Candy Coated Lips and Fragile Hearts

The shrill beeping of the alarm clock on my bedstand broke through the silence of the morning, causing me to groan and bury my face in the pillow. It was another Monday morning that dawned too bright, too early, and forced me to get out of the comfort of my bed to go to a job I hated. Before my miserable thoughts went any further, I forced myself to sit up and turn off the still-ringing alarm clock. The silence that washed over the small room was soothing, and the fact that I had to go get dressed completely ruined it. I emmited a loud sigh before walking towards my bathroom to shower. The tiny area steamed up quickly and I kept my shower brief, trying not to run the water bill up too high.

For some reason, the solitary drops that fell randomly on the porcelain tub once the water was shut off reminded me how utterly alone I was in my life. They seemed to echo through the place. To be completely honest, it didn't bother me as much as it probably should. Frowning a bit in spite of it, I began my morning routine, allowing my thoughts to take over while I was getting dressed.

I'd always been an only child, and that may have had something to do with the fact I'd been so awkward at making friends when school started. By the time high school rolled around, my brain just accepted the fact that fitting in wasn't an option. My parents were the only people in my life, and fate - if you could call it that, took them from me too on a rainy night in October. My aunt housed me until I'd graduated, and now I was grown, living on my own in a tiny house trying to keep a job I hated so I could make ends meet.

Unexpectedly, a bitter smile crept across my face while I tugged on my black jeans that served as my work pants, then my black Adidas sneakers, followed lastly by my work shirt, a vertically striped white and pink polo-type shirt that read 'Carl's Candy Shop' across the back in big, black lettering. I took one last look at my skinny frame in the mirror, swiping my brown hair that was getting longer out of my eyes, then let my weary feet carry me out the door and into my car, where I sped off towards work.

You would think that a candy shop wouldn't be too busy, but right now, we were completely packed and the elderly woman standing in the front of the line was really working my nerves.

"I'm telling you, this peppermint is too hard!" she insisted again, holding the small, clear bag she'd filled with it in my face, shaking it about as though it would change anything.

I tried to keep the sarcasm out of my reply, which proved to be hard. "Ma'am, I'm sorry, but that's just the way it's made." my voice repeated for about the fifth time already.

Though she didn't seem to agree with my desicion she accepted it and walked off, snatching the door open with a little more force than was necessary. The next in line was a young looking blonde woman. She placed a bag of various sour candies on the counter, then pointed to one of the more expensive chocolates behind me and bought that as well, paying and leaving but making sure to politely tell me thank you.

The way she said it, though, had practically been dripping with sympathy; I'm assuming because I'm a twenty one year old man working in a candy shop. A loud, aggravated sigh almost escaped my lips but I gritted my teeth and attempted to put smile on my face. It always turned out fake, anyways. Endless hours seemed to pass before it was almost closing time. There were a few random stragglers still in the store, but most of the people were selecting their purchases to check out. The small bell above the door suddenly jingled, and naturally, everyone looked to see who walked in.

They didn't, however, avert their eyes from the sight in front of them until they'd had a good, long look at the sight in front of them. A younger boy, eighteen or nineteen at the most, had walked into the store. Most of the time, that's nothing too important to stare at, but this kid attracted attention. It was mainly from the way he clothed himself.

His too-tight-for-public skinny jeans that accented his figure perfectly were paired with a flamingo pink baby tee that read "Diva" in white glittering letters across the front. He wore a pair of matching pink sunglasses across his slightly tanned face, completely covering his eyes, and a small but obviously glittering ring adorned his pinkie. The outfit was completed with a pair of black low profile Vans and the bubblegum we was so obviously chewing on as he walked in.

Someone clearing their throat in front of me broke my gaze on the boy, and I snapped back to what I was doing. The older lady who was waiting to pay for her candy gave me a glare and a snippy 'thank you' before leaving. It wasn't like I'd meant to keep staring at the boy, and I wasn't even staring at the bright fashion he was dressed in. I was staring because of the air of confidence that he seemed to carry around him, when it was so obvious that everyone was watching him. Shaking my head, I finished up the short line of customers and finally, up stepped the boy.

"Hi." he said happily, laying an already opened bag of suckers on the counter and the one missing from the bag was dangling from his full pink lips. "What's your name?" followed after.

I watched as he pulled his glasses up and I saw his huge, brown eyes. "Ryan." I muttered sarcastically, pointing towards the nametag on my shirt.

"Ryan." his soft voice trailed it out, nodding his head as if he were agreeing to something. "I like that. Mine's Brendon." he offered.

Jerking my head in some sort of nod, I pressed another button on the register. "Two-fifty." I mumbled, watching as he dug around in his tight pockets to find three dollar bills.

"You can keep the change, cutie." he - Brendon said sweetly, winking at me.

Shaking my head, my hands quickly returned the change to his palm. "Look, nothing against it, but I dont swing that way." I muttered, hanging my head, a little embarassed.

"Shame, you're a pretty little thing Candy-Boy." Brendon said almost mockingly, putting his glasses back on. "Well we can at least be friends."

Trying my hardest to keep my eyes averted, I shook my head again. "I don't have friends." I told him, feeling more and more like a bone to a dog from the way he was staring at me. He stood for a minute, then shrugged.

"Then I'll be your first." he replied cheekily, then grabbed his bag of suckers and made his way out the door and down the street in the darkening sky.

Sighing loudly, I walked over to the door and locked it, flicking the sign over to read 'closed' and then turning back to close the shop up. It was kinda nice when I was the only one here; the manager usually left earlier, trusting me to close the place up. Beginning to hum to keep myself from being surrounded by the still quiet, I took the money from the register and put it in the safe, making sure it locked behind me. Then, I grabbed the broom and swept the place up, making sure the random candies that had been carelessly dropped on the ground were picked up and in the trash can. Soon enough, I was finished, and it was time for me to go home.

I let another sigh escaped my lungs as I walked outside and climbed in my car, digging a cigarette out of my pack and lighting it up as I drove away. Today had been a stressful day. It would do be some good to get home and take a nice, relaxing bath and relax a little before bed, maybe drink a beer or two. I focused on that thought as I drove home and practically ran inside, allowing the hot water to begin filling the bathtub as I grabbed a fresh pair of boxers to put on once I'd finished then stripping down and climbing in the soapy water.

Ever since I was a kid, a bath had always relaxed me and helped me ease my stress away. Closing my eyes and laying my head against the back of the tub, I let my thoughts drift through the day's events lazily. The old woman with the peppermint had bothered me, and so did a few other people who came and went. Suddenly, the kid Brendon popped into my mind and I frowned a bit. He really didn't seem to get the hint that I didn't want to be around anyone. I'd always been alone, so why would I change it for him? Shaking my head, I told myself I'd probably never see him again and let it go, sitting in the bathtub until my water turned cold.

Once I was dressed in my fresh boxers, I threw my dirty clothes on the floor at the foot of the bed and walked to the kitchen to get a beer out of the fridge. The thick liquid made its way down my throat refreshingly, and I grabbed one more to take with me while I sat and watched television until it was time for bed. The small T.V. was hardly good enough to even watch cable on, but hey, it could always be worse. I flicked through the channels a few times before I eventually settled on something, but the Brendon kid was still making me perplexed. Maybe it was because he was the first person to talk to me besides my boss in forever.

I had always been a nobody. People have never wanted to be my friend, and then this kid just randomly decides to talk to me. This kid had no idea what he was doing, I wasn't meant to be around people and to have friends. Accepted was a word I just simply didn't use, and he didn't seem to grasp the fact that I was serious. Sighing a bit, I closed my eyes and leaned against the back of my couch, drinking my beer and trying to sort out my thoughts but the only person in them was the stupid kid with his stupid cocky attitude. I wondered if he would ever come back in the store again, anyways.

What an asshole.