Opposites Distract

I was seriously beginning to think this guy was stalking me. “David, take over for me, I’m not feeling well,” I told my fellow bartender, storming into the employee break room at the back of the bar. David was an Indiana native. He’d lived here all his life, gone to community college, but the guy had a big heart, and that was the most important part.

He got to his feet. “Sure thing, Tay. You wanna go home? I know you’ve got work in the morning, too. I can take the rest of your shift.”

“Thanks,” I said with a grateful smile at David before slipping out the back door. I sighed, unbuttoning the top buttons of my uniform. I liked working at Club 23. Not a lot of college kids come around in the summer, and Mo’s always got a job ready for me. He’s impressed that I mix drinks well, but don’t drink that much myself. I went to my car and sat on the trunk, blowing bubbles in my gum.

I worked at a Jamba Juice not too far off campus during the day and at Mo’s during the night to help pay for my apartment. I was making ends meet for now, but it always got so much harder when school started up again. Everyone else had money from their parents. I got some scholarship money for tuition and my dad paid the difference, but that’s all he paid. And that’s all I wanted. I wanted to be self sufficient. That was part of the reason I decided to come to school here instead of home in Australia.

Allegra Taylor was my full name, but I usually went by Tay or Taylor. If you knew me well and if I liked you well enough, you could call me Allegra. So far, only Warren, May, and a few select individuals here in the states called me that, and it wasn’t often, because they knew how much I disliked it. All the people who called me Allegra back home were either ex-boyfriends or irritating guys that couldn’t take a hint…like this Jack guy. Alex was alright. At least he didn’t hit on me and whip out the cheesy pick up lines. Jack was so immature. All guys usually were.

I pulled the pack of cigarettes out of my pocket and my lighter, lighting on and bringing it to my lips. Maybe I didn’t drink, but smoking was my only vice. Well, there was also the fact that I smiled like a saint and swore like a sailor, but it doesn’t matter. You know what they say, the older you get, the more sins you commit. I sat out in the parking lot for a good half hour, even though I could’ve been home by now. I didn’t feel like driving just yet. I was tired, and it was that “I’m-so-tired-I-can’t-sleep” kind of tired. “Chain smoker?” A male voice asked when I blew out some smoke rings.

“Just a stress reliever,” I answered, not really caring who it was, but I should have. It was that Jack guy, the one I planned on ignoring all night. Dammit.

He wore skinny jeans, Nike dunks, and a purple shirt with some words on it, but those words were obscured by his leather jacket. His hair looked like your typical scene kid’s hair, all spiky and messed up. He was a scrawny little spit fuck, but he was eye level with me and I was sitting on the trunk of my car. “Wow, you go to Notre Dame and you smoke?” he chuckled teasingly. “Bad girl!”

I smirked. “I’m a student, not a saint.” He chuckled and leaned against my car, pulling his jacket zipper up and down. “Look, kid, that was definitely not an invitation to come closer. You’re annoying.”

He pouted, and it was such a childish action I wanted to laugh. “Only when I want to be… am I annoying you now?” I just ignored him, taking a long drag from my cigarette. Jack grinned and hopped up onto the trunk with me. I swear the car didn’t move because he was so light. What the hell? “Sorry I was being such a douche bag earlier today,” he apologized, which was the last thing I expected to hear from him. “I was bored, and I’m easily entertained by girls like you…”

“You just sounded like a pedophile right there.”

“Oh my god, you are being so difficult! How do I tell you you’re, gosh, you’re so freaking pretty without pissing you off?” he sighed in frustration, folding his arms across his chest. I was a little taken aback at that. Everywhere I went, I got described with “hot”, “sexy”, “gorgeous”, and other words of that nature… I’d never been called “pretty” before. I guess most girls would be offended at that, but… I kind of liked it. It was so innocent and cute sounding. “Hello…?”

“You’ve been talking to me for ten minutes, and I haven’t heard a single curse word,” I noted, blowing smoke in his direction so he coughed and didn’t see me blush ever so slightly. “Impressive, kid.”

“I try,” he coughed, wildly waving the smoke away with his arms. “Jesus, could you stop smoking that shit? Aw, fail!” he yelled when he realized what he said. I couldn’t help but laugh. “No, seriously, please stop smoking those cancer sticks. I can’t fucking breathe.” I rolled my eyes, but dropped my almost finished cigarette and hopped off my car, stomping it out. “Thank you,” Jack still coughed out. “So, did you hear me before? I said I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to bother you. Well, I did. I didn’t mean to make you mad at me, though,” he mumbled, getting off the trunk, too.

“It’s fine, kid,” I waved him away nonchalantly. Now it was time to go.

“Why do you keep calling me kid? You’re the kid! You look like you’re…twelve!” Jack declared, looking down on me to prove his point.

I put my hands on my hips. “I’m twenty two.”

Jack smirked. “Guess how old I am?” I sighed and waited for his answer. “Fucking guess!” he whined, but I just arched an eyebrow at him. I figured it was a rhetorical question. “Well, I’m twenty three. Ha!”

“Nobody likes you when you’re twenty three,” I sang under my breath, pocketing my lighter and cigarettes.

“Holy shit, you like Blink?” Jack asked, his eyes going wide.

“You have got to ease up on the swearing,” I chuckled, shaking my head indulgently.

“Well, I said ‘holy’ in front of it, does that make it better?”

I actually threw back my head and laughed at that one. “Jack, you really should act your age.”

“Oh my god, I’m sick of always hearing that!” Jack frowned at me. “Miss No Name, you really should act your age.”

“I act my age,” I said defensively. I took great pride in being called wise beyond my years and what not. “Hell, I act older than I really am!”

“Exactly!” said Jack, pointing at me accusingly. “You said it yourself! You act older than you should, so I can tell you to act your age, ha!” Jack declared triumphantly.

“My mom always told me to act my age, not my shoe size,” I told him, kicking his Nike Dunks with my TOMS covered feet. “And everyone knows girls are mature faster than boys.”

“Damn, it must suck to be a girl. Growing up so fucking fast. Not enjoying your childhood. Dealing with that time of the month. Missing out on so much fun!” he laughed, looking at something far off like he was remembering his own childhood.

I gritted my teeth. “There’s nothing 'fun' about being a child.”

Jack blinked, looking at me with…pity. “Why would you say something like that?”

My already thin patience was gone. “You don’t know me. You don’t even care.” I got into my car and locked myself in it, trying to start the car…but for some reason, it wouldn’t. I tried about five times before giving up and angrily whacking the steering wheel. I looked out the window, half expecting to see Jack standing outside with that stupid puppy dog pout on his face, but he was gone. Good for him.

I tried to start my car again, but it was still stalling out. I had gas and everything. What the fuck was wrong? I was startled by the knock on my window. Jack had returned, and a car was behind him. I could see Alex with a bundle of wires over his arm.

“Pop your hood,” Jack yelled so I could hear him through the glass. I did as he said, and the two boys helped me jump start my car. I rolled down my window to hear the roar of my engine better, not believing they actually got it to work. “You’ll be alright driving home alone tonight?” Jack asked, leaning down to talk to me my open window. Alex had gotten back in their car.

“Y-Yeah…look, Jack –“

“Don’t tell me I don’t care,” he said quietly, and before I knew it, he had slipped my name tag off my shirt. “Taylor,” he finished, reading off the name tag. He grinned to himself before pocketing it. “Drive safe, sleep tight, and don’t let the bed bugs bite!” he yelled before running over to his car, which Alex was slowly driving away in.

What an odd, peculiar, bizarre…sweet boy guy.