"It depends," I start slowly, trying to assess where this is coming from. My initial thought, that there might be some kind of abuse going on in his home, ignites a flame of anger. "You okay? Someone threatening you?"
He shakes his head. "What does it depend on?"
"To start with, their size and whether or not your opponent has weapons or martial arts training."
He chews on his lower lip, pensive. The kid is a few inches shorter than me and skinny in the way of someone who recently had a growth spurt. "What if I don't know those things for sure?"
"You don't know the size of your opponent?"
He shakes his head. "I mean … sorta. It's kind of a blur."
Okay, so not abuse at home. He's clearly afraid of someone. I can't imagine who, if he's new to the area and the threat isn't in his home environment.
Under my scrutiny, Todd steps back. "You're going to report me," he whispers.
"Nah." I offer a smile. "You're not the type to go bat-shit crazy."
"How do you know?"
"I know the kind of person who hurts someone else."
"They thought I was going to bring a gun to school or something in my last school." He gives an irritated snort and tosses his head back to clear his eyes from the long, dishwater blond hair that keeps sliding into his face.
"You're not that guy. But I don't know why you want to know," I add, sensing a timid thaw. "It might help me figure out how to help you."
"You know." He shrugs. "Just because."
"Right."
He says nothing but doesn't leave either, shifting his weight between his feet, a physical reflection of his internal battle.
"Why don't you start from the beginning?"
"I gotta go." Todd starts away.
"Wait. Here." I pull another business card out of my wallet and hand it to him. "In case you decide you wanna talk."
He hesitates then accepts it. With a mumbled thank you, he trots off.
I watch him, torn between curiosity and pity.
My phone vibrates, and I see Brianna has texted me again. Still uncertain this is a good idea, I pick a diner nearby to meet and then head to my motorcycle. I've got enough time to run home and change into civvies before our rendezvous.