It’s 8:00 p.m. and the sky falls around me. My car zips down the street passing people and beating every red light, stopping for no one. I swerve fast to my right and pull into the gas station, stopping in an instant at the pump. Stepping out of the car my pumps hit the concrete and I “click” and “clack” my way to the door of the station.
“That was some pretty risky driving for a woman like yourself”, the attendant says as I breeze past him.
I feel his smirking eyes follow my strut and I flip my hair in his direction. I grab the first thing I see: a candy bar. I make my way back to the front where the attendant sits watching from behind his register. He smiles at me in this way that makes my stomach turn, his yellow teeth poking out in different directions. His eyes meet mine and squint, as if he has some sort of plan. I whip the candy bar at this stomach and it bounces off and onto the counter, never breaking contact. He fidgets, feeling uneasy and alarmed for a second, but that eerie smile returns again, even bigger this time. I maintain my bold face, teasing him every second with my body language.
“A pretty lady like you doesn’t need to diet, good choice,” he says as he scans the candy bar. “$1.50.”
I pull out some change from my pocket and drop it on the counter. “This is all I have, could you help me out?” I say, my eyes twinkling towards him.
“Of course, doll face,” His now familiar smirk widens, “You owe me a favor, though.” I watch his hands from the corners of my eyes as he picks up the change, still maintaining my flirty yet daring look.
“How about you stick around for awhile and we can head out together when my shift ends?” the man says with a brave and hopeful face. “Sounds great,” I say, noticing as his hands press the buttons on the register. I stop breathing for a couple of seconds and focus my ears on the dinging of the buttons.
The drawer flies open. I reach into my pocket the moment his eyes drop down to the drawer. I spin my gun out towards forward within an instant. “If we’re going out you’ll have to pay, of course.” I say pointing to the change in his hands, quiet but authoritative. “Give me all the money you have”.