Frizz arrived at the convenience store and parked his electric bike near the wall, dislodging the baseball bat from the frame and leaning it against a post before stepping inside.
The bell above the door dinged as he entered, his body and face slick with sweat.
"Didn't you take a leave? Why are you here?" Mina asked as her glare intensified, confused as to why he was here.
"I am just going to buy something."
Mina scoffed upon hearing the answer, picking up a small cardboard box, and continued to restock the empty shelves and containers.
As Frizz walked past her, he couldn't help but glance at her tight pants, catching the outline of her undergarments and bottom figure. (It must be nice being her boyfriend.)
Mina turned around and noticed her coworker ogling at her; she raised a brow as she clicked her tongue, noting that all men are the same.
"I don't blame you for window shopping, but look away unless you want the taste of a thrown canned sardine," she threatened, slightly wiggling her bottom and taunting him.
Frizz scowled, dodging. "You're not my type."
"Whatever helps you sleep at night," Mina shot back, bending down to pick up a stray item.
⟐
The two disliked each other, incapable seeing eye to eye; each word coming out of their mouths was laced with either disdain or insults.
Mina saw Frizz as an unambitious, boring person with a lazy outlook on life, dependent on his parents. For her, the only saving grace was his physical appearance. Frizz was tall, attractive, and had rare white eyes that were always pleasing to stare at.
However, that's all he was to her, another half-breed eye candy that's decent to ogle at but bad to reach.
Mina darted her eyes to Frizz, who was scanning the beverages section, noticing his weird actions lately. (He has gotten more active and alive.)
In the case of Frizz, Mina was your usual horrible woman who complained a lot. He saw her as a brown-noser and highly competitive person. Ever since she started working in the convenience store, he noticed that she'd often talk to Mr. Sim.
Frizz would often facepalm, they work in a convenience store; there was virtually nothing worthwhile to compete with. However, he couldn't quite hate her since she was a breadwinner, and that meant she had to provide for her family and siblings.
The entrance bell dinged again; another customer arrived, and Frizz turned, momentarily glancing at the squatting Mina, spotting her bottom again. (Goddamn.)
The animosity between the two started several weeks ago. Mina was changing her clothes when she then heard a shuffle behind a wall. Investigating the noise, she slightly moved a cardboard box and spotted a hole large enough to peep at, and this caused her to be furious.
Enraged and fuming, she hurriedly dressed herself and marched to the next room, spotting Frizz about to leave the room with an inscrutable expression. An argument ensued, with both sides not taking a step back.
Frizz maintained his innocence, ignorant about the wall and accusing her of slander of his character, almost bursting in rage and violence at the absurdity of the accusation.
Whereas Mina never considered his words and explanation, branding him as a sexless pervert who most likely masturbated to her and calling him a shame to his mother.
Mr. Sim intervened, trying to calm both of them. He reminded Frizz that you shouldn't use violence against women and reminded Mina that before you accuse, you must have strong evidence.
However, Mr. Sim's words were never considered by both parties, still feeling unconvinced. The old owner of the convenience store, not wanting to fire his two beloved employees, offered something.
To Mina, he would offer her a much-needed pay raise and an assurance that if something similar happened again, he would file a police report with her against Frizz.
To Frizz, he would offer him another two paid leaves so long as he behaved himself and would act professionally next time.
The two begrudgingly accepted the offer, thanking Mr. Sim for his generosity. However, Frizz wasn't happy with his boss's words, citing that it was a threat, and he believed Mina's story.
⟐
"I shouldn't have drunk a lot." Frizz held his mouth, almost puking, his inebriation slowly subsiding. He entered the break room and climbed on top of a bunch of hard boxes.
There he lay and drifted to sleep.
One hour later...
Frizz woke up from his nap, feeling sober. He exited the break room and took out two cans of root beer from the beverages section and walked to the counter.
Mina scoffed, managing a false smile. "I have never seen someone so arrogant, conceited, and absurd."
"Earlier you filed for leave, then suddenly you came back all shitfaced, and then you took a nap in the break room. Is this a game for you? Do you own this fucking place?"
Frizz placed the two cans of root beer on the counter, looking away in shame but nevertheless doubled down. "Just put the cans in the bag."
"I've done a lot of things for Mr. Sim to the point that I can do that." Mina sneered upon hearing his answer, falsely smiling and tossing a paper bag to him. "Thank you for shopping." Frizz turned to leave when the bell dinged again.
Baron entered.
"Shit," Frizz swore, stopping and blocking the path.
"Excuse me?" Baron said to him, visibly annoyed, with a bruise on his face.
Frizz stepped away, confused. (Oh, right. I was wearing a mask and a long-sleeved shirt when I invaded; they won't recognize me.) He thought, glancing at the entrance and spotting several people standing outside, scanning the area, a few feet away from his electric bike.
(Those guys… are they Baron's men? They're Baron's men.) He mused, eyeing his electric bike and the baseball bat propped against the post. (It's only a matter of time until they see that and assume that whoever took that bat also owned that bike!)
Frizz entered the break room, grabbed a spare jacket from his locker, and slipped it on. Taking slow steps toward the exit, he drew a deep breath, walked out calmly, and took a seat on a bench near the entrance.
(I could just jump on my bike and ride away acting like I am not bothered by them, but...) His sights focused on a distant guard, away from the main group, fidgeting nervously and looking around.
(That's the guard that I knocked out at the gate and blasted away with my telekinesis.) Frizz thought, anxiety rising up. (He interacted with me the most; even with the mask off, he might still recognize me.)
⟐
"Ma'am, you seen a guy run by? Gray mask, white long-sleeved shirt?" a burly man asked a passerby.
"Haven't seen anyone."
"Thanks."
Near the street, two men muttered to each other.
"How long we gotta wait? He's not here. We should check the other way—this feels like Lim's crew's handiwork." A henchman complained.
"One guy from Lim's group took out three people and can send objects flying at you?" The burly henchman reiterated, glaring at his complaining partner.
"You believe what Bryan said? He's full of shit," he declared, lighting a cigar.
"But you saw the damage?"
The smoking henchmen sneered. "You really believed that? That everything started flying around and hit them?" He paused, telling how absurd it was.
"Whatever the case, we'll find that guy and let the boss deal with him." The smoking henchman trained his eyes on the electric bike and spotted a recognizable baseball bat by chance.
"Hey, that's Baron's bat, right?"
Baron Morales, just stepping out the store, turned sharply. "What?"
"Yeah, look. Faded paint—it's yours." his henchman stated, throwing away the lit cigarette.
Baron grinded his teeth together, eyes intensely glaring. "He's here, that fucking guy."
"Shit!" A henchman from afar bellowed, face full of fear.
Baron had heard his bellowing, pointing at him. "Don't go anywhere Bryan. You were just high and disoriented." He glared, full of rage. "What you saw wasn't real."
"Yeah..." Bryan muttered, unsure.
"Baron, is the owner of this electric trash, the guy who robbed you?" His burly henchman asked.
Baron studied the vehicle, recognizing the model. "I think I know the guy that owns this."
"You do? Then let's talk to him." The burly henchman declared, eager for a brawl.
"The owner works as a clerk in that convenience store; however, he is not our guy." Baron remembered the time when he lit a cigarette inside the store, and the store clerk avoiding eye contact. (He's weak.)
"We're looking for an experienced fighter not him." Baron added, rubbing his bruised face. "Still, if the owner comes, interrogate him. He might know something."
Baron picked up his baseball bat and confronted his men. "Call the others to circle the area. They might still be here," he ordered, staring at the ground while deep in thought.
(If it were from Lim's group, it wouldn't make sense to send just one; they would've sent multiple. They outnumber us six to one. Also, they're already hot, so acting like this would've just made the targets on their backs bigger, both by the police and us.)
(There's also the fact that the invader was unarmed; he took Bryan's pistol but didn't use it.) Baron thought, staring at the frightened Bryan, the guard at the gate. (There's also the fact that this guy can apparently make things fly.)
(Hooey.) Baron scorned. (No one would believe it.)
Baron rested the baseball bat on his shoulders. (If it was from Lim's group, they got the upper hand in this raid of theirs. There were only three of us at the house at that time; we were short-staffed and caught off-guard. They would have just killed me the moment I was knocked out.)
"I don't think it's from Lim's group, but they're the only suspects that we have," Baron said, muttering.
⟐
Frizz scanned Baron, observing his physical build.
An above-average man with a slight gut and a perpetually frowning-looking face. The hair on his head was short, dyed with a dirty blonde color. There were no blemishes on his skin and no missing teeth.
"Despite dealing with drugs, he doesn't look like he uses them." Frizz observed, sitting on the bench.