One and Done - S. Briones Lim Page 0,37

store and paused before stepping inside. A ball of nervous energy encompassed me, and for a moment I realized I was no longer that ballsy kid—I was nothing short of a coward.

What would happen once I stepped through those double glass doors? Who would I see? Stephanie? Dwight? Rocky?

Shit. Rocky…

Out of all the people in Bethel Falls, she was the one person I both craved to see and wanted to run away from. Sure, I toyed around with thoughts of reaching out to her now that we were grown, but how? Do I pick up the phone and call her as if nothing had happened between us? Would I pretend that I didn’t ignore her for the past four years?

“It just needs to be the perfect time.” Whenever the hell that was. Perhaps it was tomorrow, or the next day or three weeks from now when my stuff was already packed in the back of my trunk.

“Next?”

I blinked in surprise and shuffled forward, prescription in hand. Somehow I had made it inside to the pharmacy, with no recollection of how I got there. The stark white counter loomed in front of me, looking out of place among the country themed store. Without saying a word I thrust the slip of paper forward. The pharmacy technician, not anyone I recognized, seemed to appreciate the silence and quickly got to work.

“Jesse Tyler?”

I froze. I’d recognize that voice anywhere. Even as an adult it struck fear in me, rendering my limbs catatonic. Gulping, I turned around and eyed the man who seemed so much shorter than I remembered, but still as frightening. Grey hair sprinkled his thick sideburns and even thicker eyebrows, giving him a James Bond villain sort of vibe. He was definitely still intimidating.

“Hello, Mr. Rossi.”

His lip trembled slightly as he gave me a suspicious once-over. “Are you…um…back in town?”

No, the person standing in front of you is just a hologram.

My eyes locked with his, and all of a sudden the memories of that night flooded into my mind. I wanted to punch him. I wanted to scream and tell him he was one of the reasons why my relationship with Rocky became strained. But I didn’t. I was now better than that.

I shook my head. “Temporarily. My mom’s sick.”

I expected shock and maybe even intrigue or complacency. What I didn’t expect was the look of concern that fleeted over his face.

He coughed uncomfortably. “Um, yes, I heard. I’m very sorry. She…she’s made something of herself these past few years, but I’m sure you knew that. It’s a shame this is happening to her.”

I nodded, not knowing what else to say. It wasn’t as if Mr. Rossi and I had a history of heart to hearts. I turned back toward the counter where my medicine was waiting and practically shoved my money at the poor pharm tech, desperate to leave the store.

“Jesse?”

I paused and looked over my shoulder, lifting my eyebrow slightly.

Mr. Rossi scratched at his head and shifted his weight from one foot to the other. Looking as if he was fighting an internal battle and losing, he ground out, “How long are you staying? Do you need a job?”

I wanted to scoff. Tell him that the boy that wasn’t good enough for his daughter was now a new business owner. However, the sincerity in his tone and the conviction in his eyes prevented me from saying one bad thing. Curious, I tilted my head to the side and asked, “A job? With you?”

He cleared his throat. “Um, yes, if you’re staying for a few months why don’t you work for us? I’m…I’m sure Rocky would like to see you.”

Rocky.

There are moments in your life when you’re faced with a simple decision. Ironically, this simple decision could either make you or break you and change the course of your life as you knew it. Despite the fact that the familiar flags of caution were ruffling in the breeze while the “grown-up Jesse” screamed for me to walk away, the version of me I had long since buried somehow burst out of its grave like a zombie looking for nourishment. Needless to say, I didn’t have any brains at the moment. “Um, yeah, that sounds great, actually.”

Abort! Abort! What the fuck are you doing?

Mr. Rossi’s dark eyes brightened. “Perfect. Why don’t you start after Christmas? Maybe the day after?”

Was it really Christmastime? How’d I lose track of that?

“Uh, yeah sure. Thanks.” What the hell did I just agree to?

“Good. See you