For the next week and a half, we slowly found our groove again. Lara's wounds were almost non-existent and she almost stopped making unholy noises every time she moved a limb. I managed to finish my exams with surprisingly good grades and I am now officially a senior. I don't know what Cooper was studying for, but he isn't doing that anymore. Even though we agreed we weren't going to tell Axel and Landon yet, she still had to talk to the manager about her unaccounted absence. He was sympathetic and agreed to give us both a week off and today marks our first day back.
We got up around 10am, she made us breakfast and even packed me a lunch. I could get used to getting spoiled like this. Before her brother officially moved to Amsterdam, he left her a beautiful Range Rover which is now our official method of transportation. One of the many good things about having a car is our ability to play music at the loudest possible volume. Surprisingly, her music taste is so close to mine which made choosing songs that much more better. We are currently jamming to LA Baby by the Jo Bros. Since the store was only a half hour away by car, we could only listen to so many songs.
We pulled up to the store parking lot, locked the car then made our way inside. The smell of everything mixed up into one really put me at ease. Don't get me wrong it was nasty, but the familiarity was comforting.
"Oh my God! Welcome back guys, I really missed you." Asma cheerfully welcomed us both with a big, big hug."
"Wow Soph, you smell amazing!" She added, her smile never faltering.
"Thank you so much Asma, it's good to be back." Said Lara.
"Thanks girl! We missed you too..." I started to say, but was rudely interrupted.
"Hey! Lady! I don't have time for your girly dumb stuff, can you cash me out so I can maybe not miss my bus?"
Lara and I looked at each other, definitely not missing this.
"Sorry, I gotta go back, but I'll find you guys later."
"Later!" We both said, walking away, the customer eyeing us weirdly like we just hiked the prices on demand.
"One of my biggest fears is that they talk to me like that, and I unknowingly punch them square in the nose." She said.
"That's actually one of my many dreams and aspirations." We laughed, but ain't nothing funny about it because I will smack them.
Before we took a right into the hallway that lead to our locker, I could sense something with my peripheral vision. I looked up to find Axel and Landon standing at the window of the assistant manager's office, Landon's back to us. He waved and gave me a huge smile, dimples in full view. I enthusiastically waved back and went to catch up with Lara. She was talking with one of our regulars.
"Well hello Mrs. Jordano, how are you?" I asked.
"Hello my dear! I was just telling Lara here how long it's been since I last saw you two. Is everything okay?" She asked, worry evident on her face.
She always got us homemade cookies and gave us tickets to concerts she won. She's literally the grandma we never had.
"Yes ma'am, everything is going great! Just busy with exams but we're done now." I said in a rush.
She smiled, and started fishing for something inside of her bag.
"I kept baking a fresh batch everyday in case I ran in to you girls. The best chocolate chip cookies ever. When I didn't find you, I would just give them to Copper or Axel or Jordan, they seemed to enjoy them as well." She handed us an aluminum container with a ton of cookies in it.
Both our eyes lit up like little kids
"Thank you so much! I will cherish this forever." Said Lara, as we both hugged her.
YOU ARE READING
The Corner Store
Teen FictionI fell for a boy with the kindest blue eyes, and a charming dimple. He made me feel loved, and cared for, and most importantly he made me feel safe in his presence. He came right in the middle of a tornadoe and managed to turn it into blue skies. He...
