"Would you like a bag for your items miss?"

"Yes please. Not one of the cheap ones though, do you have any of the big plastic ones with the designs on them? It's a gift and I'm heading to the party this item is for right after I'm done here."

"Of course ma'am."

That was a common request at the AllBuy I worked at so I made sure to stay prepared by having a stock near me.

"Here you are. Your total is now 28.52."

She paid in the usual way as I gave the same old customer service "have a good day" before moving on to the next person.

I had been working here for two months now. It was the only place that would take me after the bad streak I created from how my last job ended. And although the pay wasn't great and I was often bored out of my mind, I had become complacent here. Used to my new life away from... everything.

The original plan for my break away from Em was for a week. One week before going back to her. Just to give me some time to recharge and get my life together some more so I could be more stable for her.

However, the one week turned into two after finally getting my job.

Then the two into three after working out a payment plan with Alex.

And then another still to let me wind down from the new changes.

Before I knew it, two months had come and gone and I hadn't visited her once. Why?

Well, there were plenty of reasons. I had started looking for a second job, and now I was in qualification for a bonus finally after being here for a certain amount of time, and I needed to work extra hard if I were to get that.
Not to mention the atrocious stock room here that needed to be organized. Also a messy house that also needed to be clean, and a few self help books I wanted to read and some meditation exercises that had been recommended by a colleague.

So there was absolutely no time to see her. Not a moment I could spare to go buy flowers or see her blank, dead face again... Hear her screams again... Watch her turn into a doll again...

Nope. Not a second I could use to see any of that. Too much to do.

So much to do...

"Aiden? Shouldn't your shift have ended an hour ago?"

"I'm covering for Maggie. I noticed she looked pretty stressed so I asked her if she wanted me to take on her shift. I already checked with Owen."

My brunette colleague gave me an odd look I ignored before he brushed it off and went to his own task of stocking shelves.

Alright, looks like my break is coming up. I'll go to the back now, see if there's anything there I can take care of before my ten minute.

I walked fast, with purpose and concentration that I made sure stayed on my One. Single. Self given task.

After all, if I wanted that bonus, distractions would have to stay out of my mind. Work. That was the only thing to focus on right now.

Just work.

Good thing I came back here! Look at all of this junk! Empty boxes lying around, dust everywhere, and that chip shipment should be over here!

I got to work fast, moving with vigor to get everything accomplished. I only had fifteen minutes before I'd have to pause to punch in my break after all.

_________________________________________

No one else came back as I worked, which was probably a good thing because I was in the zone.

I was working my ass off as I reorganized half the stock room, made proper labels, and sweeped the obviously filthy floor.

Sure maybe I went over fifteen minutes, but they probably wouldn't care after seeing this. And I wasn't doing it for extra pay anyway. I just saw something that needed to get done and did it. So what if it took two hours?

I stopped for only half a second to plan my execution of the second half of the stockroom that still needed to be redon, but before I could start, I was annoyingly called to the front by radio from Brian, the one working register now after me.

Is it about me working passed break? Nah, Brian isn't upline to me at all, and he's an eighteen year old kid who texts more than he works, he wouldn't rat me out.

I was frustrated by being stopped, but used the opportunity to pick up and rearrange some of the things I had seen on my way to answer Brian's summon.

It took a minute before I got there, as my small moments of tidying up got a little out of hand and Brian looked annoyed by it if his bushy, furrowed, brows had anything to say about it. Although overall, he looked more nervous than anything.

And it only took a second for me to see why.

On the other side of the blue divider of customer and worker was a woman in expensive clothes, a flawless ravenette pony tail, and sunglasses that did nothing to cover her social status like she may have hoped.

It was Isabelle. Isabelle- for some reason- was at AllBuy, my place of work.

And she looked pissed.

So that's why Brian looks so small. She probably gave him an earful after requesting to see me. But why?

"Uhhh is there... anything I can do for you?"

Apparently that was the wrong thing to say, because her already pissy expression changed even further into a scowl. One that didn't even require her chocolate eyes glaring to make me uncomfortable.

"Aiden Wilson Smith, may I please see you outside for a moment of your time?"

Shit. Her voice was sickly sweet, she used my full name, and she had a professional smile on.

I was screwed.

"I really need to get back to work, but if you need something from me later we can-"

"I'm sorry if I gave you the impression I was asking. However I most certainly was not. So please, if you would see me outside now?"

Damn.

I begrudgingly stepped out with her as I tried to figure out why she was so angry.

Alex and I were on good terms, we just went shopping a few days ago for some supplies Isa wanted us to get. And I hadn't done anything I could think of to upset her after that time frame.

So what happened?

As soon as we stepped outside the click of her black pump Jimmy Choos faded in exchange for the noise of her yelling at me.

"You son of a bitch!"

I blinked at the sudden change even if I saw it coming. Maybe just not, well, immediately and out in the open.

"When you cut me and Alex off, we were nothing but supportive! When you'd continuously leave us out of the loop, we'd always be forgiving! Hell, even when you'd yell at us and have outbursts after Emily disappeared we didn't fight back! But THIS!? This is too damn far!"

Completely lost as she yelled and lectured with her finger waving in my face, once again I tried to piece together what on earth she could be referring to.

"You haven't seen Emily in TWO damn months!"

Ah. There it was. But- wait a minute, how did she even know that?

"Do you just not care about her anymore!? Did you give up!? Why!? Why on EARTH would YOU of all people stop seeing her!"

That set me off.

"Hey! First off, how the hell do you even know that!? Second, even if I haven't been seeing her, it's none of your damn business is it!?"

"Of course it is! Because Emily is my best friend in the whole world, and when I see her boyfriend being a dumbass I'm going to figure out why!"

"Oh so just because you're her friend that gives you the right to SCREAM at me at MY work!?"

"Yes! Yes it does! And you know why?"

I scoffed, knowing she'd say it either way.

"Go ahead, enlighten me!"

"Because Emily doesn't have much! She's had you, me, and Alex her whole life! Anyone else is out of the picture! And.... And when I see one of the ONLY people she has during the ROUGHEST point in her life abandon her!? The one she trusted and loved more than anyone else!? I'm going to give them a piece of my mind!"

Her voice broke briefly before the anger came back with vigor, and it was enough to cool down my own temper ever so slightly. Just enough to answer her.

"I have a lot going on right now! It's... it's not that I've stopped caring about her, god no! I just... I have too much going on and I've been busy! I have a job now and I'm looking for another, and I have a house to take care of and a million other things that I need to do! You just- You don't get it!"

She swallowed hard, a look of equal stature on her face as her voice grew more even, shaking ever so slightly still from the anger buried underneath it.

"You're right.. I don't understand how someone- how YOU- could prioritize work and a clean house over the girl you said you loved. You're a coward Aiden, one who sure knows how to make a lousy excuse when before all you said you wanted was for her to come back. Emily deserves a hell of a lot better than that."

And with that, she stormed off to her parked car. Allowing my head to cool, my heart to feel heavy, and the angry words both of us said to linger in the air long after they were spoken.

A little rushed but hopefully overall still good! ^^"