Second Chance

Chapter 15

About a month has passed, and Riley was very much alive and still my brother. We were still living together, but we were starting to run out of money. Riley still had school, and he did most of the shopping, since I was on every store's hit list or something. It was up to me then to find a job. I was thoroughly unsuccessful, but I wasn't really trying that hard. I had no resume and a criminal record, so it was next to impossible to get a job. Maria's dad refused to hire me because he hated my guts because I 'stole' a two dollar bottle of alcohol. Little does he know that I've been hooking up with his daughter every chance I got.

Speaking of which...."Justin," Maria moaned, as I had her pressed up against the wall of a storage closet in the back room of the bar. "we got to stop before my father comes back here. He'll hear us."

I wanted to keep going forever, but she was right. I did not want Carlos, Maria's dad, to walk in on me inside his daughter. So, I reluctantly pulled back and zipped my pants up again. She did the same and rested the back of her head on the wooden wall behind her, breathing heavily.

A moment later, she asked. "How's Riley doing?"

I laughed, then said. "You know, you really shouldn't ask about the best friend of the guy you just had sex with."

"Well, it's not like you're my boyfriend or anything." She defended. "I was just curious, and a little concerned."

"He's fine." I answered. "More than fine actually, he's super happy because he got a date with this girl he really likes. And that girl just so happens to be my cousin."

"Wow, that must be awkward." Maria commented, looking amused.

"Not really." I shrugged. "If it was my sister, maybe. But not Morgan, she's cool."

"You have a sister?" She asked, tilting her head curiously.

"No, but hypothetically, it would be weird." I elaborated, shaking my head.

Maria was about to say something, but before she could we heard a noise from outside. I was pretty sure it was footsteps, coming into the back room. It was probably Carlos looking for Maria. I held my breath, waiting for him to fling open the doors and see us pressed up against each other in here. The footsteps got closer and closer, and my heart started to beat faster and faster. He then walked right past the closet, and I let out my breath, feeling relieved.

"You better go." Maria whispered to me a moment later.

I nodded, then quietly opened the closet door and slipped outside. I crept out of the back room and made it into the main bar area. I then casually strode out of the bar and out into the fresh, non suffocating and dusty air.

I checked the time, and realized Riley would be back in two hours. We came up with a system a few weeks ago where Riley would go to school, then when he would come back, I would have at least twenty dollars with me. We would then save up that money until the end of the week, then Riley would go out and buy stuff with it. The only problem was that I'm sort of lying to him where I'm getting the money from. He's under the impression that I got this outdoor maintenance job for a rich neighbourhood, and I'm scraping together an income off that, but that's not the case at all. How I actually made money was a lot more fun than mowing a bunch of lawns.

I ran back up to my room, feeling a little bit of pressure to get this done. I should have left an hour ago, but I ran into Maria, and she was wearing a really hot dress that was kind of revealing, then I got a little....distracted. That didn't matter now though, I just had to get my ass out there and back with an income before Riley got back, then I'd be okay. I grabbed my hat I recently got, and put on a new jacket, then I was out the door.

—-

I walked casually through town, searching for a diner or cafe. I've hit a bunch of other stores already, and I didn't really want to go back to the same one if I could help it. At least not for a while, in case anyone recognized my slightly pathetic disguise. I also wanted to avoid any teenage hotspots, because chances were everyone there knew me, then they would start asking questions, then my cover would be blown. So I had to stick to this side of town, which was less teenager infested.

Up ahead, I saw this small coffee shop that I've never been to before. It should be easy enough though, since I've done this several times before in small shops like this one. I walked through the front door, and was instantly bombarded with the amazing smells of chocolate and coffee. I couldn't buy anything though, that would defeat the whole purpose of me doing this.

I saw the first person, who was at the counter receiving his drink. I briefly scanned him, and spotted his wallet sticking out of his back pocket. I walked up to the counter, and was about to pass him, but I got too close to him and knocked his shoulder with mine.

"Oh, sorry about that." I apologized, casually putting one hand on his shoulder, while the other plucked his wallet out of his pocket, seemingly undetected.

"That's quite alright." He said, giving me a faint smile, then started towards a table.

I discreetly pushed the wallet up my sleeve with my fingers, then started towards the door. Before I could leave, however, a shrill voice squawked at me from a few tables away.

"Excuse me, young man. Are you going to give that gentleman over there his wallet back?" I turned around to see an elderly women sitting at a table, frowning at me.

I then looked over at the man who I stole the wallet from, and he was checking his back pockets, looking at me in bewilderment. "Uhhh...." I said, feeling panicked.

I didn't know what to do, so I just bolted. I ran out of the coffee shop and raced down the sidewalk. The only thing I could do now was run back to the motel, and hope no one catched me.

—-

I staggered back into my room, feeling exhausted. I basically ran all the way here. Good thing I was a fast runner. I collapsed onto my bed and took out and opened the wallet I stole. It was mainly all gift cards and a debit card, but to my luck there were also fifty dollars stuffed in it too. I smirked at it, then got up and hid the wallet. I took my hat off and placed the money on the bedside table that separated my bed and Riley's. I then sat back down on my bed and went on my phone until Riley got back from school.

It wasn't too long, maybe about half an hour, when the door to the room opened, and in walked Riley, looking moderately more happy every day. "You seem cheery today." I commented, putting my phone down.

"That's because I'm going on a date with Morgan in two days." Riley explained, although he mentioned it about twenty other times before.

"Yeah, but tomorrow night we're going to party and get drunk, and it's going to be awesome." I reminded him, since tomorrow was the last day of school before March break.

I was happy that Riley was going on a date with my cousin, but it made me a little jealous. Not because I wanted to go on a date with Morgan, because that would be really weird, but because I've never been on a date before. It's ironic really, me being the most attractive and popular guy at school, yet never being able to snag a girlfriend. It's probably really sad, but that's just how my love life was; a revolving door of one night stands.

"Yeah, about that." Riley said slowly, and I was half expecting him to ditch me for his ginger date. "We need to get some supplies for tomorrow night." He spotted the money, then hid it away in his pocket, looking faintly surprised by the amount I got. He then looked at me and smirked slightly. "And you are coming with me."