All the Faint Lights

Chapter Eighteen
-Caroline-
"Linny."

"Jesus! Did Trish send you after me?!" I asked when I saw Geno walking over towards me, Jeffrey at his side.

"She worried," he said and I sighed and shook my head, "I knew you'd be here."

"I come here to think, to be by myself," I said and then looked at Geno, "I'm fine, I just want to be by myself."

"Be by yourself with me," he said cutely and I giggled.

"I wouldn't be by myself then," I smirked and then sighed, "Geno, I-"

"You in sensitive situation now, you need be by friends," he said and I gulped and nodded my head, "You know my door always opened to you."

I smiled towards him, "Thank you, Geno."

"Walk around park?" he asked and I smiled and nodded my head, "Sid at house waiting for us, he can wait longer."

I giggled and then felt Geno wrap his arms around my shoulder and pull me into his chest. I wrapped my arms around him and we walked the park path, dogs at our sides and smiles on our faces.

"You're really warm," I stated, seeing that I was in a light hoodie in the middle of winter.

"You cold?" he asked and I nodded my head. Geno stopped and I looked at him and backed away, he took his heavy winter jacket off to reveal a thick hoodie, "Here," he said handing me his jacket but I shook my head.

"You'll be cold then," I said and he sighed and then handed me his jacket and started to take his hoodie off.

"Here," he smiled and I laughed a little and nodded my head, handing the jacket back to him and grabbing the hoodie.

"Thank you," I said and threw the hoodie on to feel the warmth and finding that it looked like a dress on me, "It's gunna eat me."

"I'll protect you," Geno laughed as he wrapped his arms around me against and i slid my hands under his jacket.

-Geno-
It was hard concentrating, she was so close to me, stuck to my side and it seemed that she was molded there, a puzzle piece fitting in the right spot. We walked around for about an hour, I heard my phone go off a few times, but I ignored it, Caroline was right, she needed to be left alone, but I wasn't going to leave her alone alone. We walked in silence and I let her collect her thoughts, it was dark out, I didn't want her to be alone in the dark.

When Jeffrey stopped, I looked at him and tugged the leash a little, "Come on boy," I called but he was looking off to the side.

"What's wrong?" Caroline asked and I shook my head, not knowing. Roxy started to growl and Caroline tensed at my side, but then pulled away and bent down next to her dog, holding Roxy's collar and petting her head.

"Who there?!" I called out, the lamps were on, but where the dogs were barking, it was dark.

"Calm down, mon ami, it's just us!" I heard and looked to see Max and Kris walking out. I sighed and looked down towards Caroline to see that she was breathing a sigh of relief and trying to calm her dog down, "Sid called when you didn't answer your phone."

"Really," Caroline grumbled and I looked at her sadly, "I'm fine! No need to worry!"

"We weren't worried, you've got the big man with ya!" Max smiled, "Trish will have our heads if something happened to you."

"Yeah well, I'm not a child, Trish needs to remember that!" she barked and then stood up, "How did you guys know to look for me here?"

"Sid-" Max said and I groaned.

"I told him no tell you, this her quiet place."

"Hey, I'm just here to rescue the damsel in non distress," Max said and Caroline sighed, "Can you at least pretend to be in a little distress so that my pride can be lifted," he smirked and Caroline giggled a little while I rolled my eyes.

"Well, we're not needed, come on," Kris said and Max nodded his head.

"I'm freezing my balls off out here," Max said and I scoffed.

"Such a charmer," Caroline said and I smirked. The guys must have made it about five steps before Jeffrey and Roxy were barking at something. We all turned around to see that the dogs were staring at something in front of us, "I swear if that's anymore players, I'm gunna kill Trish!"

"What wrong, Jeffrey?" I bent down and looked at my dog.

"They see something?" Max asked as he and Kris walked back over and stood next to me.

Roxy tugged Caroline a little and the leash almost fell from her grasp. When we saw more than one shadow coming towards us, I watched Kris grab Caroline and pull her behind him.

"Just start walking the other way," Max said and we turned around, started to pull the dogs with us. Kris ended up taking Roxy's leash because she was pulling Caroline, "Just be casual."

I tucked Caroline under my arm and walked with her, looking back to see that there was at least seven shadows. Laughing was heard and what sounded like wheels rolling against the ground, '...Skateboard?...'

"They're just kids," Kris muttered as he looked towards me and I turned my head to see that he was right.

"They obviously don't know who they're messing with," Max smirked and Caroline clung to my side, "Whoa," he said and then felt his hand on my chest, stopping me from walking. I looked in front of me and saw more kids, teenagers on their bikes, skateboards and scooters, "Little punks."

'...And this is why I didn't want her out here after dark...' I thought as I felt her pull away and looked around us, '...Geez we're surrounded...'

-Caroline-
Kris sighed and Max cracked his knuckles, "I'm too tired to deal with this shit."

Jeffrey just barked lazily, but Roxy was snarling, I looked at my dog to see that her leash was wrapped around Kris' arm a few times and he had her by his side. I turned my head to see that there were more behind us, it was like a gang of teenagers were around us.

'...I've come here after dark so many times, not once have I had this happen...' I thought as I looked back at Geno to see him staring at the teenagers.

"Move," he said sharply and the kids all laughed, they had to have been at least sixteen, seventeen, all trying to prove that they were tough when they really weren't.

"They're just kids," Max sneered and then smirked towards me.

I sighed and then shook my head, "This is annoying."

"Well look what we have here," one kid said from his bike, "The Penguins."

"They know who we are and still want to mess with us," Kris muttered and I snorted.

"Then they're stupid," I muttered and heard Max chuckle.

"Smart and sexy," Max said and I rolled my eyes.

"Who's the nice piece of ass-"

"Watch it!" Geno growled towards one of the kids making the rude remark.

The man on the bike came forward and smirked towards me, '...Must be the leader of this little gang...' I thought as I glared at the guy.

"Three guys and one girl," he smirked, I knew where he was going with this.

"You're just full of remarks tonight," I snapped and the boys around us snickered at my remark.

The one on the bike skidded to a stop in front of me and I could feel Geno, Max and Kris' eyes on me, the boy was taller than me, but younger than me, he smirked and leaned against his bike, "Quite a mouth."

"I could say the same," I said quickly and he smirked. If I had sneakers on, I would kick the wheel of his bike and make him fall over, but stupid me had to wear flats, "Move."

"Why don't you make me?" he smirked and I rolled my eyes, "You're kind of hot," he said as he gripped my chin and tilted my head up.

"Hands off!" Geno growled and I held my arm out to stop Geno.

"I got this," I smirked and the kid chuckled, "You think I'm a defenseless little girl, huh?"

"A hot defenseless little girl," he stated and I smirked and shoved his hand away.

"All right," I scoffed and nodded my head. I looked like I was about to turn away, he grabbed my arm, I clenched my fist and swung around, landing a good, hard punch in his throat, "Ow!" I yelped as I shook my hand a little.

The kid was on the ground, coughing and gasping for air, his bike laid on top of him. I could hear Max, Kris and Geno laughing at the kid's pain and I looked up to see the others backing off, they were smarter than I thought.

"Not so defenseless now!" I growled as I looked at the kid on the ground. I turned back to the boys, high fived Max and smirked towards Geno and shrugged my shoulders, "Gotta love having older brothers."