NOVEL SIMPLE Chapter 2 – The Cashier
Strolling down the sidewalk, I reflected on what Delilah told me.
‘Please… Let’s go back to when the world was so colorful.’
For some reason.
‘You were the first person to color my world.’
Her words stuck in the back of my mind.
‘You loved me and accepted me, even though I was a weird and quiet girl.’
Reflecting back on our times together, I wondered what I saw in a girl who followed me around like a lost puppy.
To her, I was her first love. The person who freed her from isolation and opened her lonely world.
To me, she was a person who made my heart flutter. The reason why I could live through such a dull life.
If I had to guess the reason for it, we just had a lot in common. Our relationship just felt natural.
Even when I grew tired of being around people, I never felt stressed whenever I hung out with her.
I truly believed that being by her side wouldn’t make life boring.
But for some reason, after learning about her affair.
I wasn’t angry nor sad.
I was just extremely…
Disappointed.
… Sometimes, I wonder… Was I truly in love with her..?
Shit, I’m overthinking things… It’s all in the past now.
Let’s get some ice cream to clear my mind. Then let's head back home to finish my gacha game dailies.
My daydream stopped as soon as the front of the convenience store came into view.
I occasionally visit this specific store, since it’s only a 15 minute walk from my high school.
A block before arriving at the store, I glanced at the delinquents who smoked in the alleyway, adjacent to the sidewalk I was on.
Recently, it’s become a hotspot for their delinquent gatherings.
I noticed a new face among them.
A girl who seemed taller than me was casually leaning against the wall.
She wore a black cropped leather jacket with a white t-shirt underneath.
Accompanied with denim shorts that revealed too much of her thighs.
She was noticeably taller than me, had red-dyed hair, and sharp blue eyes.
Damn…
To be honest, even if she isn’t my type… She was still a treat to the eyes.
As I continued on the sidewalk, I eventually reached to the front of the store and walked through the sliding doors.
Ding~!
As the entry chime welcomed me, I accidentally bumped into someone who was trying to leave the store.
They tripped onto the floor.
Shit, my bad dude.
“Sorry, are you okay?”
I reached my hand out to him.
As he turned his head towards me, I realized he was wearing the same uniform as me.
It was Wally Brooks, our classroom’s clown.
He had lightly-tanned skin, blonde hair, and heterochromia eyes.
His left eye was blue, while the other was orange.
“Seriously man, watch where you’re going.”, he told me in a straightforward tone.
He lightly slapped away my hand, and stood up on his own.
Damn, I was only trying to help.
Seems like he truly embodied the class clown meme; he really does act differently outside of class.
Usually during free-time, Wally would invade other friend circles and either joke around or act like a complete idiot.
Naturally, everyone came to like him.
An extrovert; the exact opposite of me.
One time during class, he placed his left leg behind his head.
Then stood his body upright, with his right leg.
Proceeding to then jump around with his standing leg.
The goofy scene had made everyone laugh, except for me.
Instead, I had thought the act in itself was impressive.
The act clearly showcased his flexibility and strong leg muscles.
I asked Isaiah, a classmate of mine, if Wally was into any sports.
But it turned out he wasn’t, and Wally was just naturally gifted with athleticism.
As for his leg strength, he routinely did light leg exercises.
Well, it seems like there were more layers to him than I thought.
My thoughts subsided, and I walked over to the freezer basket next to the counter and slid open the lid.
Looking around, I realized there were no more ice cream sandwiches.
Damn It… Seems like they ran out.
Like a dumpster hobo, I dug around to see if maybe there was some hiding at the bottom.
At the end, I compromised with 3 drumsticks that were different variants from each other.
I headed over to the cashier.
Seems like the cashier got replaced.
Slightly turned away from the counter was a girl who was on a chair, fiddling with her phone.
Completely unaware of my presence, I scanned her attire.
She seemed like a girl around my age.
But…
Is this what they call a ‘landmine’ girl?
The girl was wearing a pinkish-purple blouse that had black buttons, which was stuffed under frilly high-waisted black shorts.
She had black hair that was dip-dyed pink, stylized as a hime-cut with twin tails.
And a doll face that almost seemed entirely white, and cheeks that made her look like she was blushing.
The make-up was clearly too excessive and unnecessary.
Her dark blue eyes were clinging onto her phone.
I peeked over, and noticed that she was scrolling through a social media app.
…
I looked away.
She was…
Looking at pictures of hot dudes…
Noticing my hanging shadow, she pulled her phone away and stood up from the chair.
She came to the counter with a fake smile, “Are you ready to order sir?”
To be honest, it looked a bit creepy.
People like her were probably ticking time bombs, so I tried to be as quick as possible.
I answered, “Yeah, sorry. Here’s what I’m buying.”
As I placed the drumsticks on the counter, I glanced at the employee badge on her chest.
‘Allena Weaver’
She was following my eyes and frowned, “Hey… What hell are you looking at my chest for…”
Ah, shit.
“Wait, you misunderstood. I was just looking at your employee badge.”, I hurriedly explained.
She rolled her eyes, “I know I’m cute, but at least have some human decency.”
… Hah?
“You men are all the same. Let me guess, you’re now gonna ask for my number like the guy from earlier.”
This bitch…
“Sorry, but I’m already on a future reservation for a gentleman that actually deserves me.”
Look in the mirror, you literally look like a clown.
Aware of my glare, she scoffed and looked at the counter.
She chuckled.
“Drumsticks? Really? Sorry, but children are not my type.”
I was on the verge of snapping... Just like her, I was now a ticking time bomb.