Love Unspoken

She strolled over to Peanut, yanked him up from the dirt. Seeing his hands all caked in mud, she couldn't hold back the waterworks anymore. "Peanut, stop picking up those bottles, alright?" she told him.

Peanut tilted his head, trying to get what she was saying, but his eyes were just blank.

Next thing you know, he raised his arm and used his sleeve to wipe her tears away.

He used his sleeve, not his muddy hands.

This time, Freya cried happy tears. She smiled, but the tears just kept coming.

"I'm sorry," she said, hugging Peanut tight and sobbing. "Peanut, I'm so sorry. It's all on me. I let you down."

If she hadn't ended up in the slammer, Peanut wouldn't be in this mess.

If she hadn't done those bad things back then, he wouldn't be paying the price now.

Now she finally got how Quinn felt losing those two kids.

It hurt like hell.

A car was parked not too far away, and someone was watching them.

Freya had no clue. She wiped her tears, stood up, and used her clothes to clean Peanut's hands.

She smiled at Peanut. "Let's bounce."

After that, she grabbed the broom from the ground and kept sweeping the street. No time to be sad; she had to finish before dawn, or her boss would dock her pay. Peanut dragged the nylon bag and stuck close behind her.

Halfway through, three dudes with beer bottles came stumbling towards them. They were clearly wasted, mumbling, and laughing like idiots.

Seeing them, Freya quietly pulled Peanut closer and kept her head down, sweeping.

The guys blocked her path.

She moved left, one of them moved right. After a few tries, one of them got pissed, smashed the beer bottle, and shoved Freya. "Get lost!" he yelled.

Freya stumbled and hit the ground hard, her hand landing on broken glass, sending sharp pain through her.

Her hat fell off, showing her short, ear-length hair.

The streetlight hit her face, showing off her delicate features.

The three guys' eyes lit up, and they grinned like creeps.

The leader, Elijah Sanders, squatted in front of her and blew air at her. "A janitor this cute? All alone?"

Peanut stood there, frozen, not getting what was going down.

Elijah reached out to touch Freya's face.

Freya slapped his hand away, got up, and clutched the broom tight, staring them down.

"Don't mess with me, or you'll regret it!" Freya snapped.

The three drunks saw the broom and laughed like it was the funniest thing ever. Elijah grabbed her broom and yanked her over.

Freya let go, making Elijah almost fall on his butt. He got up, pissed.

The other two grabbed her arms. "Why sweep the street? Come drink with us, we'll pay you."

"Let go of me!" Freya yelled, struggling and glancing at Peanut. Luckily, they hadn't noticed him.

Elijah pulled out some cash and slapped it on her chest. "Thirty bucks, enough for two days of sweeping. Come drink with us. We got plenty of cash!" They started dragging Freya, and she couldn't break free. She kicked one of the guys in the leg.

The guy winced, took a sharp breath, and slapped her.

"Damn it, what are you playing at? You think I won't rape you right here?" the guy snapped.

Freya's fingers clenched tight, holding a handful of trash.

As the guys closed in, a wave of despair hit her.

Suddenly, a bright light shone on them, making it hard to see.