Always (Sequel to 'Maybe', a Thomas Brodie-Sangster fanfiction)

Chapter 22

The work day goes by ever so slowly, and I find myself helping Ky a lot. Evan keeps his distance, which isn't that bad actually.

"When I restock shelves, it usually depends on how big the items are. If I'm stocking shelves with ketchup bottles, for example, I make rows of 12," I explain to Ky. "But obviously it depends on the item you're stocking."

He nods. "Is that all you do? Restock shelves?"

I shake my head. "No. Sometimes I work the cash register."

Evan then creeps up next to me. "Brooke," he whispers, "Patricia just left so you're gonna have to work the cash register for her."

"Alright," I tell him, then glance at Ky. "You know what to do, right?"

"Yes ma'am," he replies.

I nod and smile, then start walking to the front of the store.

I enter in my pin code in the register, then turn on my register light. It's not long before people start filing in my aisle.

I do the continuous routine of swiping, bagging, swiping, bagging. Until finally there aren't any people left in line. I check the clock on the wall. 9:26. I get to leave in 4 minutes!

I decide there's no use in staying so I shut off my register and get my things from the employee lounge to leave. I bump into Ky on my way there.

"Oh, hi," I say.

"Hey," he replies. "Are you leaving?"

"Yeah," I tell him. "I think I'm gonna sleep the rest of the day."

"Okay, sounds good to me. And do you know when I get off?" he asks, his blue eyes staring into mine.

"Uh, I'll have to check," I say, then walk into the employee lounge.

I pick up a clipboard that has time shifts. I bite my lip. I didn't assign him a certain time. Well, it's four-thirty, and he came in around the time I did I assume, so he can just leave right now.

I grab a pencil and scribble his name next to the time, then turn around, and have a mini heart attack. Ky is standing right there.

"You scared me," I tell him, grabbing my chest.

"Oh, sorry," he says.

"You move quietly. Your last name should be Fox."

"Right," he says, then raises an eyebrow. A smile of amusement appears on his face.

I quickly get back on topic. "So you can leave now if you want."

"Oh, okay. Thanks."

"No problem," I say, then smile.

I leave the store, and get in my car. I see Ky get in his car, and he drives away. I start the ignition, and pull out the parking lot.

On my way home, Thomas texts me and asks if I could buy a pizza for us to eat. Starving, I happily agree. I pull into Pizza Hut, and already know what to get.

I ask the man at the counter for a large pepperoni pizza. I pay him, then sit down and wait. I hear yelling among the darkness outside, and just brush it off. This part of town is where most gangs hangout and such.

The man soon comes back with my pizza, steam rising from the inside of the box. "Thank you," I say, then get back in my car. I sit the pizza in the passenger seat and am about to start my car, when a man that looks like he cane from an alley, comes falling onto the sidewalk. I raise an eyebrow. Another figure steps into view and grabs the man by the shirt and drags him back into the alleyway.

Every instinct telling me to leave it alone, I ignore it. They could be apart of a gang, or they could not. Either way, I've been in situations like these. Like when I was nearly kidnapped in an alleyway in London. Or when Thomas was with men in an alleyway similar to these.

With every ounce of courage I could muster up, I step out of my car and begin walking towards the alleyway. I peek my head around the corner, and stare into darkness. Until I catch movement. I hear grunts and a loud thud. I step closer and focus my vision on the movement.

The two men wrestle each other, the other one trying to pin his opponent to the wall, when a beam of moonlight shines right where I want it. I see a familiar face, and I know who it is. My breath hitches in my throat and I'm tempted to run. But I don't.

"What're you looking at?" one of the men ask, and I know who he is. He is the one that bought all of those beers and was basically the ringleader of that little gang Thomas was with. I'll call him Beardie, thanks to the scraggly grayish-brown beard that lines his chin. He drops his victim and starts walking towards me.

He smiles a sickly grin. "Never thought I'd see a lady like you again."

"Back up," I tell him, trying my best to sound defiant.

"You're popular. I've seen you on the news. Shouldn't be out this late," Beardie continues, ignoring my command. "Especially with dangerous people out there."

He gets so close that I can smell the alcohol that reeks his breath. He reaches an arm out, when I use my knee and kick him in the you-know-what. Beardie grunts and falls to his knees. I turn around and run, when his 'buddy', aka the one who was just being victimized by Beardie, stops me and grabs me by my shoulders. His crazed eyes stare into mine, and I am slightly more afraid of him.

I scream and kick, hoping to gain attention. My phone buzzes in my pocket, and I know it's Thomas. He's probably starting to get worried. The man squeezes my shoulders harder every time I try to fight back, and it's starting to become a challenge to even breathe. The man looks down at my chest and my face flushes. I want to kill him so bad.

"Come with me baby," the man whispers in my ear.

Suddenly, someone grabs him by the shoulder and pulls him to the ground, releasing me from the man's iron grip. I breathe heavily, trying to refill my lungs with air. The man is slammed against the concrete wall by my rescuer, and he slides down to the ground.

"I'm sorry boss, it won't happen again!" the guy weeps.

The man that rescued me turns around to face me, and my heart beat races. His eyes widen, and I'm sure mine do too. Because the man that they just referred to as 'boss' is Ky.

"What the-" Ky starts, then turns to Beardie. "Where did you get this girl?"

"She came walking down through here. Why, you know her?" Beardie mumbles.

"Of course not," Ky lies, and I'm taken aback by his reply. Why wouldn't he tell them we knew each other? Obviously the men obey him. He could tell them to leave me alone.

I stand up slowly, and they all watch me. I have to be dreaming. The boss of their gang can't be Ky.

"Scram," Ky hisses to me, his voice not sounding like the quiet and kind guy I had been introduced to.

My heart drops in my chest. How could he be treating me like this? Maybe he doesn't recognize me. But then again, he wouldn't have looked so shocked. Speechless, I turn around and walk to my car.

I get in and slam the door. At least I still have Thomas. I've always had him. I start the ignition and drive away.