The Forced Marriage (SHORT STORY)

Convenient Store Friends

I walked into the gas station and to the bulletin board so see if there was a map on it... Luck was on my side, there was one but I could not read it nor did I know where I was... Maybe I should have paid more attention in geography when we learned about surviving with a map. We even took a trip and we were put in the woods and we had to find our way out with the map. I simply followed the leader and also I had made markings all the way in with a stick.

I looked over to see a boy about my age maybe a little older sitting behind the register watching me. 

"Um... Sir." 

"You need help? Lost?" He asked amused standing up and walking over to me and the map.

"Well... See you're here and where do you need to get?"

"Landington." I said seeing him look on the map.

"That is kinda far away... I tell you what, my shift ends in about an hour. Do you just want to hang and wait until then and then I can drive you home?"

I really did not feel like walking home that would take until probable nightfall and I didn't have any money cause I left my purse in Finley's' car. 

"Sure why not..."

"Good! Well, I get free stuff on anything in here so get anything you want. It will be 'for me'." He said fingering quotation marks around "for me."

"Sweet!" I said getting excited.

He walked back behind the counter and took a seat on the stool and motioned around the store. I looked around and began to grab a bunch of stuff.

I got a 42 oz. Mtn. Dew, I got a bag of Funyuns, A bag of sea salt oven baked chips, Twizzlers, a bunch fo reeses, and that was only in the beginning. 

I took another sip of my drink and chewed my food and looked over at the boy and waited for the customer to leave.

"I am so loading up before I go home!" I said shoving another recess in my mouth.

"I do it all the time." He said laughing at me trying to grab an oven baked chip. I slapped his hand. "MINE!" 

"Fat ass... I'll get my own food."

"More booty to hold through the night with a fat ass. Some guys like it."

"Does your boyfriend?" He said walking back around with a bag of Cheetos. 

"I don't really know.."

"What?"

"Honestly... We kinda are in a fight and that's why I ended up here cause I walked away."

"Oh..."

"Yeah, and to top that I have to marry the boy in like three months!" I laughed popping more food into my mouth.

"How old are you!? If you don't mind my asking you just seem really young."

"Oh yeah, I'm only fifteen... It is kind of an arranged thing."

"WHAT!?"

"Oh boy... He needs to be married to have his company and my parents think I need to be 'taken care of,' so our parents arranged us to be married after this school year." I said pushing it off. I have to face reality and this was my reality... My messed up fucking reality. 

"Well... shit. Is that even legal?" 

"I don't have a fucking clue."

"Do you want to tell someone? Or do you want to marry him? We can go turn them in and you wouldn't have to marry him..."

"NO! Our parents are just doing the best for us and it's really not tt ha act bad!"

"YOUR An FIFTEEN-YEAR-OLD MARRYING SOME GUY! UNDER FORCE!" 

I stood up and walked around the counter, "I think I'm gonna find my own way home. Thank you..." I looked at his name tag, "Jake."

"Wait? Please... Your a very young beautiful girl you don't need to be out walking around by yourself!" He said walking around the counter.

"I think I can manage," I said walking out of the convenient store and beginning to walk down the sidewalk. 

I walked for what felt like hours and I really just wanted to sit down and watch TV and stuff popcorn in my face.

"GRACE!" I zipped around to a familiar face and ran towards him.

I jumped into his arms and began to cry.

"Oh my god Finley I am so sorry! I over reacted! I am so sorry!" I managed to say through sobs.

"Gracie..." He sat smoothing my hair. "It's fine... I have been worried sick about you for the past four hours! Please let's never fight again."

"Agreed. Can we go home?" 

"yeah, the car is over this way. I was driving and I could not find you and then I saw a figure that looked like you. So, I ditched my car and ran."

"This is a bad part of town... Your car could have gotten stolen, Finley."

"You're worth it, and that's saying something. That' my baby."

We turned the car and Finley stopped in his tracks and I immediately knew it was no joke now. 

His car was gone. 

"Still worth it?"