Ava's POV:
"Ava! Can you buy milk? We're out!" Mom screamed.
I stare at my laptop screen, fingers typing the essay with furious motions. I would say writing the same essay twice is easy, but it isn't. Mainly when you didn't do it the first time. "What about Trevon?"
She pops her head into the living room, "Trev is out with his friends."
I tilted my screen down and pouted, "He's lying. He's meeting a girl. You should punish him by making him buy milk...like right now."
She rolled her eyes, "Go." She threw the keys at me. I barely dodge it.
Strolling down the dairy aisle, I grab the carton of milk; before hearing a familiar voice, "Miles! Zach! Boys! Stop running!"
I turn my body to see two young boys sprinting towards me at full speed. Immediately, I whip my arms in the air to save the milk. Mr.Nocella circles me and grabs both boys, one per arm. "Got you! Thought you could run away from me, huh!"
"Well, I wasn't really running," I said, and Mr.Nocella looked up. He was squatting with his arms around my waist.
Miles and Zach giggled as Mr.Nocella's face turned red. "Miss Makee."
"How about I hold one of your boys and you hold the other one, so we don't have to be in this questionable position," I suggested.
"I'm so sorry." He quickly stood up, and in the process, headbutted me. We groaned, placing our hands against our bruising foreheads.
Immediately, Miles and Zach race down the store, escaping their father. "Ha! Ha! You can't catch us!" They blew him raspberries.
"Boys!" Mr.Nocella screamed, looking angrier than ever.
The small giggled escaped from my mouth as I dangled the milk against the tip of my fingers. "I'm assuming this is your first-time grocery shopping?"
He ran his fingers through his grimy hair. "Second." He looks at me, "How did you know?"
I stood there, eyes analyzing his physical features. He wasn't well-dressed and groomed like usual as if he was standing on top of the world. Instead, he stood there in his baggy grey sweatpants and a large white t-shirt that unfortunately hides the mouth-watering muscles beneath. I point at the cart full of sugar behind him. "Shopping for a party?"
He gave me a grim smile, "For...the week."
"Need some help?"
Mr.Nocella laughed lowly, "I believe allowing my student to help me grocery shopping is ina-" a loud bang was heard across the store.
Miles and Zach look at each other before pointing a finger at one another, "He did it."
"I got some time," I said, walking towards the cart and placing my milk in it. Mr.Nocella followed me, "Tell them, you're leaving," I said, and began moving the cart down the aisle.
He looks back, "Are you sure?"
"Go. Do it," I urge him.
He cleared his throat, "Boys! We're leaving!" He looks at me, then back towards the boys and back at me. "They aren't moving," he whispered.
I glanced back, but continued walking, "Stop looking at them."
"But-"
"Just walk!" I hissed lowly.
"Wait! Dad!" one of the boys yelled.
"Daddy! Don't leave us!"
Mr.Nocella smiled, a broad one before he straightened his back and continued walking. I bit the tip of my tongue to hold back the laughter. While we walked down the aisle, I threw things back as if I was the one grocery shopping for my house.
"Who are you, and why are you taking away our candies?" One of the boys said.
"Miles," Mr.Nocella hissed. "That's not how you talk to people."
I crouched down towards Miles level, the older of the two boys, and held out a hand, "I'm Ava Makee."
He narrows his eyes before taking my hand with his small one, "Miles Nocella," he proudly introduces himself as if he was an adult and not some child that was running around the grocery store a few minutes ago. "Now, Ava Makee. Tell us why you are taking away our delicious food."
"Because Miles Nocella-" I also decided to use his full name. "What you're buying isn't food. It's cavity-inducing products." If he wants to act like an adult, I'll treat him like one.
He scratched his head, "Cavity what?"
"Cavities inducing products. If you eat this stuff more and more, you would have to go to the dentist!"
Miles gasps covering his mouth with his hands, "Not the dentist!"
"Yes! The dentist!"
"No!" He tugged on Mr.Nocella's pants, "Dad! I don't want to go to the dentist! They are mean! They always buzz buzz!" He made drilling sounds, "And I don't like buzz buzz!"
I can tell Mr.Nocella was trying his best not to laugh. He slipped on his parenting mask. "Yes. The dentist." Miles and Zach's eyes widen. "But, fortunately, Miss Makee is here to help us. So, we don't have to go to the dentist."
I smile and grab the box of overly sugary cereal, "Do you boys want to help me with a No-Dentist Mission?"
Miles and Zach smiled and nodded.
"Why don't you search for the cereal aisle and put this back. Dad and I will wait here." I hand Miles and Zach each a box. "Ready. Set. Go!" I screamed, and they rushed towards the cereal aisle.
I stood up, unable to hold back my laughter as Zach chubby short legs attempted to race down the aisle carrying a cereal box that seemed a bit too large for him.
"Thank you, Miss Makee."
"Not at all a problem."
He scratched his head as we continued to watch the boys from a distance. "How did you manage to do that? No matter what I say, they wouldn't listen to me."
"What can I say? I got a way of handling kids." I can't tell him that I used to interact with Miles and Zach a few times before. Mr.Nocella would sometimes sneak me into his house when his wife isn't home. When I was leaving in the morning, early in the morning, I sometimes ran into Miles and Zach.
I was "daddy's special friend."
Despite our minimal interactions, I'm certain Miles and Zach knew I was more than daddy's special friend. I'm even more sure Mrs.Nocella knew Mr.Nocella had a special friend just like her.
When the majority of processed food was back on the shelf, we began our grocery shopping. I grabbed a box of spaghetti, "So, a lot of these packages have a beginner instruction on the back or the side of the box," I said, handing it to him, "Just follow the directions and the food should be edible."
Mr.Nocella glared at the box and nodded, "What about the additional items? Should I purchase that and add it on too? Is that mandatory?"
I glanced at him, wondering if he knew his words were contradicting one another. "That's all based on personal preferences, but I don't suggest purchasing all of them."
He nodded and squinted his eyes further towards the box.
"You...really don't go grocery shopping that often, do you?"
"No, usually it's my wife who buys-" he stops talking. His eyes dropped along with his shoulders momentarily before he threw the spaghetti box inside the cart. "So, what other dishes are easy to make and won't be thrown to my face?"
Mr.Nocella is a strong man, no doubt. He has to be for his children. He forces a bright smile on his face, as large as he can muster. That is what he does every day, and possibly for the rest of his life. But on the inside, he lived in misery.
I remember the nights he suffers, pouring out tears between my chest. At that moment, I felt invincible, strong that a full-grown man would express such weakness in front of me. However, everything I did for Mr.Nocella was merely out of self-interest. I felt needed.
"Fried rice is generally easy to cook," I said, playing along with his game.
After we got all the ingredients for the dishes, I walked them towards the self-checkout registers. I notice how there was a reasonable distance between us; there's always a gap to ensure that the public doesn't misunderstand. If we were to run into someone, we don't know. We can easily explain to them that there's nothing between.
I can't help but wonder if he understands the danger of being with one of the most rumored people at school.
Then again, Mr.Nocella, as an educator, is never one to judge. No educator should.
No. No one should.
"Here. I'll carry him." Mr.Nocella reaches for Zach.
"Then who will push the cart?"
"Oh, right." He scratched his head, "Here. We can put him in here." He opens the small basket in front of the cart.
"No! No!" Zach held onto me tighter.
I laughed, "It's okay. We are almost at the register," I said, bouncing Zach on my waist.
"I know I said it before, but you really do have a way with kids, Miss Makee."
I smile, pinching Zach's cheek, "I guess it because I've always wanted one."
Mr.Nocella brows crunch, "Aren't you a bit too young to be thinking about kids?"
Instantly, my heartbeats halted, realizing the mistake I made. Kids my age generally don't think of having children. "Oh, well, you know. I'm still a girl Mr.Nocella. I do consider having kids one day."
If I can.
He nodded, "Make sense."
Once we reached the register, I put Zach down, who decided to slide down my body. Mr.Nocella crouched downward, "Say bye Zachary."
Zach pouted, "Bye," he mumbled.
I duck down and smile, "Goodbye, Zachary." I kiss his cheek. Immediately, it turned red, and he hid it in Mr.Nocella's chest.
"Me too! Me too!" Miles bounced in front of me.
I laughed, placing a kiss on his cheek, "Bye Bye Miss Makee." He waved his small hand at me.
"Goodbye to you too, Miles." I stood up, not certain of what to do next. I decided to go for a handshake, "Goodbye, Mr.Nocella."
He grasps it, callus hand resting against mine, and a familiar flow leaps in every sensation of my body, "Again, thank you."
I retract my hand, feeling his gripping on it. When he came to a realization that he was holding on much too tight, he released me. "Apologies."
I tuck a strand of hair back before looking up at him. "It's okay." I smiled, "I'll see you at school soon?"
While I stood there, I held an enormous urge to trace his lip lightly with the tip of my fingers. I know what his lip will do next. It will pout. A pout that gave me an enormous urge to bite it, kiss it, wrap us up; covering us from the harshness of the world.
His chapped lips curved into a smile, and at that particular moment, unknowingly, as I stared at the sloppy man in front of me, my chest skipped a beat. "Yes, I'll see you soon, Miss Makee."