The Girl Who Sold Herself on Ebay

[10] Apartments and Awkward smiles

I originally posted this chapter about a week ago, but didn't feel it was that great.. so I've re-done it. Hope you enjoy it! And for those waiting for the pink note, it's coming!

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C H A P T E R   T E N 

❤ 

“Oh you’ve got to be shitting me.”

          My head hit the concrete pavement like a rock as I flopped backwards, sending an instant throbbing headache rippling through my forehead. A loud, defeated groan passed my lips as I stared up at the sky, the blinding bright light flooding my pupils. I probably looked like a dead starfish, sprawled out and baking in the sweltering heat.

          “What? What happened?”

          I turned my head to face Jasper who was jogging towards me, his jandals slapping at each step he took. I couldn’t believe I’d met him in the toilet, talk about awkward first impressions. And on the subject of awkward, when he told me who he was I swore our voice boxes were both ripped out. Neither of us spoke, not a word. We just stared at each other like long lost friends, but there was no hug or handshake to follow, just a never-ending awkward silence. Well, technically it wasn’t never-ending. I broke it with a bunch of bad words you probably don’t want to hear when I realised I didn’t have my bags with me. I’d dropped them at god-knows where during my mad dash to escape my stalker.

          “Everything is gone,” I whined, staring at the pile of clothes I’d made while frantically searching for my valuables. My ipod, iphone, ipad, netbook, laptop, ipod dock, make-up kit and portable stereo had all disappeared. I’d only left my bags for what, twenty minutes? And already thousands of dollars worth of electronics were stolen and probably on their way to Flipswicks’ black market.

          “What do you mean everything?” Jasper asked, looking at the mountain of clothes beside me. Remember how I said I’d only pack minimal clothes? Well, I guess I got a little carried away. And Candace Summers probably wouldn’t carry round an electronic store of gadgets, except I just couldn’t bear to part with them.

          But I guessed now I had no choice.

          “Just my… ipod and cellphone,” I replied quickly, when really I’d lost a lot more than that. But I was smart enough not to give him the full list. I was Candace, a poor, high school drop out who stooped so low as to sell herself on EBay. I’d said that line enough times the quote was etched into my brain with permanent marker, erasable. She was like a story character I was in constant role-play of.

          Jasper gave me a sympathetic look, cocking his head to the side to let the bright sunshine cascade across his olive complexion.

          “If it helps…” he began, reaching into his pocket, “you could always use my phone?” He pulled out something that at first I thought was a brick. But the chunky buttons, miniscule screen and aerial that had been bent on a 90 degree angle proved it was a cellphone, an old rickety phone I swore could have fallen to biodegrading pieces if he squeezed it too hard.

          “Uuuh,” I mumbled, “I don’t need make any calls yet, but thanks for the offer.” I smiled thankfully before beginning to pick up my clothes from the dirty pavement, and a stray pair of pink undies that had accidentally been flung into a nearby shrub.

          “Well, surely whoever took them couldn’t have gone far,” Jasper said, as if he’d switched into detective mode, “we could go door to door asking if anyone saw anything dodgy out here.”