JESSICA
I heard them talking. Phew. Thank goodness I managed to get some sleep earlier!
Feeling like I was on some kind of drug, I pedaled away from the house as fast as I could. The sun was still high in the sky since it was only three in the afternoon!
"What am I doing with my life?" I muttered as I rode my bike quickly, seething, desperate to get away from the house.
I had heard Adolf and Auntie talking downstairs earlier!
Adolf was waiting for me to wake up. They were just unlucky because I used the window. I jumped onto the tree and then climbed down.
Yeah. I'm that desperate!
When I arrived at the store, I flung the glass door open and entered, panting.
"My life sucks!" I echoed the line, making Ate Joyce—the woman I was swapping shifts with—chuckle.
"You're here early? Why don't you get some sleep first?"
I shook my head absentmindedly. "Nah. I don't need sleep. Money is all I need."
She laughed. "Let's dance instead!"
She stood up and immediately turned on her small speaker that was sitting on the counter. She left her spot and grabbed my hand.
"I don't dance, but I can do Budots!" she said, laughing, as she started dancing to "Señorita."
I watched her, laughing. She took my bag and placed it on the counter.
"Dance, hurry!" she said.
She grabbed my hands and started dancing with me.
So I did. We danced like fools while "Señorita" echoed loudly throughout the store.
"Wow. You're a great dancer!" She clapped her hands and suddenly did a freestyle. "I like your moves, huh!"
I continued, laughing. I didn't even know what I was doing anymore. All I knew was that I was dancing. Weird, but I danced in a very sexy way. Eww. Maybe because the song was kind of sexy, too.
"Great!" She pounced on me with a hug, so I stopped, laughing, and hugged her back. "Teach me sometime, okay?"
I nodded quickly. "Sure!"
She fell silent for a moment, even though "Señorita" was still playing, which puzzled me.
She looked behind me, then whispered. "Shit. He's handsome."
I was stunned.
I froze and quietly cursed.
I think I know who she's looking at behind me. I could smell his cologne that seemed to be permanently registered in my nose.
I suddenly felt nervous but mustered the courage to turn around.
Our eyes met.
It was Adolf. He was in his school uniform. He was standing by the glass door that had just recently closed.
"Hi," he greeted me listlessly. "So this is where you work, Jessica."
Ah... shit.
I heard Joyce whisper in my ear. "He's hot. He knows you? Your boyfriend? Does he have a brother? I like his eyes, they're mesmerizing. Who is he?"
She whispered one question after another, but I didn't answer any of them. I felt awkward with Adolf's presence. And he was staring at me intently.
"Uhm, I'll be outside, having a smoke," Ate Joyce said, taking her speaker from the counter and heading out immediately.
I wanted to yell at Ate Joyce.
She doesn't even smoke!
Damn it, she just found an excuse to leave Adolf and me alone! She must have noticed... jeez.
"U-Uh, are you buying something?"
"You haven't shown up for a long time. Why?" He ignored my question.
He was very serious. Unlike his usual bored look, now he was making me extremely nervous. I felt like I was about to melt.
Great. This is what I was afraid of.
"Ah... I'm busy," I said with a clichéd excuse.
"But you ran away earlier."
I bit my lower lip when he said that.
He continued, "I was downstairs earlier. I was waiting for you to wake up... Then I saw you riding your bike outside."
I scratched the back of my neck. It's a mannerism of mine when I'm nervous and confused.
He let out a deep sigh. "Did I do something—" He stopped and looked at me, dumbfounded. "Is this about what I said?"
I furrowed my brows.
I pretended to be confused even though I knew exactly what he was asking about.
"Huh? The part where I didn't say goodbye to you in the early morning?" I asked, feigning ignorance.
"No, the night before we went to sleep, Jessica. It's all about what I said, right?" He approached me. "Look, I didn't mean to tell you that. I just..."
"Calm down," I said with a grimace. "I'm just really busy. And earlier, I didn't run away from you. I didn't go to school this morning, and I knew Auntie would scold me, so I ran away."
Wow. Great excuse, Jessica.
"And another thing," he said, shaking his head. "Why can't I ever find you in your room? You're avoiding me, aren't you?"
Shit.
"Dude, I'm not. Are you high on drugs?" I grimaced, but inside, I was nervously sweating bullets.
He stared at me for a long time.
I mean, a really long time.
Even though I felt awkward, I met his gaze. And Joyce was right... His eyes are beautiful. They're really mesmerizing. And I was melting like ice cream.
"You're really good at lying, huh?" he said, then laughed dryly. "You're good. You fucking got me."
He pointed at my nose and poked it. "Don't avoid me like that again, Jessica. You're making me kill myself."
I removed his finger from my nose. "I'm not used to you being serious and speaking more English than I do. Go home and rest!" I snapped at him.
But he leaned against the counter like a model.
"Interfere with my business if you want," he said. "I won't stop you—if that's really why you're avoiding me."
His face returned to its bored expression. "Avoid me more. Do you think you're pretty?"
Annoying. I wanted to crush him. I wanted to knock him out.
I glared at him. "Leave already!"
"Do you think you're pretty?" he teased me, still looking bored.
"And you? Do you think you're handsome?"
He nodded. "Yes. Don't tell me you're blind?"
Grr!
In my frustration, my hands moved on their own to hit him. "You're so arrogant! You're so full of yourself!"
He immediately caught my hands. "Calm down, little maggot. You're hurting my eyes," he said with a teasing smile. He let go of me afterward.
"Damn you! You're so annoying! Just go home already!"
"No, I don't want to. Are you the boss?"
"I'll kiss you if you don't go home!" I yelled at him.
But I froze at what I said.
Woah. Where did that come from? Kiss him? Like, really, Jessica?
"Oh!" He moved away from leaning on the counter. "See? You're fantasizing about me! Go ahead? Kiss me quickly!" he taunted. "I'm waiting. Kiss me."
I grimaced as I stared at his well-shaped lips.
Damn it! Why did I say that?! So annoying!
"Fuck no," I said with a grimace. "Go home, dude. Go home."
He rolled his eyes. "Nah, kiss me first."
I screamed in frustration. And because of that, he laughed. Seeing him laugh was new to me, but I was really annoyed with him!
"You're a pest! What's wrong with your brain that you're so good at annoying people?!" Because he's really irritating!
"It's just a kiss, you're so stingy, huh? A kiss won't hurt, right? You started it."
What the? He took my words seriously?
"Wow, I'm stingy? What do you think my kiss is? Free? Are you crazy?"
I was stunned when he pulled out his wallet from his pocket.
My jaw literally dropped.
He's going to pay me? Seriously?!
"How much for the kiss? Tongue involved?" he said, raising his eyebrows at me.
My jaw almost hit the floor.
He pulled out some thousand-peso bills.
"I'm serious. I've never kissed anyone before. I just want the experience."
He was asking for it like it was candy?!
I took a step back, dumbfounded. "Wow... you have a thick face..."
He grinned. "How much?"
"I'm not a prostitute!"
"So it's free then?"
Annoyed, I rubbed my face. Just a little more, and I would really be banging my head against the side of the counter.
Just then, the glass door opened. The chime above it rang.
I immediately recognized the bald Chinese man.
"B-Boss!" I called out to him. I was really going to tell on Adolf!
I was about to speak when he shook Adolf's hand.
"Are you Adolf? I received your email yesterday. For the night shift, you'll be with Jessica, okay? Your duty is from 6 PM to 6 AM."
I was stunned when Adolf nodded. When he looked at me, he grinned and winked.
Holy crap.
********