Senior Squad

34| "He Just Has That Effect."

Johnny

"So you really gave him a beating, huh?" Elise asked as we video chatted during lunch.

"Oh, he'll live."

"Yeah, but now you've got the whole team on your back."

"Like I honestly care." I chuckled while searching through the food on the shelves. For some reason, the fruit snacks looked great. I grabbed them and kept walking. "Listen, I'm gonna be alright."

"You keep saying that and it sounds more fake every time you do."

"Hey, at least he's trying to stay positive." Aria chimed in as she sat down.

I waved to her and she did the same back. "How's your day goin' so far?"

"It's pretty tame. Except Ms. Okling is on a warpath since nobody got their work done."

"She's always upset. You ever notice her vein keeps popping out of her forehead? At the rate she's going, she's gonna need life alert and she's what? Fifty?"

"She's actually forty-three but who's counting?"

I found myself smiling more than I have been this entire day. When all else fails, there was always this group to keep my day going strong. Eventually I got everything I need before heading to the front. By then, lunch was ending and so was our conversation.

"Alright. I'll let you two go. If you see Dominic around, tell him to meet me later. Oh, and Elise–"

"What?"

"Just let the guy down easy. He doesn't want to go from a coffee cart to a crib."

"Cool. I'll use what you said and then he'd get the message."

"Awesome. See you guys around."

I hung up and when making it to the front, I was eager for a certain stick to take the edge off. Not that I had an addiction or anything, I just needed a little something. Unfortunately they were all out.

"Are you sure you're out of them?" I asked the clerk. 

"I'm afraid so. Sorry."

Damn. Well that sucks, I frowned at the news but ultimately shrugged it off. "You know, it's probably for the best."

"Probably." The clerk replied before taking my card.

Once I finished that transaction, I was out with some of that neon green soda, fruit snacks, and beef jerky sticks. I didn't care if I had a diet regimen, I was hungry, tired, and just done.

I made my way down the sidewalk when a certain someone caught my eye.

"Dominic?" I called out as the back of the guy froze up.

"I was never here." He quickly replied before taking off. At the rate he was going, he could've gotten away but not on my watch.

"Oh no, you don't. Get back here!"

I chased him for about a block or two until making a jump on him, tackling him to the ground.

"Get off of me!" He shouted.

"Not until you tell me why you're here. Are you following me?"

"No!" Dominic pushed me off and sprung right up. "I've got much better shit to do than watch you all day long."

"Oh, what? Like day drinking?" I pointed to his bottle laying nearby which he looked at and scoffed.

"Believe it or not, that's my first and lately it's been recreational weed, not the beer."