GAME OVER ━━ Lip Gallagher

CHAPTER TWENTY-EIGHT

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Game Over
chapter twenty eight

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SHE LINED THE CANS OF CORN UP EVENLY ACROSS THE SHELF, LABELS FACING OUTWARD, STACKED ON TOP OF EACH OTHER. The light over her head had been flickering on and off for the past hour and a half. She sighed, picking up the now empty box of vegetables and placing it against her hip. "Couldn't you have found a job anywhere else?" Her eyes rolled skywards at his question. She stayed silent, moving to grab the cart handle and toss the empty box in with the others. "I mean, you're a hot girl. You could have been, like, a secretary or some shit." She glanced over her shoulder to glare at the blue eyed boy. "This place isn't so bad, you know. Its just nights that are boring." She didn't mind working at the grocery store. She always had something to do. She didn't mind checking people out, or restocking shelves, or even checking inventory.  They paid her well, so she was determined to work hard.

Lip slid between her and the cart, walking backwards to keep her eye contact. "You're being stupid," she stated, not hesitating to reach through his arms to grab the cart. "You're going to get me in trouble." His nose crinkled as he smiled toward her. Ever since the ice cream truck, he'd been following her around when he can. He started hanging out at the store after dark, walking her home or back to his place before heading off on his own adventures. He didn't mind it. They were rekindling their old friendship, though it is proving to be more difficult than he had expected. "Nah," he huffed, shaking his head with a teasing grin. "Let me help. They'll let you off if you finish, right?" She eyed him skeptically. She knew herself that this wasn't just for her benefit. "What, do you have somewhere to be?" she inquired, finally pushing him to the side. "If you have other plans, don't let me stop you. I can get home on my own just fine."

He scoffed. "I'm not sure I should believe you after you called stalking harmless." He followed her through the back doors to the store's inventory. There was a bin for the empty cardboard boxes. When they finished a cart full of stock, then they just toss the boxes and refill the carts. It was a hassle having to do the heavy lifting, but Phoebe never complained. The quicker they got it done, the less they had to restock (though that is not always the case). Lip tossed the boxes into the bin without hesitation. "It was harmless," she argued. "It was just around school and sometimes outside. It's not like he was outside my house, or climbing into my bedroom window." Lip snorted. "You're used to that, though, huh?" She rolled her eyes at his attempt at humor, though she couldn't deny that she cracked a smile. "You act like you didn't climb through Karen's window at first."

Once the cart was empty, she pushed it toward the stacks of canned goods a little ways away. She had gotten quite a bit done after the sun had gone down. Not having to worry about tons of customers helped. They only really needed one cash register open after the sun sets. Lip hopped onto the front of the cart as she pushed it, weighing it down tremendously. "That was when I was young and childish," he argued. "I'm a man now, you know." A laugh rang through the air after his claim. Her brows furrowed in confusion as she giggled to herself. "Laugh all you want. You're just jealous." She nodded with a sarcastic smile. "Oh, of course. I am so jealous of your life." Though sarcasm dripped from her words like honey, there was a tight feeling growing in her chest. She wanted to lie and say that she wasn't jealous, but apart of her was. She was jealous of their family dynamic. She didn't have that, and she knew it, even if they called her family.