Rock and Roll

Chapter Three: No No No

Valentine did make it to work on time. If she had been late she would have found that tall and clumsy boy and punched him right in the face. She was busy shelving records when her boss walked in.

"Valentine, I need you to re-organize the Pop section when you're done with those. Some high schoolers were in here yesterday, and messed everything up." he said. He was being grumbly, which was never good. He had a slight disdain for high schoolers, as well as loud parties and royal icing.

"Can do Neil." she said, using the wrong name to try and irritate him further.

"Thanks Hero." Niall said. She flinched a little, knowing the feeling all to well. It was like being kicked in the stomach, being called her sister's name. A simple reminder that she wasn't her own person but part of a set. She mumbled something to him, and worked a little faster. Her face flushed with embarrassment, and she felt a little too hot on the cold morning. She had started it though, so she had no right to be mad at him. For a split second she thought she saw him guiltily look at the ground, but when she turned around he was looking at CD's.

The day passed slowly. She organized, and re-organized after every customer. When her lunch break rolled around, she stayed and organized again. Niall had to practically kick her out at closing time.

She loved the record store. It was her own personal paradise. The whole building was medium sized, all the records and CD's divided perfectly. Red clearance bins lined one wall. It was her happy place. Niall had given her as many hours of work as he could, but even on her days off, she showed up and just hung out with the rest of the staff. She was constantly recommending new music to people, ranging from Bring Me the Horizon to Highly Suspect. Occasionally she slipped in a Joji song.

She was in the coffee shop again, watching the purple sky flow to black, and sipping hot chocolate. When there was nothing else to see out the window, she looked at the door and watched as people came and went. The bell at the top of the door rang, a signal for her eyes to follow the stranger.

Ugh.

It was the guy who spilled tea down her chest earlier. He had long, dark, curly hair and it was pulled back into a ponytail. He was wearing black jeans and a messy paint spattered tank top. There was a very small bruise on his jaw. He was with a guy only an inch or two shorter than him with brown doe eyes and scruffy cheeks. She looked down. Something about the former made her uncomfortable.

She watched the swirls in her hot chocolate hoping he wouldn't see her. It isn't that she felt bad for yelling at him, he deserved that, it was that she had been wearing a low cut shirt and he had more than likely seen her bra.

Her face burned for the second time that day. She was in the middle of pulling out her phone when the chair in front her squeaked across the floor. She groaned as he sat down backwards in the metal chair. He probably thought he was so cool... She looked up from her hands and glared at him. He only politely stared back at her.

"May I help you?" she asked. She faked a smile, not stopping her glare for even a moment. She didn't need new friends especially not attractive "too cool for school" friends.

"No. There just wasn't anywhere else to sit," he said. He paused to look around, and saw all the empty tables and chairs. He laughed to himself. "I am sorry about what happened earlier." He grinned at her.

"That's nice."

"Are you going to accept my apology or do I get to sit and stare at your pretty face all night?" he said. He may have been expecting a shy giggle and a blush, but that's certainly not what he was going to get.

"Do you think you can just waltz in here say your sorry, complement me and then expect everything to be chill? No, absolutely not." she said. She flicked her hair off of her shoulder, chugged the rest of her drink, and stood to leave. The guy he walked in with whispered a small wow from where he was standing only a few feet away watching the events unfold.

She marched right out of the shop, not looking back once. She had left him her empty cup, and an odd feeling.