The Serpent Queen

Ace Degenerate | Part Three

Later that dark evening, Demetri's mum had dropped her off at the Reseda mini strip mall, located a few streets away from her apartment complex. Phoebe figured the building that they lived in was called 'Reseda Flats' as the sign on the mini mall said as much. Her dad had texted her to buy some milk and a few snacks while she ate dinner. She would just walk back to the 'Flats' alone since it wasn't too far.

Walking by a jewellery pawn stop, a bordered up empty shop space available for lease and a restaurant that specialised in Mediterranean cuisine called Arroghi Kabob. Then she found the mini mart.

Opening the door and casually sauntering in, Phoebe noticed the middle aged man that spoke to her and Miguel and misspoke their names at the bins that afternoon. The man was peering at a slice of pizza in a small heated glass compartment for hot food that sat on the counter. The owner behind the counter simply looked at her for a brief moment before his attention went right back to the man.

Phoebe immediately saw the different coloured vans of Pringles and a large yellow figure of a yellow M&M. She picked up a few preferred flavour choices of the savoury snack, before heading to the next aisle to the section at the back with all the chilled items. She picked up a carton of milk.

"That one." She heard the blonde man say as he pointed to a certain slice of warm pizza. She checked the milk label to make sure she was buying what her parents wanted. Glancing up, she saw Miguel walk in.

"Aren't you gonna wear gloves?" The man said again as the owner just took the slice of pizza out with his bare hands.

Even Phoebe grimaced in disgust. Who knows where his hands had been. Walking by the two men, the teen in the red and grey hoodie asked the owner, "¿Tienes Pepto Bismol?"

"Por los frigoríficos." The owner replied while holding the other customer's pizza in the air.

Noticing Miguel's reflection in the glass of the fridge door, Phoebe smiled when he came into the same aisle as her. She turned around to face him and saw that he was looking for something in the small medication, health and beauty section of the mini mart.

"Milk and Pringles? Very random combination." The teen remarked.

"Yeah well. It's what my parents want so..." She didn't comment on what he picked up. It wasn't any of her business.

"Can you put that on a plate?" The pizza man asked the owner.

Miguel and Phoebe walked up to the counter together. The handyman from the bins eyed them both, while the owner searched for a plate from underneath the counter. The silence being filled with the owner's clattering and clanking.

The boy held up the bottle awkwardly, "My grandma's not feeling well."

"Didn't ask." The man rudely interrupted him. "Come on, what's Spanish for 'just give me my damn slice'?"

The owner stood up and sighed to Migel, "Maldito idiota. Probablemente tiene un poco de pene." He chucked at the end which made fifteen year old male smile and let out a small laugh understanding the comment.

Phoebe looked to Miguel confused. While the blond man stared at the owner clearly irritated by the comment about him in Spanish.

"What did you just say?" When the owner didn't answer, the man looked to Miguel and asked, "What did he say?"

"You don't want to know."

"No, I know it was something bad. Just tell me." His voice drowned out by the sound of the till's buttons being pushed to ring in a purchase.

Miguel glanced to his next door neighbour and his other older neighbour, "Uh, he sai... He said you have a tiny..." He looked down in the direction of the handyman's jeans.