“You can go ahead and take your break now,” Jolene mutters to the kid but continues staring at me with pure disdain.
He shrugs and saunters off out the front of the store.
I pull my wallet out of my pocket and take out a five-dollar bill, wanting to get the hell out of here as quickly as possible. But a hostile thickness fills the air as Jolene stands there, not scanning my items.
“We're not taking cash right now.”
My jaw ticks as I stare back at her, knowing full well that she's just saying that. Retrieving my wallet again, I pull out my bank card instead. I usually just withdraw all of my money once I cash my check, but I'm pretty sure I still have enough in my account this time to pay for these.
“Bank machine is down, too.”
What the fuck?
My insides burn with humiliation, but I don't want her to see it and know that she's won. I don't want her to see how much she, and the rest of them, get to me. So I keep my face stoic.
This is a harsh reminder of why I shouldn't be getting involved with Remi. I shouldn't be dragging her into this fucking hell hole so that she can be treated the same.
I look around the immediate area to see who else is witnessing and enjoying my degradation. But the only other person around is the redhead, and she's looking off to the side while fiddling with a thread from her top.
Turning back to Jolene and her malevolent glare, I can see that she's not going to let me buy my milk and bread. Like I've said before, she'd rather watch me starve.
Calmly placing my wallet back into my back pocket, I turn to walk away and leave the store empty-handed. As I'm going, I hear the redhead say in a cheery voice, “I actually needed some milk and bread. I'll take these, Jolene. Thanks!”
Once I make it back to my truck, I brace my hands above the door, sucking in deep lungfuls of air, and try to fight the sudden urge to punch through my window.
“Jacob,” a quiet, hesitant voice says from beside me. I turn to my left to see the redhead standing there, shifting her weight back and forth. Then, after a quick glance over her shoulder, she lifts up her hand and says, “Here.”
Grasped between her small fingers is what I'm guessing is the same bread and milk carton I had just tried to buy. When I don't make a move to take them from her, she gives the bag a shake.
“Take them, please.”
I'd love to say that I'm so appreciative of her generosity.
That her kind sounding voice and the tentative smile on her face are a welcome change.
That it makes me feel good.
But I'm jaded and filled with suspicion now. It laces my blood and pumps through my veins.
It had taken a little while to trust Remi. And even now, I hate the fact that there is still a tiny part in the back of my mind that thinks she might turn on me. It's barely there, like the softest touch of a feather tickling at the back of my mind. But it's there nonetheless, despite my feelings for her.
This girl in front of me, I don't know in the slightest, and so I have no trust for her at all.
Wanting to get her to hurry up and leave, I take the items from her without a word. I'm not sure if the cameras reach this part of the parking lot, so the longer we stand here, the more tense my shoulders get.
She looks over her shoulder once again, possibly to check if anyone is watching.
Maybe they're standing in the shadows, waiting for her signal.
Is this where she makes her move, whatever that may be?
But, no. All she does is lift her hand in a little wave.
“Have a good night, Jacob.”
I stand in the same spot, staring after her for another ten seconds after she walks off before getting into my truck and heading home. I have no idea what to think about what just happened.
Once I'm home, I get a fire started and take a seat facing out into the vast ocean. Without Remi here, I feel fucking lost and I don't know what to do with myself. I don't even know when she'll be back.
