No Breaks

Fuck the police. I thought as I walked by a parked police car. I laughed to myself as if it was a funny joke, but really it was just me wishing I was more of a badass than I really was.

Fuck the heat, though. I rolled my eyes as the bookstore came into view. Right now, I didn’t want to sit in a bookstore, even if I was getting paid. I wanted to be sitting online, watching videos, eating ice cream and screaming into the fan as if I were a robot.

Pretty much, the point was, I lead a life that I found boring. I just wanted something miraculous to happen. I did move to a completely different time zone to seek adventure. But it wasn’t like I had much more at home, my best friends both moved, one to Korea and the other was always on the go. They were in places that I could only dream of visiting, especially with the salary I was currently sustaining life on.

Steph and Allie would slap me right now if they knew how unproductive I was being. Then again, I was reading 174% more books than I was before I started work. And, with all the reading, I was gaining more inspiration to move on with my writing career, which was currently on hold, Mr. Writer’s Block found me often and he really was a needy bastard.

Time always moved slowly in the store. The demographics for a book store were pretty shit, but the owner insisted that it would be a profit and not to worry my head off about it. I was just trying to help, it’s not my fault his business skills needed more work than my novel did.

My typical day was spent reading, alone, grabbing lunch next door at the pizza place, and going home to my pet fish Finn. Exciting, I know. But that was life, I guess. Day by day nothing. Well, mostly.

As stated, I went for pizza at the place next door every day. Most of the time, it was uneventful. Sometimes I would find a quarter or they would give me a free Sprite! Yeah, living the swag life, right? Hashtag Yolo? Well, sometimes “YOLO” can be the right word, because as my usual lunch time crept closer, so did an event that seemed to change my life.

The lady at the pizza place knew my order, which never really changed. So she would have a small box ready for me, right on time. Today was a bit different though. When I walked in the door Jackie slapped her forehead and held up a finger. “Sasha, I’m so sorry. It’s going to be a little while, we just got a huge order and all the ovens are full, I’m going crazy, some company is having a party and….” She shook her head and gripped her face tightly. “Grab a soda, dear. You locked up right?”

“Yeah, it’s really no problem, Jackie. Look at that, you are getting a lot more business than I am. Be successful for one of us.” I smiled and grabbed a medium cup and filled it with the clear fizzy liquid. “Who are you serving?”

She laughed, “I don’t even know. I know the guys name who’s picking it up.” Jackie started folding the boxes up so the pizzas could go in as soon as they finished, I set my cup down and pulled some boxes out as well. Honestly, I don’t get why I wasn’t working for Jackie and her husband, they had more interesting things to do.

We folded ten boxes when the customer walked in and I’m not even kidding, I almost pissed myself. “Ten for Ray.” He said, almost as if rehearsed. He smiled and pushed his glasses back into place as they slipped down his nose. I froze and admired his douche hair cut. It really did look worse in person. “Hello?” He asked, waving a hand. I laughed nervously and grabbed an empty box.

“Sorry, um, Jackie?” I turned and looked at her as she smiled at me, seeing the paleness of my face. She knew instantly that I knew this man. Problem was, he didn’t know me. She waved her hand, urging me to continue. “Ten?” I asked, he nodded, leaning on the counter. “Big party?”

He nodded again, smiling more as he suspected my nervousness. Or at least, I think he did. “Birthday party for a coworker. He really likes this place.”

“Yeah, the pizza is good.” I started feeling hungry again. “Cash, credit?”

Jackie slipped in, punching numbers into the POS. “You’re taken care of, Mr. Narvaez. I know we don’t deliver, but I’m going to send my best employee to help you carry these.” He handed me a stack of five and urged me towards the door.

Ray smiled, probably feeling relieved that he wouldn’t have to walk back like this, turns out the bet was he couldn’t do it, go him stumbling upon a loophole. If it were Ryan, he would have found it hours ago. “Thanks. Well, let’s get these back, the guys are already bitching.”

I walked beside him silently for a good ten minutes before finally blurting something out and blowing my calm, cool, not fangirlish cover. “Burnie really loves Jackie’s pizza?” I wanted to facepalm instantly, but I had hot boxes occupying my hands.

“I knew you were a fan.” He laughed and nodded. “Burnie was asking for it last night. Apparently it’s the best in town.”

“It is. Which is why I go everyday.”

“And you don’t work there. I think this is some kind of set up, huh?”

I shook my head, stopping instantly, “No, I didn’t know, honestly. I work in the bookstore next to Jackie’s!”

His laugh was bigger this time, “Chill. I was kidding. Who’s your favorite?” He was walking again, so I followed.

“I don’t—“

“Nope, can’t do that.”

I bit my lip and cussed to myself. I have two options, tell him the truth and look like a suck up or an idiot… or lie and probably make him feel bad. Honesty was the best policy. “You.”

He nodded, almost too quickly, somewhat a bit too controlled. He stopped and set the pizza on the bench in front of RoosterTeeths headquarters. “Thanks….”

“Sasha.”

“Thank you, Sasha.” The boxes were quickly lifted from my hands and I was disappointed that the walk ended so quickly. “I’d invite you in, but you probably have to get back to work or lunch.” I sighed, placing my hands in my pocket and agreeing silently. “It was nice to meet you.”

“Yeah, you too. Tell Burnie I said Happy Birthday.” I turned on my heels and started back in the direction we came from, but Ray was calling to me again. “Hm?” I turned, finding him standing very closely. My heart raced and I knew my face was quickly turning multiple shades of red.

He bit his lip and shrugged. “Yolo..” He whispered looking at the ground before closing his eyes and leaning in.

His lips found mine quickly and I froze, like an idiot I froze. You would think with sun beating on us and the temperature already in the 100’s, I would manage to make even a slightly movement, but nope, nothing. He didn’t seem insulted as he pulled away, thought. He just smiled and ran his fingers through that douchy haircut. “The lady at the shop, she has my number. Don’t be a stranger.”

And just like that, he was juggling ten boxes of pizza and disappearing in the doors of RT, taking my sanity with him. And from that day on, I wasn’t a stranger and I actually managed not to freeze….