My Chemical Romance

Chapter 2

As I entered my apartment, a thought dawned on me. How would they contact me? When were we going to practice? I figured that their manager knew where to find me since I gave that other manager my info. I looked at the clock. It was almost 5:45; I have to work at 6:00. I grabbed a snack from the fridge and decided that I would just walk. I worked at a small book store near my apartment and I could get there in fifteen minutes easy.

Before exitting the building I made sure that my front door was locked.  I wasn't about to take the chance of getting robbed which isn't all that uncommon in this area.  While mentaly checking that i had my keys, phone, and wallet i made my way down the creaky steps of the building.  When i pushed open the heavy wooden front door a wall of cold air hit me.  I quickly closed the front door behind me and shoved my hands in my jacket pockets as i made my way to work.   

When I arrived, to the cozy little shop i pushed open its bright red door, sounding my arrival with a bell.  I took my spot behind the counter where the other clerk should have been. She came out of the back room with her bag in hand and waved at me. I smiled as she approached me to say goodbye. I don’t know her too well but she seems nice enough so I say hi when I see her. When she opened the door, a draft entered the well heated store and the annoying little bell rang once again.  I was alone now and it was dead silent which creped me out a bit so I turned on the stereo under the desk. The sound of Paramore’s latest album filled the deserted store which comforted me.  Just as I was about to pull my book out of my bag I noticed the note on the desk.  As I read it i pealed off my jacket and set it down on the leather stool behind me.

‘Please put new order of books on the empty shelf. Thanks, Tammy.’ 

This was something I was used to. Tammy, the girl who just left the store, always leaves her jobs for me. Sure, I don’t mind cuz it keeps me busy in this dead zonze but what pisses me off is that we get the same pay check.

I sighed and put my book on the desk and moved out from behind the giant wooden desk.  Making my way to the back of the back office door I took a quick glance at the books that lined the giant shelves even though I knew i wouldn't find anything i wanted read.  I opened the door labled employees only and was hit with a wall that smelled like burnt coffee.  She left the coffee pot on.  With a sigh of frustration I walked into the small room and as I was going to turn the overused coffee pot off, I gave myself a Charlie horse by hitting my thigh on the corner of the big table which sat in the center of the room. I stumbled a bit and limbed the rest of the way to the other side of the room where the coffee pot sat on a small table.  Surrounding it were packs of sugar that had been knocked over, some scattered tea bags, and those plastic stir sticks.  I hit the little red button of the pot and walked back over to the front of the room where the new books sat on the rolling rack.  Heavy books on accounting.  Who the hell was going to buy these?  I sighed and pushed the cart over the business aisle where I found the reserved section for the books.  On the top shelf.  Six feet up.  I am 5’3” so this situation wasn’t exactly going in my favor. I sighed in frustration, yat agian,  and  went over to the front desk.  I dragged the bulky leather stool back to the shelf and put it at one end of the book case.  Grabbing as many books as my arms could handle I quickly slid them into the empty slot.

As I was about to finish I heard the door open over the sound of Haley Williams screaming. “Hello?” I heard the customer or lost pedestrian say.  This store got more lost tourists then it did customers. There are better things to do in NYC then read books, unless you’re someone like me.  I enjoy reading, so the job choice suites me.  Plus I can just pick any book I want and read it during my shift.

“I’ll be with you in a moment!” I had one book left and the only open spot was at the very opposite end of the shelf.  I didn’t feel like getting down and moving the stool so I mentally vote to just stretch it. I can reach it, no problem I told myself.  Putting the book in my right hand and leaning towards the empty spot I as I balanced myself with one foot left on the stool, I slipped the book in.  My smile of success quickly dissolves when I felt my foot slip from the stool giving out a “Whoa!” as I fell to the ground.  I squeezed my eyes closed so I didn’t have to watch the ceiling get smaller.  In my opinion that was the worst part of falling for me, except for when you hit the ground.  But the thing is I didn’t hit the ground. I felt someone’s arms wrap around me a moment after I started to fall.  I forced my eyes open to see who had caught me and it wasn’t a knight in shining armor. It was Jay.