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He spits--on the floor of the grocery store--and looks back up at rab the ister and round the counter Holding his gaze, I drop the rag on the area he just spit and wipe it around withit into the corner behind the register, next to the trash

"Dude, this place has bad service," he says "I’ve been standing here for almost five minutes now"

"Oh that’s because you spit on the floor like a fucking douchebag so I plan on ignoring you now," I say, internally noting he’s only been waiting for thirty seconds, at the

He shoves his beer forith his fingers, as if so about it I lean back, pulling out the ister, and I flip through a few pages It’s one of those chickyour life It only takes a few seconds for hi it to the side

"What’s your fucking proble a twenty down on top of the beer

I look at it, then to hier on the bill, I slowly slide it towardit up between us

"What’s this for?" I ask I catch Sheila watching us beyond his shoulder She’s shaking her head, but she’s not worried She knows I can take hi pushed around I’ her be pushed around

"Listen, jack-off! Just ring up the beer, and I’ll get out of here," he says

I fold the bill into quarters and hand it back to hi for him to take it

"I’m afraid I can’t do that, bro," I say, and I hear Sheila snicker behind him When he turns to look at her, she busies herself quickly, pretending to straighten the deli display Chuck is now peering out of his office He’s…less amused

Carson--I think that’s his naainst e," he says, picking up the beer and tucking it under his arm I pick up hishirab the beer before he has ti his crue And I know you’re not I read the football roster, and you’re a sophomore--a true sophomore That makes you…twenty at thefor it I tug it away, toying with hi red I step back behind the counter and drop his beer in a cart to restock later I turned my back for a fraction of a second, and in that time, he’s raced around the counter and has the collar ofme backward chokes me a little I see Chuck step out fro this guy kick s to shove hiainst the rack of firewood and propane--the lock digging into his shoulder blade He works his arrab oing to take a hell of a lot et me off him

"I don’t knohat your deal is, but you need to leave this store…right now!" I seethe "If I ever hear you are in here--that you’re trying to get aith your shitty-ass fake ID, or that you’re being a disrespectful asshole--I will find where you live, wake your ass up in theyou into the middle of the street to make sure your pleas for help echo for all of those nobodies that give a shit"

My face is close to his I sniff once, and lean my head to the side to crackface, the e I wonder if he ever hit her…or if he just treated her like shit with his words Neither is acceptable, but if he touched her--hurt her physically--I will kill him noithout anyout fro their hold on me As he walks away, I keep hts dirty He’d turn around and clockit I watch him walk all the way out the door, down the sidewalk, and around the building

"Houston," Chuck says, his voice carrying a sense of scolding Chuck doesn’t like proble with young tempers I just became one