Alex

Books and Nooks

Alexis got used to her new life pretty quickly. Why wouldn't she? It was definitely much better than her previous one. Working two jobs while simultaneously caring for your sick mother can definitely drain one of all their inspiration. Not that she would ever complain about having to care for her mother. God knew the woman had been through a lot.

Alexis's mother wasn't a financially smart person and unfortunately Alex had inherited her minimal money management skills. So someone else calling the shots for her, made her life so much easier. She knew it was only temporary, that in a couple of weeks she'd have to leave. But that was also why she was actively working towards her original goal. She would get on Peter's good side and make him pay what he owed her.

"Stop your mental monologues and get back to work!" She heard. Peter had picked up on her habit of drifting off. So he would just call out his timely reminders regardless of what she was actually doing. She wasn't exactly brilliant, not at all focused, but she seemed to be working on a way to move out of his house. At least that's what Peter assumed.

He had quickly realized that it is suicidal to ask her to cook. That's probably how her mother died. So he stuck her with dishes and laundry. Alexis didn't complain. She was used to working around the house. Plus her new job was really enjoyable. She had been working in a couple of diners earlier. She had picked up those jobs hoping to meet interesting people. Maybe find a few characters she could use. But she had soon come to realize cleaning greasy tables and dealing with permanently indecisive people was just not worth all the trouble.

This though, being around books all day long, watching someone poring over a pile trying to find the best one. People putting efforts into something she held dear to her heart. It made her happy. She grew up without an extra penny, so most other forms of recreation had been out of question for her. She had found solace in the yellowing silky smooth pages of old second hand books.

Alexis had managed to find a couple of novels she'd been dying to read and would sneak 'em into the back aisle when there weren't any customers. Peter was a chill enough employer. He didn't care about what she did as long as the books were stacked neatly and no customer went unattended.

Every once in a while the bell at the door would chime and she'd hide away the books to go help the customer. She had grown comfortable in this new routine in just a few days. She knew this wasn't right. So did Peter. He couldn't possibly be so comfortable around a warped tween who had spun out nothing but lies since the moment she arrived.

She was a total stranger who claimed to be his daughter for crying out loud! What could possibly be more outrageous than that! Yet he kept helping her out and cutting her way more slack than she deserved.

The door opened and she came bounding out near the entrance no doubt having tucked away that limited edition copy of 'Kafka on the Shore' in the nook behind the furthermost shelf.

It was Marcus. He lived down the street from Peter's place and often hung out at the store. Being the wrangly kid among 3 boys could never be easy. Especially when all your brothers are rowdy and wild. While his elder brothers spent most of their time causing trouble Marcus moved with the sole purpose of avoiding it. So he had quickly taken to spending most of his time with that man who owns the bookstore and plays the cool guitar.

Peter couldn't complain about a young boy taking interest in country music or literature, both which seemed to be dying in the 'edm and texting' era.

"How can I help you?" Alexis asked. Marcus's face went pink. He had never seen this pretty girl before. She looked older but her face looked more innocent than any of the girls in his junior class. He wasn't used to being addressed directly by girls. He fumbled on his own words trying to figure out what to do with his limbs when Peter stepped in.

"This is Marcus. He basically lives here. So he's good." Alexis simply nodded going back to her corner while Marcus followed Peter like a lost puppy. Mr. Dennings did not just make his life miserable...