlike hair, dignity does not grow back, so, folks, don't let anybody take that from you.”
    As the next song played, she leaned back in her chair, stuck her hands behind her head, and roared like a lion.
    Yes, it was nuts, but it felt good.
    Before her shift was over, she'd already gotten the email—marked urgent—summoning her to see Don, who was still stationed in Murray's office.
    *
    In the office, she sat down and said, “I think we could do ten percent.”
    “You know damn well that's not why we're here,” Don said.
    “It was just a little scuffle. I've seen some of the night guys get into fistfights with each other, and they never get in trouble.”
    “You're not one of the guys. Murray said you knocked out a filling. He had to make an emergency visit to the dentist.”
    Sarcastically, Nora said, “Poor Murray.”
    Don tapped his fingers on the desk.
    A wave of regret washed over Nora. “A filling? That's awful. I had no idea. I wasn't thinking. Honestly, I don't want to make trouble.”
    “Murray's always been so good to you, too, how could you do that to