A Love-Hate Relationship

C

CaptainFrost

Guest
Original poster
Isabelle, more commonly known as Billy (for being a tom-boy sort), sat in the passenger seat of her fathers car. "I don't understand why I have to start working already," she was complaining.

"You know why. You're mom's gone and your brothers are still small, I need help," her father replied. At the mention of her mother, Billy got a bitter look on her face. When he said "gone," he didn't mean dead. He meant her mother left him for another man and didn't even fight him for joint custody.

Not that Billy would've wanted to have to visit her mom. Why would she? Besides, she was almost eighteen and old enough to make her own decisions. Except on this case. Unbeknownst to her, her dad had sent in an application to the local supermarket in the small town they'd moved to after the divorce. They'd accepted her, she'd been forced into an interview, and now she was going to her first day of work.

Her dad was right, he did need help, so she couldn't blame him for sending her off to work.
 
Vincent was in the middle of scanning a few bags of food on his shift that day. It was always like that. Scan this, stock that. He really wanted to quite that job. It wasn't worth the pay. They didn't even treat him like a human when he was behind the desk! But it was whatever. He passed it off, only because he needed something to pay his rent with. He had moved out of his families house a little while ago, in search of some 'wider experiences'. Yeah, like that was working out well.

He sighed, and finished scanning. " Thank you, and have a nice day. " He said with a fake smile. Once they left, his smile soon faded. Thank god for that. Vincent looked to the entrance, to see if any more customers. And he did, but this one was... different. It was someone he saw from school. He smiled unconsciously, and looked away. It was her, Isabelle. He had a small- well, more than small- crush on her since the beginning of forth grade. She was in second grade at the time, but they both shared the same building. On the first day, he gave her a flower. On the second day, she gave him coodies. He was in love with her, only because she was everything a man could ever want. She was the prettiest little thing he ever did see, with eyes that seemed to shine in the middle of math class and grades that made even him envious. It was a shame she hated Vincent for God knows what.
 
Her dad had dropped her off as soon as she stepped into the store. Isabelle was looking around with an 'unamused' face, which became even less amused as she spotted Vincent.

He'd been bugging her since they were kids and, even now, her friends teased her about it. He was always that guy. The one that made her want to punch him in the face every now and then. She wasn't entirely sure why though... Maybe it was the fact that he'd given her a flower when she was in the second grade and for a few weeks kids would sing, "Vincent and Izzy sitting in a tree, k-i-s-s-i-n-g." Which annoyed her to no end. It was possible that her second grade self had vowed to hate him just for that, though she couldn't remember. Or maybe it was one of the other gestures he'd made... Billy, being the girl that she was, didn't like people teasing her. Especially not about boys.

Whatever it had been, she knew she didn't like him.

She looked away, giving him a quick glare of defiance, then went to find the manager or a supervisor to tell her what she had to do.
 
She looks so cute when she wrinkles her nose at me... Wow, Vincent sure was falling head-over-heals for her again. But, it wasn't like this has never happened before. It seemed to happen on a daily basis. If not daily, then bi-daily. Even tri-daily! Before he knew it, the male was being snapped at by a women who seemed to have all the money in the world, but no time at all. " Welcome t-" He started, but he was soon cut off. " Stuff it, scrawny. I have places to be and people to see, you got that? I want my groceries piled up ASAP, and make it snappy. " She said. He could guess that she was from New York, only because of the way she carried herself.

Vincent's happy mood soon turned into everything but that, and before he knew it, he was being yelled at for stacking the lettuce a-top of the eggs. " I'm just doing my job, ma'a- "He was cut off again, but not by the New Yorker, but by a loud phone that sounded through the entire store. " Register 13, report to the mangers desk. Register 13, thank you. " That was him. Vincent gave the women the biggest grin he could pull, and said to her, " Excuse me, my lady. " She was everything but pleased with that remark.

The worker walked briskly towards the manager's desk, and noticed someone familiar. He smiled, and walked a little faster. Once he entered, he winked towards his new co-worker- Isabelle. " Hello, ma'am. Seem's like we're going to be co-workers, eh? " He nudged her with his elbow, and the manager spoke. " Vince. You are to show her how to work the desk and how to go about daily business. Do I make myself clear? " Vincent spoke back to him. " Yes sir. " They where both dismissed, and one of them was a little happier than the other.
 
"Alright, let me get you set up with a 'mentor' of sorts," the manager told her. He picked up the speaker on his desk and spoke into it, calling one of the cashiers.

Register 13...

Something about that sounded ominous and Billy swore she could here a 'dunDunDUN' somewhere. She realized why when Vincent walked in. Him... No... Not him, she thought, lowering her head a little. She could feel some overwhelming dread coming over her as Vince stood next to her. For a brief moment, she had hold her arm down to stop herself from punching him in the gut when he nudged her. As soon as they were dismissed, she looked at him with that expression. That expression that she reserved specifically for him.

"Tell me what I have to do to get paid," she told him, "Make it quick. I want this over with already."
 
That expression that she wore could have been comparable to an angry puppy. It was so cute and innocent, you could almost not feel bad for it. " Now now, " He started, with a shit-eating grin plastered on his face. " Let's not get hasty, now. Don't want to make a bad first impression on the fist day, do we? We have to take things slow if you ever want to get paid enough to live a decent life. " He began, as he walked through the store. " Now, Bill- wait, that's really cute. Mind if I call you Bill? Well, Bill, this is where... "

Vincent then drabbled on about what all of the buttons on the register did and how they all worked differently. He showed her the back of the store, and then taught her how to use the fork-lift properly. After a long while of going through the motions, he then brought her back to the manager. They both worked the usual five-to-nine, and because of that, both if their shifts ended a the same time. " Care for a ride home, my lady? " He flirted slightly, as he opened the door for her as they both exited the building.
 
Billy was already thinking of excuses to tell the manager after she punched Vince. He harassed me... I thought he was making a move for my goods... She was thinking. Though she never got around to hitting him. She paid attention which was surprisingly hard, but had to be done. Billy tried to ignore his calling her 'Bill,' irritating as it was.

Finally though, he left her alone and they both went to work in seperate places. It wasn't as bad as she'd expected. Aside from seeing Vincent pass by occasionally, winking or wiggling his eyebrows, it was a pretty good first day of work.

When it ended, she almost didn't notice who'd opened the door for her. She was about to send her father a text when Vincent's voice offered her a ride. Looking up at him, she stared at him for a few moments. Her dad had a night shift... He was probably resting right now if not getting ready... Having to pick her up might be a hassle and would make him rush...

"Fine," she said, her voice flat. "Don't expect a conversation though."
 
Vincent's smile grew a good five sizes. " Score! " He nearly shouted, as he punched the air victoriously. First base, here I come! He led her towards his car, which was something he got from his father when he was younger. It was old enough to pass as vintage, and he loved it more than life itself. " So, where to, Bill? " He asked, as he pulled out his keys and shoved them into the ignition.

The car sputtered and stopped for a moment, before it roared like a bat out of hell. After the female had told him where she lived, he pulled out a cassette tape, and turned to her. " I hope you like Mumford and Sons. " Vincent needed to record all of his favorite music on cassettes, because that was the only thing his car took. Anything else, and he would ruin it completely. He softly blasted The Cave through the speakers, and he hummed along happily.
 
She rolled her eyes a little bit and followed him to his car. It looks like it's going to fall apart at any second, she thought, sighing a little. She'd already accepted the ride though, it was too late to turn back.

After telling him where she wanted to go, she put on her seat belt and looked at him. "I usually like things that don't call me 'Bill'," she said, giving him a pointed glare. Not that I'd like you either way... ​She thought, turning away. Billy felt a little bad this time. She decided she'd try to be nice to him, after all, he'd been nice enough to offer her a ride. "Anyway, Mumford and Sons is pretty good," she told him, looking out the window.
 
" Oh, what? I'm a thing? " Vince whined, but only for a moment. He kept his eyes plastered to the road like a responsible driver, but did responsible drivers tense up at the sight of another car? He just didn't want the same accident that happened to his dad to happen to him. It was a terrible night, Vincent was taking care of his mother at the time. She had came down with a terrible cold, and his father was on his way back from work. The roads where slippery and he wasn't paying attention, and one thing led to another and he... Slipped. He got into a four car pileup. He didn't survive through the night.

Vincent didn't like talking about his father, but he kept his memories of him near and dear to his heart. He shook of the bad memorizes of his father, and gripped at the steering wheel again. Distractions are the last thing he wanted. " What? Oh, yeah, they're really good. I saw them live last summer. " He said, as he bumped the volume up slightly. It was his favorite song that was playing right then. " I asked you if you wanted to join me, but you just told me 'fat chance, bub. ' and might I say, that was very rude of you. " He cracked a smirk, and turned into the drive way of her house.

Vincent unlocked the door, and turned off his brights for just a moment. " See you at work tomorrow, Bill. " He said, as he gave her a smile and a small wave.
 
She noticed the tensity that came into his shoulders for a moment and wondered what he was thinking about. He'd gotten a serious expression on his face and that was odd for him. It was Vincent after all, he was always doing some sort of smiley, flirty thing.

"That's cool," she replied, twirling her hair around her finger for a moment. "I think I went to a concert last summer too, but it was the Offspring," she told him, making light conversation.

With a sigh of relief, Billy spotted her house. Finally, she thought. Her dad's car was already gone and she assumed the boys were either watching TV or asleep. They were twelve years old, but she still felt bad that they'd been left alone for a little bit. "Thanks Vincent," she said, getting out of the car. "See you tomorrow then." Without so much as a wave, she walked up to her front door and let herself into the house.
 
Vincent smiled. She'll see me tomorrow... Just that filled him with glee. He soon drove off into the other direction and headed back to his small apartment. It wasn't the best place in the world, but he kept it clean and nice. After he walked through the door into his 'house', he walked into the kitchen and started to boil some water. While the water was boiling, he walked into his bedroom and stripped himself out of his school clothing and into his pajamas.

His pajamas where simply a pair of bottoms that where far too baggy for his skinny legs. He liked the comfort that came with space. Vince entered the room once more, but had his homework with him as he went. He worked on his literature as he made himself supper. It was a small spaghetti supper, but he wouldn't have it any other way. Well, that was a lie. He just wanted to dine with Isabelle, maybe that would be something else he would have.

Vincent work up early the next morning, and wen through his daily routine. Wake up, get dressed, make some toast, brush teeth, take a shower, and leave for school. He did dry his hair too, but that was implied. Vince was in his first year of college, but the college was mixed in with the highschool. It was odd, but because most of the kids where in advanced classes, the town thought it would be easier for them just to morph the two schools.
 
Isabelle found her brothers sitting on the couch, watching Ghost Adventures on the TV. Immediately, she ushered them off to their room. "It's almost ten, time for bed," she told them, ignoring their protests. After making sure they were in their pajamas, she tucked them in and turned off the light. Sometimes she felt bad for the little fellows, having to deal with things like the divorce and the fact that their mother didn't even want to see them. It was unfair, and she found herself holding a grudge against the woman.

She headed to the kitchen and ate a quick bowl of cereal. Afterward she got ready for bed, pulling her light brown hair into a ponytail and putting on some Spiderman pajama bottoms (from the guy section, obviously) and a gray t-shirt.

Sleep came easily, but when her alarm went off in the morning, it felt too soon. Again, she went through the routine of waking her brothers, making them breakfast, making sure they were dressed properly in their uniforms. She got ready as well, eating another bowl of cereal then straightening her hair.

Soon they were off, walking to school. The middle school was only a few blocks away, but the high school Billy went to was a little further. After leaving her brothers, Billy walked by herself, enjoying the warm, yet crisp, morning air.
 
Vincent got to school a little earlier than usual, only to talk to his friends of course. He pulled into the school parkinglot and parked his fathers car. He was sure to lock all of the doors and to make sure no one could get in. Vincent would probably go crazy if anything happened to his fathers car. It was the last of his memories that he still remembered clearly.

The young man was greeted by a body flinging itself onto his back, which caused him to stumble and trip around. Much like a bucking bronco. Before he knew it, he was being tackled by three, four, five bodies before he was completely on the ground. They all laughed and punched eachother. Guy stuff. They asked about what they wanted to do that weekend or if there where any good movies in the theater.

Vincent and his friends entered the school, and just hung around the lockers for a good twenty minuets. Talking among themselves and among passing students. Thee only time Vince left his circle of friends was when he saw her. He smiled, flattened his hair, and followed her to her locker. " Hello, ma'am. " He greeted her with a smile.
 
By the time she got to school, there were already a ton of students there. Billy went straight to her locker, as usual, before she'd go look for her own friends. So far, she hadn't seen Vince, which was odd but all-in-all good. She didn't feel like being bothered so early in the morning, when she had a lower tolerance level than usual.

Vincent wasn't too far behind today though, and soon showed up behind her. "Hello Vincent," she said in her flat voice, giving him her trade-mark Vincent-expression. She continued walking, then turned to her locker, spinning the combination in quickly and opening it. She swung it open rather quickly, wondering if Vincent was close enough for it to hit him. Billy then started to pull out the books she would need for class.
 
Vincent, being the scoundrel he was, thought it would be a good idea to lean up against the locker. He didn't know that she was going to be swinging her locker open like that, and sadly, his fingers got caught in the aftermath. He gasped quietly as he tried to keep from screaming.

" I bet you're not in the best of moods this morning, are you? " His voice seemed... Higher, than usual. Maybe because he was hit with a locker door. " Haha, well, I'll, just leave you be. " He chuckled nervously, and hissed slightly when he pulled his fingers away from the locker. How incredibly rude of her! Vincent walked off in the other direction, meeting with his friends half way there.
 
Billy sighed gently with relief as he left. At least he got the point this time. She remembered when they were kids and he'd be able to bother her for a few hours no matter what she said to make him go away. Though, occasionally, her treatment of Vincent made her feel bad. Some days she'd tell herself, I'll be nice today. I'll be nice today. Unfortunately, she always went back on that. So she quit trying to be nice, because it had proven to be too difficult.

Today felt like it was going to be a long day. Billy left her locker and went off to find her friends, with whom she could relax. So, for a while, before class, she and her friends stood in another part of the locker area, chatting and laughing. When it was time for class, she waved to them and started walking to her first class, holding her books tightly to her side.

In the morning hallway rush, someone bumped into her. Billy lost her grip on the books and they fell to the ground. With a groan, she knelt down and started picking them all back up.
 
Vincent had a lot on his mind after the whole ordeal. He had told his friends countless times about the times she had acted rude to her, which seemed to be more times than not. They had told them to just get over her! They told him that she wasn't worth his time if she would act like that. " You're a good guy, " One of them started, " And you need a good lady. She obviously isn't right for you. "

" Jeez, guys, what is this, a Korean Drama? " Said Vincent. They all laughed and walked to their separate classes. On his way to literature, he noticed someone give someone else a shove in the hallway. He saw that it was Isabelle, and nearly everything in his being screamed at him to help her. She wouldn't appreciate it. He told himself. He averted his eyes to the best of his abilities, and left for the class.
 
She noticed Vince walking past and sighed a little, waiting for him to rush over and help her like she's some sort of damsel in distress. When it didn't happen and he kept walking, she didn't know what to feel. So she picked up her books and went to her class with a puzzled expression. That puzzled expression remained for most of the class period and she found herself thinking of Vincent the whole time.

Something in her mind wasn't registering. He... didn't see her? He was always on the lookout for her though. "What's going on?" she whispered lightly as she thought about it. He'd seen her... He'd kept walking though? Why did he do that?
 
Unlike most days, Vincent actually paid attention in class! Well, besides the occasional spitball-to-the-back-of-the-head he got from his friends. They all kept from breaking out into laughter as he shot them all the meanest, ugliest, stupidest look he could pull off. It was a fun class, probably one of his favorites. Well, except modern literature. That was the class where he got to work on plays and speeches.

After class, he was completely covered in bodies of his friends. They all laughed and chuckled about stupid things, like what their parents talked about that morning or what they would act like when they would become parents. Vince gave a light shove to his friend, and laughed happily. " Oh, yeah, I'm so getting a husband. I just love male genitalia. " They all laughed, and waited around the locker banks.
 
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