Page 12 of Demons

It was time I made money so I could move out on my own. Not to mention, I’d really like to buy my own horse one day.

After I’d made a list of the reasons why I should work a job and learn to manage my own money and presented it to my parents, my father had ruled that I was correct. Much to my mother’s dismay.

The nursing home had said they had a position open for cleaning, and as much as I loved visiting the residents there, I did not want to clean the place. Two different church members offered me a job, working as a receptionist at their offices, but it was minimum wage, and I was trying to get away from all things connected to the church.

The ice cream shop in town that served not only ice cream, but also old-fashioned candy and treats had hired me on the spot. I’d almost made it through an entire week, and I was getting paid one dollar over minimum wage, plus tips.

Today was the first official day of summer for all the public and private schools in the district. Barbara, the owner, had warned that the crowds would increase so much that there wouldn’t be any downtime. I was okay with that. More customers meant more tips. The moment the doors opened at nine this morning, we had a line waiting to come inside. When Barbara told me to take my lunch break, it was well after one, and it had been nonstop customers. The tip jar was overflowing too. I didn’t take a full hour but finished my sandwich and grapes I’d brought from home in less than thirty minutes and got back out to help. Barbara looked relieved, and I could tell with just her and her niece, Mandy, who was also working today, that they were swamped. Mandy wasn’t very fast, and she was a little clumsy.

When she messed up the second ice cream float in a row, I decided to take over making all those and let her stick to just scooping. Barbara said not to let her near the cash register because she wasn’t good with counting out change. Juggling all the things she couldn’t do kept me busy.

Twenty minutes before closing time, the door opened, and in walked three guys about my age. I didn’t know any of them, but then again, I hadn’t gone to the local high school, and if they didn’t go to my church, our paths never crossed. I stepped up to the register, and Mandy grabbed my wrist. When I glanced over at her, she had a pained expression.

“That’s Deck Rogers,” she whispered. “And his gang.”

Gang? In Madison? She must not mean it literally.

“You want me to help them?” I asked her.

She nodded and stepped back. The way she was acting, I almost expected her to run to the back and hide until they left.

“Hello. How can I help you?” I asked the four guys as they made their way up to the counter.

They had a few tattoos. One had a big black hole in his earlobe that was on purpose, two of them had piercings in their eyebrows, and another had one in his nose. It didn’t make them gang members though. I had a feeling Mandy was being dramatic. The one with spiky, bleached hair, who I was assuming was Deck, stood out. It was a brave choice. I liked it.

He smirked at me and placed his palms flat on the counter, leaning in toward me.

“You’re new,” he said as his eyes scanned my body.

“Yes,” I agreed.

“You don’t go to school?”

I shook my head. “I was homeschooled, but I graduated two years ago. I’m a sophomore in college,” I explained. I had graduated a year early, and I went to the local junior college, but I didn’t have to give him that much information.

He laughed and glanced back at his friends. “Homeschooled.” He said it like that was funny.

“She’s probably awkward as fuck,” the black-hole-in-the-earlobe guy said.

The blond one turned back to me. “Bet you’re a virgin,” he said, tilting his head and licking his bottom lip.

Okay, they were getting out of line. But I could handle it.

“What can I get you?” I asked, ignoring the other comments.

“Your virgin cunt. It’s been a while since I’ve had a cherry on top,” the guy with a tattoo on his neck and pierced eyebrows said.

“I’ll take the cherry,” the blond one told him as he continued to look at me like he was going to have me as his meal.

I cleared my throat. “I’m sorry, is there an ice cream we can get for you?”

“She’s uptight. That wouldn’t be any fun,” one of the guys who hadn’t spoken up yet said.

The blond leaned closer to me. “I don’t know. I like holding them down. If they fight, it’s more exciting.”

His words this time weren’t just insulting; they were frightening. Perhaps Mandy had a reason to be scared of them. I wished she’d go get Barbara, who was in the office.

I had to figure out how to handle them. Every time I came across a problem, I couldn’t go running to Barbara. She’d left me out here in charge, and proving I could do it was important. At least to me.

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