Page 7 of Rock Me

It’s almost a whole minute before I’m done and realize I’m in my worst nightmare. A dirty public restroom. I get up, using a square of toilet paper to pull open the cubicle door. Kicking my way through the scrunched up toilet paper on the ground, I make my way to the sink.

“It’s a good thing it’s dark in here,” I whisper to myself and thank the owners for dimming the lights and knowing better than to use a black light in here. I wash my hands, shaking the excess water off.

As I’m looking for some paper towels, my phone buzzes. What is with the late night calls and messages today? I pull it from my pocket. It’s from Paige.

Where are you?

I punch in my answer.

The toilets. Men’s

Her reply comes in fast.

??????

Don’t ask. I text back. Before she responds, I hear shouting from outside the bathroom door and it swings open. An average sized head dwarfed by a giant neck and torso comes barreling in, startling me. In my shock, I drop my phone. It bounces off the ground and into the urinal trough. I watch it unfold in slow motion, frozen to the spot.

The giant stops.

Looks at me.

And then at the phone.

“My bad,” it growls and turns and leaves the bathroom.

Leaving me staring at my phone, currently swirling in gunk I don’t even want to try to identify.

Fuck.

Fuck fuckity fuck!

The door swings open again, and Elbow Jerk steps in. “Hey, that guy-…” he stops in his tracks when he sees me standing there. And what I’m looking at.

“Oh. Um. Any chance that isn’t yours?” He asks.

“I dropped it when that meathead came in! You were supposed to be guarding the door.” I jab my finger against his chest, before I remember how iron hard it is. It just makes me madder so I keep jabbing.

“Lady, did you SEE the size of him? My elbows were useless against that much steroid enhanced muscle!” he tries to explain as he bats my finger away. I can’t even process what he’s saying, all I can do is try to figure out how I’m going to get my phone out of … that. “I think it’s a goner. It probably won’t work anyway after being drowned in that much, um, water.”

Right on cue, it buzzes to life.

I look up to glare at him.

“You.” I poke him again in the chest. “This is your fault. Your fault. That means it’s your job to retrieve it.” His face scrunches up so much, I can barely make out his features.

“No, please, I’ll buy you a new one.”

“No.” I shake my head.

“I’ll buy you FIVE!” He says, holding up his fingers and wiggling them.

“No, there’s stuff on that one I need.”

“Like, right now. You, me, nearest phone store, I’ll buy up their whole stock! I’m serious.” And I believe him.

“Nope. I want that one.” I point to my phone.

He sighs, “You’re really going to make me do this?”