Black Sheep

I Hate Bubblegum

'What a manipulative, little— No, no. She's just trying to get in my head.' I turn around to face the girl and am not surprised by the presence of a smirk on her lips. I would give anything to slap that stupid expression off her face, but I have to be careful of my actions. I'm an adult, so I should be able to handle this without violence. The mysterious man, on the other hand, looks as though he'll strangle the nuisance at any minute. Oh, that would be very satisfying right about now.

"Is there anything else that I can help you with?" I ask, trying to get her out as soon as possible. I'm just about ready to leave, but it's obvious that she plans on staying. Is taking a nice, hot bath, eating dinner, and passing out on my bed too much to ask for? "I was supposed to close the store fifteen minutes ago, so..." I hoped that she would catch my hint and take a hike, but I forgot that she's a bitch for a moment. So, when she did understand my intentions, she responded with,

"Nope," putting emphasis on the 'p' to make it known that she's just fucking with me by this point. "I'll stay if I want to stay."

I look away with a sigh and walk to the back room to keep my mind occupied. There, I take the fabrics I need to take home with me to make my new creations: grey wool, white, faux fur, red silk, and black lace. I toss them into my bag, so it'll be easier to carry. When I open the door to go back into the store, I freeze in the doorway with widened eyes. The dark-haired man is standing behind the snooty teen with a heavy book, which he likely grabbed from the drawer in my desk, held above his head. It looks like he's about to hit her hard behind the head.

My heart pounds heavily as I race towards her in a panic and snatch her arm. A yelp escapes her lips as I pull her outside the store to safety. The book slams hard against the floor, as the door shuts, letting me know just how much force he planned to use against her. I imagine he would've cracked open her skull. The thought made me gulp as her hand slipped out of mine. The next I knew, a sharp sting was felt on my cheek along with a loud slap. I gasp in pain and bring a hand to the red mark on my face while staring at the teenager with wide eyes.

"What the fuck is wrong with you?!"

'That's definitely leaving a mark.' I groan softly with tears pricking the corners of my eyes.

"My parents are going to hear about this!" With a huff, she turns her heel and flips her hair over her shoulder before walking away. I let out a frustrated sigh as I glared at her retreating form with my hand falling limp at my side. I go back in after she disappears.

'I was just trying to help. Ungrateful bitch.' I close the door behind me and put on a serious face as I cross my arms and meet the sapphire eyes of the male leaning against the counter. "You want to tell me what the hell all that was about?" I say in a stern voice hoping to intimidate him a little only for the man to cross his arms as well to mimic me. He's silent, which leads me to groan in frustration.

'Why must he be so difficult?!' I march closer to him, hardening my glare to show I'm not playing around. "Well?" He huffs and stands a bit taller to show he's unfazed by my intimidation skills.

"I was about to do the world a favor."

"Look, I hate her too, but you could have killed her!" I scolded while taking the book he tried to whack the girl with off the floor to put it on the counter. "Do you have any idea what sort of trouble I'd be in? What trouble I'll probably have now?" He merely rolls his eyes, not regretting his actions, but his expression changes the moment his gaze falls on my cheek. It still stings a little, and I'm sure there's a red handprint there. Hopefully, it won't bruise. The man steps towards me, but I hold my ground regardless of him now looking concerned.