Page 45 of The Tattered Gloves
“You like someone!” I said in a hushed, almost whispered tone as I caught her eyes darting back to mine.
“What? Do not!”
“Do too! You haven’t mentioned Sam once in weeks, so spill. Who is it?”
She shrugged. “Sam was just a stupid crush. I don’t even know why I bothered, honestly. I should have known I’d never have a chance with him.”
My good mood instantly soured while I watched her continue to tear the edges of her sandwich off, her perfectly curled blonde hair framing her face, as she laughed and carried on with the people around the table. If she never had a chance with Sam, I was the last person on earth who did.
Apparently,prettyreally didn’t mean anything to Sam.
And it shouldn’t mean anything to me either.
ANOTHER SLOW DAY at the bookstore.
I grabbed my notebook filled with random facts about the Shepherd family and headed out on a quest to find Sam. I hadn’t seen him since I arrived, which was odd. Usually, he relished in announcing my late arrival. It used to annoy me that he’d stand by the front door just to notify me that it was one minute past the hour, but now, I actually found myself looking forward to his happy face and smug grin, declaring, “You’re late, Mittens.”
But nothing today.
No cute smile, no greeting at the door.
After helping the one and only customer in the store, I set off on a solitary journey to find him. It didn’t take long. He was in his regular spot, sprawled out on the hardwood floor in the back, hunched over a yellow notepad, loud music blaring from his ears.
He noticed my feet first as I stepped into the small space. His eyes ventured up my tall, thin frame until our eyes met, and I was immediately taken aback by the hard stare he gave me.
“What?” he snapped, pulling at the earbuds with one violent tug.
“Um, I was checking to see if you wanted to work on our project this afternoon? It’s not too busy out there today.”
“No.”
“Okay,” I simply said before adding, “Is there something wrong?”
“I’m fine. I just can’t keep doing homework during work.”
“Right. That makes sense. So, I guess we’ll just need to go back to weekends then? I don’t have much going on, so if you just want to—”
“Whatever. I’ll call you.”
I took a step toward the door, unsure of what to think. He’d been nothing but funny quips and in a good mood the last time I saw him, and now, it felt like the world had tilted on its axis due to his sudden mood shift.
“Are you okay?” I asked, backtracking.
He was in the process of putting his earbuds back in place, basically attempting to ignore me once again, when I interrupted his process with my question.
“I’m great,” he answered firmly.
“Because we were doing fine the other day, and today, you’re—”
“I’m what, Mittens? Busy?”
I huffed in frustration, trying to find a reason for his foul mood.
“Is this because of Allison?” I asked, grasping at straws. “Because I thought everything between you guys was back to normal. She even hinted at liking someone else today.”
He rolled his eyes in a dramatic fashion. “Eddie Reynolds? Please. That kid doesn’t even know she exists. If there is one thing Allison is terrible at, it’s picking guys.”
Anger boiled hot in my chest. “Is that what happened with you — she fell for the wrong guy?”
He deflated slightly, letting a winded breath out through his mouth. I watched his eyes, filled with regret, fall to the floor.
“I love Allison. I always have. But she’s a sister to me — nothing more. She knew this, yet…” His back stiffened, and his gaze refocused on the yellow notepad in front of him. “Don’t you see what I mean?”
I nodded my head. “Yeah, I see exactly what you mean,” I answered, not wasting another second in that stuffy stockroom with him.
I’d wasted enough time on Sam Shepherd.
