There All Along

Chapter 1: Get Her First.

"Whatever. I don't feel like arguing." Tori grumbled from the other side of the line as I heard her plop down onto her pillow. I laughed at the irony. Only last night she was making fun of me for being sick and coughing everywhere and, well, karma got her. Now she was sick... Ha!

During the next minute, Tori started coughing violently through the speaker, "Whoa! Cover your mouth. I can feel it through the phone!" I joked, laughing through my own pain and finally arriving at the corner store. I grabbed five dollars from my purse before heading in.

"Ha. Ha." She spoke sarcastically.

Although she was grumbling, I knew she was smiling on the other end. "Alright, as much as I'd like to tease you, I got to go."

"Wait, you at work yet?"

"No, I'm at small store near my house."

She let out a breath of what seemed to be relief. "Good. I was not looking forward to getting out of bed." There was a small pause, " Would you be a sweetheart and get some medicine for me?" After a while of me not answering she speaks again. "Pleeeeease?" She made her voice all 'innocent'-like as she pushed the word. Tip: Tori is everything but innocent.

"Okay, fine. But you have to pay me back." I said as I walked down the medicine aisle. I picked up a box of pain reliever but sat it back down. I needed something for all my symptoms.

"Yeah, yeah." Was all she said then she hung up. I took the phone from my ear then shook my head. I swear she'll be the death of me some day. I put my phone in my back pocket before looking for some better pills for this illness that started three days ago. And quite frankly, I was sick of being sick.

"I'll take these." I sat two small square light blue boxes on the counter in front of a man who smelled of cigarettes and wore an old baseball cap even if he was inside the building. He gave off the sense that he was done with life and he wanted nothing more with it.

"Is that all?" He asked and didn't even look up at me, he kept his eyes down at the cash register while scanning my item. Not that I cared but eye contact was comforting to me.

And all while that was happening, a tingling sensation suddenly run down my spine and the feeling of someone watching me. The bell to the store chimed meaning someone had just walked in, I turn my head toward the glass doors to see two men in trench coats enter and their eyes glued on me.

I shifted uncomfortably from one foot to another as I watched them walk into an aisle. They were trying to seem interested in buying something but even a blind man would know they weren't here to by anything. One man in the black trench coat picked up something but kept his dark eyes on me as he did it. My heart raced but it wasn't out of fear but something else I couldn't place. Another shiver ran down my spine.

"Ma'am, is that all?" My mind resets from the sudden interruption of the cashier's voice and my head snaps toward him.

"Um, yeah. That will be all."

"$3.50" I gave him the five and he gave me my change. I walked out the store with my head down as I opened the box. I took out two pills before hopping into the car and grabbing a water bottle from the back seat.

Taking the pills, the unknown tension immediately weighed off my shoulders. I shook my head, "Talk about weird..." I mumbled to myself as I pulled from the parking space and onto the road. I couldn't help but feel today was going to be a long day.

Only ten minutes later, I was walking up to the main doors of the tall building of my workplace and took a deep breath before opening them, almost immediately I was greeted with the glorious smell of pine cones. I sniffed the air, what a wonderful smell. After three years of working here it only makes you want to go crazy.