Trailer trash teen ch.4

Tina was standing in the middle of Holiday Appliance,
the store she’d worked at off-and-on for three years,
beginning to feel desperate.

She’d gone straight from the woods to Michelle’s house
only to find that her best friend would be gone for
the night over at her dad’s house. Her mom had let her
use the phone to call home, however, and Tina had
spoken briefly with her dad.

He was still angry, and now he was really drunk, too.
He’d told her that she was a “selfish little girl” and
that she wasn’t welcome back until she got him his
$150. Tina had tried pleading with him but had been
unsuccessful. He’d made up his mind and managed to
call her a “stupid spoiled bitch” and “worthless
little girl” before she hung up on him.

Tina almost started crying right then and there,
except she didn’t want Michelle’s mom to know what was
going on. She had already displayed suspicion over
Tina’s bruised face, even though Tina had explained it
as a fall from her bike.

She’d thanked Michelle’s mom and then taken off for
her friend Length’s house. He didn’t live far from
Michelle and might have been able to loan her some
money. Unfortunately, she discovered, he was out with
his girlfriend and wouldn’t be back until later.

Tina was desperate to get the money. She was afraid
that her dad was really serious, and that he may hurt
her again if she showed up without it. It angered her
to no end to be so afraid, but didn’t know what else
to do. Where could she go, if she couldn’t go home?

Suddenly feeling very alone, Tina had headed over
toward Holiday’s. She’d been working there under-the-
table since she was thirteen and was hoping her boss,
Mr. Slenderman, would give her an advance on her next
paycheck.

Presently Mr. Slenderman, a short fat man without a
hair on his head, was saying, “Forget it, Tina! I’m
not advancing you money when you’re not working!”

“Please!” she pleaded, too loudly. They were in the
television section of the store and there were several
customers around. Mr. Slenderman was busy scanning
boxes with an inventory scanner. “I’ll work this
weekend, I—“

“You had the chance to work the last two weeks!” he
suddenly snapped. “I offered– no, begged you to work
during the holiday’s. YOU said no.”

“I was… I needed a break…” she stammered.

He shrugged, turning away from her again to read the
side of a large Sony television set. “We all need
breaks. You had two weeks off of school and could have
helped out around here.”

Tina took a deep breath, trying to stay calm. She felt
like she was going to cry, or scream, or both. She
said, “Please, I swear I’ll work every weekend…”

He turned to face her again. He seemed to notice the
desperation on her young face, and though he hadn’t
commented on it, the bruise as well. “This is what I
can do,” he sighed. “Work the registers Saturday and
Sunday, and I’ll get you paid at the end of each
shift. Cash. Okay?”

Tina shook her head in disbelief. “No! I need the
money now, didn’t you hear me!?”

A couple of customers turned to look at her, and Mr.
Slenderman noticed. “Quiet down!” he hissed. “That
isn’t going to happen! I don’t give advances–“

“I’ve worked here for three fucking years!” she
yelled.

She’d snapped. This was her last resort, and he was
turning her down?

Mr. Slenderman smiled at the curious customers, then
grabbed Tina by her shoulder. “Look! Calm down right
now or you’re NEVER working here again!”

She pulled away from his grasp and stumbled backwards.
Glaring at him with tears forming in her eyes she
screamed, “FUCK you!”

The sudden release suddenly made her feel better. She
nearly smiled when she continued, “Fuck you, I don’t
care if EVERYBODY hears!”

“GET OUT!” Mr. Slenderman screamed, his face turning
red as he struggled to restrain himself. “Get out now
and don’t EVER come back!”

“FINE!” she yelled. Suddenly she gave him the middle
finger with a trembling hand. Everybody was watching
now. “FUCK YOU and this piece-of-shit store!” she
declared.

She turned and stormed out, heart racing, tears now
flowing down her face.

Once outside she went over to her bike and lit a
cigarette. She looked through the window into the
store and saw Mr. Slenderman, along with a couple of
his employees, watching her with their arms crossed
over their chests. She took a hit from her smoke then
flipped them off again. She noticed Mr. Slenderman
grab a phone and begin dialing.

Probably calling the cops, Tina figured. She didn’t
really care at this point.

There was nothing else she could do now. Michelle
might have had the money, or if not, let her spend the
night there. But she was at her dad’s. Lengths would
definitely have had the money and would probably have
loaned it to her, but he’d been gone, too. And now her
job, where she’d worked for three years, wouldn’t give
her one lousy advance. What could she do?

A customer exited the store, then, and began heading
over toward her. She eyed him suspiciously, afraid for
a moment he might be an off-duty cop or something. She
was ready to jump on her bike and ride off if need be.

“Hey, Tina is it?” the large man asked. He was about
6’2″ tall and thick: not overly muscular, but
definitely strong. He was wearing a nice leather
jacket, jeans, and had his thick black hair pulled
back in a ponytail.

“Yeah, who’re you!” she shot back at him.

He held up his hands and smiled. “Calm down!” he said.
“I’m not gonna hurt ya! I just couldn’t help but
overhear your… conversation… with your boss.”

“Ex-boss,” Tina said flatly. She turned away from the
stranger and wiped the tears from her eyes. She was
still shaking with anger and grief and felt
uncomfortable to be seen like this.

“Yeah, ex-boss,” he grinned. “Look, I just figured I
might help you out, is all. What do you need the money
for?”

Tina glared at him. “None of your business,” she said.

“Alright,” he sighed. He reached into his jacket and
produced a wallet, and began pulling out crisp bills.

Tina’s eyes widened at the site. This guy had a lot of
money, more money than she’d ever seen on one person!
She began to feel hopeful…

“There,” he said, holding out a bunch of 20’s to her.
“Take it.”

She just stared at the money, then at him, then at the
money again. She didn’t know what to say.

“Go on,” he urged her. “Take it, now, before someone
sees.”

Suddenly she grabbed it from his hand, without
thinking. A dozen emotions went through her mind
ranging from relief to suspicion as she quickly
counted the cash.

Two-hundred dollars. Ten twenty-dollar bills. And so
easily given… she was smiling openly as she counted
it again.

“That’ll help you?” the man grinned at her.

She pushed the money into her purse and looked at him
again suspiciously. “Why’re you givin’ me it?”

“Just to help out,” he said. He glanced back over his
shoulder into the store, where Mr. Slenderman was
still watching Tina. “We’d better get out of here,”
the man said. “Cops are probably coming. Your boss was
pissed.

“Have you eaten?”

Tina shook her head. “Why?” she asked.

“Let’s get something to eat. I wanna talk to you a
little… Why don’t you put your bike in my truck, and
we go over to Applebee’s?”

Tina swallowed hard. She felt suspicious, but
thankful, of the man. Erring on the side of caution,
however, she said, “How ’bout I just meet you there?”

“Alright, suit yourself,” he said. “I’ll wait for you
there.”

He gave her another smile, and Tina decided he wasn’t
entirely ugly, though his face wasn’t exactly
handsome. He backed away from her, then turned and
headed into the parking lot.

Once he was gone Tina jumped on her bike and took off.
She thought of just going home and ending this crummy
day and forgetting the generous stranger, but decided
against it. Not only was she hungry, but she figured
it’d be rude to ditch such a nice guy. She had
suspicions about his reason for being nice, sure, but
what was the harm in talking to him in a public
restaurant?

Twenty minutes later she pulled into the Applebee’s
parking lot. It was busy since the dinner rush had
just hit. Tina locked her bike to the flagpole outside
the restaurant and walked quickly inside.

She looked around and immediately spotted him, sitting
in a booth near the bar. She headed toward him and he
smiled to her as she sat down.

“I was afraid you might ditch me,” the man said.

She didn’t respond. She didn’t even look at him, but
began studying the menu. For some reason she was felt
very nervous and awkward.

A waitress came over and Tina ordered a Coke. Then,
finally, she said to the man, “What’s your name?”

He grinned. “Call me Razor,” he said. “And you’re
Tina…?”

“Carlson,” she responded.