Once Life - Side Story: Something About Initiative
Once Life
Side Story: Something About Initiative
Part I: Bright Eyes
I made a mark on my notebook as I watched the girl across the room flip her hair again. Since she walked into the store nearly twenty minutes ago, she had flipped her hair eighteen-now nineteen-times. Christ, people, come here to buy music, not to flirt with the uninterested cashier.
I made a mark on a different part of my notebook as I caught her eyes flicking at me. Seven times she had glanced at me-at least she was being somewhat discreet about that.
I glanced at the clock: five minutes left of my shift, then Kat would relieve me, and I could leave. I picked at my nametag, which read “Seth” in barely legible red letters. I caught the girl looking at me again-for the eighth time, now, I made a mark in the ‘look’ section of my running tallies. She definitely was not here to buy CDs, and I was pondering whether or not to throw her out when I was startled by Kat coming in. The beep that accompanied someone’s entrance had made me jump, and I jumped again as I realized that the girl that had been flipping her hair was standing on the other side of the counter.
“Excuse me...” she glanced at my nametag, squinting for a second, and then continued, “Seth. I’m looking for something new and different to listen to, something you don’t really hear on the radio, and I was wondering if you could help point me in the right direction.” Her manner was cute enough. In fact, I commend her brilliant acting skills; had I been a normal guy, I bet would’ve found her adorable. As it was, she annoyed me. I had barely three minutes left on my shift, and flippy-hair girl-I suppressed a twitch as she flipped her hair again-she had taken it upon herself to delay my departure.
I refrained from rolling my eyes. “Okay.” I stepped from behind the counter and walked to the nearest CD rack. I skimmed the titles and pulled out three CDs. “Bright Eyes,” I said, holding out my first selection. “They’re an indie band, but still very popular. Even so, you won’t hear them on the radio.” I tried to ignore the girl’s rapt attention on me as I continued. “Wonderland Syndicate. They’re a local band; they play at Club Raven every once in a while, but they’re good. And Aspiring Superheroes They’re also a local band, and they write all of their own music. Any of them would be a good listen, but I suggest Wonderland Syndicate. Almost anyone can enjoy them.”
“Okay, I’ll take it. Thank you,” she murmured, batting her eyes. I handed her the CD and put the rest back on the rack. I ran a hand through my hair and stepped back behind the counter. My eyes flickered to the clock: my shift had ended two minutes ago, but I was stuck helping this girl because Kat had disappeared into the back room.
“Anything else for you, then?” I asked, ringing the CD up.
“Well...” she glanced around the empty store before leaning across the counter. Cleavage; ugh, gag me. “I was wondering if maybe you’d want to hang out after work. You know...”
I stared at her for a moment. She flipped her hair again, and my hand took up my pen and made a mark on the paper of its own accord. I shook my head, my eyes focused on my notebook. “I’m not interested.”
She handed me a twenty for the CD. “Are you sure? I heard that you were single and looking.” She smiled warmly at me.
I let out a short laugh. “Maybe I am, but I’ll tell you right now you’re not my type.” I handed her the change: $4.72. “Now, if you’ll excuse me, I need to get going.” I made my way to the back room, the girl trailing behind me. She stopped outside the door as I went in.
I called to Kat that I was leaving and punched out. I pulled my black sweater over my work shirt, and then my coat over that. Ah, warmth, how I loved it in the winter. I slipped out of the room and back into the store, only to see that the girl was still there. She fell into step beside me as I walked through the store. Can we say persistent?
“How do you know I’m not your type?” she asked, resuming our conversation from before. “You don’t even know me yet.”
I stopped and turned to her. “Trust me, I know. You’ve been sending signals my way since you stepped into the store, and frankly, it was a wasted effort. You’re too cute for your own good, and that’s not what I’m looking for.” I would’ve continued, but another girl’s voice interrupted me.
“Seth, good, you haven’t left yet.” The girl and I both turned to the newcomer. I brightened considerably as I recognized her face.
Childishly, I nearly jumped into her arms to hug her. “Angie!” I haven’t seen you in a while,” I bubbled happily as I released her. “By the way, thank you for saving me,” I whispered the last bit in her ear sending a pointed glance at the flippy-hair girl, who still stood nearly at my elbow, though she had given me a wider berth to hug Angie.
Angie followed my eyes and smiled sweetly at her. And then kissed me. I nearly keeled over in shock, but I recovered soon enough to hear the girl mumble “See you later,” as she left, looking decidedly crestfallen.
I glared at Angie finally. “You didn’t have to be so dramatic. What do you want me to do, die from excessive intimacy with a woman?”
She rolled her eyes at me. “Better me than someone else.” She wrapped an arm around mine and began leading me through the mall. “Besides, you can’t die from being with a girl.”
I gave her an appraising look. Angie: my friend and the cousin of my best friend, as well as the twin of my first crush. Her hair was straight, a lustrous shade of chocolate brown that she wore long. She had a nice body, I guess. However, it was her warm personality that I liked the most, and if I had to date one woman in my entire life, it would be her. But I’d rather not.
“Here we go,” she chirped as she pulled me into the mall’s café. “What do you want? I’ll buy.”
I stared up at the menu. “Mmm...hot chocolate. Oh! Look, they have apple-cinnamon cappuccino. I want that.” I beamed innocently at her as she gave the man behind the counter our order. Mike was his name, according to his nametag, and my, but he was a looker. Dark, close-cropped hair, sharp eyes, and a very pleasant smile, not to mention a lovely body. He was smiling at Angie, though, not me.
Mike handed Angie our drinks, and Angie led us to a table in the corner. “So,” she said, “I would like you to do me a favor.” Way to get right to the point, Angie.
I raised an eyebrow. I was no stranger to Angie’s favors; I was also no stranger to the often negative results of said favors. “So that’s why you’ve come to visit. What is it?” I absently stirred my cappuccino.
She gazed innocently to the side-at Mike, in fact. “Well, I have a friend that’s going to either be attacked on Valentine’s Day or incredibly lonely. So...”
“So you want me to cheer them up, right?” I heaved a sigh.
“Yes, that’s it exactly.” She looked at me and grinned, her eyes shining.
I rubbed my hand on my forehead, before dropping it to fight with my lip ring. “Look, Angie,” I began, “you’re my friend. As your friend, I don’t mind doing you favors every once in a while. But as my friend, I think you should know where to draw the line for those favors. I’m sorry, but this is one thing that I can’t do.”
Despite my refusal, her eyes still glittered. “So is that a definite no?” I nodded. “Pity. Alex is a cutie.” She pulled her wallet out of a pocket and began shuffling through the pictures in it.
I shook my head. “I’m not interested. In fact, I can’t believe that you even asked me such a thing.” I tugged at my lip ring before pulling my cappuccino closer and wrapping my hands around it.
“Here,” Angie said finally, sliding a photo across the table. I glanced at it as I sipped at my drink. It was just a picture Angie, Jake, and someone else. My eyes shifted back at the photo. Yes, there was Angie, Jake-Angie’s twin and my first crush-and...another boy. Only he wasn’t just another boy: he was hot. More than hot, even. He screamed sex.
“Is that Alex?” I asked at last, pointing to the smoldering boy wedged between Jake and Angie.
“None other,” she said, grinning. “Poor boy, he simply can’t be with a girl other than me for five minutes without freaking out. ‘She was disgusting. I never knew a girl could wear so much make-up.’ ‘She’s too high-maintenance.’ So many excuses.” Angie sighed gleefully. “If you ask me, I think he’s looking at the wrong thing. I figured that since you have a lot in common with him, you could direct his attention to what he’s really looking for. But,” she sang airily, sending me a sidelong glance, “you don’t want to, so poor Alex will be stuck with his blind little eye cast upon the world,” she finished dramatically.
I pulled the picture towards me and studied the boy named Alex. His hair was a pale golden-blond that fell into his eyes and over his ears. His brown eyes were wide and innocent, though they looked as though they held some untold knowledge. His full lips were pulled back into an easy smile of perfect teeth, and his body managed to look hard and soft all at the same time.
“You know, Angie,” I murmured at length, “I think I underestimated you. I’ll take you up on your offer.”
“Good,” she said triumphantly, reaching for the picture. I snatched it out of her reach.
“May I keep this picture?”
Angie patted my hand. “Go ahead.” She stood up and stretched. “I’ll call you later and we can make plans, okay?” I nodded. She smiled and walked back up to the counter. I watched as she gave something to the man behind the counter, and I realized with a start that he was the Mike, as in, Angie’s boyfriend, Mike. I shook my head at my own ignorance as Angie left me alone in the café with her boyfriend, my cappuccino, and the picture of her gorgeous friend Alex.