Coming to terms with his sexuality, Theodore Moore is a seventeen year old who is just about getting by. He makes minimum wage and has aspiring, out-of-reach dreams to become a lawyer.
Violent and aggressive, Antony Barbosa is everything wrong with...
“You need to re-stock aisle 2.” Anika says to me, her hands on her hips. “Andreas still isn’t available, so would you mind picking up another shift?” She asked me, and I sighed, nodding my head.
“Sure.” I mumble, stuffing my phone into my pocket as I walk away from the cash register and Anika hands me a box of stock. I send her a tight smile before I place the box on the floor of the aisle as Anika leaves, and I roll the sleeves of my hoodie up to my elbow before kneeling down and ripping open the box.
After a while, I’m sitting cross-legged on the floor, restocking a bunch of crisp packets when I hear the bell above the door ring. I blink multiple times, because I instantly know who it is, and I can’t bear to look at him. So, I continue stocking the shelves and opt to ignore him.
“Where’s your booze?” I hear him say, and I steal a quick glance at him. He was looking around the shop, a huge coat engulfing his body and a black beanie on his head, a few strands of his dark hair sticking out. His eyes fall to me, and he raises his eyebrows. I clear my throat and point my head in the direction to the aisle where the alcohol sat, and Antony says nothing as he stuffs his hand into his pockets and walks off.
My breathing is heavy and my hands shook slightly as I slowly got up, picking up the empty box and walking over to the counter. I’m in the middle of rolling down my sleeves when I hear footsteps and I look up, coming face to face with Antony. He looks me up and down as he cradles a few bottles in his arm. Silence is spewn all around us as we stare at each other, Antony’s lips parted slightly. His eyes travel all over my face and he blinks slowly.
Then, he digs his hand into his pocket and pulls something out before throwing it onto the counter. I look down. My eyes widen when I see money staring back at me, and it freezes me to the spot. “You ever kiss me again, I’ll fucking kill you.” Antony says quickly, and I slowly nod my head.
“Got it.” I gulp, and I see the way his throat bobs before he pushes the door open and leaves. I’m left gobsmacked. For once, Antony has paid for something instead of stealing. I tilt my head in confusion as I pick up the note and open the register, stuffing it in. I cradle my head in my hands out of sheer relief that Antony wasn’t planning on killing me, despite what I did. The stupid decision I had made that day, two weeks ago. It still played in my mind like a bad dream.
Whenever I close my eyes, I’m taken back to that moment. The first boy I ever kissed. The first boy whose lips were on mine. And he hates me for it. He despises me for it. He’ll kill me if I ever touch him again, and it’s virtually impossible for me to stay out of his way. His sister is my best friend, and I’m at their flat for many hours.
It was just a simple, stupid kiss, and it shouldn’t have happened. I shouldn’t have been careless enough to get that close to him.
“You good?” I hear, and I realise that I was so consumed in my own thoughts that I didn’t hear the bell or see Thomas walk in, his hand on the counter in front of me. I gulp when he raises his eyebrow at me. “Was it Antony? I just saw him as I was walking in. Did he say some dumb shit to you?”
I quickly shake my head, running my fingers through my hair. “No, I just have a headache.” I sighed, tilting my head at him. “You gonna buy summat?” I asked him, and he nodded his head, walking over to the drinks section. I watch as he opens the fridge door and pulls out a bottle of coke before walking back to the counter.
“How’s Fernanda?” He grins, and I roll my eyes as I scan the bottle and Tom passes me the money. “She good? Looking after herself?”
“Why do you care?” I scoffed, and he shrugs his shoulders. “Like I said, she’s not into you, Thomas. In fact, she’s with someone else.” I tell him, with the hopes that he’ll back off of her. I watch as Tom’s face drops and he frowns at me.
“She is?” He clears his throat. “Who?”
“Does it matter? Besides, it’s got shit all to do with you. She’s, like, two years younger than you. Find someone your own age.” I tell him, and he grimaces, crossing his arms across his chest. “Is there no girl at uni that will look in your direction?” I pout, poking fun at him. Tom rolls his eyes, his hands on his hips.
“Very funny, Theodore. I’m actually very busy in that department. Unlike you.” He says, and I narrow my eyes at him.
“Well, you’re the one that told me to hide my sexuality. Who, exactly, do you want me to do shit with?” I cross my arms over my chest, and Tom’s mouth parts as if he’s about to say something, but nothing comes out. “It’s not like I can go out and take my pick of a random guy to take home with me.”
“I don’t know.” He shrugs. “I don’t know how that shit works. Go to a gay bar, or something. As long as it’s as far away from this estate as possible.” He warns, and I grimace at him.
“I’m not going to a gay bar.”
“Why not?” Tom frowns.
“Because… it’s all old men there. I’m also underage.” I told him. Tom grumbles something under his breath before taking his coke and pushing open the door. He shows me his middle finger before leaving.
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