Page 2 of Paradox
“I thought you quit these years ago, man?”
“Goddamnit, Austin. This is exactly why I wouldn’t invite you if I was having a party.”
“There’s no need to be a jerk.”
“And there’s no need for you to ask so many fucking questions.”
“I thought we were cool?”
I pinch the bridge of my nose and dig my fingernails in as I sigh. “We are cool. I just need to get the hell out of here. So if you could please just hurry up.”
The next time my phone buzzes on the register, I shut my eyes and focus on the beep beep beep of the scanner as Austin bags up my impulse control problem.
“Did you and Tek have a fight, or something?”
“Ha?”
Austin nods towards my phone. “He’s calling you.”
“Fuck…Here, just take what you need,” I tell Austin, leaving him my wallet to wander aimlessly around the liquor store while I take the call so I don’t pull my hair out. “What is it?”
“This is a different level of psychotic. Even for you.” Tek's voice is just as hostile as I expected it to be.
“You’re lucky I didn’t break his neck.” I answer him with just as much spite.
“And then I’d break yours because we’d lose everything we’ve built.”
“What did you expect me to do?”
“Not to put us in tens of thousands of dollars in debt because you can’t control yourself.”
“Fuck you.”
“You kicked over Reeze's bike and stomped in Shawn’s windscreen.”
“You forgot how I tossed his entire kit into oncoming traffic.”
“This isn’t funny, Eden.”
“So shoot me, then. Put me out of my misery.”
“Don’t start that bullshit again. Put on your big boy pants and deal with this like an adult.”
“Screw that. We opened the shop because we didn’t wanna grow up.”
“No.Youco-signed the business loan becauseyoudidn’t want to grow up. But tattooing for a living doesn’t make you Peter–fucking–Pan.”
I pull the phone away from my ear to check the time. “Tik–tok Tek. I've gotta go."
“You need to apologize.”
“The pair of them can fuck off the whole way to the moon together.”
“Eden.”
“Five years, Tek.”
“You don’t need to tell me how fucked up it is. I’m just as pissed as you are, but I won’t lose this place.”
