"It wasn't intentional. I got stuck in traffic on my way down to the bureau and ended up not going cause I was super late. I wasn't deliberately trying to avoid my meeting, Mimi." "I thought so….." I let out a small sigh of relief. "Sorry to have worried you all the same, grandbaby." "It's alright. But you know there's going to be an inquest now." "That's fine. I haven't touched a drink in two years; they're not gonna find anything at the house." "Or….?" "Or in my car. Trust me, Mimi; I'm not going to fall off the wagon again. I'll just leave early next time or take public transit." "Thanks, Grandpa," another sigh fell from my lips. Hearing this- even here outside the back of my workplace- was like a godsend for me.

"You at work now?" "Yeah, I'm here until closing tonight." "Sorry I can't come pick you up. My probation officer said I have to stay home for the next three days for their random inspection. It'll probably be in the middle of the night but…." "It's ok." "I'll give you money for a cab." "You don't have to do that." "You're not taking the tram or walking home at this hour. Just call a taxi; I'll cover it when you get here." "Thanks, Grandpa." "Alright. I'm sorry again about today; those correction officers can be real goons." "They're just doing their job; besides, you have nothing to worry about now. You called them back right away and they won't find anything during the inspection. Just stay at home for the next three days and you'll be fine." "Roger that!" A grin lit up my face. "I'll be home soon after ten." "Ok, see you then. Have a good night a work; love you, Mimi." "I love you too, Grandpa." Click!

Still grinning in pure relief, I held my phone in both hands. Ok, everything is going to be ok. I'm just so used to going into panic and repair mode whenever anything like this happens. For once, I don't have to do that. Grandpa took care of it….. he actually handled things on his own. I know that's weird for a minor to think about a man four times her age, but…. there's a grain of truth in that. Ever since Grandpa's gotten sober, he's been more of the parent than the child- and I loved it. It was so nice to be the kid for once…

"Well, well, well, what have we here?" I immediately perked up at the unfamiliar voice. My head shot over to see three males approaching me; they looked roughly my age, if not a bit older. "Whatcha doing out here alone, sweetheart?" The one with blue hair cooed in a sickening fashion. My foot instinctively slid backwards as I nervously turned to face these men. I'd been in confrontations with males before, but that was totally different than this; my experience was solely based on trying to not get my grandfather beaten up after he'd pissed someone off while drinking. It was always me refereeing a fight between grown men- I'd never been the target of any male attention in a negative way before.

"You a maid here?" The guy wearing the hat asked as they came closer. "Awe look; she's shy. That's adorable," one jeered. This was scary, but a different kind of scary than I was used to. I think I was more afraid of Grandpa getting his teeth knocked out than dealing with these idiots. My nerve was quickly diminishing however, when they got really, really near to me- like uncomfortably so.

"Don't look so afraid; we ain't gonna hurt you….. much." His sicko friends thought it appropriate to laugh at this. "Ah, lay off, Akito. You're scaring the poor girl." "She sure is quiet; I'll give her that." They want me to say something? What am I supposed to say in this kind of situation? All reflexes in my brain were saying- nay commanding- that I get back inside the café. I didn't need to speak to these losers; my first priority was to get the hell outta there. But, as if reading my mind, one of their hands caught me by the wrist before I could make my escape. I winced at how hard he was clenching my skin.

"Where ya going, princess? The fun's just getting started." "Heh, she ain't no princess; she's nothing but a maid." "Then we're gonna need some special services from you, eh?" This… this was frightening! A whole new experience I'd never had before, and I had no idea what to do. My mind was subconsciously entering fight-or-flight mode, and I'm by no means a fighter. "L-Let go of me," I heard myself gasp out loud. This seemed to assume them more than anything. They continued to chuckle and leer at each other with that knowing, disgusting look in their eyes.

"She's so cute when she's scared." "Hey, call us your "Masters" or something." "Yeah, you're a maid- a sexy, submissive, little maid." I can't believe how repulsive this is. "Let go; let go of me!" I was growing more and more desperate. His grip around my wrist tightened, causing my teeth to clench in agony. "What part of "you're a maid" don't you understand?" "You know, girls like her really turn me on." "Yeah, just look at the way she's dressed…." No…. No, I don't want this. Someone; anyone! Please help! "You're so hot…." Someone! "Let me touch her. Her skin looks so soft." Grandpa, help me… My eyes winced shut for a split second. "Men are real dicks… dicks that only want to use you for sex or money." Grandpa!

All of a sudden, without my seeing or even realizing what had occurred, the creep's hand was violently slapped away. One arm went protectively around me while the other shoved the asshole away from me. All four pairs of eyes shot to see him beside me, holding me…. Him- the same guy from all those times before. While pressing me securely into his chest, he glared at the men dangerously. "Just because she's gorgeous, it doesn't give you the right to touch her," he lectured the three would-be assaulters. Gorgeous? My eyes got so wide. Did he just call me "gorgeous"?

The three men weren't having any of it; at least not right away. The one who grabbed onto my wrist fired back a vicious glare at the boy from my school. "Hey, back off, pal! We found her first!" Found me? They're talking about me like I'm cattle. His eyes sharpened on them, not holding back any venom. "Like I give a damn. Get lost." "Or what? You'll beat us up?" "You're obviously unaware of the many cameras surrounding this alleyway," he shot back.

This seemed to have some effect. The three jerks- whom I'm guessing would rather not get the police involved- glanced to one another apprehensively. To show he wasn't playing around, the boy still holding me pulled out his phone with his free hand and began to dial 911. The one creep growled in defeat. "Alright, asshat; you win this time. Come on, let's get outta here," he then told his friends. They were off down the other end of the alley, but he still didn't retract his arm right away. He merely looked at me with concern.

"Are you alright?" "I…. I…." Was I alright? I mean I almost got assaulted for the first time in my life tonight. I don't know what would have happened if he hadn't arrived when he did. Still… I couldn't stop this trembling feeling inside of me, down to my core. "I want…. I want to go home… I want to go home," my bottom lip quivered uncontrollably now. After watching me for another minute, a gentle, understanding grin passed over his face. He finally pulled his arm back and stepped away from me.

I watched him as he then took off his light purple scarf. Still smiling, he tenderly wrapped it around my neck so I was warm and comfortable. I could only gawk up at him with the upmost bewilderment and astonishment. What's…. What's he doing? "Alright. Go wait inside; I'll call a cab for you," he said warmly as I continued to stare wide-eyed. "W-why are you doing this?" My mouth asked on autopilot; I'm not sure if my brain would have authorized that question.

My query appeared to surprise and perplex him. He blinked several times before burying his hands into his pant's pockets. His eyes lowered onto me with sincerity. "Why? Don't know. I just…" The words froze in his mouth as I kept watching intently. I wanted to know why a man, any man aside from Grandpa, would be so nice to me; especially one who didn't know me. His eyes scrolled around like he was trying to formulate a good response in his head, and when none came to mind, he returned to my immovable gaze. "I just want to; that's all." That's all? There's no other reason or ulterior motive? The idea was so foreign to me. Foreign, but good.

Without saying another word, he held the back door open for me; he also didn't ask for his scarf back. I hadn't noticed I'd even been wearing it since he put it on me when I got home later. True to his word, while I told the other maids what had just happened, he called a taxi for me- he apparently also made sure to request a female driver which I was super thankful for. I still had no idea why he would do that for me, but I was incredibly grateful. And I was determined to thank him, likely tomorrow at school. I'd thank him and return his scarf…. despite how long I wore it after that encounter.