TW!!: mentions of SA (sexual assualt)

"Look, why don't we all just mind our own fucking bussiness and move own with our night?"

Alice said, annoyed as she gave them an obvious fake looking smile that gave 'I don't wanna deal with this crap' vibes.

"She sounds filipino with with her accent"

"She's probably playing hard to get so that we can tip her more money"

The guys whispered amongst themselves as they completely ignored Alice's obvious no.

"I heard Filipinas come to different countries to entertain men! If you want money we can give some to you once we're finished~"

One of the guys declared as they walked up to Alice who rolled her eyes at the very stereotypical assumption. She just tried to ignore them and walk away—well at least tried.

One of them grabbed her wrist , pulling her in an alleyway as she tried to pull away.

"Let go, you dickhead!"

Alice said, pulling her wrist back—when that didn't work she used her leg and kicked the guy in his crotch.

"Shit!"

The guy groaned in pain as he glared at Alice and when she saw that the rest of his friends were ready to defend their friend she made a run for it.

"Get her!"

The guy who just got kicked said as the other two chased Alice across the alleyway. Alice was repeatedly cursing internally—fear was running through her head as she wasn't even skilled in fighting nor did she have powers.

Plus they outnumbered her, so the only option she had at this point was run like her dignity depended on it cause it did.

She ran for a couple of minutes and thought she lost them, but then—the guy she just kicked bumped into her and grabbed a hold of both her hands while his friends managed to catch up close.

"Get off me!"

Alice yelled, panic evident from her voice as she didn't want this to happen. But the men around her just chuckled and acted like this was some sort of game.

"Hey! Get your hands off her! This is the police!"

Once the guys around Alice heard that, they scrambled away—leaving a very scarred Alice who was leaning against the wall.

She let out a relieved shaky breath as she sat and just hugged herself, still shaken up from the experience—not knowing what would happen if that voice didn't interject.

"You okay dear?"

Alice looked up to see a familiar face, although she was confused as she looked around and didn't see any police around.

"You must be looking for this?"

The woman chuckled as she pulled out a mixtape and played an audio she assumed was from an action film or something.

"These things come in handy sometimes. Especially at times like these—you still seem to be shaken up from what happened. Do you have a home?"

Alice shook her head as a no, she can't really go to Elliot's yet—with her not being able to say important things. It's gonna be kind of hard to negotiate with him.

The woman just smiled sadly at her and bent down to Alice's height.

"I'm Autumn, my place is kind of small but if you don't mind—you can stay there for a while"

Alice knew that she seemed familiar, she was the woman who worked at that club Ruby owned.

Autumn stood up and offered a hand out to Alice—since Alice didn't really have much of a choice and had nowhere to go, she accepted it as she let out a breath she didn't know she was holding.

"What's your name dear?"

"......Alice"

_____

"As I said my place is kind of small....and maybe a bit messy"

Autumn chuckled nervously as Alice nodded—Autumn opened the door to her apartment and Alice didn't mind the small space. There was a small kitchen that you could cook in and a small fridge beside the counters.

At the right side corner of the room was a bed and a bedside table. There was a window at the end of the room that showed the sidewalk below.

"Make yourself comfortable, let me find you some clothes to change into-"

Autumn said as she went to her cabinet to find Alice some comfortable clothes.

"Oh you don't have to—"

"Nonsense, here—you can also use my bathroom to clean yourself up and change. I'm hoping were the same size"

Autumn said as she handed her a pair of shirt and shorts that looked comfortable enough to wear. Alice sighed, and nodded as she went in and changed in the bathroom.

______

"So how'd you end up here in Dallas?"

Autumn said as they both ate some dinner that Autumn heated up while Alice was in the bathroom.

"Oh uh..."

Alice tried to find the words to explain or come up with a good lie on how she ended up here without freaking her out.

"....I...I got scammed and ended up here with nowhere to go..?"

'That sounded more like a question rather than an explanation'

Alice thought as she mentally face palmed herself with that stupid explanation she just dropped.

But thank goodness because Autumn seemed to buy it as she continued to eat her mac n cheese.

"...Why'd you offer me to stay at your place by the way? I mean, I'm just some stranger and..."

Alice trailed off as she played with her food a bit.

"First of all don't pay with your food darling, and second of all—I know what it's like to run around aimlessly and try to survive in a world where men think they can do whatever the hell they want to us. But I guess I sound a bit hypocritical, I do work as a stripper in a club."

Autumn chuckled out dryly to herself as there was a hint of regret in her voice when she said that.

"Hey, like you said—you did what you could to survive. Do you get harassed at the club you work at?"

"Sometimes, but good thing we have a big strong bodyguard to help us when that happens. He's handsome but has the body hair of a gorilla"

Autumn chuckled, Alice knew exactly who she was talking to as she decided to maybe give this gorilla bodyguard a visit next thing in the morning.