Owen, Ed and Me

2: Supermarket Freezers

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All through Sophie's agitated conversation I just sit on the sofa shaking my head. I have such big dreams. I wanted to make it someplace good in my life. But Owen Knight is definitely a hurdle that is just too high for my short legs.

"Hey!" Sophie snaps her fingers in front of my face. "My mom is coming straight home from the airport instead of going to the office first. So we just gotta sit tight 'til she gets here. I need to go check on Frida. Can you stay put for a bit?"

I swallow hard but nod. Come on, Toni. Put on your big girl panties.

Sophie scampers upstairs and I cower into the seat cushions. I just hope Owen doesn't want to take his PlayStation or X-box or whatever, because that is sitting right across from me. The seconds pass and soon I've been sitting there for a good ten minutes. My heart rate slows some and the adrenaline recedes. Suddenly I find myself wondering why I'm even cowering - so Owen's been to a juvenile detention centre. Big deal. He can't do anything because he probably doesn't want to go back there. And he knows I've called the police on him before. I grin to myself and get up with my newfound confidence. I'm gonna finish up those great waffles and then we'll see how scary Owen is. Hunger can increase feelings of fear and dread, I've heard. So I want some food.

I make it safely to the kitchen and, after verifying there isn't a two-metre hunk hiding somewhere, I get back to my mixing. The Knights have a gorgeous kitchen: it's big with a working table in the centre. That's where I place the waffle iron and start baking. I'm just finishing up with the first round, when a voice says "boo" incredibly close to my ear. I screech and scatter around to the other side of the table. Owen doesn't even laugh, just watches me. I'm reminded of the Discovery Channel and that tiger show that aired the other day. Owen is definitely like a tiger. His green eyes have me pinned to the spot and I know he's waiting to pounce. Not moving an inch, he strikes up conversation. With himself. Because I am definitely in no shape to speak.

"So, Toni," he drawls out my name. "How was your year? Did you win that art competition?"

Huh? Oh right, distracting the prey!

"N-no," I mumble. "I came third." I watch his hands warily as he leans on the table right across from me, poised in a tense but taunting way.

"Really? But you're wickedly talented, if my imprisoned brain isn't failing me."

Oh cheesesticks. Why can't he just get on with it? I hate suspense. It's why Sophie and Frida haven't been able to watch a scary movie on a Friday night in a very long time. I always force them to change the channel.

"L-look Owen, I'm really sorry about how everything went down. I didn't know you were already on observation and-"

"And you just thought you were doing the right thing?" He cuts me off snidely. His eyes are burning brightly with what can only be anger. "Tell me something, Toni: what did Chuck get?"

"N-nothing, I think," I stumble over the words. This is so bad. Where the hell is Sophie?

"Scratch the 'I think' you little bitch, you know he didn't get anything. Not even a fucking warning!"

And suddenly everything goes incredibly fast. Owen's voice comes out with such force that I jump and a second later I see him start to move toward me. I grab the first thing I see and throw it. At his face. He stops in his tracks as the creamy yellow substance drips off his nose and chin. The bowl clatters to the ground but I'm already running. "Sophie!" I scream at the top of my lungs. But my brain is already ten steps ahead and I dash for the front door. I hear Owen growl behind me and speed up. I'm outside in a rush and then I'm full on sprinting away from my best friend's house like a possessed teenage nerd.

I hear Owen follow me and try and go a little faster. I only just started back up with athletics, so I'm definitely out of shape but my build is still that of a runner. I am forever grateful to Grandma Ethel. I dash into the next street and see my rescue: Our neighbourhood supermarket is parked on this street, with people innocently going in and out of it. I go for it at full speed, only slowing down when I've actually reached the doors. In the far distance I think I hear someone calling my name but I don't stop.

I push past the frantic parents trying to calm their kids and the standalone couples doing their weekly grocery run. Some let out yelps and I'm confused for a second because I've taken great care in not touching any of them, but then I realise it must be Owen and break into a run. I reach the freezers and dare a look back for the first time. Big mistake. Owen catches up in a second and we're stationed just as we were back at the house, opposite each other with a freezer between us. Owen is panting lightly and still has batter in his face. If I weren't so afraid for my life right now, I would laugh at the sight. Between his nearly-bald head and his two-day shadow it's kind of a hilarious sight. But I can barely breathe from the run and the panic in my chest, so I just hold his gaze.

"Please stop," I pant. I feel like I'm in one of those nightmares where you keep running but you can never shake your predator.

"Like hell!" Owen growls and lunges for me across the freezer. Now can I just swear that I had absolutely nothing to do with what happens next? Well, not on purpose anyway. I'm just a klutz. The second I realise what Owen's trying to do I pull my arms away from where they were braced. In the process, I pull open the freezer. When Owen misses my other arm, his slips right inside the opening and he loses his balance and tips over and into it. Head first.

"Oh holy cheese!" I squeak and then make a run for the cookie isle. It's at that moment that I realise that the entire supermarket was watching us. Also, half of them go to my school and are camera-happy teenagers. I push past them when I hear Owen scream "You're so dead you bitch!" and sprint - right into a guy who looks like the manager. I stop short and smile desperately.

"I'm sorry Sir, could I just, um," I point behind him in a gesture that shows I want to pass. The guy is about to say no, but I duck under his arm. His face turns bright pink but I'm already off, running past the cash register. Owen is stopped by the same guy but gives much less shits than I did. He simply tackles him out of the way. I see this from the outside of the store windows I'm running past. Then I focus on making it to my apartment block. If I can just make it inside the building I can lock Owen out. I push my poor legs one last time when I see it come into sight. For some reason I don't hear his steps behind me but I don't question the miracle. I make it to my building and, thankfully, the door is unlocked as it always is. I quickly slip inside and then change the latch on the lock. Just as I slam it shut, I see Owen sprinting up the path. I can't help the small smirk that crosses my face and the satisfaction I feel when I close the door and he rams into it. He pounds his fist against the metal and yells my name a couple times, along with very colourful insults and detailed descriptions of what he's going to do to my spine when he gets a hold of me. I wince and then slide down to the floor, panting and with every inch of my body strained to its fullest.

~ Hey it's Sani! thanks for dropping by my book :) If you enjoyed the story so far, please give me feedback and vote and comment on the story! Next update coming on Sunday.

- Sani x