Chapter 9:

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I dropped Brynn off at her house before going home. She had a date with some guy she met when she was supposed to be working today. Maybe one day, I'll graduate to the front counter and get to meet all the boys too. Knowing my luck, they would all be like that Ezra guy. Moody, arrogant, and just downright annoying. I shook off the thought when my phone buzzed on my passenger seat. JD's name flashed across my screen.

JD: "Can you drop by my work?"

Me: "I guess so. Why?"

JD: "Mom special ordered a CD for Dad and I don't have time to drop it off to her."

Me: "Sure, be there soon."

I drove towards the mall where JD worked. I really wanted to go home and change first, but I could make this a quick stop. I did owe JD a favor for bailing me out last night anyway. It wasn't like I really had anything better to do anyway. I was just going to go home and lay in bed.

I pulled into the parking garage and went into the entrance closest to the store. When I walked in, I could see JD behind the counter ringing an older woman up. He looked at me when I walked in and stuck up a finger saying it would be a minute.

I started walking through the store, glancing around to see what was new. It always cracked me up that JD was so into his music that he chose to work at a music store. There weren't that many around anymore, but he managed to find one.

I ran my fingers softly across some of the various merchandise on the shelves and paused, looking at something pink and fluffy. I was not exactly sure what it was that I was looking at. It sort of looked like a mix between a pig and a monkey. I heard some girls laughing a little too hard and turned my head in the direction the noise was coming from.

Ezra was standing in the back of the store with three girls circling him. His hands were in his hair and he was laughing. A girl with the nose ring reached to him and slid her hand down his torso, stopping with her fingers on top of his black jeans. He grinned down at her and bent down to her ear. He looked up and his eyes met mine. He looked a little surprised to see me, but what he did next sent shivers down my spine. He leaned into her, whispering in her ear while looking at me with those damn blue eyes.

I turned away too quickly and knocked the whole shelf of fluffy monkey pig things off the wall. They scattered all over the floor. I bent down to start picking them up. I was almost done when the group of girls walked past me. They started laughing hysterically as they watched me struggling to put everything back together again.

"Aww, someone's Mommy didn't let her buy a new toy?" The girl with the nose ring said.

"Excuse me?" I said, standing up and throwing the two pink fluffballs in my hand down on the ground as I stepped towards her. She stood tall over me, staring me in the eyes and not blinking.

"You heard me." She started laughing with her friends again while she looked down at me with cold eyes.

"If you are going to run your mouth, you can come and say it to my face." My temper was getting the best of me. I wasn't exactly confrontational with strangers and would probably have let it slide under normal circumstances, but this girl with the nose ring that looked like a big orange booger was really starting to piss me off.

She took a step closer to me and continued to stare down at me. She had a couple of inches on me, but she didn't scare me one bit.

"What did you just say to me?" She hissed through her too bright lips.

"I said if you want to say something, you can say it to my face."

"Aren't you a stupid little bitch?" She spat back in my face.

I stepped closer to her and pulled my arm back to swing at her when Ezra's arms wrapped around me and pulled me back. I kicked and thrashed at him. I wanted to hit this girl. She deserved it.

"Let me go!" I yelled at him, trying to pry his arms off me. I dug my nails into his forearms and twisted. Nothing I tried seemed to work; he wouldn't let go of me.

"Get out," JD commanded to the group from behind us.

The girl huffed and mumbled something to Ezra about finding someone else to get him off tonight. She strutted out of the store like he was really missing out on something.

"Won't be a problem. Never really enjoyed it in the first place." He yelled back at her, laughing. I could feel the rise and fall of his chest against me. He still had me in a vice grip and I was powerless to break free. I stopped fighting him long enough to look back at him and scowl.

"Can I let you go, or will you chase her down and beat the crap out of her?" He smiled, looking condescendingly down at me over my shoulder. I squirmed enough to turn around and started hitting him as hard as I could. He was lucky I didn't kick him for holding me back.

"You should have let me hit her and smash that orange booger into her brain," I complained as my fists came in contact with his chest. I was trying to hurt him, but he acted like I was more like a little bug buzzing around him.

Ezra's face was full of amusement at my little tirade. He was laughing at me and I didn't like the way it made me feel. If it weren't for him, then this would have never happened in the first place.

"You think this is funny? This is your fault!" I screamed at him and pushed him back.

"How so?" He's said, raising an eyebrow at me. He was completely arrogant and self-centered. I wanted to tell him if he hadn't looked at me the way he did, I would have never tried to run away. It sounded so irrational in my head; I couldn't let him know he affected me this way.

"I...I don't know, but it just is." I let out a frustrated grunt.

"It's my fault you attacked the pink stuffed animals?"

My fists clenched and I let out a frustrated scream. That was it. I was really going to hurt him this time. Ezra jumped back when I lunged at him. I was inches from him when JD caught me and pulled me back from him. I almost got to him; I was so close. Ezra's body was shaking with laughter as he watched me struggle to free myself from JD.

"Damnit, Ezra, will you quit poking the bear. My Mom's order is at the counter. Grab it so I can get Ry out of here before she tears the place apart." JD sighed in frustration as he held me back.

Ezra went behind the counter and pulled out a bag that was stapled shut and handed it to JD. I ripped the bag out of his hand when he finally let go of me. I stomped out of the store and back into the mall without saying another word.

I heard Ezra say to JD, "She's absolutely terrifying, isn't she?"

JD laughed. "If you only knew the half of it..."

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