When Trouble Meets Trouble

Chapter 7

"You work today?" I nodded at Jonah's question. "When do you get off?" he asked again.

"At 8 o'clock. Why?" I asked.

"When do you have off?" Jonah casually asked, sticking his hands in his pockets.

"I work every day this week except for Sunday," I told him as we walked to my car. He was trailing behind me like a lost puppy.

"That stinks," he told me and I shrugged.

"I get paid so I don't mind." In all honesty, it's kind of a bummer. I do the homework I can in the 2 hour gap between the end of my school day and the start of work. I have no other time for anything. "Why do you ask?"

"Well, you said you wanted to meet my sisters," he shrugged. "And I know you won't meet them in school because well, you don't even want to meet me in school."

"Maybe next week," I shrugged before getting into my car. He waved at me while he backed up. I smirked as my car roared to life. I don't even know what type of car he drives, if he drives.

***

"What's up with the hottie that you've been talking to lately, he ask you out yet?" Mere asked while flipping through her magazine. I shook my head, a look of disgust clear on my features.

"I'm barely the guy's friend never mind love interest, Mere. Besides, he's quite annoying if you ask me," I scoffed and she furrowed her eyebrows.

"But he's hot," she countered. I shook my head with a sigh. "As long as he's hot he can be as annoying as he wants."

"Not everything's about looks, Mere, personality is important, too," I informed her. "But his personality's saltines, too."

"And why is that?" she spit her gum into the trash bin.

"He can't take an insult if it's served to him on a silver platter. He brushes them off like fuzz on a shirt," I leaned on the counter, my arms folded.

"How's that bad?" Mere asked in confusion.

"He won't stop bothering me! Even if I tell him to 'lay off,' he keeps following me and sitting next to me," I placed my head on the counter.

"Maybe he just wants to be friends," she suggested. I looked up at her and scoffed, shaking my head.

"Why would he choose me to be friends with? Of all people?" I hoisted myself onto the counter, sitting beside Mere.

"You're funny and pretty," she smiled and I let out a bark of laughter. My glasses fell down the tip of my nose and I quickly adjusted them.

"You're funny and a liar," I countered.

"I'm being serious, Van," she rolled her eyes, closing her magazine and turning to me. "What happened to the guy at the library? You never finished that story."

"That's him," I told her.

"You mean the hottie is the library guy, too?" she asked, her eyes widening slightly.

"Jonah is the library guy," I clarified. She gave me a flat look before letting out a frustrated groan.

"You have it so easy with guys!" I gaped at her.

"Easy? The last boyfriend I had dumped me after 2 months," I told her and she rolled her eyes.

"You were 15; when somebody tells you they love you, you're going to believe it," she sighed. I furrowed my eyebrows.

"Did you just recite Taylor Swift lyrics?" I asked.

"That's not the point, Van!" she cried out. "This guy is destined to be yours. Trust me! I mean, don't you see the signs? You see him at the library where he shamelessly flirts with you and then you-," she was cut off by my ringtone.

I looked at my phone and sighed. "It's him."

"Speaking of the devil, answer it!" she insisted. I pressed the phone to my ear.

"What?" I hissed, earning a glare from Mere. 'Be nice,' she mouthed to me. I rolled my eyes at her.

"What are you doing?" he sounded casual, chirpy almost.

"Why are you calling me?" This is how our normal conversations go. I'm snappy and angry and he doesn't even mind.

"Can't I just talk to you? I don't know many people here," he sighed.

"I constantly tell you to make friends but you follow me around like a lost puppy," I countered. Suddenly the phone was ripped from my hand and Mere was leaping off of the counter.

"Hello?" she waited a minute. "You're library boy, right?" she sighed before replying. "You're the boy that flirted with her at the library, right?"

"Meredith Alexandra Turner!" I snapped and she glared at me before running behind a game cart. I advanced toward her.

"Yes, she did tell me about that," she replied. "Yeah, that's me. I was surprised that you accepted my request!" she said cheerfully.

"Mere!" I hissed, trying to grab onto her but she slowly backed away from me. She had a height and speed advantage but I had anger and an annoyance advantage.

"I'm her best friend and her co-worker, future sister in law, too," she smirked. "No, I'm not dating her brother yet but I will, soon enough," she explained.

"Meredith, give me back my cell phone!" I tried to jump but tripped. She laughed loudly as if he said a joke.

"You know him? You're so lucky! She won't let me talk to him. She even blocked me on his f*******: and Twitter," she waited a moment. "Yes, because she thinks I'm using her to get to him," she told him.

I told Mere why I didn't want her to meet my brother a while back but I don't believe that anymore. It's like she's my sister now and it'd be weird to walk into my house to see her and my brother playing tonsil tennis on the couch.

"Yeah, you get used to her threats and jabs and after a while, she stops," Mere convinced.

"Meredith Alexandra Turner, I will grab you by your hair and I will slice your stomach open and use your intestines as a noose," I threatened her, approaching her slowly.

"And eventually, she'll start them back up again," she informed him, letting out a nervous laugh. "Yeah, she tells me how you follow her around like a lost puppy, too. I think it's adorable," she informed him.

"Meredith!" How can she spill my secrets to him like that; even though they're not secrets, they're close to it.

"You have a cousin? He's the one that told you to go flirt with Van?" she waited a minute. "Yeah, I call her Van. Anyway, your cousin told you to flirt with her?" she changed the subject again.

I stood there with my hand on my hip, glaring at Meredith. "I hate you so much Meredith," I told her as I tried to grab my phone again. She quickly dodged me and I continued to glare at her.

"He's a guy?" Mere frowned after a minute. "He's gay? That stinks, I mean, it's good for him but it stinks for me."

"Meredith!" I snapped.

"We could have gone on double dates," she laughed. "She would've loved it."

"I hate you more than life itself," I snapped.

"Maybe you should stop by the store sometime," Mere persisted. "No, she wouldn't mind a bit."

"Yes, I would!" I'm going to defend myself against her lies, at least.

"No, she's just saying that," Mere giggled. "Sure, you want to talk to her?" she asked.

Slowly and cautiously, Mere slid my phone across the counter and I picked it up. "What?"

"She's funny," he laughed.

"She's funny," I imitated him.

I glared at Meredith who just smiled at me innocently. "So she's like your feeling bank? You tell her all of your feelings and boy encounters? Girl's really do that? I thought you didn't have any friends."

"Hardy-har-har, you're so funny. I do have friends, for your information," I snapped.

"How many?" he asked and I tightened my grip on my phone.

"That's none of your business," I snapped.

"Somebody's overprotective," he chuckled and I bit my lip.

"Bye, Jonah," I slammed my phone down onto the counter before taking off my nametag. I always thought Monday's are absolutely terrible. Now they're horrendous.