In the shop I walk back in forth between the stock room and the counter refilling the coffee ground bags. Today we've sold more coffee than music. So I've been kinda busy. But now it's slowing down a lot and people are just lingering.
The door bells jingle when the door opens. Chancellor comes inside the store and walks straight up to my counter.
"Can I get a medium black coffee? To-go please." He pulls out a $5 and hands it to me. I hang him his quarters and watch him drop them into the charity cup.
"Chance right?" I ask him. He nods. I turn around and prepare his coffee. He thumbs through the albums again. I hand him his cup and he nods as a way to say thank you.
"Sound and color?" He holds up the Alabama Shakes album. I nod. "Wasn't it featured on a iPad commercial?"
"Yeah. That's how I found it." I explain. He nods.
"Cool." He says before walking away. He walks to the music side of the shop and scans the racks.
Chance is still in the store thumbing through albums. I watch him a little when I don't have a customer.
"Kehlani, can you get that new box of albums from the back and restock them." Lockland says behind me. I nod and head to the back. It's a box of Jay Z and Beyoncé albums. I carry the heavy box over to Beyoncé's section and add the albums to the correct part. Once I'm done I walk over to the rap music section. Chance is there looking at Tupac albums. I start to restock the albums when he walks over to me.
"Hova?" He asks. I nod. He picks one up from the box. I watch him inspect the case and read the back. On his nose I see a nose ring reflecting the ceiling lights.
"Nice nose ring." I compliment.
"Soul searching." He replies. Soul searching? What the fuck does that mean?
"Soul searching." I say back in recognition.
I grab the empty box and head to the back. When I return, Chance is in the R&B section going through Tyrese albums. I walk over to him.
"Tyrese is good but if you want something newer I know something good." I say. He turns around and smirks a little bit.
"What's that?" He asks. I lead him to the B section and pull out an album.
"Bryson Tiller?" He asks taking the album. I nod.
"It's honestly really good."
"Ight."
"I'll ring you up." We walk over to the music counter. "Rent or buy?" I ask him.
"Rent for now, if it's actually good I'll come back and buy it." He explains. "We have fourth and sixth period together right?"
"Yeah. Card?" He hands me his card. I ring him up for the rent price and hand him his card back. "And if i might ask, why did you give me that look earlier?"
"What look?"
"You looked angry." i said. He nodded.
"I'm sorry that wasn't aimed towards you." i nod. "Ight well ima get going. Gotta listen to this Tiller." He says and starts to walk to the door.
"Bye." I say. I check my phone for the time and see that I get off in one minute. I walk to the back room and put my shirt and apron back in its hiding spot. Quietly I walk out of the store and text Sam.
Out of the corner of my eye I see smoke being blown out into the air. I look over and see Chance sitting on the curb smoking a cigarette. He notices me and smirks a little.
"Off work?" He asks with the cig hanging from his lip.
"Yeah." I sit down next to him.
"Need a ride home?" He asks.
I shake my head. "Nah my friend is coming. Also it's dangerous to get into a car with a stranger."
"That is correct." he takes another puff. "And if i might ask. Are you okay?"
"Yeah why?" i ask.
"Well i noticed you crying earlier in class but i could tell you didn't want anyone to see you. That's why i waited until now to ask."
I hold my head down. "Oh, uh yeah i'm fine."
"Was it something that guy said?" he asks. I stay kind of quiet at first. "I don't mean to pry, i just hate to see a beautiful girl cry."
I scoff and try to hold back my smile.
"I'm sorry, i overstepped...again." he puffs his cig.
"You're fine, and thank you. It was something Justin said."
He nods. "Don't worry about what people say to you. Especially some nobody who comes to class high off his ass."
"He's my boyfriend." i tell him
and he almost chokes.
"I'm sorry, i didn't know. I wouldn't have spoke on him like that." he explains. I shake my head.
"It's okay. You were honest." i tell him. He nods but doesn't say anything. I don't say anything either.
Sam's car pulls up infront of us right when the silence starts to get awkward. I stand up and start to walk to the car. Before getting in I wave to Chancellor. He nods in recognition. Once I get in Sam passes me a blunt. I take a nice drag of it and pass it back. Through the side mirror I see Chancellor get up and walk into the parking lot.
After we leave my job we head to wherever Sammie is taking me. She pulls out a compartment and sticks the blunt butt in the ashtray.
"Yo who was that dude? I've seen him before," She asks. My ears become hot.
"Nobody, he's just some customer that comes here everyday. He goes to school with us."
Sam nods. "Well he's kinda cute. Better not let Justin see him with you." She chuckles.
I roll my eyes. "Justin isn't gonna do anything, he's all bark no bite. Plus it doesn't matter. Dude is just a customer." I explain.
"okay."
We ride the rest of the way in silence with the only the radio and the sound of passing cars in the background.
As we ride through the streets I hear muffled music. As we keep riding the music gets louder. When the car stops I look to my right and see a big house with neon colors flashing through the windows. There are people, presumably from my school or schools near by, some maybe not even in school anymore, on the front lawn smoking. Some have cigarettes, some have weed. I guess the hard stuff is what's inside.
Sam gets out and walks towards the front door that is wide open for easy exit and entrance. I get out of the car and close the door behind me. After pulling up the crotch of my baggy jeans I make my way into the party. Immediately I head towards the section that smells the most like weed. Justin sits on the couch puffing a blunt. He seems me and motions for me to come to him.
Reluctantly i walk over and sit beside him on the couch. We pass the blunt around the circle.
Muffled laughs fill the area, one guy has passed out, and there's two girls making out across from us. Every party i go to is the same.
