Unexpected Encounter

Chapter 3

'Sorry, I didn't mean to get in your way,' he apologized.

'It ... it... it's fine. 'Sorry, I wasn't paying attention,' I apologize again.

'No, it's my fault. I'm sorry!" says Lando to me.

I sigh and want to walk away, but Lando grabs my arm and stops me from walking away. Questioningly I look at him, but Lando looks at the ground. I follow his gaze and then see to my horror that the papers are scattered on the ground. Oh dear, June is probably going to be angry when she sees this!

'I'll help you. After all, it was my fault for getting in the way,' Lando says to me and starts picking up the papers. I bend down through my knees and begin to pick up the papers as well.

Suddenly our hands touch and I feel something like a tingle shoot through my hand, so on through my whole arm. What a weird feeling! Quickly I pull back and he looks at me strangely for a moment. I ignore his gaze and pick up the papers he had collected for me, then pile them back up like a bundle.

'Thank you,' I thank him and then walk away, towards the cash register where June told me to go.

I feel myself being looked at and quickly look back. Behind me I see Lando looking at me and I quickly turn around and walk towards the cash register. Stupid, I couldn't have introduced myself to him!

Once I arrive at the checkout, I put the papers in a drawer and leave the counter. I walk to another aisle to avoid Lando for a moment and walk to the back.

'Hey, Rox! What's going on?" suddenly I hear June ask.

'I need to go to the bathroom,' I say to June who has appeared next to me.

'Is good girl, will you take the plate out later?" she asks me.

I don't know yet, but I really have to go,' I say and quickly walk back to the toilet. Quickly I open the toilet door and step into the toilet. I quickly do my needs and then walk to the sink, where I wash my hands. Then I turn my hands into a bowl and let some water run into it. Then I throw some water in my face and immediately I am more alert than I was a moment ago. Maybe I should just step up to him and introduce myself? "Do I dare? Soon June will have already met Lando and he'll be gone with her for a while!" My thoughts scare me and I decide to just walk back to the front. I leave the restroom and close the door behind me.

'Oh my god, but you guys are the world famous formula one drivers! And then my favorite too!" I hear someone yell throughout the store. I sigh. "Fine, she's already seen them!" I think.

I walk towards the screams and yes there I see June almost lying on Lando's heels. Deep inside I break, but I know Lando has many more fans who are in love with him. And I don't stand a chance anyway. I'm a bad person and I can do pretty little! There's not much chance of him seeing me.

'Rox, look! These are Lando Norris and Max Verstappen. The two favorite drivers I'm in love with,' June yells at me who sees me standing by. On the other side of the aisle I see Djayden and Ferry standing there.

'Say, weren't you in love with me June?!" shouts Ferry questioningly to June. She is startled and looks up, then runs to Ferry.

'Since when did you guys have a thing with each other?" I ask curiously through my earpiece, embarrassed as hell for being ugly to June's boyfriend.

'Since 2 days ago,' June answers my question through her earpiece.

'Hey, what's your name?" asks Max Verstappen, who has turned his attention to me.

'Hey, I'm Roxanne,' I answer Max's question.

'That's a nice name. How old are you?" asks Lando who has now turned his attention to me as well.

'I'm eighteen,' I answer Lando's question.

'How long do you have to work?' asks Lando curiously.

'I don't know. 'What time is it?' I ask and shrug.

'It's...' he looks for and clock, but he can't find one.

'It's eight o'clock.' answers Max who looks at his watch.

'Max, your car is damaged!' suddenly shouts someone who comes running into the store.

'Charles, do something softer!' shouts Max to apparently Charles.

'What, as in Leclerc?" I ask Max. He nods and I can see from him that he is immediately embarrassed to death. Another gentleman comes running up and stops next to Lando and Max. It is indeed Charles Leclerc!

'Owh, hello lady,' says Charles in surprise.

'Please, take what you need and leave my store immediately!" suddenly screams June. She has been standing around talking to Ferrie all this time.

All three are startled by June's screams and immediately grab all the formula 1 books from the shelf. My eyes immediately get big at the sight of all the books. I had just replenished them! I see how they rush to the checkout and quickly I hurry to the checkout, where they go.

'Owh and Rox, after you've paid you can leave,' says June who in my haste has grabbed me by the shoulder.

'Why?" I ask in surprise.

'You're fired!' she then screeches at me.

'Why?

'You're really mean! Being so mean to my boyfriend when he didn't do anything wrong,' she yells at me furiously. Then she gives me a hard shove towards the cash register. This startles me and some tears roll down my cheeks. How could she do this? We are friends and I didn't do anything wrong.

Quickly I take a seat behind the cash register, while more and more tears roll down my cheeks. All three of them look at me with concern. I don't know why, but it feels familiar with them. I sob and pick up a booklet, then run it over the scanner and enter the number of all the booklets together. There are 40 booklets in total!

'What's going on Roxanne?" asks Lando worriedly and sweetly to me at the same time.

'My boss fired me,' I sob and they look at me startled.

'Sorry,' Charles says guiltily.

'That'll be €758 euros,' I say sobbing. I'm all shook up about it.

'I'd like to withdraw cash,' Max says to me and Charles and Lando look at him funny for a moment.

'You can,' I sob. I turn on the ATM machine and Max puts a debit card on it, then I see a notification that it's paid.

'Do you want to come with us?" asks Max.

'Yes. Wait, then I'll just grab my stuff from behind,' I answer his question sobbing and stand up, then walk down the aisle towards the back. I walk to my locker and open it, after which I take out my keys. Then I slam it shut hard and feel how I slowly start to get angry. Actually, now I feel like starting a fight, but yes! What's in it for you? Nothing.

Goodbye Roxanne, our friendship is over forever!" says June who suddenly stands behind me. I turn around startled and out of pure frustration punch June in the face. She is obviously startled by my action, but she quickly recovers and punches me back in the face. I feel my cheek glow and I put my keys in my pocket, after which I give June a hard shove. This causes her to tumble out of the room, right into the store.

'I thought we could just be friends for life, but if it has to be like this!' I yell at her and take the earpiece out of my ear.

'Stop!" I hear another person scream through the earpiece. I throw the earpiece next to June and give her a hard kick against her ribs. This job was my only income! How am I ever going to pay my rent?

I see that June cringes in pain and I kick her in the hip, after which she screams out in pain. Somewhere in the distance I hear footsteps, but I don't look up and continue kicking June. Then I walk up to her head and start kicking her head. June doesn't do anything and just lets me kick her. Maybe she is unconscious! Immediately I stop.