Nothing More than an Acrimonious Dispute

Tick tock. Tick tock. Tick tock. Tick tock.
The sound echoed within in my head repeatedly, causing my exceedingly tedious headache to get somehow worse. I must have been staring at the clock for ten minutes solid, in a transfixed gaze, not bothering to tear my eyes away from the vexatious contraption. For some reason, in my mind, logic stated that staring at the clock must make time pass quicker. Of course, it didn't; it only depreciated my grumpy mood and frustrated me. So instead of hoping that I had time bending abilities, I had to stand there, imagining myself being elsewhere- far away from this god damn coffee shop.

Yeah. I work at a coffee shop. Isn't it great? Ha, no. I despised the place more than I could ever articulate. The abiding stench of coffee clung to me throughout my six hour shift, and even followed me home. To say I hated going to work would be an understatement. I would often try to hide in the store room, away from nagging customers and my irritating colleagues. But soon enough, someone would drag me out of my hiding spot, forcing me to serve inconsiderate customers, rudely demanding lattes or cappuccinos without even conjuring up a 'thank-you' or 'please'.

There was one more thing that made me hate my job even more... Kellin Quinn. The annoying son of a bitch that is always there to pester me or tease me about something. And guess what? Our shifts started and ended at exactly the same times. So not only did I have to contend with six hours of pungent smelling cheap coffee, but an idiot with the mind-set of a 10 year old boy. I hated him. I couldn't think of anyone more grating than him. The only way of drowning out the constant stream of bullshit that came out of his mouth was sticking my headphones into my ears as far as they would go, and turning my heavy music up as loud as it would go. This gave off the vibe that I was quite an unapproachable person, so the others that worked here generally stayed out of my way as much as possible. I don’t blame them- I have a face like thunder most of the time.

So, as I stood there, seething silently at everything (like every day), I felt the music leave my left ear. Annoyed, I tore my eyes from the clock, and was met with a smug looking grin that belonged to the one and only- Kellin. A hateful expression registered on my face, and I attempted to snatch my headphone back out of Kellin's hand. Expectantly, he hastily moved his hand out of my reach, waggling the headphone around violently before sticking it in his ear.

"Hmmm. Mayday Parade. Not bad, Fuentes." Kellin flashed a smirk my way, thriving off of the anticipated annoyed comment that was about to leave my lips.

"Give it back here, you absolute waste of space. I'm not in the mood for your childish bullshit today."' I countered angrily.

"Haha, no different to any other day then. Jeez Vic, lighten up a bit, dude. You're so moody."

"How am I supposed to be in a good fucking mood when you are constantly bugging me? Give me my headphone back and piss the fuck off, got it?" I ripped the headphone from his ear and stomped off, huffing profanities under my breath whilst thinking of all the ways I could choke him with the coffee beans from the store room. Speaking of the store room, that's where I was going. The metal door rattled rather loudly as I stormed through them, desperate to get away from Kellin, before I smacked him. Hitting him around the face would ultimately end horribly. So instead, I threw my coat on, bracing myself for the harsh coldness of Michigan's winter air. A shiver danced its way down my spine, causing my whole body to shudder as I swung open the fire exit door, exposing my flesh to bitter air.

Scrambling through my pockets for my cigarettes would be the only solution to calming myself down. It's a bad habit, but it keeps me happy, so I continue to do it. I was quick to find and light a cigarette, savouring the calming effect the nicotine had on my mind and body as I breathed in the vapour. I watched the smoke billow up into the air and sighed- I would have to go back inside soon. Great. But for now, I would cherish every second I had to myself. Standing there alone with my thoughts made me think about how bitter I acted towards everyone. Kellin particularly. Maybe I should be less hostile and unwelcoming? I contemplated the thought for a moment, but it left my mind hastily when the fire exit door opened violently, and hit me straight in my cheek. This of course rid me of any amiable or pitiful thoughts- anger taking their place eagerly.

"Fuck! Ow! What the fuck?" Whoever that is will be wishing they had never come to work after I've done with them. I cupped my cheek, rubbing it slightly, attempting to sooth the throbbing pain travelling through it.

"Oh god Vic! Sorry, sorry, sorry!" A distinguishable high pitched voice cried. Fantastic. It was Kellin. Could this boy not give me five god damn minutes to myself? Every single day he would hassle me with his meaningless babble and idiotic questions. The pain just added fuel to the constant fire of resentment burning inside my brain.

Sure enough, he rushed over to me, talking so fast I couldn't understand a word of what he was saying, and frankly I didn't care in the slightest. I rested my cigarette between my lips, and gripped my hands down onto his shoulders harshly, giving me the opportunity to slam his back against the wall. I literally sandwiched him between myself and the wall, whilst squeezing his shoulders until I heard a gasp.

"Vic, you're kind of hurting me." Kellin warned, as his teeth gnawed down on his lip in an attempt to stop any wincing noises escaping. I let go of his shoulders and took another drag on my cigarette, blowing the smoke into Kellin's face as I spoke.

"Good. You're an annoying piece of shit, and it's really starting to get on my nerves." My voice came out unusually throaty and low, resulting in Kellin looking rather intimidated. Moving my face closer to his own only made him squirm more and I was enjoying making him feel uncomfortable. I ensured to never wander my gaze from his bright blue eyes, piercing them with a hostile glare.

"We wouldn't want that pretty little face of yours to be ruined, would we?" I threatened, placing my hand on the wall behind him, so I was literally looming over him. Surprisingly, against my initial intentions, a rosy colour blemished itself across his cheeks, in which I assumed was a blush. Oh, this was an odd advancement. I smirked, even happier with myself; anything to make him feel awkward would serve him right for annoying me every day.

"You don't want that, do you Kellin?" I questioned him, moving so I could feel the hot air leave his lips. Sure enough, the once rosy colour deepened, until a clear crimson hue covered both his cheeks.

"Obviously not. We wouldn’t want to ruin the perfection that is my face" Kellin’s eyes danced with amusement and an obnoxious glint of provocation. I knew what he was doing; he was testing me. Kellin loved irritating me, and the more of a response he got out of me, the better. Though I knew this valuable piece of information, I completely ignored it, carrying on my rant.

My mood was jaded and I had had enough. I leant forward and placed my lips right next to his ear, blowing cold air down his neck, which caused a shiver to rack over his body.

“Right, you better watch your fucking tongue then.”

His cocky attitude halted, probably tripping up all over the place within his mind. The mysterious pink tinge resurfaced and Kellin hastily shot his head to the side, evidently bothered by my taunting. Gaining composure was proving to be an issue for Kellin, as letting his ‘not-bothered-by-anything’ attitude slip allowed me to see the real child he was.

“Whatever Vic. Later!” Kellin mumbled before abruptly scurrying off. A grin spread across my face- nothing made me happier than revenge. Yes, I knew being vindictive wasn’t the best personality trait to have, but I didn’t care in the slightest.

As I made my way back inside, one thing crept its way through my memories, being sure to leave a profound imprint on my conscious thoughts:

The blush; it really was strange. Maybe it was caused by our close proximity? Yes, most probably. It must be. I decided that dwelling on it was not worth my time, so I leant against the wall sluggishly, continuing to smoke my cigarette. Kellin Quinn was just another pointless idiot wandering in and out of my life, but I still didn't allow my mind to think: if he was so pointless, why did he plague my mind so much? Yes, the countless thoughts maybe negative, but nevertheless, they were still thoughts. Almost immediately, I decided to disregard the Kellin related issue bothering me, and push into the back of my brain indefinitely.

He's just another idiot you don't need to contend with, Vic. Just another idiot.