I look up and see the thing I ran into is actually a person. A guy with a rock hard chest that just slammed against my head.
"What the hell?" he says, glaring at me. "Walk much?"
I take a step back. "I was checking my phone and didn't see you." I turn toward the bread, scanning the shelves for the whole wheat.
"How could they be out of whole wheat?" I say to myself, noticing there isn't a single loaf.
Looking at Dean's basket, I see he has a loaf of whole wheat. The last one.
"Any chance I could have that?" I say, pointing to the bread. "It's the only kind my mom eats."
He walks off, ignoring me.
"Hey!" I follow him. "Can I have it? Please? I don't want to have to go to a different store."
He whips around to face me. "And you expect ME to? The next closest store is ten miles from here."
"Oh. I didn't know." I chew on my lip, glancing back at the bread aisle. "I'll just get a different kind."
He shakes his head as he continues to the register.
I grab a loaf of white bread and get in line. Behind Dean. It's the only register open. There's not even a self checkout lane.
"I'm not giving you the damn bread," he says through gritted teeth.
"That's not why I'm here. I'm just trying to check out." I blow out a breath. "Asshole," I mutter.
"Twenty seventeen," the cashier says to Dean.
He turns his back to me as he pays, then takes his sack of groceries and leaves.
"Do you know that guy?" I ask the cashier. She's older than me, probably my sister's age, with blond hair that has streaks of purple.
She sets the apples on the scale. "I don't, but I'd like to."
"Trust me, you wouldn't. The guy's a total jerk."
"With a body like that? And those eyes?" She smiles. "Who cares?"
She'd seriously date him, knowing he's an ass? The girl needs to up her standards.
"Twelve fifty-nine," she says.
I hand her the twenty and take my change.
As I'm walking back, I check my phone and see a message from Jane, my best friend from my old school. Last year her dad got transferred to France for a year so she moved away. Now she's back but I doubt I'll ever see her, or any of my other friends. There's no way they'll come to this neighborhood.
I call Jane. Her phone rings several times before she finally picks up.
"Hey, I was just about to call you," she says.
"Are you busy?"
"Kind of. I'm at a French club meeting but I can talk. So how's the new school?"
"You really have to ask?"
"That bad, huh?"
