Be Careful Who You Trust

Chapter 3

It's been about a week since I haven't hung out with Mary or even gotten to talk to her. I'm even starting to think I should text Sophia to ask her if she knows anything. Yes, I'm that desperate. I guess I'll just wait, we work together tonight anyway, there's no way she can avoid me there.

I get to work early to get a chance to talk to her before we clock in. She's not here yet. She always comes in early so I'm already assuming she called off just to avoid working with me.

I start work, as usual, by stocking shelves while there are no customers in the store. It's already an hour after we were supposed to both clock in when I hear a familiar laugh outside the store, it's Mary. She is being dropped off by someone in a very expensive looking black audi. It has blacked out tinted windows so I can't take a peak at who it is. She waves goodbye and walks towards the store, I pretend not to notice when she comes in.

"What's up Alex!" she says, as if she hadn't been ignoring my texts. I don't even turn to look at her.

"You ok?" she asks me.

"Oh, so NOW you're talking to me?" I ask her, mad as fuck that she is acting like everything is ok.

"Look, I'm sorry I haven't been answering your messages, but there is a perfectly good reason for it, I promise."

I waited for her to tell me what that perfectly good reason was, someone better have died, ok maybe not.

"I met someone," those words cut deep into my heart, she has broken it into a thousand pieces and doesn't seem to notice.

"Wh-what? When did you? Where? HOW!!" I asked without thinking.

"Remember that guy that came into the store a few days ago when it was raining? He came back the next day and asked me for my number. We've been hanging out and texting all day, he's amazing!"

She looked like a schoolgirl talking about a 5th grade crush. Is that how I would sound if I ever spoke to someone about her? She sounds so pathetic. No she doesn't, I'm just jealous she's not talking about me.

"Well, I've heard enough of that," I sounded bored, I meant to sound like that. I wanted her to know she was boring me with her stupid conversation about how she suddenly likes some creep. For the remainder of work I tried to keep to myself, which wasn't so hard to do since little Ms. I Met Someone has been on her phone most of the time, she even got lectured by a customer about being on your phone while on the job. She went out for lunch, I'm assuming she went to eat with him.

When it was closing time and we had to balance the register, I was hesitant to ask her if she was going to need a ride home or not. I was about to ask when I saw a text notification pop up on her phone. The name displayed said Lucas, the message said "I'm outside."

So now I know mystery man's name, Lucas. We locked up and I walked to my car, she walked to the Audi parked right in front of the store.

    Over the next few days I concentrated on school work and tried not to ignore Mary, but also tried not to talk to her much because as soon as we started talking she'd start to mention Lucas. They were officially a thing now, which seemed to me like they were moving too fast. When I mentioned this to her she said there is no specific timeline as to how long you have to know someone in order to start dating him, at least not for her. One evening I went to a local Starbucks to do homework and have a cup of coffee when I ran into Sophia.

"What's up loner? Mary ditched ya too huh?" she asked. "You haven't been spending time with her either? I thought she was your best friend," I told her, trying to start a conversation just to see if I could get any info out of her.

"Not since she started dating my boss, they're inseparable. It's kind of annoying if you ask me, but then again he has been a bit nicer to me so maybe I shouldn't mind it."

"Your BOSS?!! She never even mentioned that to me." I felt hurt, betrayed. Mary and I had been best friends for a really long time, we used to tell each other everything, but now that this Lucas guy came into the picture she's been so distant.

"Yup,my boss. Kinda weird how small this world is. He told me his car broke down last time it rained and he walked into the store where she works and well, you already know the rest."

Out of all the liquor stores in Bell Gardens, why did he have to get stranded close to the one we work at.

"Your boss seems like an asshole, if you ask me," yes, I used the same line she uses, so what.

"He's only an asshole with people he doesn't like. It's hard to get on his bad side though, he is extremely generous and kind," said Sophia, almost as if she was talking about someone she had a crush on.

"I gotta go, I just came to grab a few coffees for Mary and Lucas. See ya later loser," she said as she headed towards the line to order her drinks.

Could the universe be playing a sick trick on me? How small is this world that Lucas just so happens to be Sophia's boss? Another reason not to like her, not that it was her fault. I was just being petty.