The Hooded Figure

FIFTEEN

"Do you have any experience cooking?" Marco asked me, still smiling. I paused for a moment, unsure what to say.

"No, but I'm very adaptable and quick on my feet," I replied with what I thought was a good answer. Marco nodded and placed his hands on the table.

"Do you know how to make pizzas?" He questioned, his smile never faltering.

"No, but I can learn fast," I answered, returning his smile as best I could.

"How long do you intend to work here?" I noticed that his English was surprisingly good considering his accent.

"I-um, I'm going off to university in about six months," I said, realizing how bad this was going. After the day I'd had, this was definitely not what I needed.

"Oh," was all his said for a moment and he looked like he was struggling to keep the happy smile on his face.

"I'm sorry, I'm clearly not what you're looking for, I'm going to go," I told him dejectedly while grabbing my bag. I stood up and turned around, only to get hit in the boobs with something blunt. I stumbled back as something cool landed on my head. As the liquid trickled down my neck and arms, I opened my eyes, only to find the delivery boy on the floor holding his head. I ignored the stabbing pain in my breasts as I brought my hands to my mouth.

"Oh my gosh, I'm so sorry," I rushed out, offering my hand which he took. I helped him up and then bent down to help pick up the pieces of broken glass. I realized that the liquid on my head was probably 7Up or some other soda judging by the smell.

"You don't have to do that," the boy said as he got down on his knees to help me pick up the pieces. I noticed that there was cheese and sauce on his shirt, along with an entire pizza on the floor.

I face palmed myself, "I'm really sorry, I wasn't looking-"

The boy chuckled before cutting in, "it's alright."

I sighed and finished picking up the pieces. Marco had been watching the whole encounter, along with the entire restaurant, but he seemed to be laughing at us. Not in a mean way, he just seemed happy.

I stood up and wiped my hands on my pants before pausing, looking at my tomato covered hands and my now red tinted pants. I shut my eyes in disbelief, "sorry again," I said before trying my best to get out of there with the rest of my dignity. I held the strap of my backpack tightly as I got on the bus, a mess.

The moment I got home, I showered and braided my hair. I threw my clothes in the trash because quite frankly, I didn't think that it was going to come out. Plus, it'd only remind me of my failure at this point. I tried not to think back to the whole incident as I grabbed the car keys and left the house. My dad wasn't home and obviously neither was my mother. I didn't know where my dad was, but he'd left the car at home so I decided to go to the one place that'd make me feel better.

As I drove through the small town, I watched as the scenery changed from houses to trees. The place I was going was only a fifteen minute drive from town, but it felt shorter as I arrived there. I parked on the side of the unpaved road and got out of the car, putting the keys in my pocket along with my phone.

I started to get lost in my own thoughts as I entered the forest area and cut through the trees. I kept walking straight until I reached a small clearing by the edge of a cliff. I was looking up at the sunset and when I looked back down, I froze. In front of me, sitting on the edge of the cliff, was a boy with golden blonde hair. I squinted and frowned, wondering what he was doing here. How did he find this place? Who was he?

I was about to ask one of those questions, but he got up and turned around, staring at his phone. He didn't see me as he approached me, but I scoffed.

"You've gotta be fucking kidding," I stated bluntly as I recognized him immediately. The boy froze and looked up with wide eyes. His floppy golden blonde hair, his small nose, his thin lips, high cheekbones, all of them made for a Leo doppelgänger. What really caught my attention though, were his caribbean blue eyes. They were piercing and beautiful, the TV screen didn't do them justice.

"Fuck," he said, putting his phone in his back pocket and running a hand through his parted hair, messing it up a little. I took a deep breath, unsure of what to do. "Please don't tell anyone, I'll pay you. How much do you want? A hundred dollars? A hundred and fifty?"

I was about to explain to him that I wasn't a fan and that he could do whatever the hell he wanted, but then I stopped myself. "Two hundred and you've got a deal," I bargained with a quirked eyebrow. He gaped at me for a moment, showcasing his perfect teeth.

"Fine," he grumbled. I'd only just realized how smooth his voice sounded. It was flawless with hardly any gravelly tone. He pulled out his wallet and handed me two hundred dollars cash.

"Who carries around this much money?" I waved the cash in the air.

"A pop star, that's who," he deadpanned, looking at me with hardly any emotion aside from disdain.

"Hey, don't get mad at me," I said, tucking the money in my back pocket.

"You just scammed me for two hundred dollars, I think I have a right," he snapped, looking away from me.

"I wouldn't have taken it if you weren't such a pretentious prick. What makes you think I'm even a fan?" I replied with the same tone of voice. He quirked a disbelieving eyebrow at me. "The first time I heard about you, was on TV when they reported you missing so tone it down, bro."

I rolled my eyes and crossed my arms over my chest. "I don't have time for this, my day was shitty enough as it is. Take your cash," I snapped, taking the money out of my pocket and handing it to him angrily. With that, I turned around and walked back into the forest, leaving him standing there with a dumbfounded expression on his face.