Residue

Raina walked over to the town’s only movie theatre and groaned. It was playing a movie that had been released last year and she had already seen it. She lifted an eyebrow when she saw people flocking inside excitedly.

  “Oh well, here goes everything,” Raina muttered and bought a ticket from the counter. Anything was better than being at home listening to her uncle yell at her or Aunt Lily.

  She made her way to the snack counter and bought a small box of candy and a large bucket of popcorn. She had gained a few pounds over the summer, but tonight she didn’t care. All she wanted to do was stuff her mouth with food and watch a really boring movie that would end at eight, after which she would have to walk back home before her curfew.

  Raina sighed as she sat on her seat and started chewing on her popcorn. As the theatre darkened and the previews began, she heard someone laughing behind her. She turned around to see a group of four boys snickering and then heard one of them making lewd comments about a tall brunette girl who had just walked in.

  “Can’t you guys just shut up?” she told them.

  “Hey! What’s it to you?” one of the boys answered. He looked at least two years older than her and wore a tight t-shirt that showed off his muscles.

  “I’m trying to watch the movie like everyone else here,” Raina said, putting a handful of popcorn into her mouth.

  The boy leaned forward and Raina could smell cigarettes on his breath. “Well, I was going to mind my own business, but for the next two hours, I’m going to drive you so crazy, you’d wish you had never messed with me!”

  “Ooh! I’m scared!” she scoffed and turned back towards the screen as the movie began.

  “Hey, Samar! Just leave her alone, man,” Raina heard another boy whisper.

  Raina paused and chewed her popcorn thoughtfully. What was he up to? She resisted the urge to turn around and tried to concentrate on the movie.

  “Moo!” she heard him say from behind her. “Fatty Fat!”

  Raina smiled. Was that it? Everyone in this town was so immature. This was nothing compared to what she had to endure back home. As minutes passed and Samar didn’t say or do anything, Raina started to relax in her seat and to her surprise she found that the movie wasn’t as bad as she remembered.

  It was then that Raina felt something cool on her back. She gasped and turned back to see Samar holding a beer bottle in his hand.

  “Time to party!” He grinned and before she could move, emptied the contents of the bottle all over her hair.

  Raina shrieked and everyone in the audience turned to look at her. “You asshole!” She jumped on her seat and punched him hard on his jaw.

  Samar yowled with pain and fell off his seat. “Bitch!” he cried and held his jaw tight. “Go get her!” he ordered his friends.

  “She’s a girl!” one of them said.

  “You know what, bring it!” Raina said and threw her popcorn on Samar. She climbed over her seat and kicked Samar hard on his stomach.

  “Hey!” the usher cried. “Security!”

  Raina ignored him and started to look for something hard to hit him with as his friends considered if they should follow his orders and attack her. She pulled on Samar’s shirt and when he was standing again, punched him hard on his nose.

  But before she could kick him again, she found herself being pulled away by two hefty men and been taken towards the exit.

  “You sissies!” Raina said and grinned when she saw Samar clutching his nose as his eyes teared up.

  Once outside, Raina chuckled to herself. She still did have it in her! Back home, she had taken two guys from her school when they had pushed her and then her bag of books into the pool. She had been pretty much mellow before that, but seeing her homework floating around her, the assignments she had worked so hard on just strewn everywhere, had awakened a blaze inside her. She couldn’t remember much after that, except that she had beaten up both boys and then was sent to detention for a month.

  She waited near the entrance for the boys and wondered if they would like to continue the fight. She could feel her fingers tingle with excitement at the prospect and loved the surge of power that rushed through her.

  Samar walked out with his nose still bleeding and as soon as he saw her, gave her a look of arrogance before walking towards the parking lot in a huff. Raina smiled and knew that she had seen the unmistakable fear in his eyes, too. He must have been so humiliated in front of his friends after being beaten by a girl!

  Raina turned around and found to her surprise that she was disappointed that Samar hadn’t wanted to fight. After the day she had, it felt nice to punch something or someone. Her lip started to tremble and she crossed her arms.

  She hated to admit this, but she had been scared, too. It was as if whatever had happened two years ago was going to happen again. The thought of going through all that again and all alone made her feel nervous. What if she couldn’t save herself again?

  The pain still seared into her heart as she remembered how she had asked her family for help and they in turn had shown their backs to her. A few deep breaths later, Raina was relieved to find that she wasn’t going to cry after all. She started to walk towards her uncle’s home when someone called her from behind.

  “Hey!” It was the same boy’s voice who had told Samar not to harass her.

  He was just one of Samar’s minions, bringing her a message from him about when and where they could finish this. Well, she was ready for anything now. She was no longer the girl she used to be.

  Three