THE GIRL BOOK I

Book I, Chapter 29

It was the first time she heard them speak in spanish. The innocent girl could understand them for no reason. But, she ignores what they are saying. It was rude to eavesdrop on their conversation. However; it was hard not to. Since, she could hear them talking about her. Especially how this blonde hair girl was saying something nasty about her. Even though this blonde hair girl was named Carla. She doesn’t know who the innocent girl was. The innocent girl took a deep breath. This would be the first time talking to someone. She knew what Carla’s response was. But, she still tries her best to become her friend for Daniel’s sake. She turned to face her.

‘ Excuse me Carla was it. Do you have a boyfriend ? ‘ The innocent girl asked her. She looked at her deeply. She could tell that the blonde hair girl was going to lie to her. She just smiles pretending to be oblivious to it. ‘ Yes I do have a boyfriend ‘. Carla says to the innocent girl as she rolls her eyes at her. Her friends laugh at her gesture. The innocent girl starts to frown within her. She tries her best to be as emotionless as possible. The girl took notice of her rolling her eyes at her. She doesn’t know why she was treating her like that even though she was a customer at the store. But, she doesn’t do anything about it. ‘ See Daniel? Carla has a boyfriend ‘. The innocent girl says to him as she turns to face him.

She raised her head to stare at Daniel’s eyes when she said this. She saw her friend, Daniel stay quiet for a moment. He purses his lips, stopping himself from saying anything. Because; he doesn’t want to lose his job. ‘ I see that it makes sense that Carla has a boyfriend ‘ . Daniel says to her in a sarcastic tone of voice even though it was laced in sadness.Work was always the same for these people working at O’Reilly Auto Parts at Moeser Shopping Center in El Cerrito, California. The innocent girl wasn’t stupid. She was aware of everything. But, she pretends she doesn’t. A part of her could tell. However; with one glance, the innocent girl could see the blonde-haired girl getting annoyed seeing Daniel with another girl. It pisses her off.

After work, the innocent girl went back to the golden truck. Since, she has his car keys. The video continues to play itself. It didn’t show the whole thing before. Because; they want to see if Carla will lie her way out of this. They locked the store. Daniel approached her. ‘ Is that true Carla that you have a boyfriend? '. Daniel said to her as she approached her. He gently grabbed her hands gently. He rubs her hand trying to calm her down. It was his way to charm women. ‘ Sadly no I don’t have a boyfriend. But I only say that because that girl you were with earlier likes you ‘ . The blonde hair girl spoke to him, telling the truth to only him. She starts to frown.

‘ I can’t date you Daniel sorry. You already have someone else in your life. I could see the way you see your friend. I see love in your eyes for her ‘. The blonde hair girl rejected him. Her hands were on his chest. They gaze at each other. Her actions are different from her words. They were about to cross the lines of boundaries between manager and worker. They came closer to each other face to face. It was as if they were about to kiss. Daniel’s phone starts to ring. He took notice of it. He picks up the phone. He could feel the gaze that Carla was looking at. He caresses her face gently. She calms herself down as she tries to calm her heart. She could feel her heart beating. But, she knows that she doesn’t want to cross the line. And ruin her career in this job.

As for him, he was talking to her. She could see him chuckling at the things that he was saying to the person on the phone. She starts to frown. She took her phone out and she noticed one missed call. She left in a hurry without saying bye to him. He saw her leave the store. He started to frown as he was distracted. He was looking at the way Carla walked because she was saying her hips. He starts to gulp and the person on the other side of the phone hears it. Without them realizing it, someone else was watching them from a distance. Daniel had a b***r that he had to adjust to. He could tell he was lusting for her. But, he could tell she was nineteen-years-old.

He didn’t want to seem like he was into someone who is way younger than him. And he doesn’t know what to do with these other feelings he wasn’t aware of. It seemed like his female friend was getting more beautiful than ever. He hasn’t taken notice of it. But, he has feelings for his female friend who didn't tell him. Another video plays out. It was on a different day but in the same month of September. There it shows an older man with brown hair. He had gray hair on the side of his face. He parked his golden truck at Moeser Shopping Center. She gave the man a good luck charm like she always does. The man didn’t stop her from doing it. He likes her giving him a kiss before he goes to work.

He doesn’t know why he felt this way. It was supposed to give him the luck she needed at work. She was the only one who had mutual understanding with each other. He clocks back in for work. Because, his new boss was there. As for the women, she stayed behind in the truck. She didn’t want to go to El Cerrito Library. She sat in the passenger seat. From where she was, she fell asleep. Since, she felt relieved that they got a male boss. Someone who put them in their place. And making sure they don’t cross the line. Few minutes have passed. It was eerie on her part. She woke up from her long nape. She felt agitated for a reason. She felt something was wrong.

Her gut feeling was telling her something. She could turn to face the window to her right. She could tell that the blue car she saw earlier wasn’t there anymore. From where she was, she could see the man and his female coworker with the blonde hair girl being too close for comfort. She felt like they did something behind her back and they crossed the line. Especially what she saw, she saw the blonde hair girl kissing him at work. But, she could tell there were customers. She sighs in relief. The innocent girl with black hair and brown eyes thought Daniel and Carla were kissing. But, she can’t rule that out. The man was by the cashier, the one that is close to the door.

While, the blonde hair girl was from the other side. They don’t appear to be going their separate way. She took a deep breath. She acted like she didn’t see it. She decided to go inside the store. The store was called the O’Reilly Auto Parts. It was located at Moeser Shopping Center in El Cerrito, California. The innocent girl only went to the store to use the bathroom. When she entered the store, she could tell they switched places with the cashier. It was as if they were hiding something. And then they separate themselves. The blonde hair girl made it seem like they weren’t touching each other. They were just here to work and do their job. But, the innocent girl wasn’t a fool.

She could read their body languages. She stayed quiet when she came inside the store. Other customers were there. Others greeted her without realizing it. Before Carla was all talkative to her customers. But, she became all silent when it came to her. The customers noticed it too. They find it suspicious too. She didn’t need to be quiet. She didn’t greet her like every other customer she did. She felt the difference of how the blonde hair girl treats her. Even though the innocent girl was also a customer too. There was no respect. No matter. She went to the store with confidence. She held her chest up. She didn’t slouch. She walks confidently and beautifully.

The customers there turn to look in her directions. They didn’t say anything. She was about to approach the female coworker with blonde hair. But, the man stepped right in front of her. The women look up straight at his face. She could feel fear in this man. Like he got caught for doing something he’s not supposed to do. She remains emotionless. The man approached her. ‘ I need to use the bathroom ‘. The woman spoke gently with authority in her own voice. She had a serious face when asked. The man couldn’t read what she was thinking. He does what he does best. He pretends to be happy to see her. She could tell it was fake and planned. She stares at him.

‘ I’m here to say hi that’s all ‘ . The man spoke to her. She doesn’t believe what he says. Since, he has a history of lying to her. It took two years for her to realize it. She stayed quiet. (Two can play in this game. If that’s how you would act towards me. Then let’s play a game of charades then). The woman said to herself. She knew what game they were playing. She knew what the blonde hair girl was playing at too. She pretends she doesn’t see nor hear anything. She wraps her arms around the man. She was supposed to give him a hug. She directly hugged the man. The blonde hair women see it. She was seething in rage. She was mad. But she has to play it like she wasn’t.

She has to do this professionally. She didn’t want another investigation happening again. Out in the shadow of the store, lies the same figure of people. They gasp at what they saw. They smile gently towards the women in front of them. “ Wǒmen zuìhòu zhǎodàole tā! “ (We found her at last!). They didn’t like how the blonde hair girl was treating the women. They also were seeing in mad. But they had to wait until they were given orders to move in.