Cheer Me On (Under Construction)

11 (Rewritten 01/14/2022)

Heart-wrenching

That was how every moment of the evening felt for Skaii, she had to force a smile, fake a smile even when it crippled her insides. It was random customers, no one from her high school or her community but it was all the same. She wanted away from them all, people were nuisances in her book, with only two exceptions.

But if smiling and laughing and pretending to be as chirpy as the cheerleader she could get her into Deane's good graces, then that's what she had to do. She was stuck between that façade and the mother-son duo. Ever since she arrived, she was kept at the cash register by the mother who showed her how to work the card machines. Chad was almost always in an aisle straightening a book display or walking around the reading area on the ground floor tending to a customer. He seemed very funny, nerdy almost and his mother was cut from the same cloth. They didn't seem all bad, but they just felt the need to start incessant conversations about Skaii's school life that she did not want to hear about. So maybe she was too quick to judge them based on their association with the Shaw family. But it was a precaution she needed to latch on to.

It was almost nine when they were ready to close up. It was very dark out, she could see the night's sky from her position at the desk. She began gathering her things from the baggage area by her feet but as soon as she stepped down from the platform, Jane appeared in front of her.

"Skaii! You're leaving already." She chirped, Skaii fought the urge to roll her eyes. She didn't peg this woman as dense, but she could be mistaken.

"That's the idea." She simply answered and began walking past her.

"Mom, I think that guy is still here." Chad's voice echoed from somewhere around the back. Jane huffed out and hung her head back in frustration.

"Skaii, could you please tell that young man it's time to go? I have tried so many times, and yet." Lilith asked, but it sounded more like a plea. If asking nicely was no longer an option, maybe a pretty face and a broken arm could do the trick.

"I-" Skaii was just about to protest.

"Second time this week." Chad pointed out as he approached them, his nametag and the grey uniform were replaced by a neat white dress shirt. The color blended into his skin perfectly. He looked like he was just about ready to explode from frustration. Judging from the persona he showed her tonight, he was easy-going, so this person must have tested his patience.

"Okay sure, where is he?" Skaii conceded. Could dealing with one person be so bad?

Chad breathe out, he looked like he was about to burst with relief as he clasped his hands to show his devotion. "Last aisle at the back, dark corner."

"Great." She muttered and dropped her bag on a nearby table and headed straight for the last aisle. The crisp air from the air conditioner licked the back of her exposed neck and she shuddered in response and wrapped her arms around her body. This place looked like it came right out of a horror scene, the only lights she could see emitted from the dull lamp turned on in the reading area, where the stranger was sitting.

As she rounded the bend, she spotted the guy Jane and Chad spoke of sitting in the corner of the room. His head was buried but the dark curly locks on his head were not hard to miss, neither was his strong jawline. He was focused on a book, it had bloody red covers and a striking line running through the center, Beloved, she read. Her eyes trailed down to his fingers as they skipped another page of the book. He looked, captivated. And he captivated her. It was the first time she had looked at him and boy was he hot. She didn't know why she stood frozen in her spot still, but she was. Was it because of that strikingly handsome face or the fact that he read books like these? And judging from Jane and Chad's reactions, he reads a lot, to the point where he never wants to leave when the bookstore closes?