True Evolution

"There you are!" Someone suddenly jumped in front of her, startling Violet out of her thoughts.

"Ahh!" Violet screamed, instinctively landing a punch on the person's face, only to realize it was Lila.

Lila yelped in pain while Violet's expression shifted to horror as she recognized her friend. She hadn't meant to hit her, but years of always keeping her guard up had conditioned her to react this way.

Violet rushed forward, hysterically checking on Lila.

"I'm okay, I'm okay," Lila insisted, trying to calm her down. "See? No damage." She attempted a smile, but her face scrunched up in pain. "But damn, that was a mean hook."

With a deep breath, Violet slowly calmed her racing heart. But almost immediately after, her expression twisted in anger.

"What the hell is wrong with you?! Why would you jump in front of someone like that? Are you asking for death or something?" she shouted.