Not as they seem...

Another chance encounter

On Sunday, Anna had to work. She had agreed to do the long day because she hadn't been able to work on the Saturday. She dragged her tired and slightly sore body out of bed at 7.30. She'd been face timing Belle most of the night, updating her best friend on her unexpected day spent hanging out with Zander.

She got to the shop first and unlocked the store. She always found it sort of creepy and depressing going into a shopping centre when it wasn't fully open yet. The whole atmosphere there was just how she felt, sleepy and struggling to fully wake up! She was working with Benny today. While he was super fun to work with, she knew she would be the one doing all the work. When she let herself in, she turned the lights and register on. She looked out the back and realised that there boxes of new stock that had come in. Obviously no-one had bothered to put it out yet. She knew a large part of her day would be doing this as she knew her boss would throw a fit if she came in on Monday and new stock was not even on the shelves yet.

As was the routine, she pulled out the vacuum cleaner and checked the time. It was 10 to 9. She knew Benny would arrive at 9 on the dot. He would mark his arrival by dramatically pulling up the the metal roller doors that Anna kept half down until opening time.

She started to vacuum and, true to form, a few minutes later there was a loud clanging of the roller door being hoisted up.

“Holla girl!” Benny called so he was heard above the vacuum.

She turned it off and went to greet him.

“Hey there beautiful. Oh, I missed you yesterday,” he said exclaimed, grabbing her in a bear hug and spinning her around.

“Yeah, you probably had to do real work!” she teased her work mate.

“Pfff,” he replied, “You know me. I always work hard.” he said, setting her down again.

“Or hardly work!” she offered with a grin. He rolled his eyes and waved her away as he shuffled out the back to put his things away.

Benny was the campest person she knew. He was about 20 and openly gay. He was crazy tall and had a slightly solid build, but it all just seemed to add to his character. Whilst he essentially did the bare minimum at work, he was actually a great sales person. He knew how to make the girls think they looked hot and he could dull the gay down just enough to make the boys seem comfortable and actually listen to him. It was a wonderful thing to watch and she had learnt a lot from him since she had been working there.

He also loved to gossip and lived vicariously through others while he tried to eek out a love life for himself. Anna noticed his freshly died hair immediately and made sure she commented on how awesome he looked. It did look good. No matter what outlandish style he turned up in, he was always able to pull it off. Today he had a peroxide blonde mohawk and peace symbols shaved out on the sides of his head that were dyed purple.

“I am loving this get up,” Anna cooed, reaching up and running her fingers over the symbols. He almost blushed. “Well a boy has to spread the peace message any way he can.”

The day was fairly quiet, which was great as it allowed Anna to move stock around the store to make way for the new arrivals to be put at the front. Benny spent most of his time leaning on the counter and answering the phone when it rang. He helped her drag the new stock boxes out to the front, but then received a call on his mobile and wondered off to chat to whoever was calling.

Anna took a pile of jumpers from the front display to the shelves at the back. Unfortunately, she had left to vaccuum in the way and tripped over it, sending jumpers everywhere and landing on her hands and knees. She swore under her breath as she ducked down the start collecting them all up again, thinking about what a clutz she was and how she was going to have to fold them all up again.

Jax had to fill in some time. He had received an SOS from Maddie that morning. The food court was always their meeting point if the shopping centre was open. He'd been nearby at the skate park and he was getting hungry, so it was good timing. But then she'd messaged back saying it was going to be a bit hard to get out, but to stay there. To wait for her. He was used to this. Maddie had a complicated home life. She had a semi functional alcoholic mother and a fly in/fly out step father who took his frustration of his life out on her. Most of the time now, she could tell when it was time to get out, but sometimes she missed that small window of opportunity and had to wait until things blew over or at least until the focus was off her. Then she'd make a break for it and be able to meet up with him. Her whole situation made him thankful for his own dysfunctional father and brother. He and Maddie had been been friends for years, but it was really since high school that they became closer friends. She didn't seem to fit in with the girls, so she just started hanging around more with him and his friends. Now she was just one of the guys. Well, almost.

He pondered whether to eat now or to wait for her, and decided he better wait a bit to see if she turned up. Instead, he wondered through the shops, trying to keep his skate board out of sight. If the security guards saw him with it, they would most likely throw him out. He wondered aimlessly through a few shops, checking his phone frequently to make sure he didnt miss her call or message.

When he entered JayJays, he was thinking it might be a good time to procure himself a new t-shirt using his 5 fingered discount. He'd shop lifted from there a few times now. The shop was so full of merchandise, piled high on tables and racks bursting with clothing everywhere that it made it really easy to slip something under his loose hoodie. This time, however, when he entered, he noticed the shop assistant. While he had been leaning on the counter, talking on his mobile, Jax's arrival in the shop seemed to peake his attention.

At first Jax thought it was because he looked sus, but as he neared the tall, weirdly dressed guy, Jax realised the guy was actually looking at him with interest. He saw a sly grin spread across his face as he adjusted his stance to a more casual 'open for business' stance. Jax nodded at him at hetero'ly as possible and the guy winked back at him,

“Can I help you with anything today?” he asked, eyeing Jax up and down.

Jax didn't embarrass easily, but this interaction was taking him somewhat out of his comfort zone. He was not used to being looked at like that from other guys. He pictured Maddie breaking up with laughter if she could see what was happening.

“Nah mate, just looking.” he replied, still trying to be as non-gay as he could. He knew his opportunity to sneak something would be out of the question now he was being watched with such interest.

He wondered down to the far end of the shop, trying to evade the camp shop assistant. He rounded a rack of clothes, thinking about how he could extricate himself from the shop without having to go too close to the sales assistant. He'd just spied a slight gap that he thought he could squeeze through to escape when he almost tripped over a girl that was squatting there, ladening her arms with jumpers that were strewn over the floor.

The girl startled and let out a small yelp as she lost her balance and toppled backwards, the jumpers falling around her again as she relinquished her hold on them to break her fall.

“Oh, s**t-I'm so sorry!” he exclaimed, mortified at having knocked some one over. She took a moment to recompose herself and wipe the mild irritation off her face. After that, she finally looked up at him. He was surprised to her break into a grin.

“You really need to stop apologising to me!” she laughed, starting to push the jumpers aside to give herself room to be able to stand up again.