"What are you, a fucking idiot?!" Matt screams from behind his desk.
I roll my eyes. "It's not even that big of a deal, I barely did anything."
"You flipped off a dozen people with cameras, not to mention half of those people were connected to the papers!"
I snicker and look down, but when I look back up he doesn't even look remotely happy.
"Do you even realize how bad this is for you? How bad this is for me?" He says slowly, standing up.
"Does it even matter? I'm off tour, people will forget in, like, a day."
"Yes, it does matter, dumbfuck. People won't forget in a day, they might for anyone else, but they won't for you."
"Why?"
"Because you're young! You're young and desirable and the last thing a bunch of teen girls want to see is their idol being a douche. That right there, will make you less desirable, which will get you less fans."
I cross my arms and glare at his dumbass face. "I thought this was about my music? If I wanted people to want to sleep with me I would have gotten into the porn making industry."
"Shut up! Just-" he grumbles and rubs his forehead sitting back down. I smile to myself and try my hardest not to laugh. "Just get out. Get out, go somewhere, anywhere just leave for a couple of hours so I don't put your head through a wall!"
I smile and put my hands up in surrender as I back out of his office. "Geez, sorry. I'll go, I'll go," I sigh.
Thank goodness, I thought he'd never kick me out. I grab my jacket and walk out of my house. Who's idea was it to get my manager an office in our new house, I mean seriously.
I get in my car and start driving, even though I don't even know where I'm going. I've been here for a little while and I know my way around sort of, but just barely.
I know for sure there's a bookstore in town, so that sounds pretty alright, I guess. Even though I don't need a book right now, I've got plenty.
Finally, after missing the turn about five times, I'm able to actually park and go in. It's rainy outside, great.
I walk in and the bell chimes, causing the guy behind the counter to snap his head up and look at me. I've been here a couple of times since I've been in Calloway and every time I come in here I see him behind the counter.
He introduced himself as Jensen Waters the first day I walked in. He was all smiles and very enthusiastic while asking if I needed help finding anything.
"Hey, Asher," he smiles. I nod my head awkwardly. "Hey Jensen." He's really enthusiastic.
I walk pointedly to the horror section trying to avoid any further conversation between us, (thank goodness it works). There's not many people in here today, but I don't mind at all.
I look for a little while, but there's nothing I want that I don't already have. I have almost all these.
The bell rings from across the store and I cringe. Great, company. Whatever, I'll just avoid them. They'll probably avoid me too, everyone in here are completely deranged introverts. But, that's fine, I am too. Sort of.
I hear voices, a couple more minutes go by. I start to hear another voice, it sounds like it's getting closer.
"Brady?" Is the first intelligible word I hear.
The voice sounds like it belongs to a girl and, fuck, it sounds gorgeous. Am I crazy? To think this is the prettiest voice I've ever heard with only hearing one word from it. Probably.
"Brady?!" The voice says a little more frantically.
Nope, not crazy, it's definitely the most beautiful voice I've ever heard. I keep scanning the books, trying to keep my mind off of the voice.
Suddenly, I feel something run into my back. What the actual fuck?! I whip around, ready to absolutely rip into this guy, when I hear, "Brady?" Again and see that the voice belongs to the person who ran into me.
She whips around just as I do and immediately I'm stunned. I meet her eyes and I'm even more stunned. Her left eye is blue, her right one brown.
They're extraordinary, they're actually the most extraordinary pair of eyes I think I've ever seen. But they looked scared.
"It's actually Asher," I chuckle, suddenly nervous, fucking nervous, by a girl I just met.
"Sorry," she mumbles, looking away, much to my dismay. I can't help but keep looking at her, though.
Her brown hair is in a braid down her back but I can see curly pieces fighting to break free from it. She has freckles scattered all over her cheeks and perfectly defined cheekbones. She's not much shorter than me, just enough so that I can look down at her perfectly.
Plump little lips and big eyes. She's perfect, literally perfect.
When I realize I'm staring, I also see her eyes trained on something behind me. She looks scared. I turn around and see a creepy looking middle-aged guy obviously pretending to look at books.
I study him for a second and then look back at her scared expression. She's scared of him.
Slowly, I walk up to her and bend down so that my mouth is right next to her ear. "You know that guy?" I whisper, already knowing the answer. She shakes her head and I nod, knowing exactly what to do.
"Hey, babe, show me what you picked out," I say loudly so that he can hear me. She looks up at me confused.
C'mon pretty girl, go along with it.
I nod my head, trying to communicate with her. Something clicks in her eyes. "Oh, I got, um," she trails off. I look behind us and the guy glances over and then reluctantly walks away.
"Asshole," I mutter. "You alright?"
"I'm fine, thanks," she murmurs, turning around. She starts walking, but I can't let her go that easily.
"What's your name?" I say, one step behind her.
"Sorry, but that's strictly confidential," she says.
I grin. "Why's that?"
She stops, turning to face me with those pretty eyes. "I don't give my name to strangers, especially if there's a possibility they could be a murderer or a kidnapper or..."
"If I was a murderer, why would I have just helped you get away from that other murder-y looking guy," I tease.
"I don't know, to trick me. Try to ploy me into trusting you," she grins up at me.
Lord, her smile. She has a dimple on the right side of her lips, and suddenly I feel weak at the knees. I've never been one to be attracted to dimples, but suddenly I think dimples are the prettiest feature someone can have.
"Yeah because I, a seventeen-year-old, just love to trick girls my age in bookstores into trusting me so I can kill them."
She grins even more and I can't help but fight a grin creeping onto my own lips.
"Look I really need to get back to my friend, so," she starts walking again and I follow.
"Brady, right?"
"Mhm," she mumbles.
"Is Brady a, boyfriend, per se?"
She laughs. "Wouldn't you like to know."
"Yes, I actually would."
She grins to herself but tries to hide it. "Well that's too bad, isn't it," she stops and turns to me. "I'm leaving, but it was nice talking to you. Thanks again for the protection." She twirls around and salutes with two fingers.
"Wait," I say a little too desperately. "Could we see each other again?" I can't believe I'm acting so pathetic over this girl I've barely talked to.
"You know what, if we're meant to be, we'll see each other again," she calls over her shoulder.
I watch as she walks up to Jensen at the counter and some other guy leaning against it. Some blond guy who looks our age. I'm gonna take an educated guess and say that's Brady.
She talks to those two for a minute before she and Brady make their way towards the door. Right before they walk out, she looks back at me. I lean against the bookshelf and grin at her, raising two fingers and waving. She waves back awkwardly.
Brady glances at me and I almost prepare to get my ass kicked by a pissed off boyfriend but instead, he looks me over once and then turns back to her grinning. So, if I'm correct, they're not dating. Good.
After they leave, I decide to take a risk. I walk up to Jensen and he looks up and smiles.
"Who was that?" I try to act as nonchalant as possible, but most likely I'm failing horribly.
"Who, Allie?"
Allie. Fucking beautiful. "Yeah, yeah Allie."
He shrugs his shoulders. "I go to school with her at East Oakland."
East Oakland, East Oakland, East Oakland. Where have I heard that before? Wait. I think Matt said that's where I'm starting school tomorrow. Fucking perfect.
"And Brady is he," I try to hint. Jensen smiles and hangs his head, his brown hair falling into his eyes.
"You like her, don't you?"
I straighten up. "Wha- no, I just,"
"Brady's not her boyfriend," he interrupts. "He's mine, actually. But, I don't blame you for liking Allie, it's hard not to."
I nod. Alright. Tomorrow, hopefully, I'll see her at school. And hopefully, when I get home, I can take a shower and reclaim some of the dignity I lost on this venture I've taken today.
This random pretty girl I met in a bookstore has already got me crazy, and I don't even know her last name.