sweet tooth - karl jacobs

chapter 22- too good

tw // bullying, anxiety, panic attack

haven's pov

the next morning starts off like any other. i wake up early for work, get dressed, eat, then head to the candy shop.

and everything is normal. that is, until later that afternoon.

when i get back from my lunch break, i notice a couple of coworkers staring at me a little longer than they usually do. i try to ignore it, considering i never pay much attention to them anyway. but it slowly gets to be more than i can handle.

i groan and push the thoughts of asking them what they're looking at aside. there are only about two hours left of my shift, i'll be out of here soon enough.

mere seconds later, a group of girls walk in with their phones in hand. they're probably a bit younger than ava, and they're all looking down at their devices, absolutely entranced at what is on their screen.

i ignore them as i continue working. but once that group of girls comes up to the register, they all stare at me longingly.

is there something on my face? am i having a bad hair day? why does it feel like the entire world has their eyes on me today?

the girls switch their gaze from my eyes to down at their phone, then back up at me. a few of their jaws drop, while the others look like they've seen a ghost.

"can i... help you guys?" i finally ask hesitantly.

the young girl with dirty blonde hair closest to me blinks a couple of times before sliding a bag of jellybeans on the counter towards me. i grab them, scan them, and tell her how much they cost. and she watches me fervently the entire time.

she finally hands me a five dollar bill, and i give her back three dollars in change.

"would you like a receipt?" i ask, struggling to keep my cool.

"yeah..." she mutters.

i print out a receipt and hand it to her. she examines it for a couple of seconds, before her eyes practically pop out of her head.

"uh, could i get a picture?"

"of the receipt? yeah sure, do whatever you want with it. it's yours."

"no, i mean with you."

my eyebrows raise in surprise. why on earth would she want to take a picture with me?

"oh! um, i don't know... why do you want that?"

the girl hangs her head in shame, and i can see the tips of her ears turn the same color as a tomato.

"sorry for asking. have a good day!"

her and her friends dash out the door, and it takes me a while to process what the hell just happened.

i shrug my shoulders and continue ringing people up.

but after a couple of minutes, another person approaches. he looks the same age as the girl before, but he's by himself. he doesn't have anything in his hands, so he's definitely not checking out.

he squints his eyes near my chest, and i realize he's trying to read my name tag. once he does, his jaw drops to the floor.

"it really is you!" he gasps happily. "do you think i could get a picture with you?"

a very confused expression spreads across my face.

no one has ever asked to take a picture with me before, and now it's happened twice in one day. first the girl, now this kid.