When I Say

I think she was drunk. She danced clumsily around the deserted Target, iPod in her hands and one ear bud in her ear. I was going to ask her to leave, but there was only ten minutes until closing time and she was basically the only person here, so I decided to just let her knock herself out.

She came up to my register and handed me a pair of red and black plaid skinny jeans. “Will that be all for you?” I asked, taking the jeans.

She sighed. I slightly smiled and scanned the jeans.

“My boyfriend broke up with me,” she whispered. I looked up at her and smiled sympathetically. “He told me I’m too ‘weird’. But whatever, fuck him right?” She was talking louder and I realized she was drunk.

“Um, your total will be $12.50.”

Her face dropped and she giggled. “Oh, my god. I forgot that you’re supposed to have money to pay for this shit.” She laughed louder and swayed slightly. She checked her pockets and I guessed she didn’t have any money. “Oh! Here!” She took her ear bud out of her ear and handed me her iPod. “You can keep this. I really like those jeans. We can trade, right?” Her dark blue eyes glowed.

I took out my cellphone and looked at the time. I thanked god it was almost time for the store to close. “Listen, I’ll pay. So, you can keep your iPod.”

She gasped. “You would do that? For me? Oh, wow. Now I have to give you my iPod. Wow.” She grinned and put her iPod on the conveyer belt.

I sighed, annoyed, and grabbed her iPod and pretty much threw it at her. Luckily, she kind of caught it. “Listen, just take your iPod and your pants!” I threw her pants at her, too. “It closing time anyway.”

She smiled sadly at me and picked her pants up. “Okay,” she whispered. She walked out of Target with her head hung.

I took a twenty dollar bill out of my pocket and paid for the girl’s pants. “I’m leaving, Matt,” I called and waved at him, walking out of Target.

As I walked to my car, I saw that girl sitting on the curb, the pants on her knees, he face buried in her pants and she was clutching her iPod like it was the last thing she had.

I sighed and momentarily hated myself for being a semi-nice person. I quietly walked up to her and the closer I got, I realized she was sobbing. Her shoulders shook up and down as she heaved heavy, loud sobs that were slightly muffled by the pants. I gently tapped her shoulder and I noticed her flinch. She slowly looked up at me and I had to bit a smile back because her mascara was running.

“What?” she asked, her voice cracking.

“Do you need a ride?”