Hype

~Chapter 14~

             “Newpoint?  I heard it’s a pretty nice place.  I’m a little shocked that you liked it though.  You’ve been bath mouthing those places from the day I met you.” 

            I rolled my eyes at him.  “There were some nice people there.” 

            Ethan tapped his hand on the counter.  “You mean like, nice looking?” 

            I giggled.  “No, like a friendly kind of nice.  The girl who gave me the tour was really sweet.” 

            He grinned.  “Well, the girls at your school thought Mackenzie was sweet, didn’t they?  You can’t really go by first impressions,” 

            I glared back at him.  “She is nothing like Mackenzie.” 

           For some reason, we were having a slow night−which is odd for a Friday.  Maybe because it was only four in the afternoon.  Not everyone is back from school yet.  It was nice to be back at work after missing out for almost the whole week.  The swelling in my knee had almost gone away and now it hurt only when you touched it.  The issue of the dreaded stairs was also becoming closer to being resolved.  Going up and down the stairs is no fun when you’re in agony.  Now, that was getting much easier. 

           I leaned over the bright orange counter.  Every so often, I kept looking towards the entrance.  Mackenzie knew where I worked.  What if she came in the mall after me?  I got her suspended and broke her nose.  She was ready to kill me after I only got her suspended for a single day. 

         “Frey, she’s not going to come after you,” He caught me looking again.

         “I’m freaked out.  Sorry.” 

         He sighed and patted my back.  “You’ll be fine…don’t worry about it.” 

         I backed away.  Even so much as hugging my friends at school who are guys just bugs me.  For some reason, I’m like the elementary kids.  Guys have cooties.  Not so much in that sense, but I think you get the idea.  I’ve never had a boyfriend, been on a date, nothing.  I don’t even know what it’s like to be “in love” and all that.  To be honest, I’d rather be in my room with my stuffed animals than out on a date with some guy.  I’m sure you can tell by now that Ethan has been putting the moves on me, and even though he is pretty cute, I’m just not interested. 

         “Freya,” I heard a voice call out.  Instead of Mackenzie, a group of people I hadn’t seen in four days appeared before me:  Hayden, Ginger, Jana, and Jasmine.  Their faces lit up and they ran over. 

        “Frey-Frey!”  Ginger tried to lean across the counter to hug me.  “We missed you so much.  Are you okay?” 

         I nodded.  “My knee feels a little better,” 

        Jana looked up at me.  “We all feel so bad about what happened.  The whole class has been praying for you.” 

        I looked at Hayden, seeing her smug face for the first time in what seemed like forever.  “So, I heard you’re going to Newpoint.  Do you actually want to go?  No offense, but I really can’t see you at Newpoint Frey…” 

        Be quiet Hayden.  “I saw it yesterday and I thought it wasn’t too bad.  The girl who gave me the tour was really nice.” 

       Her face changed.  “What was her name?  Maybe I know her.” 

      “She said her name was Hope Mackey.  She’s a senior like us.”