She made an odd noise, almost an attempt at a laugh, and this only confused him, further furrowing his brow. Who was this girl? And why was she putting up… Such a ridiculous front? Of course, he wouldn’t acknowledge his own hypocrisy, being one to more than likely do the exact same - but, he wasn’t focused on himself, at this point.
With an air of confidence, she stands, taking a few steps forward. There was almost a wobble in her step, a sliver of what must be an ache, or a pain residing under her false composure. A sigh escapes his lips, and he nods his head. His mouth goes ajar to speak, but she slips, her body quickly plummeting to the concrete beneath her.
His muscles tense, only for a moment, and his body springs into action yet again. Darting forward, he kneels down, cushioning her fall by catching her in the crooks of his arms. His body knelt down, resting her as softly as he can against his knees, he peers at her past his shroud.
“… Sure you’re able to walk for more than a second?"
Again, he disallows his voice to show more than an ounce of emotion, though his lips threatened to quirk upwards into the faintest of smirks.
She wanted to scream, no that wasn’t true, she wanted to cry, just curl up in a ball and cry. Not because of the pain, yeah that definitely was still there and in bucket loads too. It was simply sheer embarrassment that made her want to cry.
Her thin frame scrambled off him awkwardly. She had never felt more vulnerable, looked more pathetic and helpless than she did now and she hated it, hated it with every fiber of her being. Never in her life had she needed to rely on anyone else before and she didn’t want to have to start now. “I’m fine.” She gritted out through clenched teeth, fighting the wave of tears that threatened to spill over.
Why did it seem as if the world decided to focus everything bad on her tonight? Having to study for a test she needed to pass for a final grade had kept her late at the library that night and in turn had put her in the hands of some psycho molester, her body hurt so bad and she could still taste blood in her mouth, and now she was probably going to have to rely on some stranger to get her home. And lets not forget the elements that were biting into her skin through ripped stockings onto scraped knees and arms and hands.
Scarlett pushed herself to her feet unsteadily, wondering if it was completely obvious how much effort that took. She stared straight ahead into the darkness, allowing the cold wind to dry the unformed tears from her eyes. She wanted to take another step, needed to prove to herself she didn’t need him. But the thought of falling again scared her, uncertainty plagued her mind about her physical ability at the moment and she sighed, resigned as she looked at the man, not wanting to ask the question that would show how week she truly was. Not wanting to concede that she needed help.
