Strawberry Slices by hanna14 (digital book reader txt) 📕

walked to the front and started helping take orders.
I stood in the doorway for a while, and then went back into the kitchen and grabbed my purse. I dug through it, looking for my pink diamond studded iPhone. I read all of the texts I had but instead of replying to any, I decided to pretend I never got them. I searched through all of my apps and looked for something to do while I waited. I decided to play Spin Art. As I spun the screen with different colored paints, Lucy came in with a complete white face, as if she had seen a ghost.
“What’s wrong?” I asked with a scared voice.
“Look out there.” She said. I tiptoed as best I could in theses heels and looked through the door.
I turned, confused. “Was that, Alison?” I asked.
“Yeah…” She said, shaking her head very slowly up and down.
We both looked into the semi crowded bakery. There were tables empty and tables full. However, the only person I paid attention to was her. I felt as if I were to faint. I grabbed hold of the side of the door to hold myself up. I glanced at Lucy, who was twitching. I grabbed her shoulder and we slid to the ground. Thinking: Why is it that if you run away from things, they always come back to bite you.

Chapter Two

I woke up with the biggest headache I had had since my 21st birthday. I rolled over on my queen-sized bed, accidentally knocking off a few of my decorative pillows onto the floor, and grabbed my cell phone from the side table. Looking through my contacts I found Cameron’s number. I called him, hoping he could take care of the studio today while I take a sick day. The phone rang and rang, and my head pounded. I placed the phone a few inches away from my ear and waited for him to answer.
“Hello?” Cameron’s groggily voice answered.
“Hey.” I said pulling the phone back to my ear.
“What’s up?” He asked, sounding a little bit better than when he answered.
“Can you open and take care of the studio today? I can’t come in, I’m sick.” I said with a pleading voice.
“Sure. Um… Should I come over to get the keys?”
“Yeah. Yeah that is fine. The door will be unlocked. I will put it on the counter. When you walk in make sure you say hello to Popsicle.” I said rolling over and hung up without waiting to hear his answer.
I set my phone back on the little side table and stared at the wall, covered in some of the paintings I had painted when I was younger. I was flooded with memories of art lessons, and going to the local dairy farm to take pictures of all of the animals and then paint them. That is what got me into photography. Without taking art lessons at Sue Hands Imagery, and without wanting to paint on my spare time, I would have never thought of photography for a career.
I pushed my light pink flowered bed spread off me and climbed out of bed. I skidded my feet as I walked out of my room, down the little hallway and into the kitchen. I grabbed my purse off the counter and dug through it until I found my keys. I took the store key off the ring and placed it on the counter. I put my keys back into my purse and went into the living room. I walked over to the closet by the bathroom and opened the door. I stood on my tiptoes and grabbed the box of writing necessities off the shelf. It was covered in sharpie and used to be full of old notes from Lucy. However, they are known in a bigger box with pictures.
I opened the lid and took out a new pen and notebook, the notebook I had before was in my car and my pen died. I put the box back into the closet and closed the door. My head was spinning, so I sat on the floor and waited a few minutes until getting back up. I walked over to eh kitchen and leaned over the counter. I wrote a note to Cameron explaining the situation and expressing my gratitude toward him opening the store and taking my appointments. I ripped out the paper and put the notebook and pen on the counter. I placed the key on top of the note and headed to the living room.
I grabbed a pillow from the floor, threw it to the couch, and kneeled down next to Popsicle. I pet his head, looking at his beautiful big brown eyes. I stared at his unique spots and laid my head on his back. He was warm and soft. I kissed his head and he licked my face. I smiled as I got up as slow as possible without falling back to the floor. I ran to the bathroom, nearly tripping over invisible shoe laces, and a few minutes later walked over to the couch, grabbed the folded up blanket under the side table, and covered myself with it. I closed my eyes and was about to fall asleep when I remembered to unlock the front door. I got off the couch and strutted to the door. I unlocked it and headed back to the couch. Popsicle had taken my spot and was lying with his head on the pillow. I walked over to him and hugged him. I sat on the other side of the couch and laid my head on the arm of the couch. I started to fall asleep.
I fell into a nice, deep sleep. Thinking of what had happened last night. Meanwhile, Cameron was on his way over. When he pushed open the door slightly, then all of the way, Popsicle jumped off the couch and over to Cameron, growling at him
“Hello, Popsicle.” Cameron pet him on his head, and then headed to the kitchen.
He walked over to the counter where he had spotted the key. He picked it up and shoved it in his back pocket. Just as he was about to walk away he noticed the note. He picked it up and read it. After setting it back on the counter but on the back, he wrote back. He set the pen on the counter next to the paper and headed to the living room. He stopped when he saw the candy jar on the side table by the couch. He tiptoed over to it humming a song by Cee Lo Green.
As he saw me, he stopped in his tracks. He walked over to the candy jar after a moment of silence as he stared at me. As he lifts up the glass lid, I rolled over and he almost dropped it, startled. He glanced at me and then proceeded to get candy. He grabbed a handful of the variety of candies. He sorted through the pile of candy he holds in his palm, looking for what he liked and disliked. There were Sweet Tarts, Root Beer Barrels, and mints. He shoved it all in his pocket and placed the lid gently back on the container. Wondering why there was no Lemon Heads in the container, they were her favorite candies. He contemplated something, and then said goodbye to Popsicle and left, leaving the door unlocked.
He checked his phone for the time, 8:10 A.M. He ran down the steps of the apartment instead of taking the elevator. There was a crowd of people in the lobby and he pushed his way through, elbowing and shoving people out of his way. He ran out of the doors, checked both ways and darted across the street. He ran a block and a half to the little candy store on the opposite side of the city.
The sounds of Taxi’s honking and people talking on their cell phones faded away as he entered the building. He ran over to the wall and picked up the biggest bag of Lemon Heads he could find and brought it to the front desk. He checked his phone as the person rung it up, 8:22 A.M. He tossed the clerk a twenty and fled the building, the big back in his arms. He ran across the street and back to the apartments.
The crowd of people was gone, so it was easier to get to the steps. He darted up them, nearly tripping on his untied shoe. As he got to the door, he pushed it open and trudged inside. He said a short hello to Popsicle and went to the kitchen. He grabbed a piece of paper from the notebook that was on the counter and ripped out a piece of paper. He scribbled:
Bought you something, check the candy dish.
He ran over to where I lay, and left the note next to me. He ripped open the bag and dumped the candy into the jar, clanging as pieces hit the sides of the glass container. He picked up the ones that fell out of the overflowing container and shoved them into his pocket. On his way out, he threw the bag in the trash and whipped out his phone, 8:31 A.M. He was officially late…
As he locked the door and was about to leave he felt his stomach tighten and his heart pound. He walked over to where I lay, and kissed me gently on the forehead. He strutted out of the apartment and to the store.
An hour or so later I woke up to the sound of sirens just outside of the building. I pushed myself off the couch, and walked over to the window. As I glanced out, I saw an old man, at least in his fifties and a woman with a lap dog in her arms. They were talking to one of the police officers. There was no damage visible in the cars, obviously a bumper to bumper.
The loud noises from outside was giving me a headache that pounded as if I had just done a bunch of consecutive flips. I grabbed a bottle of water from the fridge and twisted the cap off. Chugging it down, I decided it needed some flavor, so I got out the lemon and the limejuice. Dropping some of the juices into the water, the smell of lemon over whelmed me. It reminded me of my favorite lemon candy. I craved a Lemon head so bad that I was about to leave and go buy a bag. However, I knew I physically could not do it today. I glanced at the note I wrote Cameron and noticed that he had written one as well. It said:
Dear Rachel,
Popsicle is adorable and your apartment is so nice! I hope you feel better and if you need anything, you know you can always call me. Be careful and drink fluids. Keep sleeping. Text I when you get this so I know you are ok.
Cameron

I placed the cap back on the bottle and shook it as I headed back to the living room. As I sat down a crinkling noise made me stand up and move to the other side of the couch. I glanced at the cushion, and there lied a crinkled up piece of paper. I picked it up and flattened it out to read. Listening to what the note said, I opened the candy jar. My favorite candy, something that made my day so much better was filled to the top. The sound of me taking the Lemon Head out of its wrapper made Popsicle come over and bark at me. He climbed onto the couch and over to