Spoilers! (Mavi)

Chapter 33: Attacked

Another day in front of a cash register was not in my plans, but I needed to keep saving. I always needed to keep saving. The store got swamped with people out of nowhere and Esther called me in on my off day, with promise of extra pay. I was really wishing I had slept like Avi told me to instead of studying in the dim light on my lamp on my bedside table, since I was locking in his death grip. There were literally people everywhere. I was almost having birthday flashbacks, which lead to happier memories than I thought they would... Maybe today wouldn't be so bad.

"Mitch. Can you take over for a while?" Kirstie rushed past me into the storage. Being the busy day it was, I'd assumed she was looking for something a customer asked for, but I realized after the hype had died down enough for one of us to handle alone that she wasn't out on the floor to thin out the stragglers.

"Esther! I'm going to find Kirstie!"

"If you abandon me back there, I'm coming in after both of you with weapons."

"Deal!" I finished helping my last customer and ran off to find the deserter. "Kirstie?" The shelves were barren on life, to say the lease. There definitely wasn't a small blond girl hiding in them. The lights were off, which was strange. I could have sworn I turned them on when I got something. Maybe it was just the sun? Oh well. I searched until I found the small ball of Kirstie tucked into the furthest corner of the store possible. "Kirstie?"

She whipped her head up at me and let out a disappointed sigh. "Hey..."

"Are... Are you alright?"

"Yeah! I just... It was too much all at once. I got a little panicky." She pulled her short hair back and secured it with the thin black band she almost always had on her wrist. "I'm so stupid..."

"You are not stupid!" I sat down next to her and lightly bumped her shoulder. "If anything, you're ugly."

She glared over at me before smiling and turning away. "I hate you."

"But you're smiling."

"Still panicking." She started pulling at the ends of her pants legs while she spoke. "Work, Choir, School, Theatre..." A single tear rolled down Kirstie's face, which she wiped immediately. "Oh no!" She laughed and shook her head around.

"You sure you're alright?"

"I am... but..."

"But?"

She paused and looked deep into my eyes. "My neighbors have sex every time I'm home..."

"I'm not your neighbor... Am I...?"

There had never been a tenser silence between Kirstie and I. We just slowly looked over at each other and cackled. "I've literally been in your apartment! If you were my neighbor, I would have embarrassed you every single time."

"Oh my god. I would hate you!"

"You already hate me!"

"You. Are. Not. Wrong." I laughed and stood up, holding my hands out to help Kirstie up. She graciously took them and allowed me the pleasure of pulling her to her feet. She pressed her forehead into my chest and hugged my waist.

"Thanks, Muffin."

I rolled my eyes and hugged her back. "Whenever, Babyface."