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She turned and started to walk away from me. I followed her, walking my bike alongside her.
“Let me give you a ride,” I offered.
“No, thanks. I’d rather walk.”
She was annoying. Why wouldn’t she just get on the back of my bike and let me take her to work? It was cold and beginning to drizzle.
“Seriously, Everly. Get on my fucking bike.”
She snorted, shaking her head at my audacity. “Seriously, Aiken. I’m fine. It’s not far. It’s just right there,” she said, pointing at Smiley’s, the corner store.
No fucking way was she working at Smiley’s. The place had been robbed so many times over the last few years they had gotten gates around the register area, which did nothing to stop a bullet. The owner cared more about protecting his money than he did about protecting his workers.
“You work at Smiley’s?” I asked, with what I knew was a look of pure disgust on my face.
“Yep. It’s within walking distance, and they were hiring. I walked in and got the job on the spot.”
I chuckled, feeling not even an ounce of humor. “That’s because no one else is willing to work there. The place gets robbed like once a month.”
“That’s not true. Plus, we’re safe behind the gates.”
“Yeah, while you’re working. But what about when you’re leaving?
She rolled her eyes and chuckled. “I’ll be fine. It’s a job. I need a job right now.”
She wasn’t going to listen to me. Especially not after what happened with us that morning. There was only one other option.
“What time is your shift over?”
“At one in the morning. Why?” She paused, turning to face me once again.
“Stay inside until then. I’ll be there to pick you up at one.”
We were already in the parking lot at that point, and I could watch her enter and make sure she made it inside safely.
“No,” she said adamantly. “I don’t need a ride.”
“You do. And I’ll be here to give you one. One o’clock. Don’t even think about leaving without me.”
She rolled her eyes and turned away, walking across the parking lot toward the front door. I let her. I couldn’t believe she was working at such a dangerous place. Sure, it was within walking distance to Zada’s house, but a lot could happen in that short distance. Especially around here.
It started to pour right after I parked in the garage. I fucked around with a few engines, stopping to eat and bullshit with the guys, and around midnight I was starting to get tired. I wouldn’t go to sleep, though. I meant I would be at Smiley’s to pick Everly from up work. If walking in the middle of the day was dangerous, walking at one o’clock in the morning was suicide.
The rain stopped around midnight, which meant I didn’t have to drive Crow’s car to pick her up. Once I got my shop settled, and things were running smoothly, I would get myself a new ride. Until then, I had my bike. The insurance was cheap, and it cost next to nothing to fill the tank.
I pulled up at Smiley’s at precisely one o’clock. I pushed down my kickstand and went inside. I grabbed a bag of chips, and when I reached the register, I tossed the bag on the counter and pulled out my wallet.
“Can I get a Phillie, too?” I asked, pulling out a twenty and looking around for Everly.
She was nowhere to be seen.
The girl behind the gate rang me up, and I waited for the total.
“Hey, is Everly here?” I asked, tossing the twenty onto the counter.
“Nope,” the cashier said, popping her gum. “She left right before you got here.”
“Fuck,” I spat, grabbing my stuff and leaving my change.
