Bunny

14

We stood in line. Me after an old lady and Isaiah after me.

"Have a good day." said the clerk to the lady as she was handed her receipt.
"You too, dear."

She left and I took a step to get to the counter before my hand suddenly felt empty. I looked down at it and up again to see Isaiah had passed me up in line with both of our items.

"How's it goin'?" asked the clerk.
"Good, you?" Isaiah replied to him.
"I'm alright."

I walked up to him and tapped his arm.

"What?" he asked and looked down at me.
"Why'd you do that?" I asked him. I saw the clerk about to ring it up. "Um, That's not his." I stated.
"Yes, it is." Isaiah responded.
"No, it's not. It's mine."
"No. Ring it."
The clerk was clearly confused.
"Can you give it to me please?" I asked him.
Isaiah looked at the clerk and the clerk looked back at him.
"Ring it." he commanded.

I heard the computer beep as the clerk swiped the barcode.

It's not fair when he can use scare tactics.

I sighed and walked off to go get another thing of coffee.
My hand was grabbed and I stopped.

"Where you goin'?" he asked me.
The clerk gave him his receipt and Isaiah took it then the bag.

"Come on." he stated.
I followed behind him to leave.

He took his coffee out of the bag then gave the bag to me.
"Oh..." I replied and took it.
"What, you thought I was stealing from you?"
I didn't want to answer that.
"I just don't like waitin' in line." he claimed.
"Thank you..."
"Yea."

I walked to my car and hopped in.

I tried starting it.
It wasn't budging.

"No, please don't do this to me right now." I begged.
I tried again. She skipped a few times then turned off.
I slapped my forehead against the steering wheel in defeat.

I heard a knock on my window. I turned my head to see Isaiah standing there.
I groaned to myself before opening the door slightly.
I could hear his soft chuckling as he leaned over the door.
"You need a ride?" he asked.
I nodded reluctantly.

~~~

We sat in his car at a red light.

"I always pictured you as this snobby rich girl." he stated randomly.
"A snobby rich girl that cleans houses?" I questioned.
"I don't know, maybe your dad made you get a job to teach you responsibility or some shit."
"I guess..."
"I don't know. You just look high maintenance."
"I don't think I am," I replied.
"Yea, I realize that."
"Oh..."
"What time is it?" he asked.
"9:36." I replied.
"A'ight, I'm makin' this quick. I gotta go to work after this."
"Okay..."

I messed with my hands as I sat quietly in his passenger seat.

"Bunny..." he called.
"Hm?" I looked at him. He was driving with just his left hand while the right held the gear shift.
"I don't know where I'm goin', sweetheart. Where you stay?"
"Oh! I'm sorry...um...take a right at the next stop after this one."
"Alright." he chuckled.

I was a bit scared while in his car although I'd been here before. Most of it was because he drives about twenty miles over the speed limit.

"Isn't it a bit early for you to be driving like a speed demon?" I asked him.
"I have places to be. I'm scarin' you?" he wondered.
"Yes."
"A'ight, I'll slow down."

He did just that.

In no time we arrived at my house.

"Huh." he stated as I opened my door.
"What? Are you about to make fun of me?" I questioned.
"The fuck? No. I just ain't know you lived as close to me as you do."
"Oh...yea..."
"What're you gonna do about your ride?"
"I don't know. I'll ride back over there with my dad and he'll probably work on it in the store parking lot," I figured.
"He fix cars?" he asked.
"He can."
"Oh."

I heard the door open as I spoke about him. I got out of the car and my dad walked out of the house. He was still in the wifebeater from earlier and his work pants. He had a toothpick between his teeth and one hand in his pocket while the other maneuvered his wave brush to clean them up. He looked at the black mustang I'd just hopped out of.

Then he looked at me next.

"Car trouble..." I answered.
He nodded once then walked over to the driver's side.
He knocked on the glass with the knuckles of his fingers as he looked into the street like he was watching for witnesses.
Isaiah rolled down his window. "What's up?"
"Who you?" my dad asked.
"The driver."
My dad looked back at me and removed his toothpick. "This the boy?"
I nodded.
He looked back at Isaiah.

My dad pointed to the outer corner of his own eye with two fingers, referring to Isaiah's cross tattoo.

"You in a gang or somethin'?" my dad asked him.
"If I was, that ain't really somethin' I'd tell you, is it?"
My dad chuckled like it was cute. "Fuck off my driveway, pretty thug." he instructed.
He turned back around after putting his toothpick back between his lips and began walking back towards the door.
Isaiah just scoffed, humored by my father.
He rolled down the passenger side window and looked at me.

"I'll see you later, gorgeous." he winked.
I nodded.
His eyebrows furrowed as he looked down at my legs again like he was thinking. It made me nervous.
"Damn, I like those shorts." He looked back at my eyes as he licked his lips and smiled.

It caught my dad's attention but Isaiah had already started backing out of the driveway.
My dad looked at me while Isaiah honked his goodbyes and sped off.

I just shrugged in hopes he wouldn't blame me for that behavior.

He carried on walking inside and I looked down the road until Isaiah's car disappeared.

I followed inside.

"Car trouble you said?" my dad questioned.
"Yea. It wouldn't start when I tried to leave the store."
"You called him?"
"No, I bumped into him a few seconds after I got there. Coincidentally they were out of coffee too."
"Mm."

I put the coffee up and tossed the extra bag into the extra bag that held extra bags.

"I don't want him on my driveway again." he stated.
I looked at him. "Why not...?"
"Because I don't." he answered and looked at me. I watched him leave the kitchen and travel upstairs.