They Knew They Screwed Up

The trucker never shouted, never even tensed, but somehow that made it worse. Jake and Travis, who had been full of noise a minute ago, shrank under the weight of his steady stare. You could see the swagger slipping and the bravado dying out.

I had the urge to step in, ready to call them out like I would have any other day, but something told me to stay put. This wasn’t my fight. This was the trucker’s stage, and he owned it without lifting a finger. Arms crossed, I watched like everyone else, knowing the loudmouths had finally realized they were way out of their league.