She has always been alone, if you exclude her grandpa and books of course.
He has always been surrounded by people, never mind them not being good for him.
One little mistake at fifteen has brought him to her stomping ground.
She's a bibliophile...
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"Hello hello hello," the chirpy brunette walked through the door at her usual time, Four thirty.
"January?" Walter, although he prefers I call him Mr. Carlton, rushes to the front of the store to meet his granddaughter.
"Hey pops," she smiles her bright smile at him as she started taking off her scarf.
"How are you dear?" He asks her, January is his only soft spot.
"Great pops, I came to help." She kissed her grandpa on the cheek and started walking towards me while pulling her scarf of, well I presume it's towards the back room that's behind me so she can put her stuff there.
"Atlas," she nods at me, a hint of a smile on her face.
"Jade," I muttered.
Her lips quirked up when she brushed past me, she doesn't like her second name, so I love using it, same goes with the Atlas thing.
"What are you standing there doing nothing, get to work." Walter set his hard eyes on me, he does like me, sometimes, I promise.
"What do you need to get done pops?" January popped out of the back room and stood right next to me.
"Nothing dear, but Villette arrived today, I thought you mentioned you wanted to read it." He shrugged, she had mentioned it last week and the second she was out the door the old man rushed to order the book for his precious granddaughter.
"Really?" She bounced on the balls of her feet a little.
"Yes," the old man nodded, "it's next to the couch on the back shelves."
The girl basically sprinted past us and towards the couch so she can start reading.
"I thought I told you to start working," the old man glowered at me.
I'm internally rolling my eyes.
"Right away sir," I muttered, I stole a glance at January only to see her looking back at me as well, smirking mischievously at me because of her grandfather's preference towards her.
But hey, I prefer her over him as well. Sometimes.
Don't tell her I said that. Or thought that. Or whatever the Fuck this is.
"August?" Walter called.
"Yeah?" I walked around the register so that I can help him with whatever he needs.
It's been just over three years since I started working here to "reconcile my actions" as Walter likes to say, but in reality fifteen year old me was a total idiot, who prefers to steal a book over a bookmark for fuck's sake.
"I need you to hang those lights up there, January said that it will add to the ... what was it dear?" He called to Jade.
