I stood there like an idiot with my mouth wide open.
The "Vance Hopper" just asked me out?
At this point, I'm surprised that no one noticed my very, very visible blush.
I gripped onto my basket of goods tighter than before.
I let a deep breath out of my system before facing the cashier.
"Lady!"
The cashier was waving his hands everywhere in front of himself.
I placed my basket on the counter.
"Well, enjoying your day?" I asked.
"Nope, not one bit; I can tell you are enjoying yours"
I became puzzled from his words, until I remembered the cashier had probably just witnessed me and Vance's encounter.
I became even hotter in the face rethinking the incident.
"Heh, yeah"
I tried to play off my red tomato face and fidgeting fingers.
The cashier, named "Jeff" from his name tag, tilted his head and chuckled.
"Jeff" seemed as if he was in his mid 50's, I could tell from his balding hair and wrinkles.
He rung up my items with ease.
That gave me the indication he had been working here for some time.
"Your total is $15.47"
Jeff gave out a huff speaking out my money I owed.
I threw my hand to my left pocket.
I pulled out a $20 and laid it on the counter.
He quickly grabbed the green paper, and like a human calculator, then gave my extra change back.
And with my change, he handed me a brown paper bag.
Stuffing my groceries in the bag, I muttered a quick "thanks" and headed out the door.
Also throwing the basket to its home in front of the store on my way out.
A wave of cold air hit me in the face.
Even though it was spring, the chilly air remained from winter.
I quickly let my eyes wander around my surroundings.
Is Vance waiting for me? Or did he leave? I hope he left. I need to recover from the moment we had a few minutes ago.
I checked my small brown wristwatch.
The watch read 9:30 am.
I have enough time to spare.
Now, what do I do with the extra 2 hours I have?
The record store? Nah.
The diner? I'm not hungry.
The boutique? Hmm...I may need a new fancy outfit.
My mother is obsessed with perfection.
She makes me and my brother dress up for any occasion.
Since Easter is coming up, I needed a new fancy outfit.
A dress would be my mothers option, but most of the ones I've worn have been so itchy.
I took the keys to my mom's car out.
I unlocked my door and placed my brown bag of food in the passenger's seat.
Well...the boutique is just a block away.
I could just walk there and come back to my car later!
I smiled slightly.
The day was getting better and better!
I shut and locked the car, beginning my journey to the boutique.
The side of town that the general store and boutique were on was quiet and sweet.
The homes were occupied by older people and small families.
The town was in need of fixing, though.
Streets were cracked and had holes on every square.
Buildings were crumbling apart.
Street lights would flicker on and off throughout the day, too.
I focused on the sound of my Chuck's hitting the sidewalk.
I was facing down, watching my legs move back and forth.
The day seemed very peaceful.
No bustling vehicles.
No yelling from angry people.
No cloud in the sky.
The only music I heard was the beautiful chirping of birds in the near trees.
All was nice until I hit the front chest of another.
I need to pay attention more.
I'm always in my own world.
Once I focused on the person who I had just ran into, I noticed he had dropped a brown paper bag like mine from the store.
The bag was holding a rag, spray can of some kind, and balloon pack of just black.
Hmm..odd.
What am I doing? Why am I looking at his stuff? I need to apologize.
"God, I'm so sorry! I wasn't watching myself. I should've-"
"No, honey, it's okay"
Observing his face, he looked 40 something.
He was very pale, which I took a mental note of.
He wore a black shirt, tucked in with a belt, and black pants with boots.
He smiled at me.
As soon as he did, a punch-like feeling hit me.
This is wrong. Something's off. Why is he so strange. All he did was smile. But, there's something off. Something's off. Something's off .
My thoughts invaded my senses.
My breathing rapidly sped up, my heart beat did too.
My body was going into a "fight or flight" mode.
I was going to take the option, "flight"
"You okay, doll?"
He questioned my worrying face.
"Sorry, sir. I'm on my way to a movie. I can't be late. Sorry for running into you"
I lied about my location I was heading to, I was having the feeling he would follow me.
I sped past his body without looking back.
As soon as I got a far distance away, I slowed down and breathed deep in my lungs.
I stopped, looking back.
That van.
The black one.
It was his.
He was jumping into the car and speeding off.
He was acting like he couldn't be seen by the public.
I wonder why?
I huffed and frowned.
I need to head to the boutique. 2 hours. It's all I got in there.
I began to walk again, Vance came into my memory again.
God, wasn't he a hottie.
