What The Fudge Just Happened

Getting a Job and Stalked

Lexi opened her door and got out faster than she could blink. Tears swelled in her eyes as she walked towards the house. She wanted to run to the safety of her room but fought it with everything in her so that she wouldn't show fear to Jonathan. She finally made it to the door, opened it and stepped inside. She glanced to see if he was still there, and wasn't disappointed when he was watching from his car window. Lexi shut the door and leaned against cool mahogany wood, her skin rippled with chills. She took several ragged breaths, and then she felt the need to claw the dress of her body. Before anyone in the house saw her she ran up to her room while trying to peel off the dress. She closed her door, she felt filthy, like the day in the girls locker room with Jonathan. She felt like she would never be clean again. That no matter how long or how much she washed herself the feeling she had would never go away. She tore the dress off and threw it into the far left corner. She kicked off her shoes and shrugged off her bra and underwear. She went into the bathroom and flipped on the water. She didn't wait for the water to warm up, she just left it on cold and got in. She wrapped her arms around herself and let the freezing water cascade down her body. She started to shiver and her teeth were chattering. She sunk down to the floor and with her orange scrubber and squirted body wash on it and started to scrub her skin intensely. She began to cry and only scrub harder, the skin in some places had even become raw after a while, but the dirty feeling she had wouldn't go away. Eventually she threw the scrubber across the shower and buried her head into her still shaking arms.

*******
Brielle walked down the street Saturday morning heading to the book shop. She had her boyfriend jeans on, a loose pale pink blouse on and her gray converses. Her wavy curls were pinned up in a messy ponytail, a few stray wisps framed her face. She stopped at the door of the Inked Pages book shop. She repositioned her brown satchel on her shoulder, took a breath and walked in. Immediately Brielle saw Chess, he was on a ladder stalking books. She walked over to him and stood beneath him before saying, "Hello stranger." Chess looked down and gave her the sideways goofy smile. "I thought we weren't strangers anymore." He said as he came down the ladder.
"You're right, I apologize. Hello Chess."

"Hello Brielle, or might I use Beauty?"

"So are you now admitting you're the beast?"

"I'm a beast inside. A little wild I guess."

"Hmm, I don't see any beastly features, but wild? You work in a book shop, I don't see any craziness happening around here." Brielle said raising an eyebrow.

Chess laughed. "The Inked Pages is where I can keep my cool, but when I leave I can be this crazy kid who doesn't need to follow rules."

"Like what kind of rules?" Brielle asked rising up on her toes to see Chess's eyes.

"I don't know if you'd approve." Chess said, the goofy smile now diminished.

"I've broken a few rules myself, try me."

"Nah, I don't wanna ruin my good boy rep here at the shop." Chess said winking at Brielle.

"Alright, you don't have to share your secrets with me. But changing the topic slightly, I was wondering if you think Mr. Hodge would be interested in hiring me, you know here, in the book shop."

"Wait really? You'd wanna work here?"

Brielle blushed but saved herself. "Well you just made it look like so much fun the other night, so I just thought it would be a good idea." She paused. " And we could hang out more."

"You know I think Mr. Hodge would be open to hiring you, and yeah hanging out would be sweet." The smile reappearing on his lips.

*****
"So I was hoping that maybe I could work several week nights the the weekends. The only thing is I can't work every weekday." Brielle explained to Mr. Hodge. Mr. Hodge pushed his glasses back up his nose and read over the application paper again. "Well I see no problem with it. How bout you work Tuesday, Thursday, Friday, Saturday and Sunday?"