Read Breene, K F - Jessica Brodie Diaries 01 for Free Online Page B

want to be ten feet from me.
    But he was so hot!
    But I smelled. No shower, remember?
I was here to get a toothbrush. I probably peeled his eyebrows off when my
breath hit his face.
    Wait...did I talk to him?
    I pushed my schizophrenia to the
side and about-faced. Along with my body, my face was on fire...of a different
kind. Of the “can one person really be this humiliated?” kind. I muttered a
quick “thanks,” nodded to Beehive and Ronnie, and turned to go further into the
store. Grudgingly, but necessarily.
    I couldn't stop myself from
stealing a secret glance as I rounded an aisle, just for one more glimpse. Big
mistake.
    I was stupidly hoping he was
looking at Ronnie and the woman, but he wasn’t. Of course. His eyes were
sparkling with bemusement as he watched me trying to get away. His mouth went
from slightly quirked to a full gleaming spectacle as he caught his eye, red
faced and all.
    I half fell into the aisle, juggled
a bag of rice, stuffed it back on the shelf and basically sprinted deeper into
the store. My first day here and I meet the most ruggedly handsome guy I have
ever seen, with manners no less, and eyes that are as deep and bottomless as
eternity, and I blow it. It was a fairy tale encounter. Right up until I
tripped over myself, knocked over a stand of Kibbles N’ Bits, landed on my ass,
spilled my handbag everywhere...I mean, did I have to go on? I almost dry
humped the guy’s leg! I suck. I so suck. What is my problem?! Seriously,
what-is-my-problem?
    Lost in self-incriminating thought,
I collected the basics for my new home. I walked into the checkout line,
checking my list off item by item in my head, when I felt a presence.
    No. Oh no. Not again.
    Yes please, my inner self peeped.
    I knifed my inner self immediately.
    I knew it was him. I knew it was. I
don’t know how I knew—maybe it was the rubbery quality of my legs. Maybe the
lightheadedness. Maybe it was the musty, not quite sweaty eau d’homme smell.
Or, maybe it was the fire combined with Goosebumps that once again spread
throughout my body; lava settling deep in the pit of my stomach and pooling in
my groin. Christ-on-a-crutch, what was going on with me?
    Don’t look up. Don’t look up! Be
busy. Busy and important. Crap to do. Dinner to cook. Or not. Something to do.
Don’t look up.
    I methodically unloaded my basket
onto the conveyer. As my items slowly traveled toward the checker, which was
unfortunately none other than Ronnie, here to witness the end to my marathon of
stupid, I dug through my purse for my wallet. And dug some more. I moved
unidentified objects aside, feeling. Groping. Searching. Finding every small
article I owned in the world, except my bloody wallet.
    “This can’t be happening,” I
muttered under my breath, turning my eyes down to the sink hole that was my
handbag.
    I dug deeper. I looked harder and
faster and more frantically. It probably looked like something at the bottom of
my bag had my hand and was trying to wrestle it away from me. But, when all was
said and done, it wasn’t in my God-damned purse! It wasn’t...freaking...there!
    I gave a deep, exasperated sigh. I
looked up at Ronnie apologetically.
    “I....I don’t...”
    Ronnie, finished tucking the last
item neatly into a paper bag, straightened. His eyes held mine expectantly.
    I had the sudden urge to run. Or
hide. Or do anything but stand there like a fool and shake my head minutely.
    “I’m sorry, guys.” I half turned to
glance at Apollo standing next to me. He had a good-natured grin wound around
confusion. “I don’t have my wallet. Er, actually, I might have my wallet. I
don’t know. I just moved and I have a ton of stuff in this bag.”
    I shook my bag a little, like this
was all its fault.
    I looked at Ronnie squarely. “I am
really sorry Ronnie. I need to put those groceries back. I know I have my
wallet somewhere, because I remember using it. I just don’t know where it might
be at this point.... So...”
    I reached