High Maintenance (Liam Payne AU)

Part 1

This wasn't summer. She didn't care what the calendar said, this was far too cold to be considered summer. It was 45 degrees in JUNE. At home, it was 80. She checked. All of her friends were heading to the mall or the beach. Stupid Facebook, reminding her of where she wasn't and what she wouldn't be doing. Stupid mother freaking out because she failed a semester at school. It was just one semester. She had a second chance before she failed out. And so what that she had vodka in her dorm? And rum. And Bailey's. And peppermint schnapps. It didn't meant anything. And why had her mother just assumed that the used pregnancy test in the trash was hers? Why was she going though the trash anyhow? She should never have asked her mother to help her pack up for the summer. She should have gotten to the mail first. She should have protested more when her mother called her dad. She hadn't come here since she was seven for a reason. It was cold and muddy. Stupid mother. Stupid dad for offering to 'straighten her out.' Stupid Alaska. She sighed and looked out the front window of her dad's store. It wasn't even sunny.

She looked around the tiny store, with it's five aisles. Five. Dry goods, canned goods, health and beauty, cleaning supplies and fresh items in the first aisle, like bread and fruit. The back of the store was lined with coolers holding milk, eggs, cheese, yogurt and some meat. The side of the store, across from the door was where the frozen food lived. Chicken, frozen beef, ice cream and frozen fruit. It was so small. She missed Target. She missed real grocery stores. She had to beg her dad to order frozen pizza, which had sold out in two days, she had pointed out. She stood behind the only counter, working the register. He had just gotten a new one. It actually scanned the items instead of having to enter each item manually. Behind her, locked up, was the only cigarettes in town and the booze. Two kinds of vodka, rum, whisky and beer. Under the counter was row after row of bullets for all kinds of guns. If you wanted to buy a gun, her dad did the background checks and ordered it. In front of the counter were the candy and snacks. He had more kinds of candy than he did cereal. He had more kinds of candy than anything. This place reminded her of a seven-eleven convenience store more than a grocery store, except, there was no soda fountain.

"Gen! Genevieve! I asked you to put this stuff away an hour ago." her dad called.

She sighed again and rolled her eyes, moving around to the other side of the counter. Stacking shelves in the only store in town. Fun. Once again, she cursed this place and it's 87 people. Well, 88 now. At least for a little bit more. She just had to convince her dad that she had 'seen the error of her ways' and was 'ready to be responsible.' And she needed to do it soon. She was never going to get a tan at this rate.

Flipping open the plastic tote, she started to place toothpaste and other dental stuff on the shelves. Digging through, she saw this tote actually had makeup in it. Her dad carried one brand and about 3 shades of each product. He only carried what people asked for and this was what these women wanted. The cheap stuff. She'd never put this stuff on her face. Well, at least he had nail polish. She had convinced him to order a few more shades. She pocketed the blue and pink she had asked for and put the rest on the shelves. It wasn't stealing if her dad bought it. She heard her dad walk out the back and stood, looking around. Nobody was here. She could stop looking busy for a second. She wandered over the the magazines and newspapers. People, soap opera digest and the Alaskan times. God, this place. She needed Vogue or Cosmo. He didn't even carry Coke Zero. This place was hopeless.

The bell over the door rang, declaring that someone had walked in. She was learning the names of everyone in the town and she wondered if this was Mrs. Payne, asking if the cream she ordered was here. Maybe she should have finished that tote. She turned to see who had come in. She could only see his back, but she knew she hadn't seen him before. Slim hips, huge arms with well defined muscles, tattoos on both arms. She already liked him. Praying he wasn't old, she waited for him to turn around and head for the counter. She watched him intently as he picked up things. She caught a glimpse of his profile. Strong jaw, 3 days growth of a beard. And he was young. He couldn't be much older than her. His hair was light brown, short on the sides and the front was supposed to be up, brushed back, but several strands had fallen into his face. He must of felt her looking at him because he looked up and smiled. Her eyes widened as she took in his full lips, perfect teeth and deep brown eyes. He was beautiful. Drop dead gorgeous. What was this guy doing in Eagle, Alaska?

"Hey! Liam!" she heard her dad call, returning to the front of the store. "Haven't seen you in a while. How are things?"

Liam took his gaze off of her and looked at her dad. "Bob! Hey! Ya. Got a craving for something different. Plus, needed to see if the truck was running. I have fur to sell and I need to go to Anchorage for a few days. Gotta make sure it's up for the trip. Haven't used the darn thing all winter." He walked over to the counter, laying out what he had picked out, mostly bath items and some food. Genevieve walked over to the counter to ring him up. Once again, he gave her that incredible smile. "Hi." he said. "I'm not sure..."

"That's my daughter, Gen." he dad said. "Her picture is right there, remember?" He pointed to a small framed photo of her when she was 6, knock kneed and missing some teeth, that he kept behind the counter.

Liam looked at the photo and then at her. "Jen? Well, you look a bit older now."

She smiled and said, "It's Genevieve."

Liam smiled at her again. "Well, Hi, Genevieve. I'm Liam. Liam Payne." He held out his hand for her to shake.

She took his hand and gave it a polite shake. "Payne? Are you related to Karen? She ordered some cream. Her last name was Payne."

Liam nodded. "Yep. Mom. Her and my dad live in town. I'm about 30 miles south. I'm not fond of crowds."

Gen laughed out loud. "Crowds? Where?"

Liam looked hurt. "I just mean, I...I...I prefer to...uh, be alone..." He looked down and away.

Great, she thought. The only cute guy in town and she laughed at him. Smooth, Gen. There went her chance of having any fun this summer. He was the only person even close to her age around here. She needed to think of something. Fast. "Uh, I didn't mean anything. I'm just not from around here. I live near Detroit. This place isn't crowded to me."

Liam glanced at her, but she could tell that he wasn't believing her. "Ya. Sure. How much?" he asked.

Gen frowned, disappointed. He was sexy. A playmate would make this summer more bearable. "Forty five fifty two." she smiled, then winked. "But I know a way to get a discount."

Liam didn't even smile. He gave her a blank stare and ran his card through the scanner. He entered his pin, grabbed his bags and walked out, not even looking back. Gen leaned against the counter, sighing again. This place really did suck.