Paintbrush

↬eight.

  He narrowed his eyes as he warily looked around.

  Inside the drugstore, it was completely silent. But he knew the girl was there, hiding.

  With a bag of chips in hand, he stepped closer to the cash register and began to lean over. He prepared himself for a scare, knowing that she was going to jump up from behind the counter.

  Taking a deep breath, he fully leaned over the counter and furrowed his eyebrows. Empty. "What–"

  "Boo!"

  He stumbled back, almost falling over the counter. Once he turned around, his eyes locked with the familiar beauty.

  "Are you serious?" he sighed while she crouched down, laughing uncontrollably.

  "That was absolute gold! I swear I heard a little scream come out of you and it was pretty high-pitched, " she exclaimed; he gave her a flat look.

  "I did not scream. But I did almost fall and break my neck, so thanks for that."

  She pouted. "Oh, is alley guy mad at drugstore girl?"

"Yes, as a matter of fact, alley g– I mean, I am mad at you, " he replied, crossing his arms.

"Well, that's too bad. Not for me, but for you, " she said, which made him quirk an eyebrow at her. "I'm kind of the only one who can ring up that bag of chips of yours. And those are some real good chips."

He gingerly watched her sigh in disappointment before making her way behind the counter.

"You're clever, drugstore girl. Very clever, " he muttered as he handed her a five dollar bill. She took it with a smile and pressed some buttons on the cash register.

Then, she gave him the receipt and continued doing her usual thing. Which meant eating the chocolate from the store, without paying.

"How come you don't get in trouble for doing that? You know, eating store items?"

She chuckled, although it seemed quite humorless. "Because my father owns this drugstore. Well, legally, he does. I'm the one who takes care of it and everything. My brother takes all of the credit though, like the selfish guy he is."

"Hm, do I hear sibling rivalry?" he joked while she took a bite of the chocolate bar, shaking her head.

"Not really, " she murmured, glancing at him, before plastering a forced smile on her face. "But anyway, there hasn't been any new paintings yet. Enjoy your chips."

He gazed at her for a while, pondering whether he should question her further or leave.

Then, he leaned closer to her and whispered: "Listen. I don't know your father, in fact, I don't know anything about you. But I know that you're worth more than this. You're not just a drugstore girl. Maybe your father doesn't see that, but I, a stranger, do. So should you."

And with that, he left.

If only he had seen the grateful, real smile on her face and the way she brightened. As if she had finally found a purpose again.

A/N: early update! Why? Because I was reading through some comments on this story and I felt inspired. By all of you.

  So, thank you.

  Comment what you think of this chapter!