She is not bad

Chapter 2 : The robber

Joyce spent the next days trying to help the Police to find her assaulter. Sadly, they didn't have enough proof to have a serious lead. So, Jerry, Joyce's boss, decided to put video cameras inside and outside the store and to hire a security guard at the entrance with a metal detector. Joyce was feeling reassured, but she was still worried to see these assaulters coming back to steal more or even to be sure there was no witness left. To be sure she was safe, she was taking a pepper spray with her at work. And there was a button to push to call the Police automatically. But now, every time a customer was entering, she was analyzing them, wondering if they pointed a gun at her head or not just days before.

Fortunately, she was seeing some of her friends at the store which could allow her to forget for a few minutes her misfortune. A short woman with black hair and a purple dress with flowers as a pattern approached the checkout with a teen behind her, a tall brunette with her hair back, a leather jacket, and blue jeans with holes.

- "Hi, Cassandra," Joyce smiled.

- "Hi, Joyce. How is your head?"

- "Better. Thank you."

- "You're very brave to go back to work after a trauma like that."

- "I don't really have the choice."

- "I wish you had."

Joyce warmly smiled to her to thank her for her concern. The two women began to talk about their teens, Joyce beeping the other woman's buying. But while they were talking, Joyce felt attacked by a smell. An odor of perfume and a strong smell of cigarette. She stopped talking and angrily frowned. She slowly looked up and met the teen's eyes. The brunette looked at her with deadly eyes before showing a small but satisfied smirk on her face. Joyce was killing her with her eyes and didn't realize that she was crushing the pack of chips she was holding. Cassandra tried to get her attention, but the woman wasn't hearing her anymore.

- "You!" Joyce said.

Cassandra frowned and turned to the teen behind her. She was about to ask her what was happening, but Joyce was already going to her. She grabbed the leather jacket and brutally blocked the girl against the display shelving behind her.

- "Joyce! What are you doing!?" Cassandra intervened, trying to separate them.

- "She knows what she did!" Joyce stated, gritting her teeth. "You were there! You hit me with your shotgun, and you know it!"

- "Stop!"

Cassandra managed to push Joyce before placing herself between the brunette and the furious woman.

- "She was there! She robbed this place and hit my head!" Joyce accused.

- "Joyce! You can't accuse with no proof!"

- "Look at her! She is not even denying it!"

The black-haired woman turned to the teen and frowned at her.

- "Is she right!? Jane!? Is she telling the truth!?"

The brunette didn't answer. Instead, she just brutally freed herself from Cassandra's hand.

- "Wait for me in the car! Now!" Cassandra ordered.

Jane rolled her eyes before quickly leaving the store. Cassandra followed her with her angry look to be sure she wasn't going to run away again.

- "Are you sure of what you're stating?" Cassandra asked.

- "I know it's her. I know I can't prove it, and that's why she smiled to me like that. But that smell, it was the same!"

- "I'll talk to her."

- "I hope! I know life had been hard with her, but I tried to help her!"

- "I know, I know. I'm sorry."

- "You should check her companies quickly!"

Cassandra pinched her lips together. She paid her purchases and left the store, more embarrassed than ever. When she entered the car, she didn't say a word to Jane, creating a heavy tension in the air. The brunette didn't seem to care or to be worried, which didn't surprise Cassandra, used to these kinds of behaviors. She parked her car in a private parking lot behind a building. They got out of the car and took their shopping bags in their arms. They entered the building and walked in the wide, long, and gray corridors. Cassandra saluted the neighbors that Jane ignored before opening a red door. They put their shopping bags on the central island unit on their left where their small kitchen making the angle was. Jane was in direction of her bedroom, but Cassandra stopped her by saying:

- "Where do you think you're going!?"

- "Um, in my room!"

- "No way! You stay here! We have to talk about what you did!"

- "Com-"

- "No! You shut up and you sit on the sofa! Right now!" Cassandra ordered.

Jane raised her arms before dropping them on her body and sighed. She began to walk in direction of the sofa, dragging her feet, and said:

- "It was a small punch!"

- "A small punch!? You could have hurt her more!"

- "But I didn't! She is still alive, she is still standing, and she is even still working! Everything is fine!"

- "Nothing is fine! Do you realize what you did!?"

- "Yes! I paid the electricity bill with the loot!"

Cassandra frowned and opened her mouth to say something, but it was like if no word could express what she was feeling right now. She sighed with her mouth and rubbed her face before walking to Jane and placing her hands on the young girl's cheeks.

- "You shouldn't be worrying about that."

- "Oh yeah!? It's easy to say! You thought I wouldn't notice the letters with written "urgent" in big red letters!? Or the court bailiff coming every month to threaten us of expulsion!?"

- "It's not as bad as it looks!"

- "I'm not sure of that!"

- "It still doesn't justify your behavior! I know your intentions were good, but I don't want you to do stupid things like that! I'm taking care of bills, and you, you take care of your future!"

- "Oh yeah!? What future!?"

- "Well, it's something I wanted to tell you too. I enrolled you in a new school."

- "You did what!?" Jane replied.

- "You go back to school! It's not an option! You begin next week, and this time, don't be expelled! This is the only school which accepted to give you a chance!"

- "I don't wanna go to school!"

- "I don't care! At least I'm sure you're not hanging with wrong people to rob other stores! This is not how I raised you! If you want something-"

- "I know! I earn it, I don't steal it!"

- "Good. Go tidy your room, it's a real mess!"

Jane rolled her eyes before going to her bedroom. Cassandra hated talking to Jane like that, but her behavior was becoming worse and worse with time. She hoped school would help her to act differently.