Cassie Huwit

The drive back from the hospital was filled with tense air. My pants are now being held down by dried blood, I think about being able to clock out and have a long bath to wash this day off of me.

"Where do you live?" I face Sam and tilt my head to the side in confusion.

"Aren't we going back to Palmer's?" I thought that was the plan, he was just to take me to the hospital and back, not hold my hand or touch me the way he did.

He looked shocked, almost annoyed.

"What do you mean take you back to Palmer's? You got hurt Cassie, you're going home" He said it so matter-of-factly.

I still have my stuff in my locker and I can't go home with out my keys. I repeated that to him and he just sighed.

He mumbled a quick 'fine' and drove us back to Palmer's.

He just watched me as I walked over to my locker, twisting it open, I pulled out my phone from my bag and noticed it was only 2.09pm.

Putting my phone back on the shelf of my locker, I headed into Vanessa's office to say I was ok and it just needed a couple stitches, she made me fill out an incident report about what happen - I left out the part where I was distracted by Sam.

"You can go home early Cassie." I thought about having a bath again but decided I only have two hours left of work and I really need the money.

"No it's ok I can keep working, only two hours left." Vanessa just smiled, gave me a thumbs up and went back to the phone.

I headed towards an untouched pallet when Sam intersected me.

"What are you doing Cassie?" God the way he says my name, so soft but stern at the same time, my stomach joins in with the butterflies. He keeps staring at me but now he's grinning ear to ear.

"I...uh...I'm working, what are you doing Sam?" I mocked him and he didn't look happy about it as his grin turned into a frown.

"No you're not, go home. You've got your stuff." I stand in shock, who does he think he is, just because I'm injured doesn't mean he can treat me like a child.

"No two hours left, so if you'll excuse me." I moved past him and he grabbed my arm, I just glared at him and he dropped it; I picked up a box and it plunged through my hands, my hand started throbbing again and Sam rushed over, worry evident in his brows.

"Fine if you want to stay, sit there." He pulls my hand until I'm above a small black crate.

For the last hour, Sam has made me sit on the crate and watch him cut open boxes and place them on the back of Luke and Michael's trolleys', meaning he's doing my work on top of his. I've tried to cut open a couple boxes, or push one onto the trolley, or even just stand up; and every time he tells me to stop.

"If I have to drive you to the hospital again because you can't listen, we're going to gave a problem Cas."

I gave up trying so now I'm just sat here watching his biceps move when he cuts into a box or how they tighten when he lifts them. I know he can see me staring but I don't care, if he won't let me work he has to put up with my eyes. All. Over. Him.

It didn't take long for 4.30pm to roll around. I tried to help Sam pack up but again he told me off for even thinking about doing anything. I grabbed my stuff from the lockers, said goodbye to everyone and left.

It being dead on 4.30pm, people started to get off work so the streets become a flood zone. I wanted to go for a longer walk again to stretch my legs after being forced to sit down for two hours, not even halfway through the trip, the hairs on the back of my neck stand up.

I survey the surrounding, keeping an eye out for that creepy florist, but I don't see anyone looking back at me so I just hurry back home.

Keys in the bowl, shoes kicked off, straight to the bathroom to clean my pants.

The skin of my thighs merged to the denim with a layer of blood like an unappetizing victorian sponge.

The shower was taking forever to warm up so I started get stuff out to make soup for dinner when I heard the lock on the door turning, in panic i grabbed the nearest object; a candlestick. Creeping closer to the door when it swung open hitting me in the forehead, the candlestick slipping out of my grasp.

"Oh my god, Cassie, what are you doing?"

"You gave me a spare key and I was gonna sneak in and surprise you with movie night. What happened to your hand?" Alice held in her hand the entire DVD series of Twilight and a bottle of gin.

"I thought you were an intruder Ally, oh my god." I sprinted to the shower while cupping my achy forehead to turn it off. When I came back out, Ally had made a start on the soup. "Soup?"

The hot liquid ran down her chin and made tiny puddles on the countertop. I just shook my head, calling her crazy, and went back into the bathroom to shower.

Alice and I sat cross legged on the couch, half way through the second movie.

We talk about how our week has been going since we last saw each other, Alice spoke about how a woman came up to her at work - she's a receptionist.

"Oh my god, this lady came up to me screaming she had to see my boss and that it was urgent, so I asked the normal questions, you know? Do you have an appointment? Do you know who you're here to see? And this cow just screams at me, calling me a stupid bitch who can't do her job."

I could see Alice getting worked up, she went from sipping on her gin to flat out chugging in between sentences.

"I mean who does this nutcase woman think she is, I had to call Dave, our new security guard, to kick her ass to the curb." Alice took in a deep breathe.

"Enough about that. How's the new job going?" I told Alice before we went to the club the other night about how Sam ignores me and acts like I don't exist.

"I should kick that boys ass. Who's he to ignore you!"

I told her about the way he says my name, how he scares me and seems to enjoy my nervousness around him, how he treated me when I cut my hand, and that he went right back to ignore me then he talks again.

"Cassie"

"What?"

"Get with him."

I was taken aback

"You are listening to me right?"

"Yes. He's hot, he's protective, HE'S HOT CASSIE!"

"What about him ignoring me though?"

"Yeah, he's in love with you dude, he's just being a man, men do this when they want to come off as uninterested."

I pondered what Alice said for a second until she punched my arm, shoving me against the arm of the couch. "Get with him or I will Cas."

Alice fell asleep on my couch. I cleaned up the mess in the kitchen and living room, placed a blanket over the snorer hogging my living room and went to bed.

The next morning I woke up to humming from my kitchen. When I checked to see if it was Alice, she jumped out at me screaming.

"Good morning Sleepyhead."

Alice has always been an early riser and a happy one at that.

"When do you start today?" I ask because Alice always has different starting times as there are two receptionist at her office.

"Uhh oh shit in five minutes, I made you coffee and eggs, also I folded your washing. Nice underwear." She winked at me, threw her purse on her shoulder and ran out the door; I just rolled my eyes taking a sip of my hot coffee.

I got ready for work like usual.

Went the short path again and arrived two minutes early; Sam come in right after I did like he normally does, I always find that odd though because I never see him walking behind me until we're inside. We both join together at our lockers, simultaneously. I look up at him about say good morning when he shoved past me. 

What did I do wrong?

Sam just starts craving up the boxes and putting them on the back of Michael's trolley, Michael waves at me and I swear Sam rolls his eyes at us.

Jerk.

The rest of the day moves fast paced and besides the occasional glare from Sam; the day was normal. Sam wouldn't speak to me nor Vanessa when she asked him about payday two days from now, just shrugging or simply ignoring her.

It'll be Sam's second week on the job tomorrow and my first. I don't understand why Sam seems to be annoyed about hearing Vanessa talk about it, I'm so happy to get my first paycheck as rent is due beginning of next week.

I do my job a bit slower today due to my hand giving me grief, Luke noticed and offered a hand. I was very thankful - picking up those boxes are hard to get a grip on when your hand is currently cosplaying as a mummy.

Luke is making small talk with me about high school and how, universally, school is just so shitty; Luke is a sweet kid that makes working so much better when he's by your side, Michael is great too but he can get very distracted.

Bang

Luke and I look up to see Sam had dropped a stack of boxes. We rushed over, Luke picking up the boxes and I checking to see if Sam was alright. Sam dodged my kind reach for his arm and roared at Luke.

"Get off man, I got it." Luke put his hands up in surrender and backed off, mumbling that Sam is a dick.

I just glared at him in disgust.

"You know I understand if you're having a bad day but don't mad at Luke for just helping!" He glared back at me and I stormed off to see if Luke was okay.

"Yea, yea don't worry, I know he didn't mean to take his shit out on me."

God if only Luke was two years older, he'd be the perfect man.

I was just about to leave when I saw Sam and the anger I felt over how he reacted earlier came back to me so I waited for him to walk over to the lockers to give him a piece of my mind.

"I get it if you're the strong quiet type but you don't have to such a dick." He just glanced at me and went back to rummaging in his locker for something, god how mad that makes me.

"I'm talking to you dickface!" He turns and faces me, crossing his arms like he's tired of me.

"You're such a prick, you know, from day one you walk in here acting like you're better than everyone. Well you're not Sam you work in the back of a grocery store like the rest of us!"

He steps closer to me so close that his lips brush by my ear, I feel his hand reach up and tuck my hair behind my ear, out of his way.

"Oh but I am better than everyone here sweetheart."

So flustered I didn't even noticed he had walked off, leaving me red in the face.

When I did walk home I didn't feel anyone watching me this time.

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