Chapter One

The pilot

How many words can come out of his mouth in a second? Maybe ten... So if it's ten words a second and there's sixty seconds in a minute it would be six-hundred words per minute. And if we still have fifteen minutes left of class I have yet to endure nine-thousand more words out of his mouth.

I let out a sigh of exasperation and picked up my pen. I could always just pretend to do something. Social studies has always been a drag. Not that it's a hard class but... Focusing on one voice for more than twenty minutes is just so hard when it's not interesting.

At least it's a Friday.

I looked to my side to find my best friend, Elizabeth O'Connell, staring off at the white board with as much interest on the Korean War than a log of wood. I guess that makes two of us.

Elle is an it-girl. Anyone with working vision could clearly see this. She's a cheer captain with a toned body any guy would love to have. With her long blonde hair, tan legs, and brilliant, blue eyes no one could say no to her. However, she was the most honest person I've met. It came in handy but most of the time she just made cheerleaders cry.

"What're the plans for tonight?" I asked in a whisper. Most Fridays Elle, our best friend, David, and I would go to a house party to get drunk. Well, they drank, I just sort of... mingled.

Elle came out of her daze and sat a bit straighter. "Uh... I'm not sure, movies and ice cream?" she suggested lightly.

And that's the last piece to the puzzle. Elle was upset about something. Usually, her first response would be clubbing and getting smashed along with a playful wink. Movies and ice cream are the signature post-breakup routine.

"What happened, Elle?" she looked taken back by my response and sighed once she knew I caught on.

"Ryder's skipping on our first date again," she whispered. Ryder was the bad boy of this town with a penchant for smoking pot and getting expelled every four months. But once you got to know the guy, he wasn't all that bad. He made Elle happy, and that made me happy.

"To be fair Elle, the guy had to go see his sick grandma last time." I state matter-of-factly.

"Yeah, but this time you wanna know what his excuse was?" It was rhetorical, of course, because she didn't even let me respond. "He's seeing an old friend! An old friend that he can see any other day but can't frigging take me to a cliché ride-on-the-Ferris-wheel date!" Elle whispered harshly. It was clear that she's been keeping all her anger at bay. Meaning, on the car ride home I was going to hear every single detail of this.

"It's an old friend. He probably hasn't seen this person in who-knows how long. You guys have time to go on a date any other day." I replied, trying to save Ryder from Elle's wrath.

"Sonny! Refrain from talking! My lecture is still in session!" Mr. De Marco boomed in my direction.

I spotted Elle from the corner of my eyes with a the edges of her perfectly glossy lips tugging up in a smirk. I looked back to Mr. De Marco and gave an apologetic smile. "I'm sorry sir, I just couldn't seem to find my glasses today and had to ask Elizabeth for her notes." I explain with the most mellifluous tone I could muster.

He stared at me intensely to see if I would crack under the pressure. Once he couldn't see past my apologetic facade he turned back to the board with a "humph".

I shot a glare to Elizabeth (to which she only responded with a toothy grin) and went back to my own world.

*****

"Hey Geek-girl," I whipped my head in the direction of the arrogant voice to see some snotty senior.

I sneer before shooting back, "Ten points for originality, douchebag."

He smirks and walks away. There's always the occasional jerk around school that picks with the cliché girl with glasses. Excuse me, cliché geek-girl with glasses.

I was waiting by Elle's car for all three of the abandoning "friends". Elle always gave me rides home. However, today Ryder caught her just before she was unlocking the car. He was determined to speak to her about their situation and get things right. David, my best friend of four years had left me to go speak to Miranda Russo. You can also call her S**t, W***e, B***h, or mine and Elle's personal favorite, Blow Queen.

I heard a low ring from my back pocket.

Can you run the closing shift tonight?

I work at a small gas station dowtown. Not usually on Fridays, but I guess I will tonight. I quickly text my boss a reply and pocket my phone again.

I could see Miranda twirling her hair and biting her lip from here. David has liked her since sophomore year and I guess since he's liked her for this long I should be happy.

I stared at them and couldn't help but notice how David backed away slightly when she put her hand on his chest. Or how he readjusts his letter jacket when he feels awkward. I'm going to guess that Miranda is coming off too strong. Ha, Blow Queen...

I chuckled a bit to myself silently before Ryder's voice snapped me out. "You know, I'm starting to think you're jealous of Russo and Dworkiv over there," he was smiling as he had his arm over Elle's shoulder. Looks like they sorted things out pretty quick.

I stared at him as if he had a unicorn crawling it's way out of his a*s and snorted. I looked to Elle and said, "I have a shift tonight, do you think you can drop me off at home?"

"No problem."

"C'mon Sonny, you can't say that you don't feel anything for the guy. He's been pining over you since you moved in to town." Ryder kept going.

Great... Again with this David likes me nonsense. We're just friends. At least, that's all I've ever thought of him as.

"Don't bother, babe. She's as clueless as a World War two Jewish baby," Elle chirped with a smug smile playing at her lips.

I groaned loudly, catching the attention of a few people still in the parking lot. "Can you not see David working the pants off Russo?" I barked back with irritation. I ran a hand through my hair and looked back at David to see Miranda closing the distance for a kiss.

The smug couple snorted at my words. "The only thing I see is David trying too hard to get you jealous." Elle remarked.

They never quit...

David leaned back after a few seconds. Miranda gave him a "seductive" smile and walked over to her car, swaying her hips on the way.

David grinned cockily and strut over to our gathering. His infectious smile got to me and I ended up grinning up at him.

The guy had a tall stature and strong build. He took his title as football captain seriously. His good looks of course had to do with him being the most wanted and envied guy at school. David had girls falling over him every day. I guess today he finally wanted to take advantage of that. But why Miranda Russo?

"I'm smashing that tonight," he beamed. I could hear Ryder's loud laughter and Elle clicking her tongue in annoyance.

"Go fish for 'em sailor." I joked.

I heard Ryder mutter to Elle something about how the only thing David was fishing for were STDs. Both Elle and I laughed at his comment loudly.

I noticed David studying me after our laughter died down and I gave him a funny look. In return he simply grinned. That was pretty odd.

"Oh, s**t, I have to go babe. Astor's probably waiting up right now. I've gotta go, bye guys." Ryder kissed Elle and waved goodbye and he was soon riding away in his car. That was quick.

I glanced at Elle and found her just smiling as she marveled in the direction of Ryder. That girl was going to be hearing wedding bells if she kept going at this pace.

"Guess that's our cue to leave too," I stated as I looked to David.

"Bye Sonny, I'll probably stop by tomorrow at your place." David leaned down to leave a chaste kiss on my cheek.

"Okay, see you then!"

Elle and I climbed in to her car and started up towards my house. We made mindless conversation about our day the ride home. "Blows that we can't hang out tonight," Elle pointed out disappointedly.

I smirked slightly and replied, "No sweetie, Miranda's going to blow tonight."

We both laughed for a good two minutes until Elle sobered up. "He's such a coward," she muttered.

Before she could elaborate the car stopped in front of my house.

"Better go get ready for work, Ms. Jameson. The lord knows you can't afford to lose this minimum wage, waste of time." she remarked sarcastically as she eyed the towering, two story suburban home.

I opened the door. "I can't just quit after a month. Even if it's unnecessary I need to participate in something other than school and parties."

She gave me a pointed look and raised her perfectly arched brow.

I sighed and climbed out. "Goodbye Elle, I'll be seeing you very soon." And with that I was walking to my front door.

As soon as I walked in a scent of fresh pastries hit me. The scent sent (ha, homophones) me into a nostalgic overdrive. I heard a low rythmic humming coming from the kitchen. I dropped my bag by the door and began to slowly walk out of our welcoming room. My destination was obviously the kitchen.

Mom's home this early from work, I pondered.

I swung the door and the scent of strawberry cheese pie attacked me stronger than before. I stood in front of a warmly smiling mother with her hands full of two pies.

Her usual dress shirt and pencil skirt were replaced by a lovely, flowing dress and an apron. I had to do a double take just to make sure I wasn't hallucinating. This might seem like an average mom thing but in this household... You were used to seeing your mom rush out the front door for work before you had time to blink. I hardly saw my mom for half an hour, much less keep a conversation.

"Good afternoon, Belle," she spoke sweetly. She gave me a warm smile and set the pies on the island.

I took a seat on one of the chairs and met her smile with one of my own. "Hi, mom,"

"How's your day been?" My mom queried as she brushed off her hands on her apron.

"It's been good, I'm first chair for the next orchestra concert." She beamed at my response.

She seems a bit too cheerful today. She doesn't seem like the type of middle-aged woman who takes drugs... I thought of what possibly could have her in this kind of mood. She hasn't spoken about a man in her life ever since my dad filed for divorce four years ago. Then again, we hardly speak.

Robin. Of course.... Why didn't I think of it before? Robin's the only person who can make my mother this proud and joyful.

My mom took in a large breath and clasped her hands on the counter. That smile... "Well since you're not asking like a considerate daughter or a well-mannered human being would do I'll just tell you," she "joked". "Today Stella called," I cringed slightly as she used Robin's middle name. My mother had a tendency of calling us by our middle names because they were "proper" and "beautiful". My dad had chosen our first names. You can see where the remorse came from. "She spoke to me about how she had been at a party with some of the other models and that Mark Luna wanted to set a meeting with her for a show on the runway!" she stared at me for a reaction. "Mark Luna!" she exclaimed for emphasis.

I gave her a sheepish smile and stood from my seat. "Wow. That's so cool, Mom," I walked backwards slowly towards the door. "Well, I'd love to be able to call Stella but I, uh, have to go get ready for work," I explained nervously.

A saw a flash of something quite disagreeable cross her eyes. I also noticed the slight sneer she had when I mentioned my job. Of course, who wants a well-known physicist's daughter working at a sketchy gas station.

Or a super model's sister....

"Okay then, go on," My mom dismissed me and with that I was out of there faster than Speedy Gonzalez.

I ran up the stairs and flung the door to my room. I threw myself on my comfy bed and snuggled up with one of the giant teddy bears. This one was given to me by David, actually.

Thank goodness I had a legit excuse to get out of there. My mom could go on, and on when it comes to Robin. And my dad...

Half the male population could be put in front of a picture of my sister and without a hesitation they'll snap their fingers and say, "Stella Jameson! That's her, Stella!" She was well known by most males. The posters of her modeling were probably hung on so many testosterone-bottled guys in the country.

I prefer calling her by her first name because, well, it bothered her and it just seemed more realistic.

I always thought that my mom had given us snobbish names and that our father's are much more civil and appropriate.

I sat up and looked over to my vanity chair. I stood up and grabbed my work uniform as I headed for the shower.

*****

The loud ding from above my head rang rang throughout the store.

"Jameson, am I glad to see you. You have no idea how hard of a time Claire's been giving me about taking her on a 'proper' date," Justin, the owner of the small gas station, said. This was the first time he's been truly relieved to see me here.

"It's not like I'm missing much." I mumbled as I walked back to the register.

Justin flung on his coat and handed me the keys to lock up. "Anyways, thanks for this Jameson. Bye, see you Sunday."

Ding!

He was gone.

I sat up on the stool behind the counter and looked around to see if there was anything needed to be done. All four aisles were stacked and in order. No spills... Nothing was out of place.

6:04, it read on the digital clock above the freezers.

I have five hours to kill but nothing to use as entertainment in that time.

*****

I had ended up talking to Elle over the phone for a good forty minutes before my first costumer of the night came in. Tourists were usually the only ones that stopped to have their gas pumped here and considering what a craphole this town was it's rare. I have no clue how Justin manages this place with the little profit.

Fair enough, he didn't exactly pay very generously but why would I care about the money? I was simply here because a little over a month ago my father had given me a talk about growing up and taking adult responsibilities. My mother hated his idea of me working. She was more than glad to pay for any or all my expenses. I still, however, looked for a job to satisfy my father. But as you can see not many people fancied the idea of offering a job to a girl who had nearly no social skills, cleans like a chimp, and cooks like an armless dragon.

To this day, I don't see where all the resentment my mom holds for my dad comes from. He had a plausible explanation.

He was unhappy. I wanted my dad to be happy so I didn't hesitate to be okay with the situation. Sure, it was hell to bear my mother alone and a little lonely because most the time it's just me at home but now my dad is happy.

Robin holds resentment towards him as well. But I think that was just because of Mom's grudge.

Ding!

I looked up from the numbers on the cash register to see a guy stumble in. He looked in my direction and I need to explain this as well as I can.

I felt like I was going to shat my pants any second.

Seriously, this kid had the most amazing eyes. His long face and defined jaw made for an alarmingly handsome face. And this guy.... He was hot. This is coming from the girl that hardly blinked an eye when she saw the entire football team lined up and shirtless. This kid was fully clothed and he had me feeling way too attracted to him.

He smirked as he did his best to not stumble on his way towards the front desk. I faught back a giggle as I noticed this guy was drunk. Like, Friday-night-part-with-no-parental-supervision drunk.

Mystery guy stood in front of me and all I could do was grab the stool to keep myself from hyperventilating heavily. How could someone be that attractive!?

I snapped out of my hormonal daze when I heard him clear his throat.

I felt the blood rushing to my face and I looked down as for him not to see me. "Uh, um, uh, do you n-need anyth-thing...?" I stuttered. I frigging stuttered like a Tigger!

I looked up to not be rude and found him smirking. Is that the only facial expression he could make? He looked my in the eye before his stare went down to my chest.

Who the hell does this guy think he is? Aphrodite's son!? Fair enough, he did look it but I know he isn't. You can't just openly stare at a girl's chest!

"Actually, can I get a Penthouse magazine?" There was a mischievous grin on his beautifully sculpted face.

Wait, Sonny. He just asked for a magazine. A porno magazine. Holy hell.

"Uh, yeah sure, uh, what month?" I stood up from the stool and walked over to the magazine rack.

His grin widened and said, "How about sunny September?" he put emphasis on sunny. Sunny. Sunny.... Sonny!

Was he hitting on me? No, how could he know my name?

The name tag on my chest. The chest that he had earlier been blatantly staring at.

I turned on my heel and stared at the rack for September, trying my best to block out the busty, naked women. "I'm sorry, sir, I don't think we have September's issue," I respond.

He smirked and shook his head slightly. "It's fine." Mystery guy headed off towards the exit.

Truthfully, I was disappointed that my eye candy was leaving so soon.

I turned back to the register but out of the corner of my eye I didn't miss the swipe he took for the display table of wines.

Ding! Now... I am not an impulsive person. I think things through. Therefore, I have no idea what was going through my mind when I jumped over the counter and sprinted out the door. The guy was already half way across the lot but I pushed my legs to catch the little thief.

This was the most agility I've had in all my life. And although I could have simply tugged on his sweater to catch his attention, I flew. I had thrown myself on him and we both crashed on the floor. The bottle of wine he had in his hand had flown out and crashed on the concrete.

"Oi! Get the f**k off me you crazy b***h!" he flailed and flipped me so he was on top of me as I stared up at him. I recovered from the shock of being so brave to throw myself at him.

"You're the one that swiped a bottle of wine, you thief!" I struggled underneath him and tried to get out of his grasp. I swung for a punch to his jaw, unfortunately he stopped my fist and grabbed both my hands and pinning them above me on the floor.

He was about to respond to me when a figure came out of the Cadillac he was headed for and spoke up, "Astor, I asked you to buy me a cup of ramen, not molest a twelve-year-old," I knew that voice!

I screamed out "Ryder!?" at the same time when the gorgeous thief chuckled and said, "I couldn't help myself."

I heard Ryder mumble about poop being holy as, I'm guessing, Astor looked at me curiously.

"You two know each other?" Astor asked, with a look of confusion.

"She's my girlfriend's best friend," Ryder sighed. "Get off her, man. You're crushing the girl."

I stood up and wiped off my back from any dirt. "You missed a spot," Astor reached out to "wipe" at my butt.

"I will personally make sure that your death is slow and painful if you don't get your hands, scratch that, you away from me." I threatened him with a glare that I had mastered thanks to Elle.

He held up his hands and backed away with an amused smile playing at his lips.

"I'm sorry, Sonny. Whatever he stole I'll pay for," Ryder stepped in with a sigh. "In fact, I'll give you a ride, just don't call the cops."

"It's fine, Ryder." I slumped because who was I kidding? How could I call the cops on a guy that looks like Astor? He'll be penetrated by the hour in a jail cell. "Still want that cup of ramen?"

Astor gagged at the mention of ramen and I smirked slightly. "Oh, what's wrong, drunkard? Don't you like ramen? I love ramen! Ramen, ramen, rame--" I never got to finish the sentence because he had thrown up all over my shoes. My new high tops. My shoes. Puke.

This was a sign from the high powers telling me to quit my job, wasn't it?

Author's Note

Critics are the best 😊