"No," I said coldly, tugging my jeans and getting up swiftly. Before I could see Isaac's smile turn into a heartbreaking frown, I turned to Lola. "I'll help you with the icing."
"Come, dear," she said amusingly and I followed her in the pantry. I could feel his gaze boring into me till the moment I disappeared from his vision. Once out of his sight, I sighed audibly. "Boy trouble?"
I gawked at Lola, her weathered face stretched into a knowing smile.
"It's nothing," I said scornfully, eyeing the fresh batch of golden doughnuts. Why couldn't people mind their own business?
She held out a bowl of sprinkles in front of me and only when I met her gaze, she released her grip on the vessel. "It's only awkward when you make it."
Yeah thanks, no one asked for your bloody advice. As if we chose to make things awkward. It simply happened.
I smiled tightly, taking the bowl from her and placing it on the table with a childish thud. There was complete silence for a few seconds and I was too vexed to apologise. But then she giggled and soon I joined her to be polite, laughing dryly at how my fate led me to the most unfortunate events.
* * *
I'll show you mine and you show me yours.
I lifted my frock and stood there with the fabric bunched up at my hips. He was crouched on the ground, digging mud with a fallen branch. I waited impatiently, but he didn't even glance at me. "Isaac, look!"
Isaac's familiar head of unruly hair raised up, his lovely eyes squinting as harsh sunlight spilled on his face. For what seemed like only a mere second, he stared before averting his eyes back at the ground, uninterested. I let my frock fall and pulled up my underwear.
"Your turn," I said fairly and he shrugged.
"No."
My small hands balled into fists at his refusal and I pushed him down angrily. He fell on the ground and the soft skin of his elbow broke- bleeding there. The fragile stick he was holding snapped in two. For a while, he lay there and I wondered if he died. I didn't want him dead. He was my best friend.
Eventually, he got up without uttering a single word and again began digging the mud with his hands as if nothing had happened. Minutes later, I joined him, four baby hands trying to find where the wonders of the planet earth lay- the centre of our world.
* * *
We were six years old then. He was the kid who always said a blunt 'no' to everything asked and I was the violent kid who pushed him each time he said a blunt 'no' to everything asked. We made quite an odd pair, but we were best friends armed with a box full of toys, lemonades with extra, extra sugar and the childlike hunger for adventures and knowledge.
But with years of childhood friendship came the inevitable end of it and the embarrassing memories. He literally saw my nether regions, how could I possibly show him my face? Especially, after the devastating end to our friendship.
I stopped fingering the glazed doughnut and tried to suppress the mortifying memory of me displaying my down there. However, that wasn't the only embarrassing moment, there were countless others-
Five years old. I ate a huge watermelon piece and spat all the black seeds on his mother's new car. I blamed Isaac for the minor damage caused. He was grounded for the whole weekend.
Six years old. I left sticky mints in the pockets of his shorts. Next thing I knew, he was covered in ants and had to be soaked in the bath for an hour. Nobody knew that I did it, but I strongly sensed that he suspected I was the culprit because my breath smelled of mints.
Seven years old. I asked him kindly if I could sit on his swing. He said no like he usually did. I pushed him off the swing like I usually did. He got a number of stitches than one could count with their fingers of both hands combined.
I was pretty sure that if I brushed back his large mop of hair, I could still find the scars like an uncool tattoo on his forehead. I pitied the small Isaac, always on the receiving end of my ruthless abuse. Over the years, I learned to control my anger and restrain my urge to punch something by bottling up my frustration and then taking it out slowly in the form of bitter remarks for the next couple of days. It wasn't healthy, but at least Gandhi would have appreciated my efforts in the glorious path of non-violence.
"Let's take these babies out! They're adorable, aren't they?" Lola said enthusiastically, clutching the tray and I didn't get her energy. She was the old aunt who thought she understood teenagers and how to be cool. She kept trying to talk to me and her attempt at striking a friendship was pathetic. People didn't become best mates on the first day, heck, it took me years to be on buddy stage with Allison and Sam. Nevertheless, I didn't want to come off as rude with a fellow co-worker who could be of great help later, so I smiled occasionally in response.
I shadowed Lola like a shy kid trailing his mum at the grocery store and stood in the corner, my gaze fixed on the doughnuts that she was arranging neatly in the shelves. Not that I was fascinated by them, but because Isaac was there. Looking.
At lunch break, I had planned to sit with Tony in the pantry, but he was already occupied chatting with Isaac. I threw a random 'I'm going out' in the air without peeking at them since I could feel Isaac still staring at me. I quickly exited the shop and let out an exasperated breath. When would the boy give up?
I foolishly forgot to bring lunch and not wanting to spend money, I strolled on the streets aimlessly, waiting for the lunch break to get over. The bright coloured houses lined up in these concrete streets screamed stability and comfort. Each of them had a well-trimmed lawn, a garage and a functional family. The kind of family where they had hot meals together, went on weekend trips and fought over who would keep the groceries in place.
The children of these families had the luxury to act bratty and the parents had the money to afford each of their prodigal demands.
I resented each second spent in this neighbourhood, so I quietly walked back to Bailey's Nuts. It was truthfully a walk of shame till the counter as I could feel three pairs of eyes burning holes in the back of my head. Fine, I had nowhere to go and returned a little earlier than expected, was that a fricking crime?
All of them working in Bailey's Nuts were absolute nutcases and I was dreading to be one too.
I lingered behind the counter for a while when Tony approached me with a congenial smile. "You can talk to Isaac, he's pretty chill you know."
Yeah as if I didn't know him.
I snarled, "What? Has he sent you to get me talking to him or something?"
"No, no," his innocent brown eyes went wide. "But it . . . I don't know though . . . But it-it seems like you're uh . . . Avoiding him . . . "
"Huh?" I pretended to be offended.
"S-sorry, sorry," Tony stuttered, almost in fear. I always wondered why he was scared of me. Maybe because he respected me a lot, I helped him to get along well with my best friend Allison. Or maybe because he was a pussy.
"It's okay, but I'm not avoiding anyone," I lied firmly and he nodded vigorously. "Actually . . . Can you ask him---" I pointed at the pot-bellied manager since I didn't know his name. "---if I could come in the morning shift?"
His eyebrows knotted the slightest, but one look of my apparently petrifying face had him quickly saying, "Okay, I-I will ask him."
The next few minutes was traumatizing to witness. He was terribly scolded by the spitting manager and I couldn't help, but feel sorry for him. Tony stumbled towards me after the yelling was over, wiping the drops of our dear manager's disgusting saliva. "I'm sorry."
I pulled a mock sour face, waving my hand dismissively. "At least, we tried."
At least, you tried.
"Yeah," he said dourly, but then his face lit up. "Morning shift has way too many customers Mariana, it's too much work for less money. This is the best shift anyway."
Not when Isaac flipping Connor was here.
To appear grateful by his reassurance, I forced a smile. "Of course, thank you."
Tony, clueless, seemed to be pleased.
* * *
A/N :
Mariana is FLAWED just like you and I, just like my other characters. She is not perfect and would never be, but in this story she'll learn and grow. Please do vote, comment and share if you're liking so far ❤