Nikki’s Story…
The girl looked normal enough, if a bit scruffy. Nikki didn’t trust her though. Nikki didn’t trust anyone.
She used to trust her parents, but they’d gone and died on her. Killed by a stupid drunk driver!
Nikki didn’t really understand what a drunk driver was, only that one had run into her parents’ car and killed them. Now she was alone.
Well, except for the girl.
The lunch line was moving forward and Nikki didn’t have a choice. She had to move with the line or be left alone. Being alone was bad. Alone was…scary.
She was tired of being alone.
“They’re all jerks,” Nikki mumbled under her breath.
Nikki’s eyes slashed in the other girl’s direction. But no one knew who she was talking about. She was safe. The pretty brunette didn’t seem to be judging, which was a nice change.
Nikki looked at the line of kids moving out the door towards the cafeteria and decided to give in. She’d gotten in trouble at her new foster home this morning so she hadn’t been allowed to have breakfast. The hunger eating at her stomach was painful, but she refused to let anyone know how hungry she was.
The lunch line was slow. Tedious. Horrible. She hated this! Why was she here? Why had she lost her whole life, her family and her security simply because…?
She stopped herself. There was no reason to ask why. It had happened. She had to move on.
That girl was watching her again. She was pretty and Nikki thought it must be wonderful to have long, wavy hair like that. Her own curls wouldn’t do anything she asked of them.
“One-six-three-nine,” the pretty girl quoted.
Nikki’s eyes widened with the realization that this girl with her pretty hair and gentle, exotic eyes knew the code for free lunches. It was like she knew the secret password through Nikki’s defenses!
Nikki followed the girl over to one of the tables and, not caring what she thought, Nikki devoured her food. She couldn’t help it. She was so hungry and so scared. But she couldn’t let anyone know. She’d been in foster care long enough to know that other people smelled fear.
But when the other girl just smiled and started eating her own food just as quickly, Nikki forgot about being scared. She forgot about being cautious. And by the end of the allotted twenty minutes for lunch, Nikki knew she’d found herself a good friend. Rachel, she thought in her mind. It was a nice name. It was also a relief to have someone to talk to. She suspected that Rachel knew what was going on, what it felt like to have…nothing. To literally have absolutely nothing at all.
By the time dinner rolled around that night, Nikki felt better about the world. Rachel, the pretty girl in school, was good in math. So when another girl, this one with soft brown curls and the softest, saddest eyes Nikki had ever seen was shown to her room, a part of her felt stronger. Strong enough so that, when the lights were out and she heard the telltale sniffles, Nikki slipped out of her bed and gave the other girl a hug. She’d been there. It was always better with a friend. Easier.
Nazar’s Story…
Nazar watched the other men as they approached and knew exactly what was going to happen. He’d been prepared for this. Braced and ready. Unfortunately, being ready didn’t make it any easier. It was infuriating that, every time he came to a new school, he had to prove himself. It was as if his height and braun, not to mention his position as a future ruler, singled him out for the additional abuse. Every boarding school, every summer adventure, the same thing happened. Initially, his body guards had dealt with the problem, protecting him. But that hadn’t helped him in his classes. The other boys taunted him, ridiculed him during lessons, sometimes so badly that he couldn’t even focus on what was being taught. Finally, he stepped up and showed the bullies that he wasn’t a person to be trifled with. Once he stood up for himself, the bullies backed away until he went to a new school, a new environment where he had to prove himself yet again.
Even at university, he had to deal with the irritating bullies.
So be it, he told himself silently. He’d learned self-defense and fighting tactics from expert personal trainers. And he wasn’t one to back down from a fight if they were going to harass him. Not any longer.
Five of them were coming, so he walked around the corner of the building where others on the campus wouldn’t interfere. He had to do this alone. He had to prove to the others that he wasn’t just a protected, spoiled, soon-to-be ruler that could be pushed around. These men might not be presidents or prime ministers, but they could be lawmakers in their various countries. He had to show them that he wouldn’t be intimidated, nor would he allow them to harass his country in any way.
So here it was, he thought as he lured the five men to the back of the building. Better to get it over with than to wait and wonder when it would happen.
He stood there, his body braced for the five of them. There were always multiples. They wanted to ensure that they could beat him, to show him that he wasn’t as strong as they were. But no one ever fought him alone. It wasn’t fair, but he’d learned the hard way that life was never fair. It was his responsibility to make it fair.
“Think you’re some sort of prize, don’t ya?” one of the men asked, his derision obvious. “We think you’re just a wimp.”
Same story, different lines, Nazar thought silently, waiting for them to make the first move.
“Think you’re tough enough? Or do you have your body guards hiding off somewhere, ready to step in and help you prove your manhood?”
Nazar still didn’t say anything. He just stood there, waiting. It usually made the attackers uncomfortable, wondering what he might do, what he was capable of. At times, it made them overly confident. They never won. He wouldn’t allow it. He’d been raised not just to know combat moves, but to know strategy and psychology as well. He had been forced at an early age to know how to read an enemy, to understand his or her strategy even before they figured it out themselves. This was an essential part of learning how to protect his country, and he wouldn’t allow anyone to diminish the reputation of his beloved Yafar.
The one next to the leader snorted with nervous energy and Nazar anticipated that he would be the second to attack. The other three held back, testing the waters. There was always a leader and a second while the rest of the group were minor players, definitely less of a threat.
“I guess you have no voice just like you don’t have any power, is that right?”
With those words, Nazar counted down, knowing that they represented the opening salvo to the attack.
Four, three, two one…. “Fine!” the leader spoke and stepped forward, instantly throwing the first punch.
Nazar easily countered the untutored attack, grabbing his wrist, pulling, lifting, and twisting his arm, while placing his leg and foot in the path of his stride. The combined effect used the attacker’s momentum against him and caused him to trip and fall to the ground at Nazar’s feet. His head hit the ground with a thump. Nazar stepped away from the fallen man, preparing for the next attack. The other four men stared at their leader, who had been neutralized so easily, then their gaze returned to Nazar.
The second in command was more vocal. “What the…?!” the shorter man said, and then moved to join the fight. Peripherally, Nazar noted that the other three were preparing themselves, but were still hanging back.
But when the second went down with little more effort, the others joined the fight at once. Although they clearly had the numerical advantage, they didn’t know how to work together, so two of them still ended up waiting while one engaged.
The third fighter landed a blow on Nazar’s side near his kidney and he forced himself to stifle the grunt of pain. The altercation wasn’t over yet, and it was important to show as little reaction as possible. Moving his hands and jabbing, Nazar drew the man’s gaze up. He was unprepared for Nazar’s swift kick to the thigh, and went down to join the first two bullies.
Nazar then spun around, ready to take on the fourth and fifth, but they were already on the ground! A new person, taller than the others but still only about the same height as Nazar, stood there, his eyes on fire as he glared down at the fallen men.
“Sorry to spoil your fight,” this stranger said, extending his hand to Nazar in a casual greeting that mocked the men writhing on the cold, wet ground. “I saw them try to follow you and knew from experience what was about to happen.” He shook Nazar’s hand and, with a swift kick, stopped the second man from standing up and re-entering the fight. “I can’t stand bullies. Been in your shoes too many times.”
Nazar couldn’t help the laughter that broke through. The man’s accent was different. Not American or British, but still obviously well educated. “I never turn down a friendly assist,” Nazar replied as he stepped over the men and walked back to the main campus area. “What’s your name?” he asked.
“Rocco Antoniv,” the stranger replied. “How about a pint?” he suggested. “I’ll buy the first round.”
Although Nazar was usually cautious and reserved with people outside of his family, he liked Rocco immediately. He had been taught from infancy to be wary of anyone trying to gain access to the power of Yafar. But in this man, he sensed a kindred spirit.
“Where are you from?” Nazar asked, silently agreeing to buy the guy a drink. It was the least he could do after the man stepped in when he hadn’t needed to. The fight still would have been five to two – not a fair fight in anyone’s estimation – but this man had stepped up and into the fray without a thought. Nazar liked that in a person and gladly accepted the offer of friendship.
“Russia, from a small town you’ve probably never heard of.” The two moved off to the local pub, sitting in the back where it was darker and they could watch the other patrons. From that moment forward, Nazar knew a friendship that was different from his other relationships. Rocco wasn’t like family, but in an odd sense, that made it even better. The man wasn’t looking for power or wealth. He even bought the next round even though it was obvious that the two of them were in different economic situations.
Nazar had been told all his life that those in power held a lonely position. And until this moment, this night spent with Rocco laughing at the ridiculous antics of the others in the pub, he hadn’t understood that statement. He suddenly realized that it wasn’t that he hadn’t ever felt loneliness, it was more that he’d never felt friendship. So he hadn’t understood what he had been missing.
As they made their way back to the dorms that night, Nazar finally understood what it was like to stand with someone he could trust. And it was a nice feeling.
Read more about The Sheik’s Beautiful Intruder, book three in The Friendship Series.
