I Hate You Ch. 07 - In da Club

Chapter 7 In da Club

{My thoughts}

[My text]

A decade ago, specifically during the closing days of the summer season, Outside of the Turner household.

Craig sits in a chair as his mother puts ice on his face. His sister stares at him, occasionally shaking her head but smiling at him with a knowing smile. Mr. Turner is standing before his only son, talking to him about his fight at the mall. Mrs. Turner was not amused as Craig's father regaled him with tales of his struggles in the slums of New York over Air Jordans on the basketball court.

"So, these two jokers tried to jump your old man. But they didn't know I was the youngest of five, so I have been fighting all my life. Hell, I remember the time I had to fight for a slice of pizza. Dinner. But I digress. These two jokers ran up on your old man while I was schooling these boys on the court. You see your old man hand game on Game. My nickname was Nintendo because I always had more moves than Mario.

"Dad?"

"Hold up, son, let me finish; I'm getting to a point. So, I'm schooling these boys out here, making all the young Phillies hot and bothered." He stops and stares at his wife, who looks back at him with disdain.

"None of them girls could hold a candle to your mother, though. Let's just get that out the way." Mrs. Turner raises an eyebrow and walks back into the kitchen.

"So yeah"

"Wait, Daddy, is this the story about when you ripped your painter pants." Keisha blurts out

"Keisha! Come one, you cut me off."

"Sorry, Daddy!" Kiesha says with a smile on her face.

"Aw, I can't be mad at my sweet baby girl. It's okay" The doorbell ring, and Keisha opens the door.

"Megan, why do you always ring the doorbell? You texted me right outside. I was gonna open it."

"I mean, you didn't answer my text, and it's not your house," Megan says, looking over into the kitchen and seeing Craig getting talked to by his parents.

"Next time, son, don't turn your back in two on one situation. I taught you better than that."

"I don't recall you teaching our son how to fight." Mrs. Turner says, handing an ice bag to Craig

"I. Sure I did. Right, Craig?" Megan quickly walks into the kitchen, brushing past Keisha.

"Damn girl," Kiesha says as she watches her speed walk into the kitchen.

"What happened to your face?" Megan says to Craig.

"I fell."

------

Last night's sleep was a lot better than the previous one. I get up for breakfast; Keisha and Megan are on the couch watching Tv while talking to each other.

"So, when do you start going?" Keisha says, looking concerned at her friend.

"Tomorrow. I start Tomorrow." Megan says back to her.

"Well, I think it's a good thing. Meg, especially if it helps you understand things and your life. Maybe just Maybe, help you move forward in your life." {you tell her Keisha.}

"You sound like Craig." Keisha raises an eyebrow at Megan.

"You have been talking a lot with Craig lately. " Keisha says

"And you have been looking at your phone nonstop and giggling like a schoolgirl. Anything you want to tell the crowd." Megan replies defensively.

"I have nothing to hide, well actually I did just get texted by T" {T?}

"No. " Megan says in annoyance.

"She wants to go out with us to the Club."

"Again."

"Oh, my god." Keisha starts laughing.

"What?"

"She said to make sure I bring my fine as a brother." Keisha and Megan started laughing. {Hey! Wait?}

"Hey! What's so funny about me being called fine?" I say, almost dropping my bowl of cinnamon toast crunch in annoyance.

"Craig! You almost gave me a heart attack; why are you creeping behind us." Keisha says.

"An eavesdropping; how much did you hear. " Megan says, turning around and leaning on the sofa.

"Enough to know that whoever this T-girl is, she wants to meet ole Craig Mac."

"Ewe. " Keisha says, shaking her head.

"You already met her. Terra, from the McDonald's gas station?" Megan says.

"Oh, T, as in Terra. So, the answer is yes, not much of a club guy, but I could be a Terra guy."

"Terra and Craig, I can see it. " Keisha says with her head tilted back, thinking about it.

"Keisha! No. She is bad news."

"Oh, Megan, she isn't a newspaper; you just don't like her, that's all."

"For good reason."

"Just tell me the time; I'm down to go." I say, walking towards my room.

"Whatever. " Megan says as she turns around in sits back on the sofa.

"I'll let you know if we decide to go. Megan has to finish her pouting session first."

"I am not pouting. " Megan says, crossing her arms.

"Bet." I go back to my room to see if anyone has seen the read the story I posted online.

"Oh, shit, people actually read it. Like a lot of people." I worked up the courage to read the comment section to see if people liked my story.

Gorilla Grip101[Your story is derivative, and the characters are unrealistic. Are you an AI?]

Megan Sparkle [So, have you ever had real human interaction before? You should get out more. #Incel] "Hashtag, this isn't even Twitter..X."

XTherealPhilBrooksX [Exactly what I would expect from a person whose user name is XXXDarkXXX]

"Damn, they really trying to make me go over the edge. I'm curious if Nyla read any of these comments. Ahh fuck should I just quit and focus on being a bagger for the rest of my life. Maybe I just kill myself.

"Why are you talking to yourself?" Megan says, sneaking up behind me.

"Jesus, Women!" I close my laptop and turn around to meet her gaze. "Can I help you?"

"We talked about this."

"About?"

"Terra. And how you should stay away from her."

"I literally haven't done anything...yet."

"You're thinking about it, though."

"Is that illegal? Are you trying to make this an exclusive thing because you know?"

"No, absolutely not. " Megan says, shrugging her shoulders. We stare at each other for a couple seconds then she sighs. "We are leaving at 9 pm, so ensure you are ready by then."

"Okay." She shakes her head and turns around to walk. {So, that didn't work.}

Even after that brief encounter with Megan, my mind was still crowded with all the bad comments about my story. I decided to go for a run before I headed to work. After a few miles around the block, I get back into the apartment and shower. Looks like Keisha and Megan have already left for work. So, I have the apartment to myself. I immediately remove my sweaty clothes and throw them into my workout clothes hamper.

Before I shower, I go into the kitchen to get some water. I'm still jamming out to music on my Air pods (Raycons), singing the lyrics to the sound between sips of water as I cool down before I shower. I look inside the refrigerator to see if I can make something for lunch.

♪Life is a waterfall. We're one in the river and one again after the fall♪ {I love this song}

♪Swimming through the void, we hear the word. We lose ourselves, but we find it ahhhhllll♪

I close the refrigerator, not finding anything that interest me. I accidentally skip to the next song while checking my phone for messages.

♪To the edge, till we all get off. Dun dun dun... I will take it. You are away with me. ♪

"Once.." I walk past the kitchen wall to see Megan staring at me smugly.

"Waaah, what are you doing here. " I say to her in shock.

"I left my phone on the couch." She says while laughing. "So this is what you do when you have the place to yourself; walk around..." She stops talking when she looks down at my waist."

"Why are you hard right now?"

"My adrenaline is flowing, and why are you here?"

"Are you embarrassed?"

"No." {YES! Looking at me with those Diamond Eyes.}

"Okay." She says, walking into the living room to get her phone. I take my headphones out and walk into the bathroom. Megan walks towards the bathroom and looks at me up and down again.

"Can you stop visually molesting right now?"

"It's so funny how you feel so embarrassed right now."

"I am not embarrassed!" I say to her as I walk over to her with my semi-sweaty body. Thinking it would make me fall back due to it.

"Really, Craig, I am not afraid of a little sweat. I lived in sweat for years."

"Okay, that sounds disgusting."

"It's true." I get closer.

"If you dirty my clothes, I will be mad."

"You know, no matter what, you're still my woman, right." I reach my hand out to caress her face. She grabs it instantly and squeezes it hard.

"Okay, let's get one thing straight here. I'm not your woman, and you're not my... She smiles at me, "Boy."

"Ouch, can you let me go now?" She lets go and stares at me in my eyes. "God, your eyes are beautiful," I say to her. She turns her head and walks towards the door.

"Stop being weird, Craig." She says as she walks out the door.

I shower and make my way to work. When I arrive, I see Keisha giving Skyler the business again, probably about being late. Naomi waves over to me at the clock on the computer, where I am headed, too, anyway.

"Craig, it's so good to see you again. I can't wait for us to work together up front today." She says, clocking in and waiting off the side as I walk over to the desk.

"Yeah, wait, what? I work in produce?"

"Oh, Keisha said you were working up front with me today."

"Oh!" Keisha, the big-headed girl who thinks she can boss me around." I say while looking at her talking to Skyler. She looks over at me and seriously nods her head.

"Do you not want to work with me or something?"

"No. It's not you. I just don't like the whole bouncing around thing; I prefer stability...especially when I'm not getting paid to jump around."

"Oh, that makes sense." Naomi nods as Keisha walks over to us.

"Hey Naomi, Hello Craig."

"Hi, Miss Keisha"

"Craig, did Naomi tell you that you will be working up front today?"

"She sure did, Keisha.Miss Boss Kiesha" She cuts her eyes at me.

"Naomi, can I talk with Craig for a minute."

"Yes, ma'am. I'll go start. Working."

"Good." Naomi walks over to the cash register, leaving me and my sister in the customer service area.

"So, you big mad."

"Annoyed," I respond to her. "But I'm getting over it, broken promises, missed birthdays, the like."

"Okay, you being N., you almost made me use the word at work."

"Ma'am, I have no control over your volatile burst. But like I said, I'm over it."

"Good. " Keisha says while leaning backward on the counter.

"So, why exactly am I working up front tonight?"

"Skyler lodged a complaint about working with Naomi," Keisha says, rolling her eyes.

"Naomi, the sweet innocent girl just talking to us."

"Yeah, about that, she isn't quite that innocent."

"What? She is so respectful it makes me nervous."

"She is, but also. She can be very competitive. And it can rub people the wrong way."

"No. " I say to her and look at Naomi on the cash register. She sees me looking at her and smiles and waves at me. I return the gesture in kind. "I just don't see it."

"We will talk after your shift. " Keisha says while walking towards the customer service office room.

"Wait, this is for just today, right."

"Maybe."

"Keis!" I scream at her as she closes the door behind our siblinghood. Then the door swings open again.

"Also, don't be walking around the apartment naked." She says {White Pony!}

I begin my shift up front; I forgot how much of a slog it can be working up front. You are either really busy or nothing at all. Naomi spends most of the time intensively cleaning the front area. Skyler keeps her space from us, trying her best not to interact with Naomi. I wonder what happened on the last shift they worked together.

"Hey, Craig?" Naomi says to me with a spray bottle in her hand.

"What's up."

"Is it true that you were an employee of the month last month?"

"Uh, yeah. I was."

"How did you win it."

"I don't know, I don't really set out to win anything. I just come in do, me, I guess."

"You have sex with yourself. So, you're an expeditionists."

"No...Nooo. I meant I just do nothing normal. I just work.

"So, winning comes naturally to you."

"Nah, I suck at everything, really. I guess Mr. Ross and Keisha just thought I tried really hard last quarter and gave me an award."

"They say since you have been here, things have been running more smoothly."

"Who says that."

"Miss Keisha."

"Oh, her opinion doesn't count."

"That's mean." She laughs. "Mr. Ross has said it as well." {Okay, now I think my winning was more about him trying to grease.... please. I should just stop while I'm ahead.}

"Why do you ask, Naomi."

"Oh, my parents didn't want me to get this job. They were afraid it would cause my grades in college to slip."

"Oh, that's weird."

"They agreed but said if I want to do this, I must be the best."

"I mean, we just out here bagging groceries, and So, does that mean you see me as competition."

"Absolutely." Her eyes light up at the proclamation." I don't like to lose." {That's cute; she's so cute.}

"Alright, I don't know if I feel the same," I say to her with a half-smile. It was the worst thing I could do; I looked at Skyler in the corner of my eye, making a neck-cutting motion. She was trying to warn me; I looked back at Naomi. Her ordinarily cheerful expression has changed to that of a cold-blooded murderer. How do I know what a cold-blooded murderer looks like? Well, that's a story for another time?

"Orokana kokujin. Baka kawaii kokujin," she says something in Japanese, and no, watching all that sub-anime did not make me fluent in Japanese. I only made out two words but not the context.

"Excuse me."

"I Challenge you! Craig Turner to who will win employee of the quarter next. If I lose, I will quit; if you lose, you will have to do something for me."

"I don't think I'm even in the running anymore."

"You are. " Keisha says, coming out from the back of the customer service section.

"Where did?"

"You are crazy, and I think it is a good idea. Naomi's friendly competition always helps both competitors step their game up."

"We work at everyday earth, not street fighters."

"Anata wa,hikyō-shades," Naomi says with crossed arms and a scowl.

"I agree, Naomi. " Keisha says while nodding her head.

"You don't even speak Japanese."

"You are very rude to Miss Keisha. You should watch your back."

"Muchina kokujin," Keisha says while covering her mouth and laughing. Naomi smiles and shakes her head.

"I'm going on lunch, fuck this. " I say while walking over to the computer. Skyler is at the customer service desk, grabbing the trash.

"Hey, Craig?"

"What's up, Skyler."

"I rooting for you, sir."

"Oh, okay. Wait, Sir?"

"Yeah, I'm still in high school. You're like, what, 29 or something."

"Nah No, I am not 29."

"Whatever, you're still kinda super old; you probably have lower car insurance now. But that's beside the point just know I got your back, sir."

"Again, with the sir, right whatever. Thanks, Skyler." {Old? Whatever.} I clock out and go to the break room. Trying to process the last couple of minutes in my head. I go to the refrigerator and remember I didn't bring any lunch today.

"Damn, I'm getting old." I walk out to the floor to look for something to eat. Stopping at the bakery, I see Stephanie, the baker talking with Tommy, the grocery store manager. She makes sandwiches to put out for sale. I grab one from the case, and I look back at them. I observed the sandwich in my hand and noticed the French bread had teeth marks.

"Nope. " I say as I put the sandwich back on the fridge shelf. I walk over to the produce area, grab an apple, and walk to the register.

"Just an apple, huh. " Naomi says to me with a smirk on her face.

"Can I get the old Naomi back? This one scares me."

"You disrespected me, Craig Turner."

"H..How."

"By not taking me seriously." I look over at Skyler, but she adverts her eyes.

"I just, I don't know, if you want to be an employee of the quarter that bad, I will concede to you."

"You further dishonor me, Craig."

"I just want my apple; can you ring up my apple, please."

"If you gonna beat me, you need a real meal. Try the sandwiches in the bakery."

"I rather not."

"Wait, what's wrong with the sandwiches? I just had one." Keisha says, popping up from behind the back register.

"Na, Nothing. " I say to her while blinking twice, a secret sign we use for, I tell you later, we developed as kids in our home.

"Oh, hell nah!" She speaks.

"Here is your apple. " Naomi says, handing me a bag.

"I didn't need a bag, Naomi; it's like the world's smallest granny smith apple."

"Small apple for a small man." Keisha and Skyler bust out laughing at Naomi's comment.

"I am not small."

"Not what Megan said earlier."

"I was fully...what am I doing. Oh, I know my wasting time. I'm going to enjoy my Granny Smith apple. I swing my bag to show my frustration, and my apple pierces the bag; it is thrown into a mop bucket Skyler has set up.

"Score. " Skyler says, holding her hands up.

"I quit." I walk away as they laugh at my situation.

"Wait, Craig, are you gonna get your apple."

"No, Skyler!" I scream as I walk back to the break room.

More customers started trickling in at work, helping the time go by. Naomi was steadily trying to steal my customers away from me, quickly scanning her customer's groceries and giving Skyler death stares to bag their groceries quicker. Before I knew it, my shift was over, and Keisha was on our way back to the apartment. Megan was pulling into the parking lot as well. We assembled like a superhero group in the lot.

"Hey, flash dance. " Megan says to me as I hold the door open for her.

"I don't get that reference, Megan. I'm not that old."

"Oh really, Mr. Craig. " Keisha says while laughing.

"Did you put her up to that?" I remarked to her.

"Maybe."

"Wait, what happened. " Megan says, wanting to know anything that made me look like an idiot.

"Keisha and her flunkies at work are working on my last nerve."

"You flunkies now, Keis?"

"I know, right? I feel so powerful." Keisha says while flexing her arms.

"Your arms look like upper case L's."

"Chīsana penisu. " She says back to me while sticking out her tongue.

"Again, with Japanese. How do you know Japanese?"

"I don't know what she said, but I totally agree with it. " Megan says, opening the door to the apartment.

"I'm going to my room."

"Going to dance around naked in your room."

"It's a free country, Megan. Don't be mad at me just because you don't have rhythm. "

"Craig, none of the turners have rhythm."

"Kiesha, I think Ross is texting you. " I say to her while shutting my door.

"No, he isn't!" Keisha says, grabbing her phone.

I sit in the extra comfy recliner chair and start typing on my laptop. My experience at work today gave me an idea for a new story for the website. I stole away on the story for what felt like an hr, but it was more than that. I looked at the clock, and it was 8 pm. A whole 4 hrs. had passed, and I needed to get ready to go out with the girls.

I get up from my chair when my door swings open.

"Came to grab some stuff." She says while closing the door.

"Right?"

"Do ever like knock?'

"Why would I need to? What would you have to hide that I haven't already seen?"

"Your gonna walk into something you don't want to see if this keeps that up. " I say to Megan with a sly smile on my face.

"That is very vague and creepy of you to say, Craig. " She says while bending over and searching through the closet.

"Can you stop wriggling your butt in my face?"

"I'm wriggling my butt." I get up and position myself behind her and grab her hips.

"Okay, Okay." She says, getting up and turning around with a dress in her hand. We were faced to face we each other just like early in the morning.

"That's what you wearing?" I say to her, looking down at the dress in her hand. A black and red number.