Pretty Pheonix

Chapter 21 | Consequences

After Jake drops me off, I immediately get to recording everything I've learnt so far, but I don't get that close to penning down my findings when the door bell rings, preventing me from continuing, or at the very least, starting.

Moving away from my desk reluctantly, I walk down the corridor to the front door. I look through the peephole to find a FedX delivery man standing outside with a box the size of your average microwave oven in his arms.

"Good afternoon ma'am." The twenty-something year old greets when I open the door.

My eyebrows immediately scrunch together. Ma'am? Did he just address me as ma'am? I am honestly starting to get concerned. Do I really look older than I actually am?

"Delivery for Luke McAllister."

I purse my lips, momentarily struck in grievance, before replying, "he isn't here."

The blonde delivery man smiles wryly, "well I still gotta get a signature ma'am. Mind signing off?"

I grunt when I hear the blasted title again and nod my head, grabbing the tablet he gives to sign off.

"Wow you have pretty smooth and wrinkle free hands!" He exclaims, staring wide-eyed at my exposed hands in awe.

I'm a seventeen year old, of course my skin is wrinkle-free...

A profuse diversity of unpleasant words in various tongues make their way through my mind. I force out a taut smile, "thank you." I hand over the tab and quickly grab Luke's package, which is pretty heavy, to end this.

I can't allow myself to be insulted like this twice in one day. It's a bruise to my pride. But this wretched fate has other plans for me, because just as I'm shutting the door, I hear the man ask, "may I ask what body cream you use?"

Ugh. This guy really can't take a hint.

"Youth." I lie impatiently. I could lie my way out of any situation.

"Ah youth..." he nods his head thoughtfully. "Never heard of that before, but looking at the results it must be really good."

What?! I scowl at him, but he doesn't notice it and continues with his yapping.

"I'll have to admit your skin is a lot better than most your age and the girls I know, ma'am."

Most my age?

"I have this one ugly friend who recently had an ass infection that spread to his face. It was really bad. We almost lost him to constipation. But he pulled through last minute." He wipes away an invisible tear.

"His face now looks like the shitting grounds for maggots and not gonna lie I feel for my bro. His mom left his dad for a hobo just last month too. It was a shocker. The hobo wasn't even a millionaire in disguise or anything. Just some random squatter in the next town over. Traumatizing experience I tell you."

"Okay?" My eyebrows drop into a furrow, incredibly agitated. Is he done? I need to get back to my case. Also, "why are you telling me this?"

Is he assuming my face used to be the side-affect of an ass infection?

His eyes lift up, gleaming with hope, "I was wondering if you could tell me your skin care routine. Brian has been so depressed lately cause his dad makes him wear a paper bag over his head, without openings for the eyes too! His dad says he sees the devil in Brian's eyes but that's just the swelling from the infection, so Brian can't see a thing now. Just yesterday he fell down the staircase and had to be rushed to the hospital."