Butterscotch Backstabber

Chapter 10: Soft Crack Stage

At work, I was sort of in a mood.

I felt grey.

Alvin noticed and didn't seem too bugged about it. He just let me be. I kept staring at the door, wondering when Hilary would walkthrough. If she'd be in her softball practice clothes. If she'd be sweaty or freshly showered. Maybe she'd bring her friends this time. Maybe she'd just go home because she was tired.

I was sweeping up the shop when the bell rang. I snapped my head up and looked to the door, but it wasn't Hilary my eyes met, it was Zoey. I sort of just froze in place like a deer in the headlights.

"Hey, hey, hey, look who it is. My old crime partner. Where you been stranger?" Alvin asked. He was sitting in a booth scrolling through Reddit.

It was a pretty slow day for us, Monday's are always slow.

"Uh, around."

"How's your sister?"

"Still single, and still never going to happen." She eyed him.

He slumped in his chair and pouted.

Zoey walked over to me, where I was still on pause and poked me in the forehead, snapping me out of my daze.

"Hey," I said.

"We need to talk." She said all serious and crime boss like.

"Uh, kind of busy." I quickly went back to sweeping.

"Really?" she looked around the empty shop.

I was about to defend myself when the doorbell rang again. My eyes quickly darted to the door where Hilary walked in. Zoey followed my line of sight.

"Well if it isn't my favorite shrimp."

"I'm not short." Hilary pouted.

Alvin chuckled.

Hilary saw me and quickly ran over to me to engulf me in a hug. She smelled freshly showered and was in the same clothes she was wearing earlier.

"Hey!" I giggled as she shook me around.

"I just missed you so much!" she squeezed tighter.

"Ugh, miss me less painfully. Also, we just saw each other a few hours ago."

"Feels like forever." She dragged out the last word before letting me go.

"Poppy we need to talk, now," Zoey said.

"Oh hey Zoey, what are you doing here?" Hilary asked.

"Zoey can it wait until after I get off? I get off in a couple of hours, just meet me at my house."

I saw Zoey clench her fist as Hilary cocked her head to the side like a cute little confused puppy.

"Fine," Zoey said through clenched teeth.

Then she turned on heel and stomped out of the shop.

"What was that about?" Hilary asked.

"Don't know." I lied.

"I hope she's okay."

"She's fine, anyways how was practice?"

"You know you never really realize just how out of shape you got until you have to run laps again."

"This is why I don't do sports." I went back to sweeping as Hilary made herself at home, hopping into a booth to sit down.

She giggled and then proceeded to give me a play by play of her practice.