Lucía could feel it in the air, you didn't need to be a psychic or anything like that, after all, even a blind person could see that the group of students who had just arrived at the pub had some kind of bad intention. Of course, it also helped that she was used to dealing with idiots.
"Kath, is everything okay?" Lucía finally said once she turned her attention away from the problematic group. Her protective instinct was awakened by how vulnerable the redhead looked.
Unfortunately, Lucía didn't get to hear the answer because she was interrupted by the blond guy leading the group of newcomers. "Hey, pretty, what are you doing with the town's Little Red Riding Hood? Is she telling you some story about wolves or ghosts?" The blond said, pointing at Kath with a mocking smile.
Lucía stopped dead in her tracks, her gaze confused as she looked at the blond and then at the redhead, only to repeat the process a couple more times. "Excuse me? What did you say?"
The guy, unaware that Lucía's reaction was not what he expected, continued. "I was just saying that it's weird to see someone like you with someone like her. We all know that Kath is a bit... strange."
Lucía blinked a couple of times as if she were surprised by the revelation, although her mind was elsewhere. Finally, after a couple of seconds of painful and uncomfortable silence, the brunette focused on Katherine across the table, who seemed to be having the worst time of her life.
"So, Katherine is something like the black sheep of this town?" Lucía spoke without showing much emotion, still keeping all her attention on Kath instead of the other group. Katherine shrank in her chair, feeling the pressure of painful memories unable to look up, afraid that Lucía would look at her like others had in the past.
"Exactly." The blond responded confidently, puffing out his chest as if expecting someone to pin a medal on him. Then he added, "A girl like you should spend time with people like us."
"So because she's the black sheep, you gave her the nickname Little Red Riding Hood to make fun of her." Lucía ignored the guy's previous statement and instead mentioned the topic that had been on her mind since the conversation began.
The blond guy, Jonathan, certainly didn't expect that comment, nor the one that followed. "I don't know if you guys are actually kind for giving Kath such an adorable nickname or just idiots," Lucía said, her amber eyes like daggers now pointed at the blond and his group.
Before he could respond, Lucía slowly stood up, her gaze fixed on Jonathan. "I suggest you leave." she said calmly, but with a firmness that made the guy hesitate for a moment.
Jonathan felt uncomfortable under that gaze but he was used to being the one giving orders, so he didn't back down so easily. "I was just trying to warn you, so you wouldn't waste your time with her, sorry if I offended you."
Lucía took a step forward, her presence seemed to grow, as did her smile. The only problem was that there was no joy in that smile, only the promise of pain. "Apology accepted." She said initially, making everyone around feel that the tension in the air disappeared.
Of course, Lucía wasn't finished. In fact, her speech only became more intense like her voice. "Kath and I were enjoying a good time together when you and your little group of arrogant spoiled brats arrived thinking you owned my attention and my time, and for what?"
That last sentence was nothing more than a question loaded with venom, one that no one had the intention or the time to answer because Lucía kept talking. "All to make a pathetic attempt to intimidate a girl among the five of you."
The brunette paused, only to look Jonathan up and down, stopping exaggeratedly at his crotch, after which she added mockingly. "And you dare to say that you would help me have a good time? Boy, you couldn't give me a good time even if you injured yourself trying."
The tension in the pub became palpable. Jonathan's friends exchanged nervous glances, this degree of counterattack was unheard of for them. Normally no one stood up for Katherine, and even on the rare occasions when someone did defend the girl, it was never with such intensity and frank vulgarity. The girl somehow made some vulgar and mocking insinuations and still made it seem as if they had been the ones who had said something suggestive and in bad taste in the first place.
Anger was not enough to describe how Jonathan felt at that moment. He felt like all the blood had rushed to his face and that if he didn't do something soon, his heart was going to explode due to the rage boiling inside him. "You don't know who you're messing with," he said through gritted teeth, regaining some clarity to speak.
"I can't even be bothered to learn your name," Lucía replied, her voice as cold as steel. Her eyes looked at Jonathan not as if he were a person who had offended or attacked her, it was worse than that; it was as if he were not a person at all, just a disagreeable thing that had crossed her path.
Without waiting for a response, Lucía turned to Katherine and took her hand. "Let's go, Kath. These idiots ruined my appetite, I'll take you home."
Katherine snapped out of her stupor. The mix of utter surprise and deep admiration she felt for how Lucía had acted was nothing compared to the warmth that filled her heart at that moment. "She defended me," the thought repeated over and over in her head, followed occasionally by, "She looked so cool."
Katherine ignored the strange sensation in her stomach for a moment, at least long enough to respond while obediently following Lucía, who still held her hand. "Okay," was all she could murmur.
Lucía and Kath left the pub, leaving Jonathan and his group behind, still in shock over what had just happened. Lucía continued to hold Kath's hand, and both felt a bit lighter as they walked away from the tense atmosphere of the pub.
On the way, after battling her shyness, Kath finally found the courage to speak. "Thank you for what you did in there, Lucía. No one had ever defended me like that before."
Lucía smiled and replied, "You don't have to thank me, Kath. They're idiots, and no one should be treated like that."
As they continued walking towards Lucía's motorcycle in the parking lot in front of the pub, Kath gained more confidence. "You know? You're different from everyone else. More direct, that's for sure, but also more..."
Lucía gently squeezed Kath's hand, drawing her attention before she could finish what she was going to say, and responded playfully, "More volatile? I thought I told you, I have a bad temper."
That wasn't what Kath was going to say, but seeing the playful smile on the other girl's face, she decided not to continue with the topic. Lucía, on the other hand, believed she had hit the nail on the head, so she visibly puffed out her generous chest with pride before speaking. "Now let's make sure you get home safe and sound."
Katherine nodded and gave the brunette the purest, most beautiful smile she had ever seen.