The Golden and the Tarnish

Chapter 19: The Golden Fight, and the Tarnished Flight

Trigger Warning: Suicide

A month has passed by quickly. Of course, school has made it much difficult, but I managed it. Balancing work, school, and the care-giving of my mother, made me very stressed lately.

But, that's life I guess.

"Annie, you mind taking my shift?" David asked me.

Quickly glancing up from my check list of the daily stocks in the stock room, I nodded. David was probably the laziest guy I knew. I guess when you had a life as great as a Socs; you don't have the fear of being laid off a job you basically survived on.

"Sure, David." I had the urge to add something offensive along with it, but I bite my tongue.

He smirked at me, "Well you better, you good for nothing Greaser."

My hand clamped down harder on the pen, gripped between my left and right hand. I imagined the pen was his neck.

"Whatever you say," I mumbled, the ring of the bell saying that he left. "You good for nothing Soc."

I sighed as the bell ringed again. Hoping for someone who wouldn't want me to carry their groceries, I looked up from my fisted hands.

"Welcome, how may-" I stopped my greeting, as I faced the black-haired girl.

Sassy giggles as she saunters her way towards the counter, "Oh my! Is it aint my best friend, Anita McMullen?"

She smiles at me and places her elbows on the wooden counter. Her breath reeked of tobacco and booze.

"How ya' doing girl?" She says, grabbing a handful of candy out of the jar next to me. "I didn't know you worked here."

Her friends, along with a couple of boys, were horsing around at the shelves. One of the boys tried slipping a pack of gum into his jacket.

"Hey boy, put that back!" I order him. He does listen and tosses a pack of gum to a girl standing near him. They were all grabbing things and placing them in their pockets.

Sassy was rambling on, but I cut her blubber of drunken words, and open the counter. I push past her and quickly walked towards them.

That was my first mistake of the night.

"Hey!" I called out, my voice cracked slightly at my loud octave. "You think I was born this mornin'?"

The guy laughs, "What you want, girly?"

"I want the pack of gum you tried stealing," I said.

Sassy and her gang of girls laughed at me. One of them throws something wet on my back. Anger pulsed through veins, as I willed Mr. Rodrigo to come.

"Well, I don't have it." He says.

I sigh, as slowly walked back to the counter. Remembering Mr. Rodrigo's gun, and thought that would intimidate them. Just as I reached past the aisle, suddenly I felt a jab of pain on my shin and my face collides to the floor. Eternally, I groaned.

Laughter fills the air, as I pulled myself up. Just as I pulled myself into a sitting position, a bottle came towards me in my perusal vision. I just managed to lift my hand to protect my head, before the impact of the bottle hit.

A large shard of glass managed to stick against my cheek and hand, blood quickly dripping onto the porcelain floor. Hurriedly standing up, I managed to place my hands in fist before one of the boys- a red head- swung his fist.

A sudden foot slams against my side and I was winded and against the floor. A couple of jars of jam crash onto the floor. They continued to kick me, and a few threw things at me; jars of food, fruits, and other things.