casting the spell of “fuck you”

“Where do you think you’re going?” a man in a black suit says as a group of other men step out from the alleyway, circling the trio.

Leah freezes, hand immediately hovering over her wallet. She thought it was over with. She thought that as long as she started working for the Don, his goons would stop harassing her for more payments. What are they doing here again?

“I don’t think that’s any of your business,” Tam says, narrowing her eyes.

“What are you doing,” Leah hisses. This is absurd. This can’t possibly be the first time Tam has met a mob.

“What does it look like I’m doing?” Tam replies, tightening the grip on her bat, eyes dead focused on the group of men in front of them. “I’m telling these mob scum to fuck off.”

The first man in a suit flinches at the strong language and readjusts his sunglasses. “We figured you would say that, Tam Foolleray.”

“So why are you still in my face? Maybe I need to repeat myself.” Tam spits directly at the man’s foot. “Fuck. Off.”

“You don’t tell the mob to fu— leave!” Leah exclaims, frantically pulling Tam’s arm back. “You don’t tell the mob to do anything!”

“Leah has a point,” Austin brings up, nervously clutching his saxophone. “Why is the mob coming after you, anyway?”

“‘Cuz I told their idiot Don the same thing when he tried to offer me money for dirty jobs,” Tam says, now menacingly smacking her bat against her palm. “That’s the thing with these mobsters. They never learn their lesson the first time. In fact, I already kicked their asses once. Isn’t that right, boys?”

A few men circling the group shuffle around and mumble abashedly.

“YOU REFUSED THE DON?” Leah screeches.

“Yeah, why wouldn’t I?” Tam shrugs. “I’m not interested in becoming one of those scum who takes from others just to make money myself.”

Tam’s words strike a blade of guilt into Leah’s chest. She is one of those scum, even if she didn’t know it. Maybe it started with her ignorance, but she’s still willingly doing Don Toberlone’s dirty work for him even after knowing the consequences.

And Tam just refused it all. Straight up.

Can she even let the other two know about her involvement in the mob? What will they think of her, then?

“Well, what are you waiting for?” Tam asks. “Are we gonna fight or not?”

“If you’re in, I’m in,” Austin says, placing his fingers on his sax.

“I, uh,” Leah stutters.

The man with sunglasses gives Leah a cold stare. “If you proceed, the Don won’t forget what you’ve done.”

“I’ll make sure he doesn’t forget this face!” Tam shouts, pointing her bat out aggressively. She hasn’t picked up on the fact that the mobster’s words were for Leah. “Let’s go, team!”

As Tam and Austin pounce into action, Leah hesitates behind them.

If she joins this fight, the Don will know of her betrayal. He will expose everything about her. He’ll get her expelled from S.I.T. just before graduation. Her parents will know of her failure, yet again. She’ll never be free from his shackles in a way that matters.

But she’ll have Tam and Austin to help her if she fights. Tam is already directly opposing the mob. Even if she doesn’t act in this encounter, the mobsters will come back for more. They’re stubborn. She knows that well. (Which is likely why she fit in so smoothly in the first place.)

If she joins the fight, she’ll be loudly announcing her allyship with Tam, the biggest anarchist she’s ever met. And it takes an anarchist like Tam to dismantle the mob. Not only will she be free, everyone else will.

Ahead of her, Tam smacks a monster with her bat. Austin deals a barrage of loud notes and stuns two more. Leah finds the leader of the group wide open, unguarded.

Leah makes a decision.

She lifts up her spatula and casts a spell.