"Whoa, hey," he called after her, a slight hitch in his step as he took a step in her direction as she ran over to reclaim her books. But it was fine, because those guys were all out for the count, except for one. He watched as their eyes met, their mutual terror this physical thing hanging heavily over all of them.

God, he knew that feeling.

"Yeah, I, uh. We should. We should go," he agreed, his hand hovering just behind her shoulder, but he didn't touch her. He knew better. Already making his way towards the mouth of the alley, he leaned out to peek both ways. So far, it didn't seem like anyone was coming.

"And if you're up for it, I think we should talk."