Carl had big muscles and a shaved head, so when somebody out of nowhere slapped his girlfriend’s butt I wasn’t surprised to see him turn on the spot and shout, “Hey!” I’d never wondered before whether Carl had ever been in a fight, but just looking at him I would have assumed so. That’s what I did when he squared off with the stranger, his face all red. But then I saw that he didn’t actually look angry, and instead of fists his hands were shaking so hard he had to press them to his thighs so it wouldn’t show. I knew then that if he had the courage to speak again I would probably hear his voice crack, but the other guy spoke first.
“What’re you gonna do, pussy?” Carl did nothing. “That’s what I thought.”