The Life of a Louisiana Punk Rocker, chapter 2

I woke up and hour later. I looked in the mirror. Crap. Where's the brush?

I brushed my hair with alot of difficulty and headed to the kitchen. There on the counter sat a note:
Dear Tiger,
I took Jimmy to the mall for a bit.
Then we're going to go to my mom's house.
The key's to the Jeep are by the phone, in
case you want to go somewhere.
I love you,
Momma

I rubbed my eyes and crumbled the note up. I threw it away on my way to the frigge. I opened the door and made a face. Of course. She only goes grocery shopping once a month.

I walked into the living room, flopped on the couch, and flipped on the TV.
Who lives in a pineapple under the sea?!
Crap! I turned it down as fast as I could. I put a hand over my eyes. I can't get mad at him. He's deaf in one ear.

Eh, I might as well. I got up and grabbed the keys off the counter. I got into the drivers seat and slammed the door. The engine roared, and I was off to the mall.

My cell phone rang halfway there. "Hello," I said putting it to my ear.
"Hey. Wh-what are you doing? I hear an engine."
"Oh, hey Rob. I'm heading to the mall."
"What?!"
"What do you mean 'what?' I'm going somwhere. It's okay with Momma."
"Yeah, but I thought you-"
"Were gonna stay home and cry? Already did."
"Oh. Well I guess I'll see you there then."
"Okay."
"Regular spot?"
"Regular spot."

I parked the Jeep and walked inside through JC Penney's, past the food court, and onto my haven. Hot Topic.

"Hey, Lilly," I heard when I walked in. My ex-boyfriend, Tom, stood behind the counter. "The hell are you doing here?" I asked confused.
"I work here."
"Since when?"
"Since yesterday. What's been going on with you?"
"You know, stuff."
"Stuff?"
"Yep. Family crap."
"Oh? Like what?"
"Well, um... M-my, uh..."
"Your what?"
I took a deep breath.
"My dad died three weeks ago."
"Oh. Oh Lil, I'm so sorry."
"Don't be. You've got nothing to be sorry about."
"Yeah. Well, uh, you gonna get anything?"
"I dunno. You forcing me?"
"Heh. No. Just wondering."
"Reccomend anything?"
"Well, they've got some new Adeline stuff in the back. Just got in today."
"Oh really? You mind showing me?"
"Sure. For a price."
"What do you want?"
"A kiss."
"Oh God no!"
"Why not?"
"Tom..."
"Fine, fine. Come on."

He walked me to the back storage door and unlocked it. We walked in. There were boxes stacked up with the word "Adeline" stamped on the side.

"Here's something you might like," he said, cutting open a box. He strained as he ripped open the flaps. I looked in to see a few dozen dark green skirts piled up. "Wow," I gaped, "How much?"
"Forty."
"Dollars?!"
"No. Cents. What the hell do you think?!"
"Shut up. I don't know. How about some ties or something."
"Lesse... Ties, ties..."

He looked along the boxes and found one. He ripped that one open. I looked in. "That's more like it," I said. I picked up a pink on a looked at it. Perfect. "That's five," he said.
"Great,"I said.

I paid for it, grabbed the bag, and turned to leave. Only I couldn't. He grabbed my hand and pulled me close. Then he forced me into a desperate kiss. "Tom!" I yelled. He wouldn't let go. He dragged me over the counter. Obvisiously no one was going to help. I punched him as hard as I could in the jaw. He yelped and I ran out.

I stood outside panting.
"What the hell happened to you?"someone said.
I looked up. Robby. I clung to his neck. "Tom... tried to," I found it hard to believe, "Did he really just try to..."
"Nevermind that," he said grabbing my hand.

"Come with me."