After my first foul encounter with Jeff, I didn't really talk to the two brothers again, not until about a week later. Mom was furious when she knew I basically headed home that day without acknowledging her. It's not that I really cared when she scolded me like shit. It wasn't my fault either. If those two hadn't been such a brat, I wouldn't have run away. Soon, the neighbourhood ceased fussing about having newcomers. Life returned to normal again, just as dull and dry as it usually had been. Whenever Mom went to chat with Margaret, I would just stay home. She did ask me once or twice to go along with her but I rejected. I didn't make it explicit to her that I detested Jeff after his rude remarks. Mom would definitely say I was being childish and all. I just didn't want to see the two boys so I was not going to the Woods again.
Fate simply wouldn't leave things the way I wanted them to be. I bumped into Jeff later in the grocery store. I spotted him first. Needless to say, I pretended I hadn't seen him. I was running errands for Mom that day. Yeah, I figured I might go to the market for some fresh air. Locking myself up in my room playing video games just wasn't the best option. I felt like wasting my whole holiday on meaningless stuff. Things got pretty tiresome when you repeated the same routine every single day. I was actually expecting something more fabulous but all my friends were travelling abroad with their family. I had no one to hang around with.
I pushed the trolley and sneaked behind one of those shelves. Darn, I didn't want Jeff to see me. He was in the drink section. I slunk into the snack section. It was empty and that would mean only one thing. I smiled cunningly and ambled along the aisle, gingerly observing the environment. Swiftly, I grabbed a couple of chocolate bars and slipped them into my pocket. Now, that's what I would call fun. All the excitement fueled me with energy. I forgot how long I had been hooked on this but stealing always gave me a sense of what you might call as pleasure and fulfillment. Of course, I only did it when nobody was around. I wasn't really at all afraid of getting caught. I knew I could always defend myself and act like an innocent child. In fact, I got caught once when I was nine or something. I dealt with it so well that the shopkeeper didn't actually call the cops. She told my parents indeed. I got grounded for a few weeks but that wasn't enough to make me abstain from this habit. I enjoyed the feeling of stealing whatever I wanted. I wouldn't steal much because I didn't want people to get suspicious. The last thing I needed was those fools finding out they constantly lost a few of their merchandises.
"So, is this your interest?"
I almost jumped in fear. I was midway through gripping a pack of candy when I felt someone shuffling behind me. Shit...someone actually caught me! I panicked and turned around, only to meet a familiar face that got on my nerves. Jeff stood there with a devilish smirk, looking as though he was going to wreck my whole life.
"J-Jeff?" I stuttered, completely shocked. Was he going to tell on me? If so, I would be so dead.
"Hi, Jane, nice hobby you have." He said sarcastically. I began to tremble in fear. Hastily, I put my loot back onto the shelf and stared at the ground. I could feel his eyes on me.
"No, you can keep them. I ain't gonna tell on you anyway." Jeff scoffed. "You're lucky it was only me passing by."
I nodded anxiously. I flinched as Jeff stepped forwards.
"What's wrong? I don't bite." He teased.
"I gotta go." I mumbled and scooted away as fast as possible. I even forgot all about running errands for Mom. I darted out of the store and was about to cross the road when I heard a honking sound. I turned to the left only to see a truck approaching me at full speed. The driver attempted a brake, the creaking noise piercing my ears. I squealed and tried to move but all I could do was shiver in sheer fright. A hand suddenly grabbed my wrist and hauled me back to the sidewalk. I watched the enormous vehicle pass right in front of my eyes, my face close to smashing onto it. At that exact moment, my mind went blank. I could only gawk at the street with my hollow eyes. My heart was thumping rapidly, sweat dribbling down my forehead. I collapsed to the ground and puffed heavily. I still couldn't believe what had just happened. I was...almost hit by a truck.
