Short stories/ One shots

Accepting Consequences

Marie took a shaky breath, tightening her grip on the strap of her backpack before glancing up at the heavy-looking store clerk. He was holding the book she had tried to steal in one hand, the other one holding onto the store's phone. The angry glare she was receiving did nothing to calm her nerves. Especially when he just a minute ago had been yelling at her loud enough to wake the dead.

The clerk cleared his throat. Marie winced at the sound, clearly scared that he would start to yell at her again. "Your parents number?" he asked her. Probably for the third time already, but she felt all too nervous to answer him. She used her foot to draw patterns on the linoleum floor, watching in awe as the dust actually cleared way for her old sneaker. When a soft sigh escaped the clerk's lips, she dared to look up at him. "Girl, you really need to tell me. I can see that you're scared, but if I can't talk to your parents about you trying to shoplift, we won't be able to solve this," he tried, speaking with a tone that Marie had only heard her grandma use once. When she tried to calm an injured dog. After a couple of seconds, the number to her mother spilled out of her mouth. Much like a balloon, she deflated significantly as the clerk was quick to put the number into the phone.

The book in his grip seemed to be taunting her now. She gave it a mean glare, the words only seeming more taunting. Education, the guide to become a better person. She scoffed under breath at the title. Why had she even wanted the stupid book anyway? The clerk babbled on with her mother, sounding very tired all of a sudden. Marie sighed. It was only to accept her fate. Her mother would be furious.