Barbed Boys

Chapter 8

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A week had passed since Bomber had turned up at work and threatened me. That's what I liked to call it because I couldn't think of another word for the confusing interaction. All I knew was that I couldn't stand him. Walking around like he wasn't ruining lives and the nerve to make jokes about me as if I'd known him my whole life. It was infuriating.

Thankfully it'd been pretty quiet since he left that day.

He'd sent me one text on the phone he gave me asking to keep him informed but I'd had nothing to tell him over the course of the week. I was beginning to worry that the next time he texted me it would be his way or the high way. It wasn't until the following Thursday that anything remotely interesting happened regarding my so called mission.

I almost missed him because I was about to start closing up since it going on 10:30. Bobby had still yet to hire someone to replace Randy and I wanted to get a head start on cleaning. He said he was giving him two weeks to turn up and then he was giving up on the kid. I felt sick every time he mentioned it. The guilt continued to gnaw at me like decomposing fungi.

Bobby had no idea that Randy was never coming back. Well, he came back every night in my nightmares.

My lack of sleep had also really been catching up to me. Yesterday I didn't even get my lunch break because I fell asleep on the couch in the staff room. I'd just sat down for a minute to catch my breath and the next thing I knew Bobby was shaking me awake.

It was clear I needed sleep, I just didn't know how to get it anymore.

I was wiping up the counter when I heard a group of kids around my age enter. The sound of their rambunctious chatter drowned out the bell and as I turned around I was ready to tell them we were closed. Until I saw him.

He kind of blended in with his group of friends, Collin Monturi. His group consisted of two girls and three guys, including himself. I recognised most of their faces from high school, except for one guy who I was pretty positive I'd never seen before. I'd have remembered his flaming red hair, for sure.

Collin was laughing at something a pretty, short blonde was saying, I think her name was Riley, or Alex. I remembered it was unisex name.

He approached the register and my heart leapt. This was it. The moment I'd been waiting for. I'd told Bomber I didn't need to go looking for Collin because it was only a matter of time before he found me. I'd started to doubt my own words for a while, until he actually walked in.

It worked. My plan actually worked.

"Oh shit, are you cleaning up?" He asked as he eyed the dishrag that I'd been using to wipe down the counters.

"I thought you guys were open till 11?" The blonde girl asked, her face looking confused for a second.

I haphazardly collected my thoughts and smiled at them, or rather at Collin and shook my head, "We're open don't worry. I was just getting started with the clean up since no one had come in for a while."

I moved over to the register, trying to think of something to say that would make an impression on him. Trying to get him see me as more than just an ice cream girl. The rest of his friends gathered around him rather than forming a line.

"What can I get for you guys?"

Collin smiled back before turning to the little blonde next to him and dropping an arm around her shoulders, "You go first, Sam."

Sam. That was it, I couldn't put my finger on it earlier.

"I'll have a small vanilla soft serve in a cup with chocolate sprinkles please."