Bad || a.i. or l.h.

2: Late Shift, Late Call

It had been about a week since the night Matt stopped by and I still couldn't get the whole encounter out of my head. So many things felt off, especially that guy, and I still had no clue to what was going on. I had finally grasped onto the fact that there was nothing I could do about it. Not after he just left without giving any information. But there was no denying that something unusual had happened with him.

I kept my mouth shut about what happened with Matt. After he had left, I thought long and hard about whether I should tell our mother or not. I came to the conclusion that she already had too much on her plate to deal with and worrying about Matt would only make things worse for her. I didn't want to be the one to cause that.

Since his room was a mess to begin with, I just pushed a few things back into his closet and back under his bed to make sure there wasn't too big of a difference. Mom had no suspicions when she came home the morning after and we went right back to our daily routines.

So here I was, having to work late again but this time I was responsible for closing down the shop. I worked at a little convenience store called Mart-Co. It was only a few blocks away from my house, so it wasn't too bad. Sometimes I would walk home after work if it was nice out but the bus stop was only around the corner which was a plus.

After I took a quick scan of the shop, making sure everything was neat and in place, I grabbed my jacket from behind the counter. I shut off the lights and stepped outside, feeling a cold breeze hit my face that sent cold chills through my body.

I took a glance around before locking the door, seeing no one in sight. It was dark. The stars barely peeked through and only a few street lights were shining down. It was quiet, absent of anyone. I assumed most people were inside, getting away from the cold at this time of night.

I glanced down at my phone checking the time, hoping I hadn't missed the last stop of the bus. Tucking my arms together to keep warm, I headed down towards the end of the street.

The day had been tiring and I was thankful it was Friday, giving me the opportunity to sleep in the next morning. School had me stressed out all week, on top of me worrying about Matt. All I needed was a goodnight's sleep.

The street had been pretty clear, other than a car or two passing by, which kept me alarmed. This had been my first time having to close by myself. I was used to having my friend, Grace, stay after with me.

As I turned at the end of the sidewalk I noticed an old and rusted red car parked on the side. It seemed a little strange since no one ever parked around this street. I shifted closer to the building when I walked by and mindlessly glanced over out of curiosity. The moment I realized people were inside, I quickly shifted my attention away hoping they didn't notice me.

I picked up my speed while keeping my eyes on the bus stop, feeling uneasy at the fact that I was alone right now. I made a promise to myself, to never let Grace call in for work again.

My heart jumped out of my chest the moment I heard a car door break the silence. I reached for my phone to make it seem as if I was busy. All I needed to do was avoid any eye contact and not draw any attention to myself.

The sound of the car's engine made me glance up, watching as it pulled off. I couldn't help but to look to the side seeing a silhouette make its way down toward the bus stop. I tried to move my gaze to across the street because I knew it was a horrible idea to stare them down. But I let my curiosity get the best of me and I found my attention back on the person as they got closer. They had stepped into the street light making their features more noticeable.

"Hey, I know you." I blurted without even thinking, causing the guy's eyes to flicker in my direction for a split second. He looked back ahead, shoving his hands into his jacket as he kept walking, completely ignoring me.

I stepped out in front of him to keep him from passing me up when I realized exactly who he was. I knew I recognized his messy hair.

"You were with Matt the other night." I stated. My head came up to his chin, making me take a step back to get a full look of his face.

He had stopped right in front of me but his gaze was kept straight ahead, refusing to make eye contact. I knew he could see passed the top of my head.

"I don't know what you're talking about." His voice was mono tone as he attempted to step around me, only to have me step along with him.

"Where is he?" I kept my eyes on him, glaring slightly as I waited for an answer. He had to know something that I didn't and any information would help.

"I don't know." His gaze shot down, locking with mine as he emphasized each word. His eyes were cold and dark. I could tell he was irritated.

I watched as his eyes scanned along my face, a devilish smirk pulling at his lips. He shook his head. His voice dropped into a whisper, "It's not my problem."

His carelessness was frustrating me and I opened my mouth to say something, getting cut off by the squeaky sound of the bus's brakes. My attention turning as the door was propped open.

"Better catch your bus." He said, lightly bumping my shoulder as he passed by.

I shot him a glare, even though he couldn't see. I walked up to the bus and stopped right before getting on.

"You never told me your name, you know!" I called out, seeing his pace slow down.

He spun around continuing to walk backwards, his hands still tucked into his jacket. From what I could tell a smirk was curved on his lips and I heard a faint laugh like he was amused that I still wanted to know.

"Yes I did! I said it was none of your business." the smirk seemed to stay on his face and he turned back around, continuing on.

"Are you coming or not?" I turned back to the bus driver as he got annoyed with me and slouched exhaustively in his seat.

"Yeah, sorry." I mumbled, climbing up the steps and swinging into the first seat. Not many people were on the bus this late.

I looked out the window watching the strange guy as the bus passed by. I wondered if he lived somewhere near here since he wasn't taking the bus which made me think Matt could possibly be close by and I had a chance at bumping into one of them again. But I convinced myself that I was most likely overthinking this. I just knew there was something up and it was killing me not having a single clue to what it was. The curiosity was digging deep.

When I made it home, the first thing I did was head upstairs to bed. I knew mother had already gone to work and my whole day had me worn out.

I changed out of my work clothes and climbed into bed ready to call it a night. About the time I had fallen asleep my phone began to buzz on my nightstand making me break from my unconsciousness. I let out a groan and lazily reached for the phone, hitting answer and mumbling what I thought was a "Hello."

"Violet?" the voice woke me up when I recognized it, my eyes instantly popping open.

"Matt? Where are you?" I questioned, completely ignoring the fact he had interrupted my sleep and only hoping to finally get an answer from him.

"Listen, I can't talk long but you should meet me at Zeke's Coffee Shop tomorrow, alright?"

"Yeah, of course." I rubbed the side of my face, letting out a sigh.

I heard faint voices in the background, unable to make out what exactly was being said.

"Okay, I'll see you at noon and don't tell mom." He hung up on the spot without letting me respond.

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