Degenerates

2

A block or two from Sage's apartment, there was a dinky, hole in the wall bookstore. In the window hung a sign reading help wanted.

Sage had always loved reading. She felt it gave readers an opportunity to become someone else. She'd try to imagine that she was the character, hoping that someday she would get lost in the pages, and maybe not be found.

"...and that is why I would be perfect for the job." she explained to the store owner, a tight smile plastered on her face. She seemed to be trying awfully hard just for a shelving job, thought the owner.

Perhaps her opinion would change if she knew that she would be the only store around to hire a young junkie like Sage. She may have been desperate, but for good reason.

"You start on Tuesday. Try not to wear anything too... provocative." she looked over Sage's attire; an oversized t-shirt with a large tear below the collar, and a pair of ripped jeans.

She nodded her head and silently thanked the odds for finally being in her favor. She then proceeded to scan the book shelves, checking out the selection.

She ran her finger along the spines of each book as she found herself lost in the romance section. She'd always favored romance novels for giving her a taste of what it must have felt like to be loved by another.

Sage was sure that it was a feeling she would never personally experience.

A few isles over, Tate sat on the floor reading a book of his own interest. He'd often spend his afternoons here. Much like Sage, reading was the only thing he took pleasure in nowadays.

He could see her scanning through the titles, every once and a while pulling out a book and reading into the description. He was sure she wouldn't remember him, but hers was a face he couldn't forget.

He debated wether he should talk to her or just stay hidden behind book covers, but the choice was practically made for him when the manager called out his name.

"Tate, we're closing in ten minutes. Time to wrap it up."

Tate had spent so much time there that he was on a first name basis with almost every employee. Tammy, the owner, had always been kind to him. She had never been one to pass judgement.

Maybe that's why while most men were closing bars, he was closing the bookstore beneath his apartment building.

Sage slid the book back into place and headed towards the door. He scrambled quickly to his feet and caught up to her. "You're not gonna check it out?" he asked, desperate for any dialogue between the two.

"This is a bookstore, not a library," Sage stated, turning around to meet his gaze. She recognized him immediately. "and I don't have the money to buy it."

He walked back over to the shelf and found the book she had seemed so interested in, pulling it out and handing it to her. He then took her hand and casually led her out the front door, sending Tammy a quick goodbye on his way out.

"I can't steal this..." she sighed.

"It's not stealing, it's borrowing. Just bring it back when you're done. No harm in that," he shrugged.

His smirk was contagious. Sage admired his dimples, and the way the corner of his eyes wrinkled when he smiled. He looked almost innocent, although she knew he was far from it.

"Thank you," she nearly whispered before they awkwardly parted ways. Neither one of them had been used to much social interaction.

Tate watched her as she walked away into the darkness. He couldn't help but think that one of these nights, she might not make it home. As disturbing of a thought, it was only true. And even if she had made it home, that didn't exactly mean she was safe.

He didn't know why he had felt so protective of this girl he just met. He knew that she was drawn into a darkness that she didn't belong in, and he wanted desperately to drag her out of it.

The next few days were nothing more than bleak. Besides Sage's new employment, nothing had changed. She had spent the past 3 days shelving books and memorizing the dewey decimal system. Her first check would come in on Friday.

She had seen Tate a couple of times in the back of the store reading the same book, but never found the words to talk to him. He, on the other hand, had so much to say that he ended up saying nothing at all.

Instead, he would casually peek over the top of his novel, pretending not to notice the beautiful girl that stood only feet away.

In his pocket, a small flip phone buzzed repeatedly. He pulled it out and read the tiny words printed on the screen. He had hated texting because his fingers were far to thick to press the small buttons of the over aged cell phone. His monthly bill was taken care of by his closest, and quite frankly, only friend, Asher.

Tate and Asher went to high school together. That is, before Tate dropped out. The two lost touch for a while before rekindling on a night when Tate was jumped and left beaten in an alleyway. Asher brought him in, giving them plenty of time for catching up.

Turns out Asher had also been caught in the web of opiate addiction. But unlike Tate, Asher had come from a family of wealth in which reputation was more important than the families well being.

Therefore, Asher received a monthly payment of two-thousand dollars to keep quiet about his undesirable drug addiction.

Sage watched Tate as he looked swiftly at his phone, before returning the novel to its place on the book shelf and leaving the store in a hurry.