Page 16 (1/2)
My ape, I sat, speechless, while she shoved her black skirt down over her hips and kicked it in the general direction of the laundry hamper She slipped bracelets fro theum packets and paperback novels
"Erin, did you just--break up with Chaz? Over h and clearly belonged to Chaz Scowling, she ripped it back over her head, wadded it up and hurled it "No I broke up with Chaz because he’s a fucking twat-headed jackass"
"But--"
"Jacqueline" She held up one pal stop "Don’t say it I broke up with Chaz because he proved what’s important to him ‘Bros before hos’ Well fuck that I won’t come second to a bunch of his dumbass friends, and I certainly won’t co affront to all woht? Who does that in college anyway?"
She spun around and ruh the top drawer of our tiny built-in wardrobe, ostensibly searching for a non-previously-Chaz-owned t-shirt I heard oneDamn Chaz Damn Buck Damn Lucas/Landon/whoever the hell he was
The campus "Self-Defense for Women" classes were held in one of the classroo We found the room and I tossedafter a sleepless night--which I knew because her restless fidgeting and sniffling had kept me awake Around 4:00 a into spoon position against me as I swept the hair back from her face Mercifully, she’d fallen asleep almost immediately, and I’d followed suit
"Hey Isn’t that--?" Erin spoke withouther lips, like a ventriloquist Clad in black sweat pants and a black t-shirt, Lucas stood at the front of the room with two older men
"Yes," I hissed as we took our seats and I stared down at the packet of coursea woman as poised to defend herself "Erin, I don’t think I can do this"
"Yes you can," she countered, so quickly that she, ladies" The s any further protest from me "I’m Ralph Watts, the Assistant Chief of Police on caeant Don, and the ugly one is Lucas, one of our parking enforcement officers" Everyone chuckled, as Don and Lucas were far froiven up a Saturday e of personal safety"
I snuck a look at Erin when she nudgedenforcement officer? Jesus, how many jobs does he have?" she mumbled from the side of her mouth
"No shit," Ijob
"Could be hot…" she whispered "Especially if there’s a unifor around the se chairs, I noted that there were only about a dozen of us--a mix of students, professors and administrative staff The oldest was a white-headed black worandmother I told myself that if she could come in here to learn how to kick potential rapist ass, so could I
Even if Lucas was standing across the roo my eyes completely
The first hour and a half, basic self-defense principles were discussed Ralph told us that ninety percent of self-defense involves reducing the risk of attack in the first place "In an ideal world, we could all go about our business without fear of being assaulted Unfortunately, that ideal is not representative of reality"
My face heating, I recalled Lucas ad lot behind the frat house texting, instead of paying attention to s I circled "90" in blue ink until I’d obscured the words on either side But then I reht: It wasn’t your fault
We were encouraged to propose safety prevention suggestions, and write the with a friend, wearing shoes that don’t hinder running Erin’s suggestion of "Avoid assholes" was popular
"Three things are necessary for an assault: an assailant, a victie leap in reducing the likelihood of the assault" Ralph clapped his hands together once "Alrighty, let’s take a short break, and e co you ladies signed up to inflict on Don and Lucas"
Chapter 11
"Many of you are probably convinced that without a weapon, you have no hope against an aggressive male" Ralph spoke from the opposite side of a set of mats on which Don and Lucas faced each other The rest of us spread out along the outer edge of the mats, prepared to watch whatever they were about to do Lucas still hadn’t acknowledged my presence
"The truth is, you have several weapons at your disposal, and we’re gonna show you how to utilize the, mean Don here will be the assailant, and Lucas, with all that pretty hair, will be the intended victi near Lucas as he pinned his lips together in good-natured irritation and raked his dark hair back out of his face
"Your weapons are your hands, feet, knees and elbows, and your head--and I don’t just h that comes into play Your forehead and the back of your head, when they come into contact with susceptible areas on your assailant, can leave hi Don as an example, he pointed out the obvious vulnerable spots ("Yes," Erin hissed when he indicated the groin), and then the less obvious places, like the top of the foot and the forearm
Ralph called out the moves Lucas employed to defend hiraphed attacks, ti I felt more hopeless, not less, as I watched them Lucas’s muscular body was trained to execute those blocks and hits, to absorb blows from an assailant I’d watched hie hie
"The goal here is not to beat the guy up" Ralph sive you tioal"
We divided into pairs to practice wrist blocks and parries The three instructors circled the roo I was relieved when Don walked up to watch Erin andto slow-motion slap each other "Keep your eyes on the assailant," he reminded me He turned to Erin "Put a little more oomph into that attack She can block it"