I called Stella as soon as I arrived home and filled her in. She liked the idea and told me she would pick me up the next afternoon and that she would be on time. Miraculously, she was. When Josh's SUV pulled to the curb in front of my house, I kissed my parents good-bye and rushed out the driveway and into the car. Stella gave me a conspiratorial wink in the rearview mirror when I climbed in and I fought the urge to giggle.

This adventure, this moment of rebellion… felt good.

It was a short drive to the mall. Josh dropped us at the door and went off to park his monster vehicle.

“I hope you’re sure of what you’re doing,” Stella whispered in my ear as soon as we were out of earshot. She sounded more worried than she had the previous day.

“Stop second-guessing me. I do enough of that already,” I said, trying to laugh off her gentle warning. “We’re just getting coffee, anyway.”

She shrugged and said nothing else. Trevor was already waiting for us, leaning against the wall, so it really wasn’t the best time to talk me out of my decision.

I dragged her over to him just to make that point.

Nothing to do with my own eagerness, oh no…

“Hi,” I said in an impressive display of social skills.

“Hi yourself,” Trevor replied with a small smile. “Hey, Stella. Good to see you.”

“Same here…” She looked thoughtful for a second, studying him, then sighed dramatically. “You know, you don’t look like Dracula in Drag up close, no matter what the idiots at school say.” Back to good old Stella.

Trevor laughed. “Thanks, I guess.”

“No, I mean, this is serious. We need another nickname for you.”

“What’s wrong with Trevor?” I asked, and she gave me a look that said “duh.”

“Well, it’s his name. People get called by their names all the time,” I went on.

Then, it clicked.

The rumor mill would never call him by his name.

It hurt that my best friend would open the conversation like that. I didn’t want to think too much about why, but it did and it must have shown in my face because Stella lifted her hands in a placating gesture.

“I so didn’t mean it like that,” she said.

“What’s the freak doing here?” Josh's voice drowned out anything else she might have tried to explain.

Stella cringed.

She hadn’t told him about today’s arrangements? He was clearly not happy about the discovery.

My day was about to go down the drain.

“He’s coming with us for coffee,” she smiled, trying to forestall disaster.

“Like hell he is!”

Trevor just pushed off the wall with a weary smile that told Stella, I don’t hold it against you.

“It’s okay. I’ll head back and leave you to it.”

“You better, fucktard. I don’t want to see you close to my girl again.”

Trevor narrowed his eyes and for a heart-stopping moment I thought he was going to be confrontational. Then he turned to me. “See you in theater, then?”

“I don’t want you to go,” I said, dredging up the courage from the depths of my stomach. And sounding terribly childish in the process. “I want that mocha.”

My objection caught him off guard, surprised him. When he recovered, the soft look in his eyes was priceless. It made me feel priceless.

I’d stand up to a thousand Joshs for that reaction.

“See?” Stella said. “Don’t be silly; let’s just hang around and get that coffee.”

“I’m not going anywhere with them and neither are you,” Josh spat, tossing me into the non-desirable club.

“Josh, you’re making a scene!”

Stella's gasp broke my contemplation of Trevor and forced me to realize that the situation was going from bad to worse.

“Come on; we’re going home,” Josh said, grabbing Stella by the wrist and pulling her toward the parking lot.

I saw Stella dig in her heels, too stunned to say a word, and I turned on her idiot of a boyfriend, ready for a fight.

“Hey!” I said, gathering as much authority as I could.

But then my heart did a painful somersault and began hammering in my throat. Trevor's hand had shot out like a snake. He had Josh's own wrist in a white-knuckled grip. Somehow, he managed to level a cool stare too, even though the top of his head barely reached Josh's nose and the other guy was about twice as broad.

“Let her go,” he said, his voice hard and commanding, completely at odds with the meek weirdo I knew. His angry voice, I realized.

Josh must have been taken by surprise, because he obeyed. He freed Stella's wrist with a twist and she jumped a couple of steps back, staring at her boyfriend like a kicked puppy. I rushed to her side, hugging her and trying to console her—but the only thought in my mind was that Trevor was such a gentle, caring, brave man… and that he was about to be pummeled to death.

All Josh's rage, fuelled by wounded pride, was redirected to his new target.

“Who do you think you are, freaky fucktard?” he sneered.

Trevor shifted a bit—keeping himself right in front of Josh, I realized with growing horror—and answered with the same cold, harsh tone.

“Anyone has the right and duty to step in when some bastard starts manhandling a girl.”

And that was it. Josh threw a punch.

I wished with all my might for Trevor to have some secret set of ninja skills that would allow him to kick ass.

He didn’t.

He took the blow to his abdomen, staggering back and doubling over, all air forced out of his lungs.

“Feeling identified, Dracula in Drag?” Josh laughed when Trevor managed to stand again, favoring his left side.

“Just doing what any man should.”

If Trevor had a death wish, he was going the right way about it. Josh went livid and charged him without control, a series of punches being thrown with all the strength of a football player and the finesse of a stampeding bull. He was going to kill Trevor, and it would be my fault, and I cared much more than I’d been ready to admit.

I screamed, tendrils of terror squeezing my lungs. Stella began to wail like a banshee. And, mercifully, people started to notice the racket.

A couple men came over to us, one of them flipping open his phone and threatening to call the police.

Josh saw them coming and jerked away from Trevor as if he’d been burned. His expression went slack, and he held up his hands, as if the cell phone was a dangerous weapon aimed at him.

“None of your business, man. Just a scuffle between friends. We’re moving it out,” he said.

“It didn’t look like that.” The man, a DIY kind of family dad, knelt beside Trevor. If he found something odd about his looks, he said nothing and let nothing but concern shine through in his voice. “Are you okay?”

“I’ll live, I think,” Trevor replied, his voice hitching and belying the hurt behind his attempt at making light of the situation.

The man helped him stand. Trevor swayed dangerously, trying to find his balance, then he bent over and spat a mouthful of bloodied saliva on the pavement.

“Sorry about that,” he mumbled, still unsteady.

“Don’t worry about it, son. Would you like me to call the medics? Take you somewhere?”

He darted a look at me, where I stood hugging Stella, as if to check whether we were hurt in any way. Then, he shook his head.

“It’s quite alright, sir. I’m okay. Thanks for your help.”

“Anyone would have done the same. The way that young man went at you…” The man turned, searching for Josh, but he had left in the middle of the confusion. “Are you sure you’d not rather go to the hospital?”

“Yes, sir. No irreparable damage,” Trevor said with a smile, trying to joke.

The man gave him a dubious look, but eventually decided to believe Trevor's healthy claims and go back to his wife and his shopping day. Trevor watched him go before turning to us.

“Are you okay?” he asked, looking at me even though he should be addressing Stella.

“What the hell got into you?” Stella exclaimed, her voice breaking with stress and tears. “What if he had smashed you?”

Trevor reached up to touch his cheek and smirked. “I thought that’s what he was doing, actually.”

Stella laughed and hiccupped, and after a moment’s hesitation, she broke free from me and went to give Trevor a brief, awkward hug.

“Thank you.”

He patted her shoulder, as uncomfortable as she was. “Don’t mention it.”

“I’m glad Alice asked you to come. You’re a decent guy.”

“I think I might have put a wedge in your relationship, though.”

“As if such a bastard is worthy of a relationship in the first place! I can’t believe he did that.” She blinked, keeping any further tears from falling. The grin she plastered on was a brave attempt and fell just short of legitimate. “I really need that coffee now, guys. Are you coming?”

She skipped ahead, forcing a spring to her step, and Trevor followed at a more sedate pace. I grabbed his hand when he passed me.

“You scared me,” I whispered.

“I’m tougher than I look,” he said, reaching out to caress the side of my face with his free hand.

“Why did you do it?”

“What I said, no one should stand by when an imbecile starts manhandling a girl.”

“I want to be selfish and ask you not to do such reckless things again… but I don’t want to change you.” I struggled and forced out the corny words I wanted to say. “You’re a beautiful person, Trevor.”

He squeezed my fingers, and I took comfort in it. Our linked hands, for the whole world to see.

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