Page 5 of Pretty Broken Wings

My skin crawls. This is the exact opposite of laying low.

I place the bat beside my bed, then check the time on my microwave. Fuck. It’s almost two, and I have to get to work. I’m working the second shift as a cashier at a mom-and-pop grocery store called Newmans. I’m basically starting my career over, and all because of a fucking man.

I’ve considered stripping. Are you even a woman in crisis if you haven’t considered stripping? There’s a strip joint around the block from the grocery store called Trick or Treat. It’s obviously a play on the weird name of the town itself, Hollows Grove. The club sits there, mocking me every night when I walk home from work. I just don’t think I can keep my boiling hatred down enough to make any money.

I’m fuming the whole time I get ready. The brisk walk to work cools me off for a bit, but after about an hour of checking people out, it starts again. The anger is like a fucking shot glass filled to the brim. Anytime it gets bumped, the rage starts again.

After a man in scrubs rudely shoves his cash at me, I count to ten. Men should be required to take a lie detector test to be employed. Hurt anyone? Jail. Stolen something? Jail. Existing? Fucking jail. In fact, all men should start off in jail. The only way they can get out is if a woman vouches for them.

Scratch that. At least three women.

I try to focus on the cadence of the beeps as I swipe the products across the scanner. My boss, Mrs. Todd, an older lady who wears pantyhose every day, has been walking between her office and the back a lot tonight. So, as much as it hurts, I keep my customer service voice on.

“Long time no see.”

That voice is familiar.

I snap my gaze up, looking straight into the light-colored eyes of the man I thought I had left at my apartment.

Axel.

“What the hell?” The words slip quietly from me.

Axel just grins, his teeth straight and white. “Small world, huh?” There’s a knowing glint in his eye, and he adjusts his glasses.

He’s following me. First my apartment, now this?

“Leave me alone,” I whisper.

Axel waves at a loaf of bread on the belt. “Ran out.”

I stare at it, then back up at him, the flush spreading across my face. So he grabbed an item just to harass me?

“Stop,” I say softly. Way softer than I wanted to, which just makes me angry. This isn’t who I am now. I don’t take shit from men.

I clear my throat and say it again, louder, “Stop following me.”

Axel chuckles. “Damn, a man can’t get hungry ‘round here?” The way he flicks his gaze up and down my body makes me livid.

“Leave. Me. Alone.” My voice is louder now, and I feel every limb trembling. I’m not sure who this man thinks he is, but we’re done here. Vaguely, I notice people turning to look at us.

Axel’s voice gets softer. “Didn’t know you worked here, little bird.”

Little… what? Did this man just call melittle bird?

The energy inside me explodes, and I see an image of me punching the hell out of his face fill my head. I almost do, but at the last second, I snatch the loaf of bread and sling it at his face as hard as I can. Which isn’t hard, considering he’s only a foot and a half away, and it’s fucking bread.

Axel doesn’t move, but the bread knocks his glasses to the side. Slowly, he fixes them, his grin growing.

“Get. Out,” I hiss, my heart pounding.

“What seems to be the issue here?” Mrs. Todd’s voice says behind me. I startle, only to see her and her fake smile push up next to me.

“This man is following me,” I say, my cheeks heated. It’s all I can get out; the anger and hatred are mixing so potently that I’m lost for words.

There’s a tense moment where I feel like I just tattled to the principal. I glare at Axel, watching his face. He looks right back at me, those light eyes looking through my soul. I can’t tell if they’re blue or a sort of colorless purple, but as he stares, I get the odd impression that he sees everything and nothing at the same time.

Then, his face shifts, and he snaps into a charming grin. “Not following, Mrs. Todd. She must have mistaken me for someone else.”