Immerse yourself in the captivating and darkly humorous world inside the compelling novel Unnatural Circumstances. Embark on the journey of three unconventional individuals who willingly set out on an adventure only to become entangled in a disturbi...
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As he stands behind the cash register in 7-Eleven, eighteen-year-old Casper De La Cruz can't help but despise his cashier job. The flickering lights above his head only add to his frustration, and the sight of the snacks and supplies on the dirty shelves does nothing to lift his spirits.
He longs to reach into his backpack and find his trusty Walkman, but the last thing he wants is to have his boss breathing down his neck. With a sigh, the skinny teen looks up at the night sky, lost in thought, as memories of his childhood hangouts with street kids and skaters flood his mind.
They didn't have homes or schools to go to, so the kids shoplifted stores, tagged every street with profanity and dick drawings, and smoked cigarettes until their visions got hazy.
However, his friends drifted apart as time passed, leaving Casper to fend for himself. He lied, stole from adults, and crashed on couches. Foster care damaged him, schools confused him, and all of his friends and family have either died or left Casper - except Benji and Soleil, of course.
Casper thinks about the rent money his roommates owe as he focuses on his black sketchbook. He drew and painted almost everything from people to the characters of his favorite cartoons he'd watch as a kid.
Right now, he's working on Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles. Casper sketched Ralph's bulky muscles, drew Donny's dorky glasses, and Mikey with his orange skateboard. However, he's unable to capture Leonardo's essence on the page.
Chewing his bottom lip, Casper tries to make Leo's shell look rigid, but when his charcoal pencil snaps, he gives up, stuffs his art supplies in his bag, and adjusts his orange beanie, letting his thick, black curls brush the back of his neck.
Casper's eclectic style includes a Yin-Yang necklace, an oversized, bright red Hawaiian-printed shirt, baggy denim jeans, and well-worn black Adidas sneakers.
Though Casper is shorter than his customers, his slim skateboarder build allows him to wear whatever he likes. As he unwraps a stick of bubblegum, the white sleeves of his undershirt cover his arms.
He shoves the peppermint gum in his mouth and bobs his head to Outkast's "Benz or Beamer," blasting from the mediocre speakers until he sees eighteen-year-old Nadia Swan taking a pack of beer from the fridge.
Casper coughs a few times before spitting a white glob into the trash can. He then picks out the pieces of broccoli stuck inside his teeth with his pinkie finger, smoothes out his shirt, and straightens his posture.
His eyes widen at her orange sweater. Her layered choker drapes over her gray Mazzy Star t-shirt and denim overalls. Her brown boots shift across the tiles as Nadia places all her selected items on the counter.
"Uh, hey, Nadia." he greets quickly. "Did you find what you're looking for?"
Nadia places the massive bag of corn chips, cigarette packs, beer bottles, and rolling papers on the counter.
