03

"Before you panic-

"What do you mean before I panic?" She screams.

"Listen-

"I want to get out of this car now!"

"Okay," he slows down his driving.

He keeps his eyes steady on the road. Katora keeps her back stuck to the car door. The feeling in her hands is gone despite the fact that her nails are digging into the leather fabric of the car door. The car eventually stops. She keeps her eyes steady on him, her nails digging further into the leather. He faces her with a dazed look of bewilderment, "Well, aren't you going to get out?"

"What?" She tries to rack her brain around what he just said. She looks behind her out her window and sees nothing but metal guardrails and a roof of a building below them. She looks back at him. His expression: dormant.

"I can't go out there."

"And why not?"

"We are in the middle of the road!"

"Alright, alright, calm down," he says through breathy laughs. He looks back at her and witnesses how scared she is. His expression turns serious. "I'm not gonna hurt you-

"Where are you taking me?" She blurts out. Seeing his eyes, she instantly regrets it too.

"Where do you wanna go?"

"Home," she sighs.

He starts the car back up and drives. Katora's back moves to the edge of the seat, her stare never faltering. Invidia continues to look onto the road.

"Something else you'd like to request?"

She instantly remembers the text she was sent during class and wonders if it was really her mother or just another disguise. "Was it you who sent me that text?"

"What text?"

Her patience gets stuck in her throat and she fights the urge to roll her eyes, "The text that said I had a doctor's appointment."

"Hmm, I don't know anything about that."

"Oh God," she exclaims. Her thoughts start racing and she soon realizes that maybe not going back isn't such a bad idea.

"So?"

She sighs looking out her window. Retails and gas stations she recognizes all too well signifies that she is almost home.

"Wait,"

"I can't really wait."

"Can't we go somewhere else?"

"Like what?"

She sputters out incoherent words before shouting out 7/11.

"7/11, it is," he sighs.

He passes through the neighborhood. At that moment she didn't feel anything. No guilt, regret, not even a panic. Invidia realizes how relaxed she is and takes note of it.

She could already tell where they are by the bright glow illuminating the street and the house across from it. He turns and parks his car in front of the building right next to the entrance. He faces Katora who still stares aimlessly out the window.

"Hey," he nudges her in the shoulder.

She swings her head to him.

"You wanna go inside?"

"Oh, yeah, sorry."

"You okay?"

She looks down at the buckle, the seatbelt still in her hands, "Um," she thinks about what she said earlier and wonders if it was really worth all of this. She clears her throat, "Yeah, it's nothing to worry about, really."

He doesn't respond but instead watches her body language as she unbuckles her seatbelt and brushes herself off to get ready to go outside. If it wasn't for the cold weather, the sun would've still been out and she wouldn't be grabbing her arms for dear life. They walk in together. The guy behind the cash register boredly flips through his magazine, not even caring to look up at the two strangers standing in front of the entrance doors. Invidia looks at Katora waiting for her to make her first move. She walks to the first isle she sees solely because she didn't want to block oncoming visitors. But surprisingly no one is here besides them and the cashier. She feels Invidia coming over and so she pretends to be reading a gallon-sized coke bottle.

"Well, aren't you going to buy it?"

She sighs and faces him, "What am I going to tell my parents?"

Invidia looks away thinking for a moment.

"I mean, do your parents know that you're out?"

He looks up and sees her weary expression.

"I live alone."

Katora looks down as the guilt fills her chest. "I'm sorry, I didn't mean to-

"What, no."

"Oh."

"No," he chortles.

Her guilt evaporates. "So, uh, do you live in an apartment?"

"Yeah," he answers dismissively.

"Lucky," She whispers under her breath. "So how did you get your own apartment?"

Invidia grabs a chip bag from the top shelf to take a closer look at it, 'Cheese Puffs'. "I kill people."

"Oh," she laughs.

He drops the bag to his side and struts up to her, "I'm not joking." His expression hardens and his eyes bore holes into hers.

Her voice gets stuck in her throat, a breath of air only leaving her lips. Her thoughts start racing, 'What is he going to do to me?' 'Should I have left when he said I could go?' 'What do I do?'

The corner of his lips curve upwards, eyes thinning. A laugh escapes his lips.

"Sicko," she pushes him into the shelf filled with chips. The shelf tilts back and forth. Invidia spins around, his hands out to keep it from tilting forward. Katora's heart drops as she sees the shelf lean back.

'No.'

The shelf leans forward again, then back, then continues to rock until it sits back in place.

"Hey,"

The two teens turn around and see the same man who was holding the magazine except it's now messily placed on the counter and they can finally see his full face. It is covered in acne scars and his rough Garibaldi beard matches his golden hair that matted to his forehead.

"You either buy something or leave!"

"Sorry," Katora apologizes.

The two teens turn towards each other. Relief showing in both of their eyes.

"Why don't we go into a different aisle?"

"I thought you were going to buy some chips."

Katora sighs, "Look, I don't really have any money. I just chose this place, because I was scared to go home."

"Why?"

"I don't know-

"Why," he presses her.

The two go quiet. Katora thinks of what to say while Invidia waits for a proper response.

"I just don't want to go back to all that toxicity."

"Toxicity?"

Katora looks at him not sure what to say,

"Look, I'm only asking because I really don't know. I'm not judging or anything."

"I just don't wanna go back home." Katora turns and stares at the yellow chip bags that are now out of place and disheveled. "Just leave me here. I'll be fine."

"No, I am not going to do that to you."

"Then why?" She turns around to face him with a piercing stare. "Why did you pick me up?"

"Because," he walks up to her with a nonchalant expression, then grins, "I like you."

Her eyes bulge at his words.

"I mean, you're nice and sweet," he pauses, "and you were the one who got into my car so," he shrugs and turns to the shelf.

"Because I thought that that was my mom's car. Besides, why did you keep driving if you know I was in there?" She shoots at him.

"I didn't know you were in there until you said something," he picks up a Cheetos Puff bag, "plus, I did give you a chance to leave-

"In the middle of the road," she exclaims.

Invidia feels for the bag to make sure nothing is crushed. "So what you're saying is is that you want to live with me?"

She scoffs. "That is far from what I am saying."

He looks up from the bag and examines her facial expression. He grins, "You're jealous."

"Excuse me?"

He walks up to her, "You can't stand the fact that I live alone and don't need my parents' permission for anything. That I actually have my own apartment and worked hard for it too and all at just a young age."

The two stand only inches apart. Katora remains silent and emotionless, hoping he can't see through the mask. He grins and she breaks her mask.

"Are you serious?" She blurts out.

"I'm sorry, it's just your face," he says through a breathy laugh. "You should really see your face," he points at her face, his laugh still going.

Katora rolls her eyes and waits for him to finish.

He sighs, "Okay, but I'm not leaving you here. So come on." He turns around to leave.

Before she could think again, she spews, "I can fend for myself."

"Oh, I'm sure you can," he turns around again, "but I'm not gonna be on the list of assholes to find if something does happen to you." He turns back around and heads out of the building.

Katora sighs and follows. She gets inside the car and as she buckles her seatbelt in she notices the chip bag laying in the back seat. "Um, did you pay for that," she points at the bag.

"Nope," he starts up the car.

"Wait, why not?" she panics.

Invidia rolls his eyes, then drives out the parking lot onto the main road.