Page 126 of Bookworm

"Give me all the cash in that register. Now."

I froze, unable to believe this was happening.

"You stupid or something?" he asked when I didn't move.

"No, I'm actually in the top 10 percent of my class," I said.

He gaped at me a moment then gestured with his gun. "Okay smartass, I'm only going tosay this one more time. Open that register and give me the cash, or I'm going to shoot you right in your geniusbrain."

There was something seriously wrong with me. Either that, or I'd entered into some odd kind of fight or flight reflex that involved talking as much as possible in the hopes of discombobulating him so much he'd just leave. It was a decent plan. Plan B was to throw the rice crispy treats at his head, but I was pretty sure that'd just make him angry. And what a waste of good desserts.

Squaring my shoulders, I said, "Well, that was rude."

"What?"

"I said that was rude. I've been nothing but nice to yousince you walked in, and here you are, calling me names.You don't even know me."

The robber blinked.

"I'm a good person. You might be too, who knows? You're not making a great first impression, but that doesn't mean you're unredeemable."

He squinted at me. "Girl, you know what this is, right? It's a stick-up. I'm robbing you right now."

"Yeah," I said, "I get that. But you should know it's bad karma."

Scratching the back of his neck with the gun, he tilted his head. "Say what?"

"Karma," I repeated. "It's real, and it's gets everybody sooner or later. Seven years bad luck for breaking a mirror. How much do you think this will get you?"

"I don't know," he muttered.

"Exactly. So, you seem okay—besides the whole holding me up at gunpoint thing. Why don't you just take some rice crispy treats out of this container, leave the way you came, and no one has karma following them around for the next seven years?"

I held my breath, hoping he might do the right thing, but the guy just grunted.

"Never believed in that stuff," he said with a mean smile. "I only believe in me."

"That's actually a healthy affirmation," I began, but he cut me off.

"Get the damn drawer open," he yelled.

I shook my head. "I can't. I don't know the code."

"Yeah, right."

"It's true," I said. "I don't even work here anymore."

"Listen, bitch—"

"There you go being rude again."

"—if you can't get me the cash—"

"You know, most people use cards now," I said.

"—I really will shoot you," he finished.

Before he could, the bell chimed once more announcing a new arrival.

---