the neighborHood blues

/7/birds of a feather

The register popped open for the fourth time in thirty minutes, and I gathered the correct change for the customer. Our day had been busier than usual, and I hadn't had a moment to rest since I arrived. Now, the last few customers of the hour were leaving the store and I leaned over the counter and put my head down. The sudden influx of people was great, but I was tired and ready to take the fattest nap. I would have drifted off to sleep right there if there weren't still people in the shop, lounging on the small bean bags we had near the window.

"You good, Wenston," Dante asked, poking the top of my head.

"Nah, g, not even a little." I shook my head, my cheek rubbing against my bicep.

He laughed as he leaned an elbow on the counter, then looked out of the glass, front door. I closed my eyes, hoping that even a long blink would suffice in the place of a nap. The brief silence I had was interrupted by the toll of the bell, and I popped up while plastering a smile on my face. A diverse group of teenagers came into the store, and I watched as Dante greeted them with hugs. They chatted among each other in front of the counter, then broke in smaller groups as they moved around the store.

I waved goodbye to the exiting customers, then grabbed a candy bar from the snack rack. Leaning back in the chair, I munched on the chocolate as I surveillance the movements of the group. The girl that had come with them was off on her own, trailing her fingers over the covers of the books as she passed. She didn't look interested in any of them, so I shifted my gaze to two other members. One boy with short blond hair had sparkling eyes as he talked to the shorter green haired boy, holding up one of the comics. Seeing other people excited over comic books always brought a smile to my face, because I didn't feel so weird about reading them anymore.

One of the boys Dante was with broke away, sauntering over to the counter with several books in hand. Splaying them out over the counter top, he asked me which of them I recommended the most. I picked up each book, flipped through the pages then set them down again. All of them were amazing, but I went with the Mephisto book and asked if he wanted to buy it.

"Sure, and you can add your number to the receipt," he smiled, leaning over on his elbow.

Refraining from rolling my eyes, I smiled as I shook my head and rang the book up. I slipped the comic into a plastic cover, then a plastic bag and handed the boy the bag. He grabbed the bag from my hand, which made me cringe when his fingers touched mine. The kid had to be no more that sixteen and was trying to talk to me. Maybe I would have been flattered by it if he weren't so cocky, but the goofy grin he had, showing his braced teeth as he stared at me was annoying.

"You smelling yourself a lil too much, thinking you can holla at me," I said, crossing my arms.

He stood up straight from the counter, a look of disgust on his face before he stomped away back to his friends. Their laughter was instantaneous on his return, which made me chortle as I made myself comfortable in my chair. Sometime after, the blond and green haired boys came to the counter to make a purchase. As they approached the counter, I noticed they were holding hands, which surprised me but I didn't comment on it. They were pleasant as I rang up their books, then left the store along with the rest of their friends. Dante came back to the counter, hopping on top with his legs swinging as he clasped his hands between his knees. I nudged his butt with the toe of my shoe, and he looked at me with a slight frown.

"We kicking people now?"

"How you buggin over a lil tap?"

"Ion like nobody touching me with they feet."

"You right, my bad."

The sound of a phone ringing startled both of us, and he slid off the counter top while reaching into his front pants pocket. Answering his phone, Dante walked to the back of the store and I peered down at the small screen in my lap. It unlocked as a text popped up from my dad, which made me squint my eyes as I looked toward the back. Getting up from my chair, I padded into the small office and tilted my chin to my chest as I looked at my father. He turned in his chair, still chewing bits of the sandwich he was eating while staring up at me with raised eyebrows. Rolling my eyes, I took the napkin from his desk and wiped the bread crumbs from his cheek.