I sat in central park with a sandwich in hand. I stared at the people walking by, imagining the lives each of them had. I saw a woman in an elegant red dress and dark hair, whom I wondered if she moonlighted as a spy. An older balding man who stood much taller than me and sported a brown coat and boots to match gave me professor vibes. Even a younger kid with his mother, who for some reason dressed like it was summer, gave me vibes that he was probably a handful who ran all over the place.

I then looked to my side, looking over at Veronica who sat next to me on the bench. She munched away on another sandwich I had given her. For the past week, I’d be coming by to bring her lunch when I could. Usually it was whatever leftovers I cooked up the night before: steak, chicken, pasta, the works. I always had to sprinkle in some beef the next day before meeting her, but the smile on her face was worth it. 

“You’re not disappointed, are you?” I asked.

“What makes you ask that?” Veronica asked, craning her head towards me with a playful grin.

I lifted the remains of my sandwich. She chuckled quietly as she shook her head. She took a giant bite, finishing the sandwich.

“It’s tough for everyone, right now,” she mumbled with a stuffed mouth. She swallowed the rest of it down with a hearty gulp. “Wouldn’t be fair if I tore your head off for trying your best.”

She nudged me with her shoulder as she glanced my way. I smiled awkwardly. I was still surprised she was fine with me wanting to come down and spend time with her after my freakout at the motel. To be completely honest, I was more surprised with myself. 

When the news broke about the murder that happened afterwards, my anxiety and paranoia went through the roof. Somehow I shook the thoughts away when I saw her again. I felt the same warmth in her smile that I felt when she comforted me. That sense of danger went away. Well… at least the danger of her. Another one was lurking nearby.

“Oi.”

I looked towards Veronica. She glanced to the side before looking back at me. My eyes shifted towards the direction hers guided me towards. In the distance, eyeing me like some purple jacketed tiger in the jungle, was Ryan. Even from a distance, I could feel his glare bearing down on me. I grimaced.

“Just a couple more days, and I’m back on his turf.”

“C’mon, you’re not scared of a puppy dog like that?” Veronica joked. “Especially after little ol’ me showed him what’s what?”

“You still need to show me what you did,” I responded with a weak smile.

Veronica zipped her mouth shut with a smirk. I sighed quietly as my head sank.

“Look, mate, don’t worry about him.”

“Why?”

“Told you. You get what you pay for.”

Veronica tossed me the bag I had brought the sandwiches in. She motioned for me to follow her with a playful smirk. She guided me back home, sticking around for the entire time. The bus ride was a silent one, but occasional glances and smiles from her lifted my spirits. I had no idea what she had in mind, but I trusted her.

After said couple of days, I returned back to my high school. Despite the impact my face left on the pavement after I was beaten and stomped to a mess, the general populace treated me as they always did: ignored my presence. The beatings weren’t anything new, despite the increasing severity, and no one really cares about the weird quiet guy who keeps to himself. The only one who greeted me was Ryan, who waited patiently at the front steps. His back stretched like a cat ready to pounce on a bird.

“Hey, buddy. How was the break?” Ryan asked threateningly. 

He walked up to me, patting my shoulder before digging his fingers into it. I winced, but kept  my painful exhale as quiet as possible. He smiled as he pat it again.

“How about we finish our chat afterwards?”

A loud whistle fired off from across the street. Ryan looked upwards, and for a brief moment, I saw a flash of fear. He pulled his hand back, almost instinctively. I turned my head back. Veronica waited, leaning against a stop sign. A shit-eating grin plastered her face as she waved back, fluttering her fingers at us.

“Another time,” I replied with a smirk.

I moved past Ryan and into the building. I resumed my day the way I had hoped, quietly and peacefully in my classes. For the first time in my life, Ryan was an afterthought. Every time I came across him, he was constantly looking over his shoulder. I’m not sure if it was paranoia or Veronica sneaking past security, but her presence could be felt. 

Even when he thought he had a chance to corner me in the bathroom, a knock on the window above us caught his attention. Veronica hung upside down like a bat, everything below (or I suppose above) her eyes covered by the top of the window frame. Even with her hair hanging the way it was, her eyes had a quiet threat to them that sucked out any ridiculousness from how she might have looked. Sure as hell scared Ryan off.

For a week, it was like this. Ryan stayed his hand and distance as Veronica skulked around like a boogeyman. Any time he got close, she made her presence known. She wasn’t kidding. I really got what I paid for. I felt awful that I couldn’t bring her food during the school week. By the time I brought it to her during the weekend, she simply told me “Just means more time to save for the good stuff, yeah?” I know she could have gotten more if she didn’t hang around me, so… why?

After the week, we took the bus as close to my place as possible. Just like the other bus rides, it was quiet for the most part. Sure, there was music or voices from people’s phones or chatter, but I had to break what was between us.

“Thank you,” I said meekly.

Veronica looked towards me. She smiled as she looked back towards the front of the bus. She nudged me with her shoulder. After a few seconds of stillness, I smiled lightly and nudged her back. She gave me a side-eyed smile as she chuckled. It was odd. I’d never really had friendly experiences with people. Usually it was cordial at best.

Even if I had only known Veronica for a couple of weeks, this felt like the closest thing to a friend I had. Maybe she was a friend, or at least we wanted each other to be. Maybe I was just someone who kept her fed without the hassle of debasing herself and gave her a break. Maybe it was just nice to have company. I couldn’t imagine all the people who paid to pretend to be her friend for just an hour. And here she was, what felt like the first real friend I ever had for longer than any of them.

As the bus pulled up at my stop, I lingered for a moment before leaving my seat. As I did, she kicked the bottom of my boot, causing me to stumble. I turned back towards her, befuddled. All she did was smile.

“See you tomorrow, yeah?” she asked nonchalantly.

My confusion changed to amusement. She gave me a wave and I waved back, hurrying off the bus before the doors closed on me. Actually, it did snag my foot on the way out, but I digress. I hurried down the streets so I could get back home in time. Things were finally looking up. I had someone who didn’t mind being around me, some peace, and Jessie was actually able to get off at a reasonable hour. Figured the least I could do was spread the joy and let her enjoy a home-cooked meal.

As I made my way over our apartment, one of the cheapest looking places you would have found within the Inwood burrough, I was too enamored with what was good in life to realize that per usual, it was just a facade. One that I easily could have looked through if I had noticed the door wasn’t locked and closed. The moment I placed my hand on the knob, it swung open. Inside, Ryan waited, towering over me with a bat in hand. 

Before I could even respond to the sick grin that grew on his face, a wooden blow to the head knocked me out like a light.