part 2

I shoved my cold hands into the depths of my jacket pockets in an attempt to warm myself up. The walk into town wouldn't take too long, but it was already beginning to feel like forever because of the bitter weather. My fingers were starting to become numb with frostbite as the freezing air whipped my hair around and nipped at the tips of my ears and nose. My pace quickened along the side walk, causing my boots to echo down the empty roads. Every street was completely desolated of life, which made sense because it was Christmas Eve. Everyone was probably spending the holiday with their friends or family. I smiled when I thought of my own friends who were waiting back at the Curtis house.

An eerie chill ran up my spine as I crossed the dark, deserted streets, making me glance over my shoulder only to find nothing and no one behind me. A vaguely similar feeling of déjà vu washed over me, reminding me of the night that blue mustang followed me back to Buck's. I could always tell when someone was watching me, almost like I had eyes in the back of my head.

I crossed another street and caught sight of my final destination about a block ahead of me. The lights were still on in the 24 hour drugstore that I became a regular in. The shop was always open when you needed it, even on holidays.

As I made my way closer to the store, I heard footsteps walking behind me. Deciding to ignore the stranger, I kept my head hung low and my hands in my pockets, just in case I needed to pull my switchblade out. My legs moved faster, trying to put more distance between myself and the person who was now following me. Wind whistled through the air, which made it harder for me to hear the person trailing closely behind me. My heart beat fastened and my head began to ache with all of the bad thoughts swirling in and out of my mind. All of a sudden, I heard multiple footsteps approaching. It was like the one person had multiplied into two or three more people. Now, I knew I either needed to stop and confront the group or make a run for it. The two options that I was left with weren't really that good of ideas, but I was left with nothing else to do. I was completely alone.

In an impulsive manner, my legs halted their march and I spun on my heels to meet the group who was following me. Although it was almost pitch black, the natural lighting from the moon shone just enough light onto the faces of the boys before me: Bob, Randy, and one other boy who I recognized from sometime in the past. Bob wore a sinister smirk on his lips as if he knew something I didn't. I had a feeling I was about to find out about the bad news.

"Merry Christmas, Diana," Bob said, waving his hand at me. I noticed the outlines of a faded black eye that he had etched onto his face. I wondered who had picked a fight with him this time.

"What do you want, Bob?" I snapped. I was not in the mood for him and his bullshit excuses to terrorize me and my friends. He was everywhere. I felt like wherever I went, Bob and his goons were lurking somewhere nearby, just waiting for the right time to cause trouble. "Don't you have anything better to do than follow me around with your pathetic friends?"

Randy took a threatening step forward with an angry expression on his face as he began to retort, "Hey-"

"Randy," Bob interrupted, putting a hand in front of his friend and forcing him to take a step back. I smirked in triumph, sizing Randy up and down cockily. "Not yet," Bob spoke lowly.

After his comment, all traces of a smile washed off my face and was replaced with a stony expression. I kept my hands in my pockets in case I needed to pull out my knife, and had my eyes narrowed at Bob menacingly, hoping that maybe my stance alone would scare the group off.

Bob turned his attention back to me as he spoke, "To be completely honest with you, Diana," Bob said. "You've been a pain in my ass since you got here."

I breathed a sardonic laugh. "How ironic," I commented. I noticed Randy and the other boy's eyes fixated on me as if I'd run away at any given moment. Even though that seemed like the best idea given my current circumstances, there was no way I was going to give Bob the satisfaction of knowing that I was threatened by him.

"Do you remember the day we met?" Bob asked curiously. He began to circle around me slowly. I kept a straight, unbothered face despite my racing heart and the bad gut-feeling I was getting from this conversation. "I always knew you were one crazy bitch," Bob spat. He made his way to stand in front of me again. His figure towered above me as his dark eyes glared at mine. "But I never knew just how crazy you really are. Diana Westbrook."

My lips parted slightly from shock when he said my full name. I couldn't tell if I was surprised he found out or scared of what else he knew. I guess this was one secret that I couldn't keep hidden. "What do you know?" I demanded.

Bob laughed loudly as he folded his arms across his chest and shrugged. "Oh, I know everything," he said with an eerie smile plastered across his lips. "I know about the robbery in New York, and how you ran away from your own home."

I scoffed and rolled my eyes. "Did you come here to turn me in?" I questioned. Bob gave me a knowing look. I felt my stomach drop out of nervousness. "You don't want to take it there," I warned him. "I won't go down without a fight."

"I know," he said, humored by my jittery responses. "I didn't follow you just to turn you in. The police have already put up rewards for your arrest, so you'll be someone else's problem. Don't worry though, I'll still visit when you're in jail," Bob said, while him and his friends shared a brief laugh.

"Fuck you, Bob."

"No, fuck you, Diana," Bob seethed through gritted teeth. "And fuck your stupid boyfriend."

My brows knitted together in confusion and my jaw clenched defensively. "What does Dallas have anything to do with this?" I asked.

Bob took a step closer to me and lifted my chin up with two fingers, forcing me to look him in the eyes. "Dally paid me a little visit awhile ago." Bob removed his hold on me and pointed to his swollen eye. "He got a few good hits in."

"Clearly," I remarked, examining his bruised eye. Bob scoffed and pushed me away harshly, causing me to stumble backwards. Once I regained my balanced, I stood tall again and glared at Bob. "What does Dallas have anything to do with you followin' me?" I demanded to know.

Bob rolled his eyes and gave me an obvious look. "Revenge obviously," he stated matter-of-factly. "The best way of getting to him, is by getting to you." Bob poked my shoulder tauntingly.

My eyes bore deeply into his with pure hatred. I've never despised anyone more than Bob Sheldon. "Fucking coward," I said through gritted teeth.

Bob shrugged and held himself higher than me as he slowly took a step forward with an uncaring expression. "Maybe," he chuckled softly. He face was just inches away from mine. I had to tilt my head upward slightly to meet his dark eyes. "I've got nothing to lose."

"Neither do I," I spoke back. I slipped my hand around the switchblade that was in my jacket pocket. My fingers held the knife tightly as I readied myself to pull it out at any given moment.

"Believe me, Diana," Bob laughed with his friends joining in. "I know."

I took a deep breath in an attempt to slow down my racing heart. I really wish I hadn't turned Dallas down earlier. I regretted telling him not to come. I didn't need him to protect me, but a bit of help would've been nice, especially when it's a three on one. Still, I had to remain confident and strong. The outcome was unclear but either way seemed like a lose-lose situation for me. Bob knew my past and what had happened back in New York, which means that it's only a matter of time until the rest of Tulsa finds out. I'd have to pack my bags and run away again. I was left with no other choice but to go. There was no way I was going to jail. I just turned eighteen and was not planning on spending the rest of my life locked up in a cell. It was ironic though. Running away from my problems is the exact opposite of everything that I stood for and believed in, but here I am, stuck in the same situation as before and doing the same exact thing. The past always catches up with you. I guess Chuck had a point in labeling me as a 'runaway.'

My eyes were locked onto Bob's as I watched him closely. Neither of us
moved a muscle. A fight was definitely going to happen, but it was just a matter of who was going to throw the first punch. I took matters into my own hands and narrowed my eyes at him. "Lets just get this over with," I said.

Bob laughed and cracked his knuckles. "Whatever you say," he replied.

He lunged forward in an attempt to grab me. My legs quickly moved backwards just in time to escape his grasp. I took the opportunity to pull out my switchblade from my pocket and click the knife open. The weapon shined in the moon's light, sending dangerous messages to my attackers. I held the blade toward Bob with a stony expression. I wasn't afraid to hurt him or his friends. "Still wanna fight me?" I jeered.

"You don't scare me," Bob said as if I offended him. His eyes glanced at my blade as he nodded towards it with a smirk on his lips. "Put the knife away, Diana. Surely you remember what happened last time."

"Yeah, I remember," I said, rolling my eyes. "You needed two other guys just to pin me down." I waved mischievously to Randy and the other boy beside him, getting hateful scowls in return.

Bob sneered and narrowed his eyes at me. When he charged forward this time, I sidestepped to my left and plunged my switchblade into his arm, quickly pulling it out after creating a wound. Bob let out a low growl and held his side with his free hand. Blood soaked into his sweater and stained his fingers. "You fucking bitch." He spat. I snickered mockingly but my smile dropped when he nodded at his friends, who began walking towards me slowly.

"Hey!" I snapped. My hand shot out toward both boys, switching my blade's target. Randy and the other boy halted and put their hands up. "Take another step forward and I swear to god, I'll kill both of you." I growled angrily.

Randy and the other boy shared a look, and then glanced back at Bob, who joined their side. "You're outnumbered, Diana. Put the knife down." Bob advised. I shook my head, no, and held my position. He sighed impatiently, "You're already going to jail for robbery, you don't want to go in for assault too. Put the knife down."

"Go fuck yourself, Bob," I scoffed. "Just do whatever you came here to do."

Bob sighed and nodded. "If you say so."

Him and his friends quickly advanced forward and circled around me, forcing me to move backwards until I was trapped against the brick wall of a store. I moved swiftly and sliced a cut into Randy's neck. It wasn't deep enough to kill him, but the graze was just enough to distract him. I pushed my leg upward to kick Randy in the groin. He fell on his knees and groaned in pain. I pivoted on my feet and faced the other boy. He attempted to throw a punch but I quickly dodged it. I grabbed hold of his shoulders and kneed him in the stomach as hard as I could. Before I could make another move on the boy, Randy came behind me and yanked my hair roughly. I gasped as my hands shot back to hold my head, and my feet stumbled backwards clumsily. Bob grabbed my arm and slammed me against the brick wall, causing me to drop my blade. The second I heard the metal hit the concrete I felt my stomach drop. I was defenseless now.

Bob breathed a sinister laugh when his friends joined him once again and grabbed hold of my arms. His eyes bore into mine as his fist connected with my face. Pain instantly shot through my jaw. The distinct taste of iron filled my mouth. I spit out my own blood onto the ground and sent Bob a smile. "That the best you got?" I chuckled.

He glared at me before punching me in my stomach. My body jolted forward, curling inward. Bob continued to take shots at me, each punch with more anger and force until I could hardly breathe. My head grew heavy and my vision was fuzzy. I couldn't tell how long Randy and his friend had been holding me back. I lost all concept of time.

When the punches began to slow down, Randy and the other boy finally let go of my arms. My legs fell weakly along with the rest of my body. I hit the concrete instantly. The last thing I could hear before drifting into unconsciousness was Bob's voice as he whispered into my ear. "Happy birthday, greaser."