“Larry, we can't wake her up. We can't wake her up and she's terrified. We asked her the other day if she wanted to see someone and she mentioned that when you were over here the other week she slept a lot better. Look, I know it's a lot to ask but could you come over? We don't know what to do." The man was obviously a wreck with nerves.

“I'LL be right there." I said before hanging up, whipping the covers off of me and moving to get dressed.

“What is it?" My mother asked from the doorway as I pulled on a t-shirt.

“Jenny's having nightmares and can't wake up. I'm going over to see if

I can do anything. They might have to call for an ambulance or something so I might be gone a while." I blurted out whilst zooming past her as I made for the stairs.

“Alright. You be careful, ok?" My mother was a bit of a prude but she wasn't an idiot. If Mr. Taylor had called to get me over there she knew it was serious.

"I will!" I called as I grabbed my keys, my wallet, and bolted out the front door.

I practically sprinted all the way to Jenny's house. The streets were dark. I didn't notice the motorcycle parked on the side of the road just around the corner from Jenny's home. I did notice when Stuart walked out from behind one of the trees that lined the pavement.

Thankfully, I didn't see the knife in his hand, just the cocky grin on his face. Those features of his were still bruised from the beating

Jenny had given him.

“Well, well, well, I wasn't expecting to find..." He started a presumably prepared monologue on how he was going to hurt me. I didn't have the time.

He stopped speaking when he noticed I hadn't stopped running down the path toward him. At first, I saw the look of confusion on his face when

I leapt into the air. Guys like Stuart knew how this was supposed to go. I was supposed to stop. I was supposed to get scared. He was supposed to hurt me.

ALL of that would probably have happened if I didn't know Jenny needed me. As it was, I flung myself up through the air at great speed, twisting my upper body around as I threw my arm out and tightened my fist. Every single ounce of momentum I'd built up went right into that punch. It connected directly against Stuart's jaw and sent him stumbling backwards. One of the roots of the tree he'd been hiding behind hindered his retreat and tripped him up. I glimpsed blood pouring from his mouth as he sat in the dirt with his hand over his face to stifle a scream.

I didn't care. I just kept running.

Once I got to Jenny's house I knocked a few times. The door almost immediately sprung open to reveal a very worried Barbara Taylor. She ushered me inside and locked the door behind me.

“I just saw Stuart out there." I said as I moved through the kitchen toward the Living room.

“Larry, your hand!" Mrs Taylor noticed what I hadn't.

My hand was grazed at the knuckle, at least one of my fingers was broken, and I was bleeding. Apparently hitting guys straight in the jaw wasn't a one-way pain street.

“I'm fine." I lied.