Bluegreen Summer

Chapter 03

I try getting to work on time the next day, so I leave around fifteen minutes earlier than the days before. And so I arrive there feeling proud of myself, but when I walk in the store, I find Alexander already on the checkout. Scribbling something in his sketchbook, of course.

"Gosh, you're here already?" I sigh in frustration.

"I need to open the store, so I'm always early." He doesn't even shift his glance to me.

"I thought it was Ms. Smith who opened it... But anyway, you still opened it earlier than you should." I walk to the checkouts and sit on the chair besides him. He closes his sketchbook before I could take a glance in what he was doing. "It's supposed to open at nine."

"Well, sorry for wanting to get here as soon as I can because I can't stand being home." He sighs, and his words make me blush.

"S-Sorry, I didn't mean to be an ass." I mumble.

"I know you didn't. I'm just telling you."

I turn my computer on, and as I wait for it to load, I think about what I should say next. "So you have problems at home as well?"

"Kinda." He shrugs.

"I know how that is." I sigh. "My parents don't ever leave my feet."

"Hm." He nods, uninterested, but I continue anyway.

"Yesterday at night they gave me some crap about working here and it sucked. Really, is it so hard to allow me to just make my own decisions?"

"Maybe they wouldn't be worrying if you made them right." He mumbles.

"Come on, don't give me that as well."

"I'm just being honest. I'd never be here if I were in your shoes, you know that."

"Just frickin' leave, then. Gosh, why continue hating this place so much when you can simply run away?"

"I wish it was that simple."

"You can always figure a way."

"Just shut up Edgar." He mumbles tiredly and annoyed. It surprises me. "You know nothing."

I get a little uncomfortable after that, like I just stepped on a landmine and talked way too much before thinking.

We stay in silence for a while, some people walk in and out. When I think the ice melted already, I decide to talk about anything. But I didn't have an anything to talk about, so I look to him and find him secretly sketching something.

"What are you always scribbling in that sketchbook?" I ask, curious.

"Just some stuff." He mumbles.

"Can I see it?"

"No."

His short answer makes me pout. "That was rude."

"I wasn't rude; I was just telling you that I don't want you to see."

"Why?"

"Because I don't want to."

Rolling my eyes, I turn my attention back to the computer and decide to play solitaire instead of chatting with him. Then someone walks into the store and comes straight to our checkouts.

"Can I help you?" Alexander asks before I could.

"Yes, do you have mint flavored cigarettes?"

"Mint..." Alexander stands up and checks the packs of cigarettes over the balcony. "Just wait a second, a box arrived yesterday and I'm sure it had mint flavored."