clerks » calum hood

7:46 a.m.

Isabelle had sent Noah four text messages, asking him for Calum's number. All the texts said 'delivered'.

"Excuse me?" A mid thirty-something man rudely snapped his fingers in Isabelle's face, making her look up from the black screen of her phone that sat silently on the counter.

"Can I help you?" Isabelle snapped at him, not believing that this man actually just snapped in her face. What kind of asshole did this guy think he was?

"I've been trying to get your attention for the past thirty seconds! I'm going to be late for my meeting!" The tall man shouted, his deep voice causing a couple of sixteen-or-so boys standing at the cooler of Gatorade to look over in the direction of the counter. Isabelle flinched at the tone of his voice; the man was also considerably taller than her. She was only five-foot-two, and this guy was easily six-foot-three.

"Well?" He demanded. "Aren't you going to apologize for wasting my time?"

"Thirty seconds?" Isabelle asked. "You want me to 'apologize' for wasting thirty seconds of your time?" She raised her eyebrows and put air quotes around the word 'apologize'.

"Hey, don't get smart with me," he snapped, pointing a finger at her.

"Hey, hey," a deep voice interrupted as the bell above the door rang, signalling that someone entered the store. Isabelle whipped her head to the right to see Calum walking toward the man.

"What the hell's the problem here?" Calum asked him.

"Excuse me?" He asked.

"What's the problem? Why are you yelling at her?" Calum demanded.

"She was spacing out and I was trying to get her attention! I just wanted to stop in here really fast and get a pack of smokes before work, and now I'm going to be late because she can't bother to keep her head out of the clouds for more than five minutes!" He shouted.

"What kind of cigarettes do you want?" Isabelle asked.

"You know what? Forget this," the man spun on his heel and marched angrily toward the door. "Your manager will be hearing about this!" He yelled before shoving the door open and walking out.

Isabelle sighed and set her elbows down on the counter and rested her face in her hands. Calum made his way behind the counter and placed a hand on Izzy's back, rubbing small circles.

"You ok?" Calum asked. Izzy snapped her head up and jerked away from Calum, remembering who was standing next to her.

"Are you seriously still pissed at me? Come on, Izzy. Can't we just let the past be the past?" He asked.

"You're almost an hour late, Calum," she snapped.

"That's all you're gonna say to me? I just saved your ass, babe," he laughed.

"I'm not your babe," she replied shortly, opening the drawer that was just below waist-height for her and picked up a ring with six keys on it. "Go open the store."

"No one ever comes in there! Who gives a shit if I'm late? Or if I even show up at all?" Calum laughed.

"Just go open the store," Izzy repeated, shutting the drawer.

"Are you sure? Will you be able to handle yourself if some other self-righteous asshole comes into the store?" He asked, getting right behind her and snaking his fingers into the side belt-loops of her short jean shorts. Izzy immediately flipped around and smacked his hands away.

"Go," she demanded, pointing at the door. Calum just smirked and hopped up onto the counter, taking a seat.

"I thought Noah was supposed to be working today," Calum said, swinging his feet back and forth so that his heels hit the cabinets and leaving black little scuff marks on the white paint.

"He called me at six this morning to come in and work for him. He'll be here at noon," she replied. "Get the hell off the counter!"

"I doubt it," Calum said, sliding off the counter and standing directly in front of Izzy, towering over her.

"What?" She rolled her eyes.

"He's not gonna show up," he said.

"Why wouldn't he?" Izzy asked.

"Just a gut feeling," he whispered before finally walking out from behind the cramped space behind the counter and toward the door.