Before the Car | Escapes #0.5

Chapter 9

"Leave me alone, Charlie," I heard Jenny say. I stopped walking to the office and looked for them. 

"Hey, don't snap at me," he replied. "I can see it's probably just that time of the month, but you don't need to take it out on me."

Even I was appalled by his lack of tact, so I could only imagine how that made her feel. I rushed in the direction of their voices and found them only an aisle away. Jenny's back was to me, but judging by the death-grip she had on the can in her hand, she was probably imagining throwing it at his head. 

"Leave her alone," I found myself saying, almost involuntarily. I stopped walking when Jenny turned to look at me. Charlie rolled his eyes at me. I opened my mouth to speak, but he cut me off.

"You saw her. She's just moody. You should know about this stuff. Didn't your mom teach you anything?"

I rolled my eyes right back at him. "Of course she did. She taught me that not every girl is comfortable with a creepy stranger talking about their periods. Shut up about it, man. Can't you see she's not wanting to talk to you?" She turned back to look at him.

After what felt like a long moment, he rolled his eyes again. "Fine. Sorry. I won't talk about your body without your permission." He glared at me. "Is that good enough?"

"Don't ask me." I pointed at Jenny. "You weren't talking about me. Ask her."

"Brayden!" My dad's voice cut through the store, making us and everyone around us jump. As one, we all looked at the office. "Come here." 

Oh. Right. I'd come to the store for a reason. I turned back to Jenny and Charlie. I hated leaving them like this, but I knew better than to leave Dad hanging. "Later," I said, giving them a small wave. 

I heard them start speaking again after a few steps. Worried, I glanced over my shoulder. She was holding a can up threateningly. Charlie looked nervous. At least she knew she could protect herself. That was a plus. 

Dad was sitting behind his desk when I finally made it into the office. "Have a seat." I did as he asked. "You've been doing very well at handling Charlie. I think you're ready to run the store under me."

"I haven't been handling him very well at all. He gets on every one of my last nerves."

"Still, you're ready. You're ready to run this store under me."

Footsteps stopped outside the door. It wasn't difficult to guess that it was likely Jenny or Charlie. Just in case it was Charlie... "Finally," I said with a huff. I gestured to the door and saw my Dad's eyes fill with understanding. "I've been trying to tell you I'm ready since last year! What made you think this was the time?"

"You just have to do a couple of things first." Dad stood and walked to the door. He opened it and on the other side was a girl, but I couldn't tell who from the angle I was at. "Ah, Jenny!" My heart stopped. "Just the person I wanted to see. Come here for a minute, step into my office."

As she walked into the office, my heart jumpstarted, throwing in some extra beats for good measure. 

"What did you need, sir?" she asked in a humble, sweet voice. I couldn't help but look at her, though I tried to conceal my awe. What did Dad need her for, anyway?

"I know you've heard me talk about him a lot, but this here is my son." Dad gestured at me. His plans were always something I had objections to, but I wasn't sure if I could object to anything involving Jenny. I smiled hesitantly up at her but it wasn't returned. Just as I predicted. I was pretty sure I'd never seen her smile. Not in the time I'd been working there, or the times I'd seen her waiting at the bus stop. "Brayden, this here is Jenny Herrington. She's one of my best employees and, I dare say, like a daughter to me."