The One Who Ran Away

Chapter Twenty-Three

The rest of the week passed without incident. Jo basically ignored Zach on Wednesday at work. She didn't speak to him unless she absolutely needed to. He was the only manager, unfortunately, so every time she had a question or needed something that only he could get or do she needed to ask him. She kept her demeanor professional but clipped and cool.

At the end of her shift, Zach approached her with his eyes trained on the floor. He slid to a smooth stop on his skates and glanced up at Jo.

"You can go if you want. I won't make you stay to help clean up." His voice was soft and shy, so unlike Zach that Jo almost felt sorry for him. In the back of her head, she could hear the pulsing rhythm of the grinding club and the moment of pity passed.

"Don't worry about it. I always helped out before and I won't stop now. Besides, I'm getting paid overtime for this, I might as well stay," Jo answered curtly. Zach didn't say more, he simply nodded. Jo turned and found the sweeper to drown out the sound of Zach's periodical sighs. He'd been sighing all night and though Jo wanted to ask him to quit, she also didn't want to talk to him any more than she had to.

Jo swept the floor while Zach wiped down the tables to place the chairs on top of them. He followed behind her, sighing every so often. Jo could feel his blue-green eyes boring into the back of her head the entire time but she chose to ignore him. He was making her slightly uncomfortable. After half an hour of constant staring and about a hundred sighs, Jo finally whipped around with her hands on her hips and addressed Zach.

"What is it, Zach? You've been staring at me for the past half hour and you've been sighing all night. What?"

Zach rubbed the back of his neck embarrassed and looked up at her through his lashes.

"I'm sorry about last night, Jo. I didn't mean to upset you," he said lamely.

"Which part are you sorry for? Lying about where we would eat or taking me to a grindfest of a club?" Jo shot at him. The ice in her tone froze Zach's hand at the back of his neck.

"I'm- I'm just sorry."

"That's what I thought," Jo snapped. "You're sorry I'm upset, not that you lied about our entire fucking date. You're sorry because you thought you were gunna get lucky and you didn't. Fuck you, Zach. Go screw somebody else. I'm not the type of girl who enjoys being lied to."

With that, Jo picked up her skates and retrieved her purse from his office. She walked passed him without so much as a glance. She heard him mumble another apology as she was leaving but she didn't bother to respond to his weak attempts at genuine regret.

Back in her car, Jo grumbled about stupid boys and stupid work and stupid dates. She revved the engine or her sleek, cherry red car, eager to get home to her little brother and Toshelle.

***

Jo had started to sit at a different table for lunch. By the time Friday rolled around, she and Luke had officially started sitting at a table as far away from Addie, Frankie, Tina, Claire and Eli as possible.

"This is nice but it also sucks," Luke drawled. He was eating a sandwich from home as per usual. Jo was munching on his chips, which he had fallen into the habit of bringing extra. He knew she wouldn't eat during lunch otherwise.

"What do you mean?"

"Well," he swallowed, "I'm used to the chatter of girls and the the giggling of Claire. This is kinda strangely quiet and only slightly awkward."

Jo nodded thoughtfully. "Yeah, that makes sense. Sorry, Pi, am I not enough for you?"

"Yes, Tiger," Luke grinned, "simply underwhelming."