The Chloenicles #1 [COMPLETE]

Chapter 13: Jesus, my Lord and Savior?!

I stood in the parking lot of the supermarket and couldn't believe that Paul Herford and Miranda would just leave me here.
I was a little hurt, I thought the three of us had started to become friends.
All of this just confirmed my secret fear, that I was just an inconvenience and a burden to them.
It was probably my fault, I shouldn't have been so rude to Miranda earlier....

The footsteps came closer and closer.

Get yourself together, Chloe, this is not the time for self-pity and overthinking.

Without much thought, I started to walk across the parking lot.
If you pretend to be confident, people would believe you.
Sometimes at least.

I hoped the men in the suits would think that I belonged in this town.

If I only had my cellphone, I could call Miranda!
Wait no, I didn't have her number.... But I could call the police!
Maybe I would find a payphone, I had some change left over from the shopping I did for the road trip....

I reached the end of the parking lot.
I needed to decide where to go next.
I deliberated in which direction I was most likely to find a payphone in, when somebody taped me on the shoulder.
I realized that I had stopped walking. Since when could I not walk and think at the same time anymore?
I hoped that I would find Miranda or Paul Herford when i turned around, who had come back to rescue me but, sadly, I only saw the two suit-buddies from the store.
„Excuse me, Ma'am, can we talk to you for a quick second?", said the taller one of the two. He had brown hair, wore sunglasses and looked like he spent too much time on a tanning bed. The shorter one sported a face in the shape of a square, his blue eyes far apart under is blonde hair.
When I responded, I tried to contain my panic as well as I could, but somehow I defaulted to speaking in a weird accent, that sounded like a person from eastern Europe, who tired to imitate somebody from the south of the US: „No, Sir, I am very sorry, but my boyfriend is waiting at home for me, and he will be very worried if I'm not home soon!"
I turned around and started walking again, hoping that men's view of women as possessions would work for me for once. If they thought that I was spoken for, maybe they would leave me alone.
The taller one of the two grabbed me by the shoulder. „It won't take long."

Damn it.

I turned around to face them again and tried to shake his hand of my shoulder as politely as possible.
„What is it you have to say gentleman?", I said in the accent again.
„Are you with Paul?", tall suit guy asked.
„I don't know any Paul!", now I started to sound Scottish for some reason.
Thanks brain.
„What's your name?"
„Chl......", I probably should not give them my real name, „Chl.... Clementine. And with whom do I have the honor of talking to?"
I sounded very posh now.
„I'm Brad this is Jesus", the shorter one, Brad, replied.
Jesus slapped Brad on the back of his head. „Why did you tell her our names?"
„Why are you always the one who gets do do all the talking? That's just unfair, bro."

Something in the way Brad spoke and behaved reminded me of my good old roomie, Max.
That gave me an idea.
With Max, it had always helped to distract him from what he wanted.
Maybe it would work with Brad, too?
It was worth a try.
What could go wrong?
As long as we were talking, they did not hurt me.

„Jesus and Brad, Brad and Jesus.....", I looked at Jesus, „You know who you remind me of? Who else was called Jesus?"
Jesus rolled his eyes but Brad asked very eagerly: „Who?"
„Jesus, of course!", I laughed. I hope they didn't notice that it was a little too high pitched and hysterical for a normal laugh.
To my relieve, Brad joined in: „Haha, oh yeah right!"
Then he stopped, frowned and whispered to me: „Wait which Jesus are we talking about?"
„Jesus Christ, Son of God and an alleged virgin.", I whispered back and noticed, that I was finally back to my normal accent.
„Haha, so true!" Brad spoke in his normal voice again and slapped Jesus on the back. „You're totally like Jesus man, sick!"