Page 57 of Poetry of Flowers

“Sure, if we find something like that,” I answered.

Kayden chuckled, “I’ll see you in half an hour.”

I pushed the old phone back in the side of my sock because I had no pockets.

“Matilda?”

I flinched and got up, almost falling down the next row of seats, where my boss stood right in front of me. Terry Gallon was so nice to let me work here after school for a few extra dollars a month.

“I got you this job because I’m a friend of your father’s, but if you can’t do it right it might not work-”

“No, Sir, please, I’m sorry this will never happen again. My friend was sick, and I called him to ask if he needed anything I could bring him after work.”

Mr. Gallon looked me up and down in my work uniform that was basically a red shirt with a rising sun on the side and my name under it.

I couldn’t lose this job.

“Please, I need this job, and I love it here.” Well, the last part was a lie, just an hour ago, some kids from my school threw popcorn at me, but as long as I got paid for it, I didn’t mind.

“Alright, next time call your friend after you’re finished with everything,” he said before leaving.

“I will, I promise!” I called after him and grabbed the broom again.

Someday I would be really rich. So rich that I wouldn’t know how to spend it. The question was` just how I would get there? There was nothing I was really good at; I didn’t have enough money to go to college and get a job where I got paid well. I wasn’t even pretty enough to ask Patrick if I could become a model in one of his shows. I wasn’t tall enough either, but I was still growing.

I never saw myself having a future. Maybe I shouldn’t think about the future, in case I left before I grew up or was happy.

Why did people drop this much in cinemas?

* * *

A heavy woodendoor led into the store. It has changed a lot since I was last here.

The clothes were now on the left side, and the snacks and other stuff was now displayed neatly on the right side. Slow music was playing, but the sound of laughter was louder. Looking around the coat stand, I noticed a head of chocolate brown hair. What was Nash doing here?

He sat on an old table next to other pieces of furniture for sale. Violett Castillo sat in front of him with an open book between them.

She’s Leticia’s daughter, and I talked to her a few times before. She’s like a princess right out of a Disney movie. She’s three years older than me and used to save me strawberry lollipops for when I’d come visit with my mom.

With her golden tan and beautiful soft black curls, she was one of the prettiest girls I had ever seen, but what always fascinated me were her gorgeous big gray eyes. They were darker than silver, more like ash gray. She was so gorgeous, especially when she wore her glasses, I only ever saw her wearing them twice.

“What is that sort of dance you do?” Nash asked as he grabbed a slice of apple from a bowl in front of them.

Violett leaned back in her chair, grinning wide.

“You’re really interested in that?” She sounded excited.

Nash nodded, “I was there yesterday, you danced with that girl with the red dress.”

“I know, I saw you.” Violett smiled softly.

“It’s called contemporary dance, I always loved studying the movements of ballet dancers when I was a child, but it would have never worked for me because of my-.” She let out a little laugh. “Contemporary dance is freer; I like to word it that way. There are barely any rules, which makes it more fun, I’m bad at remembering rules, so its improvisational nature suits me.”

Violett looked at the table in front of her when she talked, lost in thoughts, while Nash’s concentration was fully on her. He looked… dreamy.

“You could show me some choreographies, it would be an interesting topic for my essay in English.”

Violett pushed her glasses up higher.

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