Chapter 2

Minimarket

Astrid felt her throat dry, as if she had walked on the arid desert under a scorching sun.

The truth was that his dangerous path began from the moment that Mika McFly fixed his ill-intentioned gaze on the photograph of the young woman.

During the day she had worried about every possible cause to be discovered by him, which never crossed her mind that her cell phone would give her away. That photo that cost him so much to convince his brother to take it, was the trigger that fired the bullet. It all happened fast and yet, the image of Mika was etched on his retina. The cold contact of his white fingers against her neck, removing the bow that bound her hair, was the last memory of their meeting. And, finally, his deep voice full of cynicism:

“I’ll take this,” It was the last thing he deciphered before taking his cell phone and fleeing back to the camp.

Baseball, with the ball in his other hand. Calm, quiet and cautious… She arrived paler than usual at the sight of her classmates and teacher, who looked at her questioningly but did not ask anything. Astrid handed the ball to the teacher to sit on the bleachers later. It was when he realized that his hands were trembling. Could Mika McFly really have that effect on her? No. Mika McFly had that effect on everyone, and he did on his brother…for a while.

He walked through the empty halls of Jackson. One of the things that he liked the most about skipping classes was that he could walk freely without having to put up with the long-suffering looks of others hitting the floor of the building. Or having to breathe the same air as them. He hated every one of the students, except for his two friends.

However, he did not deny that being him could have its privileges. How to get to the middle of classes without being scolded by the teacher. He stopped in front of the door of the class a few seconds before entering.

Inside, in the last seats, were his two friends. Jax slept leaning his head on the table, he was exhausted from having to satisfy his two favorite girls in Jackson with vain flattery and bad taste compliments; his other friend, Chase, was slumping his entire body over the back of the chair while his eyes were on the slim, stooped figure of a blonde girl sitting a few seats up. Little did he know about her, but enough to know that it was another stone in his path, and that of his spoiled sister.

-Where did you get that? Jax wondered, looking at the pink bow with red dots around her wrist.

“From your sister?” Mika gave a tiny smile at Jax’s quip. Astrid’s frightened face crossed his thoughts.

“I got it out of my new toy,” he reported, eyeing the girl's bow. My new entertainment. After a boring class on the upcoming classes, activities, and the dance, the first day of school concluded. Astrid finished changing out of her workout clothes and came out of the locker room cleaning her foggy glasses. She made a shy sign to April and Lizzy, classmates, to receive a pat on the back from James.

“Hello, Stanton,” he greeted her, smiling broadly. Astrid’s heart sped up for a moment at the thought of running into McFly one more time.

“Stanton’?” He questioned putting on his glasses to see clearly the face of his partner. James was more energetic than usual, with that charismatic smile that melted more than one in his course.

“He’s the highest-paid baseball player, babe. It is popular culture. Astrid nodded slowly, picking up her partner’s nickname. Liz said you hit!

“Y-yes,” he shrugged, feeling his cheeks heat up. I still don’t assimilate it… How has it been for you?

-Nothing bad. I have a gift for sports,” he commented jokingly. The two headed toward Jackson’s exit, parting ways outside the school. James Cooper had to use his friends, and sometimes his father’s car, to get home, while Astrid had to walk to the nearest bus stop to go to the convenience store where she worked every day after school.

Arriving at the bus stop, he sat down on the bench. The place was just as remembered it. The broken and worn roof, the advertising palette scratched with graffiti, obscene drawings, ripped posters and anarchist symbols. And how to forget that dumpster full of waste and smelling of urine. Everything the same as it was three months ago.

-Hey! Called a voice from a car. From that car. Just looking at it made Astrid’s heart squeeze, causing a sudden pain in her chest. His lungs were gasping for air, so his breathing quickened. His hands trembled along with his chin. It was Mika calling her from her car in front of her. Unconsciously, she lowered her eyes with the false idea that she was not calling, but she was the only person at that location.

“Get in,” he ordered with authority. Astrid clenched her jaw so he wouldn’t notice she was trembling. Her eyes wandered for a few moments until he spoke again. You are deaf? I said go up. NOW.

I sigh raggedly. Where were your friends? Mika was alone in his car, so questions about their meeting invaded his head. She opened the car door and got in silently, unable to look at him. I was out of Jackson, the rules didn’t apply; however, Mika’s figure wreaked havoc on her.

“Where are you going, Patrick’s sister?” he asked in a singsong tone that struck Astrid as heavy with tares. He blinked a couple of times before answering. She really felt tiny, even more than with the others.

“Mr. Harry’s minimarket…” he muttered with a thread of voice that he thought he couldn’t hear, but he did. Mika sped up and all the way didn’t say anything. When he parked the car in front of the sliding doors of the minimarket where he worked, he never thought he would be so happy to see them; seeing the cashier who was always scolding her, the disoriented college student stocking the shelves, and the store manager.

She thought Mika would take her under a bridge, suffocate her, and cut her dying body into pieces to feed to the dogs. But not. She got out of the car doubtfully. Closing the car door, he noticed that Mika was wearing his tie on his wrist, but he didn’t dare to say anything, because he didn’t expect him to get out of the car too.

-Who is the manager? He asked, looking inside the minimarket. He walked haughtily inside being followed by Astrid as if he were a duck following his mother. The wealthy boy’s brown eyes fell on an elderly man in a suit.

“From today, Fissher, I will make your life a misery." Astrid saw with terror the smile that Mika outlined and knew that what she Had just said was not just any joke. And so it all began…

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