Cody
Dad decided to send me to town this morning sense he forgot half the stuff on his list to get. The place was all sorts of decorated with Christmas stuff. It literally looked like Santa barfed all over the place personally. I headed to the only market and found a homemade cage with a dozen or so live turkeys in it. When I entered the market, I was hit with a wave of warmth. At the counter stood a boy being helped so I decided to wait in line for him to finish.
"Will that be all, Erik?"
"Um, give me two of those cinnamon sticks for my sisters too please."
"No problem."
I watched as the cashier pulled out two cinnamon stick from a glass jar and added them to a brown bag on the counter.
"Anything else?" the man asked.
"No, that should be all."
"Alright, your total for the day is seven-fifty."
The boy gave the man his money and proceeded to grab the brown paper bag. When he turns around, he runs smack into me, almost knocking me down.
"Sorry," I say, moving to the side and keeping my eyes down.
"My bad," he says, stopping to study me. "Your new here, aren't you?"
I look up to his face and find myself looking into deep, rocky blue eyes that were light like a clear sky. They were warm and pleasant to look at but they also showed strength and danger. He wasn't the kind of person people would pick on if they didn't want a fight.
"Yea," I manage to say. This kid was freaking hot and my stomach was churning with butterflies. I want to run away and but also jump into his arms at the same time. He could probably ask me about anything right now and I would give him anything he wanted. But then in the back of my mind I just really wanted to go hide under my blanket at home and never come outside again. When he smiled, my knees became weak but I was able to keep myself from falling.
"Well, welcome to Sector 18 and Merry Christmas."
"Thanks, Merry Christmas to you too."
I wanted this conversation to end before I embarrassed myself.
"Oh, gosh, where are my manners? I'm Erik. Erik Spooner."
"Cody Griffin."
"Nice to meet you, Cody."
"Same to you, Erik." I said, looking away from his face.
"Hey," he said curiously, "me and a couple of friends are planning a party next Friday. You should come."
"You barely know me!"
"I know a good partier when I see one. I'll see you there. Everyone will be there so dress casual. It'll be a good way for you to meet everyone. Trust me, we ain't that scary once you get to know us." He said, winking at me before leaving the market. I kind of just stood there for a second trying to figure out if I was in lala land or in reality.
"So what can I get you?" the clerk asked, making me jump out of my thoughts.
"I need a bag of flour and do you have any gravy mix?" I say, annoyed with how weak and unsure my voice sounded.
He smiled and handed me a mint leaf.
"Chew this, it'll relax you." he says with a warm smile and a wink. "You look like you could use it.
I watch him leave to go through a doorway behind the counter, before throwing the mint leaf into my mouth. Instantly I feel relief as my muscles start to relax.
