Never Grow Up Too Fast

"I'm here!" Tera happily notified me only to hang up a second later before letting me respond.

I hastily grabbed my bag and slipped by my parents and bidding them goodbye, before I ran out the door and jumped into Tera's car.

"Hey!" We greeted each other; guess this is what happens when you've known each other since diapers and bottles stage.

"So you excited for another fun day at work?" I asked once I successfully had All Time Low lowly humming from the car stereo.

"Eh."

"Oh come on Tera, we work at a bookstore. I cream my panties over the new book releases and you geek out with the comic books." Tera gave me a look that said 'Point taken.' as she parked in her spot.

As we got our stuff and trekked the block to the store, Tera talked my head off about this new underground comic she found, and I was successfully blocking her out.

"Hey, if you were a hotdog, would you eat yourself?" I gave her a What the fu...dge look only to have her respond with, "I would..."

"Seriously Tera?"

"You weren't even listening." Tera complained as she shoved me right into someone. If only I had fast reflexes and wasn't such a klutz, I wouldn't have dragged the innocent bystander in my attempt to remain with my two feet planted on the ground instead of my butt with someone on top of me. I am all that is graceful in the world, if only I wasted my birthday wishes on fast reflexes and grace instead of a pony and that easy bake oven. If only.

"Holy crap." Tera managed to push out in between some giggles. Bitch.

The sound of chuckling broke my glare from Tera, and I could suddenly feel the fires of hell burning the hell out of my cheeks. "Why me? Can't I be invisible. Gosh another thing I should have wished for in past birthdays. Dammit!", I though to myself.

"You okay?" A deep yet concerned voice asked make me snap my eyes open and rest on some beautiful hazel eyes of one Christian Sanchez, or who his bumbling idiot of friends referred to as Chris.

"Yeah." He quickly picked himself off me as his friends continued to laugh. I only then began to assess the damage, all the while being lifted back on my feet by Chris.

I squeaked out a thank you, and he raised an eyebrow.

"Uhm you sure you're okay?" He questioned as he eyed my scraped elbow. While I was rightfully annoyed with his friends, Chris was calm and awaiting my answer.

"It’s not the first time I've taken a nasty spill, nothing some alcohol and a bandage won't fix."

"You sure?"

"Positive." I nodded along with my response and grabbed Tera and dragged her from the scene of the crime and into the cool interior of our mecca, the bookstore.

We threw out a quick greeting to Gare, the bossman and headed straight to the employee bathroom.

While I successfully cleaned out my scraped and scratches without wincing, Tera badgered me, "Was it just me or did you have a moment with one very hot Christian Sanchez?"

"I hardly call dragging a guy down with you having a moment. Now you're being as stupid as Alyssa and the rest of the cheerleaders."

"Come on..." I cut her off with a glare that she could never argue with.

"Now can we just drop it." I said foregoing the bandages since the bleeding had stopped.

"Fine." Tera exhaled as I gave her a grateful look as opened the door with shove of my backside and running right into the chest of Chris.

"We meet again." Chris coolly stated.

“Unfortunately.” I bit out before making it past him to gather a box of comic books and heading to the storefront.

“Come on no need to be angry at me, as I recall it was you that dragged me down with you.”

“I’m sorry.”

“So you think I’m hot?”

“Wait were you eavesdropping on a private conversation?” Of all foul things to do.

“So you do think I’m hot?”

“No, as I recall it was Tera that referred to you as hot.”

“You don’t find me attractive?” I rolled my eyes at his stupidity and turned to stocking the shelves. When I turned around, I found myself in the middle of a shelf and a hard body. “The whole bad boy does have an effect on girls, and you know it’s having some effect on yourself.”

"The only affect you have on me is testing my annoyance level, now stay away from me.” I growled out as I pushed him with all the strength I could muster. I was about to seriously maim him when I heard his idiot friends laughing at their friend getting rejected.

I walked away from Chris and towards where Jace, Pete, Jorge, Martin, and Tera stood.

“Still denying you two didn’t have a moment.” Tera teased.

Great.