“No.”
“I’ve simply learned that people tell you exactly who they are before they make a mistake.”
His smile faded for the first time.
Only for a second.
Then it returned.
“You think you’re smarter than me?”
“No.”
“I think you’re louder.”
A few people near the food tables looked away to hide small smiles.
Grant noticed.
His face tightened.
“Enough of this!” he shouted.
“Travis, finish it!”
Natalie looked from her husband to me.
Something about my voice had unsettled her.
She had grown up with me.
She knew the difference between my angry voice and my calm one.
I wasn’t angry.
That frightened her far more.
Travis stepped until only a few inches separated us.
I could smell charcoal smoke mixed with the sharp scent of his sports deodorant.
He leaned forward.
“You know what I think?” he whispered loudly enough for everyone to hear.
“I think you’ve spent your whole life pretending to be tougher than you are.”
Behind him, one of the men from his gym stopped smiling.
He had finally noticed something.
I hadn’t moved my feet.
Not once.
Not since Travis had walked toward me.
My balance hadn’t changed.
My breathing hadn’t changed.
Even my hands remained relaxed at my sides.
The man frowned.
Experienced fighters recognize stillness.
It usually belongs to someone who doesn’t panic.
Travis didn’t notice.
He jabbed one finger into my shoulder.
Not hard.
Just enough to provoke me.
Sophie gasped.
Several neighbors shouted at the same time.
“Hey!”
“Back off!”
“That’s enough!”
Travis ignored them.
“So what now?” he sneered.
“You going to cry?”
