POV: ALEXANDER THORNE (ALEX)
The first few nights, Olly and I slept in my truck. I might've gotten ahead of myself, thinking that I can just throw myself into the world and expect to fall on a soft pillow. My mom offered to send me money whenever I need it, but that ruins the whole point of me finally doing things on my own. I quickly denied her offer.
She insisted, but my father agreed with me. That I should really take this time to find out who I am without them. Without their money. He mentioned that I can always come home if I find myself struggling too much, but how many man points do I lose if I do that? I'd have to be on my deathbed to finally give up, and even then I feel like I'd rather lose in life than lose as a man.
I shouldn't be running back to my parents at the age of 26. That's ridiculous. I need to do this.
I let Olly out of the truck to pee as I stretched and cracked a few bones from overnight uncomfortability, then she hopped back in and we began our search for the nearest breakfast shop.
Every store I entered, I asked for an application.
Most of them denied me one (probably because I looked and smelled terrible), but just as I thought my luck was running out, things took a turn for the better.
I sat on the curb, Olly panting on the cool ground, when this guy stopped next to me as he lit a cigarette. He was wearing dark jeans with boots, a brown workers jacket and a red cap that looked pretty worn out. His beard grew past his neck and his hands were rough, like all he ever did his entire life was work.
Mine were very soft, come to think of it.
I was pretty discouraged after a long day of pity looks and being treated like a nuisance for wandering through town even though I wasn't bothering anyone, so the fact that he was standing so close to me itched my skin.
I looked up at him, the sun silhouetting him and glaring down at me. I squinted, "Can I help you?"
He blew out smoke, the terrible smell following after it.
"I came here to ask you the same thing." He took another long drag of his cigarette and after a brief silence, "I saw you earlier asking Patty for an application at the cafe."
"Yeah," I put my head down and pet Olly, who was trying her hardest to stay awake after walking for so long, "Are you following me or something?"
"No, I'm not following you."
"Then what do you want?"
"I should be asking you that question."
I scoffed, then mumbled to myself, "It's not what I want, it's what I need."
"What do you need?" He casually took another drag of his cigarette.
"I need a job."
"Well, you're not gonna get one. Not looking like that."
"Thanks," I said sarcastically, "But unless you're gonna help me, I'd rather not sit here and be criticized by someone who smells like shit."
He chuckled, "You need to learn to take criticism. I may smell like shit, but I can afford to not smell like shit when I want to."
He took a look at my truck and pointed to it.
"That's you?" He asked. I nodded. He continued, "That's a nice truck."
"I'd hope so. It cost a shit ton and I've been sleeping in it for the past few days."
"How can you afford a truck like that, but not a place to lay your head at night?"
YOU ARE READING
Small Town Secrets
RomantikAlexander Thorne is a handsome young man who grew up with a silver spoon in his mouth. His parents raised him right and he had it all, but the loss of the love of his life lead him to a small town in Vermont with none of his credit cards and nothing...
