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Salem took it upon herself to turn up the radio, just a tad — enough to hear the lyrics of some random overplayed commercial pop song that was playing on 84.5 FM. Mumble singing the lyrics to herself she watched trees and buildings whiz past focused more on what was happening outside rather than inside. Inside sat Lorenzo Calderon with his incredibly sharp jawline, toned muscles that were hidden underneath his jacket and his side glances, which burned holes through her. She was grateful that he accepted her response if he pushed any further Salem would've run out of further excuses to pull out of her ass. Not looking back at him, especially when the car paused at red lights was the safest option, because she wouldn't know how to handle it if they met eye contact.
But when he brought up the pizza she couldn't resist raising a single eyebrow in amusement at him. He's inviting her somewhere? Not the other way around? And it didn't even feel too forced, it was like he wanted her there not out of obligation to Liz (well she wouldn't be there anyway), but because he liked her company. Well, she liked his company too. He couldn't know that she thought that, however. She had to keep it cool and casual. Leave him wanting more. That's what she read in a Teen Vogue magazine anyways.
"You're inviting me to your house? A little forward if you ask me." She teased chuckling to herself while playing with the lid of her half-empty coffee cup. Looking at his face, she turned away again biting her lip to keep herself from grinning. "I'm just teasing," Salem assured him before he could say something back at her "I'd love to hang out with you guys, plus if I don't beat Jack in Wii Sports at least one time I might go criminally insane." She joked while being entirely truthfully. Seriously, that kid is good. Wimbledon good even.
"You're very welcome, monkey." She said turning around and reaching over to tickle Sam. He giggled in return with a mouthful of blueberries and muffin. God, he was cute.
"Thank God, my list is so long I swear I'm going to buy at least one item from the entire store." Pretending to be hurt she pouted at his comment, even though he was entirely right. She did have a car, and she did have an extensive amount of time on her hands, but for gods sake she's a teenager. Netflix was way more important than doing anything else. That's what parents are for, well if she still had them. It was a shame really, how incredibly lazy Salem was but at the same time she was here now, wasn't she? Lorenzo gave her an excuse to crawl out of the Netflix deep dive she was in, which was more helpful than he would ever understand.
"Hey! Don't attack me! I've been busy, plus," Salem added looking at her driver with a half smile "It's way more fun with you. And Sam." She added, making sure Sam got the recognition he deserves. Even though he was far more interested in the muffin she bought than anything that she was saying. Which was fine, he was too young to be attentive anyways.
Finally, they arrived at the grocery store, which was a big relief because it was getting too stuffy in that car (mainly because of her nervousness and extremely silent heavy breathing.) Welcoming the cold air she opened the door grinning at the sky that was a beautiful clear blue. A perfect day to restock her fridge.
(view spoiler)
#
Salem was good. She was kind. She joked she laughed. Ren couldn’t say the same for himself, he couldn’t even remember the last time he’d been in a good enough place to crack a sincere, genuine smile that reached his eyes. While she may have been acting as if nothing had happened at all earlier this week, Ren wasn’t ignoring the fact that he’d been shitty to her and said horrid things to her best friend- his sister. It stunned him that she could be this way, just so upbeat and positive about everything when he didn’t even the faintest deserve her. He was never going to wrap his head around why she was here, in his car, doing errands on a weekend in his company by choice.
His hand clasped tightly around Sam’s chubby arm as they crossed the slick parking lot with the comforting smell of wet asphalt after a night’s rain under their noses. Warm morning sunlight beat down through the drifting clouds and tingles rose on the skin on the back of his neck. It was surprisingly sunny after the weeks of overcast dreary gray, and even Sam bounced with a pep in his step towards the automatic grocery store doors. They slid open with a whoosh, and Sam bolted for a grocery cart. He liked to “drive” these days, even if his eyes barely peeked over the handle. “Well? I guess we’ll shop, and call me when you’re finished?” Ren suggested at the mouth of the cart return, where Sam was already hopping up on the bar of the cart to add a few feet to his height.
“Renny, I’m going with Salem,” Sam announced as-a-matter-of-factly, evidence of a certain blueberry crumble muffin smeared across his cheeks. Peering over at him through the dark hair that flopped in his eyes, Sam challenged Ren to say that he couldn’t. “Hey, no, come on you can drive my cart, Salem has her own shopping to do,” Ren shot his little brother down almost immediately and gestured to the larger cart he had wheeled out, although his voice wavered with hesitation. “Salem, please?” Sam stuck out a red lower lip, tilting his head up towards her with the endearing stomp of his foot.
Salem pushed some runaway tendrils of light blonde hair from her face as she squinted past the sun’s rays. Today’s weather has been pretty much unexpected, sunshine peering through the clouds, evaporating the damp floor that was rained on the night before. Today’s activities have been unexpected as well, who would have pictures Salem actually running errands and gazing in amazement as she watched Lorenzo and Sam walk in front of her to the entrance of the grocery store. The whole time Salem would think that she was handling this whole situation quite well — her palms were slick with nervous sweat, and her cheeks were flushed — but overall she is doing a solid performance of the whole “yeah-i’m-totally-not-in-love-with-you” act. Which is a feat in itself. Remaining calm she followed the duo as the walking inside.
Catching Salem at a supermarket is kind of like spotting a teacher in a public place — it’s as surprising as it is awkward, and Salem definitely felt extremely out of place. It’s the constant beeps of the registers and the squeak of the carts that reinforced the idea that Salem is completely out of her element. Sure, she’s been here a couple of time for necessities but takeout and fast food have been her best friends since she’s “moved” to Warwick. The list on her cellphone was extensive but ultimately would be abandoned, since ingredients had no place in her home (seriously she barely knows how to cook). She even stuffed her phone in her pocket subconsciously, further proving that point. When Lorenzo spoke she snapped out of her daze only to see him and Sam staring at her with their cart already picked out.
Part of her didn’t want to go alone, she’d be completely lost. I mean, she can’t tell the difference between low sodium and whole wheat for god’s sake. Luckily it didn’t have to come to that for Sammy, as if he was reading her mind, protested the separation. Lorenzo argued (of course) but she knew he was going to cave. So instead of acknowledging his protests she simply shrugged and began pushing the cart with Sam giggling, still on it. Turning over her shoulder she looked at Lorenzo with mock seriousness. “I mean hey, you heard the boss.” Then she lowered her voice so only Sam could hear her and murmured “And for that Sammy, I’ll buy you some fruit snacks. But shhh don’t tell your grump-pants brother.” Which only made Sam burst into laughter.
It wasn’t even worth his breath to snap at Sam to come back, this instant- the kid got on well with Salem, and hearing that gleeful giggle as that blonde teased words against his disheveled head of hair reminded him that he had ought to let the kid be. Who knew when the next time he’d get to hear that laugh would be, as he sure didn’t remember Liz ever even smiling at him the past few months. He wouldn’t make the same mistake, at least, he would do everything in his power not to. Defeated and partially miffed that Sam chose to abandon him, Ren just shook his head and rolled his blue eyes at the two of them.
He ambled along slowly after them, wondering if he should have even suggested splitting up at all as it seemed to be that they both were headed for the produce section anyway. Keeping a reasonable distance, Renny tried not to steal glances at Salem across the oranges as she handed Sam a plastic bag to fill with bounty. Plucking a bunch of bananas off the stand, Ren unexpectedly caught her eye and offered a flustered weak wave and half smile that screamed pathetic.
“Renny! Renny, look what I got,” Sam barreled around the corner of the oranges while Ren had turned his back to muse over some apples, the kid crashing into the cart with his plastic bag of mismatched fruits held aloft victoriously. “Are you going to eat all of those?” Ren asked warily to deaf ears, ruffling Sam’s hair as the kid dropped the bag into the cart and skipped by to return to Salem’s side. Traitor.
He had made a particular shopping list this time, centered around a few different dinners. Ground beef, for taco night; minute rice for chicken and rice; spaghetti, of course, for the easy Monday dinner. Seldom did these meal plans come together on the days he planned them, but it was the best way to stick to a budget and find a substantially amount of food that would get the five of them through the week. Now that he wasn’t working as much, he would have to be careful about how much he was spending.
Ren had passed Salem and Sam a few occasions circling the store, but was no longer concerned about whether or not his little brother was going to be a terror. They were perfectly compatible, and the kid was obsessed with her. Having Sam out of his hair came as a relief since he could shop quicker and not have to pry stolen candy or chips from grubby hands. They’d been in the store some fifteen minutes, with just a few items left on his notes, when he did a double take. Passing the ice cream aisle, he saw Salem, but that wasn’t what had initially caught his eye. A group of three college-aged young men lingered too close to her cart, and even with her back to him, he could see that something was not right.
Sam had sunk behind Salem’s legs, his fingers curled around the hem of her sweatshirt. The ring leader, a six-foot boy with a buzz cut and a shirt that was too tight for him towered over Salem and her cart. Ren turned down the aisle, catching the last few words that floated out of that fucking mouth. “… It’ll be a good time, baby,” he reached unabashedly forward to tuck a strand of hair out of Salem’s eyes. Ren’s tempered flared. With a vein about to pop out his forehead and a fist pinned to his side, he abandoned his cart by the Klondikes and sauntered to Salem’s side.
Edging himself between the bastard still wearing last night’s clothes and Salem, Ren matched his heavy perverted gaze with a menacing one. Renny was tall and athletic, he’d been in more than his fair share of fights, and even now, the muscles across his shoulders rippled underneath his jacket. This piece of shit didn’t faze him; nobody got to speak to Salem like that and get away with it, and it wasn’t just because he was protective-Ren per usual. “Hey, you fuck off,” Lorenzo spat fearlessly, instinctively sliding an arm in front of Salem, her body warm behind him. “The hell did you just say?” Buzz Cut rolled his tongue in his cheek, irritated as he took what was meant to be an intimidating step closer.
(view spoiler)
Hanging out with Sam made her feel like she should go grocery shopping more often. The whole time they abandoned Ren and went on little adventures — seeing who could find the items on the list first in an aisle or pretending like the cart was a spaceship and Sam was the captain. At the produce section she handed Sam a bag and sent him off to find fruits, keeping a close eye on him but also eyeing the things she needed for herself. It was by the apples and bananas where Lorenzo appeared again, smiling bashfully at her when she looked at his direction, her own smile awkward and shy. This was nice. It was relaxing, and Salem could say she was having fun.
“Saleeeeem you promised fruit snacks.” Sam reminded her pulling on the corner of her sweatshirt. Laughing she nodded “Ok, ok sheesh kid! Lead the way.” And he took off, Salem trailing behind him, slumped over the cart lazily with a toothy grin. Heading into the snack aisle, she turned around to peer at Ren one more time before disappearing behind a wall of chips and cookies. She leaned against the shelves casually as Sam ran around, deciding which fruit snack package he wanted (he finally decided with the most expensive one, of course.) Dropping it in the cart with a grin he looked back up at Salem. “Done?” Sam nodded “Ok let’s go find your brother.” And off they went in search of Lorenzo.
They wheeled past different aisles looking for Ren. The pair weren’t in too much of a rush, the store wasn’t busy and there wasn’t much commotion so this whole ordeal was stress free and actually a little relaxing. Salem spoke too soon. She was unaware of the group of boys who have been watching her since she left the snack aisle. One of them took it upon themselves to stop the cart with the top of his foot. “Hey beautiful.” He crooned. Sam felt the sudden change in atmosphere and ran behind her legs, seemingly terrified of the strangers.
“Is that your kid? You seem a little young to be a single mom.” One of them breathed nodding his head towards Sam shifting his weight from one foot to the other which made the others laugh in response. Salem could only produce an awkward chuckle along with them, as all the pairs of eyes looking at her making her feel more and more uncomfortable, and a little bit queasy. Putting her hand on Sam’s hair, partially to comfort him and partially to shield him even further as he buried himself behind her, she shook her head. Her plan was simply to entertain them for now until she can find a way to exit the situation. “Aha, no he’s not my kid.” She offered simply and bluntly giving no further details. The ringleader, a tan boy with a clean buzz cut and piercing green eyes crossed his arms and took her reply as an invitation to inch his way closer.
“Thank God. You’re too hot to be wasting your life like that.” Her eyebrows scrunched defensively but before she could even open her mouth in protest, he cut her off again. “I’m thinking,” One step closer “After you drop that twerp off,” Another one “Maybe me and you could hang out at my place, I’m having a little get together and you’re the perfect eye candy.” He was so close to her at this point she could smell his breath as he towered over her. Salem didn’t reply.
“C’mon...it’ll be a good time baby.”
The last comment caused Salem to freeze up, for he reached over and brushed some of her hair away from her face and behind her ear. Who the fuck does this guy think he is? Blood rushing to her ears and her nose she searched for something to say that wouldn’t be too offensive — guys like these seem like the type who would not take a simple no for an answer. Her left hand clenched against the handle of the cart. “I’m sorry I just-“ before she could finish her sentence Ren appeared in front of her, arm brushed against her protectively (she’s blushing a tomato red at this point), angrily cursing the the boy in front of them. Buzz cut looked back at him with surprise. “The hell did you just say?” He said in retort, pushing up against Lorenzo, fists starting to ball.
The other boys also stood up a bit straighter, feeling that they had a need to copy whatever their ringleader was doing. In the grand scheme of things their odds weren’t entirely too great: three college boys who most likely did sports, against Lorenzo (though he was muscular, and gorgeous and perfect-) with a skinny teenage girl and a six year old. No matter how bad Lorenzo felt like fighting to defend her honor (which is a whole shock to her, but in this moment she wasn’t really thinking of the significance, her realization will come later) he simply couldn’t fight all of them. Instinctively she reached for his closest hand, smoothing out the fist with her fingers. “Renny, it’s not worth it.” Renny? when has she ever called him that? It seemed fitting in this situation probably only in Salem’s mind, though.
Buzz cut scoffed. “What is that you’re boyfriend or something? Why would you be talking to me if you have a boyfriend, you slut?”
(view spoiler)
A brawl was about to break out, and everyone in that goddamned aisle could sense it. Sam murmured into Salem’s leg that he wanted to leave now, while a middle aged woman hovering by the popsicles eyed them anxiously. A fight was the last thing Lorenzo needed; a misdemeanor on his name over something as trivial as this just simply wasn’t worth it. Sam had never seen this side of him, neither had Salem, and it was probably best to keep it that way. On the other hand, Ren was angry. He had been, for the past few weeks- as a matter of fact, it was only time until he popped off on some victim, and this just so happened to be a meaty lacrosse player who likely peaked in high school and currently sported a bad hair cut. Disappointment after frustration, self-loathing, arguments in the house and tensions with Liz had amounted to this, this- Ren clenching his teeth ready to snap if the man so much as breathed Salem’s way again.
“You fucking heard me,” Lorenzo snarled arrogantly under his breath, inching forward so he could feel Buzz Cut’s hot stale breath on his face. Scoffing, Buzz Cut glanced around at his buddies, incredulous and perhaps charmed that Ren was going through so much effort to defend that skinny blonde. Ren might have launched himself at the guy and let his fists fly if it hadn’t been for the soft palm that slipped into his clammy fist, his fingers unfurling at Salem’s gentle touch. What was this? He appeared just as confused as the other boys, his stormy eyes swiveling to confront Salem with disbelief. Ren didn’t hold hands, unless your name was Samuel Jay Asher and you were crossing the street. He might have known of Salem from the time she’d just hit puberty, but holding her hand?
He didn’t let go. As out of his element as he felt, Ren’s gaze wavered across Salem’s delicate expression before he turned his glare to Buzz Cut and his handmaids. Only two words echoed, and all Ren could see was red. You slut. Smoothing his thumb tentatively across the back of Salem’s hand, Ren silently seethed even if all he wanted to do was pummel that piece of shit unconscious. Just think of her cold fingers. How her knuckles are so soft. He was too irritated to make a fussy claim that he was not in-fact dating Salem, biting down on his tongue as hard as he could from letting colorful words spring from his lips. “Watch it-!” Ren couldn’t help it as he snapped possessively with his hackles raised, “leave my girl the fuck alone.”
A pair of employees at the end of the aisle caught his eye as they came marching straight for them, and Lorenzo backed down immediately. Following his defeated gray gaze, the three saw the employees beelining for them and harrumphed, Buzz Cut checking Ren’s shoulder as hard as he could as they shuffled by. “Fucking whatever,” he could hear them grumble as they disappeared into the next aisle, the frazzled employees following after them.
Once the aisle had cleared, Renny’s scowl was unrivaled. He was in a piss poor mood, coming off of an infuriated high without being able to hit something. He would be proud of himself for not smashing that face in with his fists, but right now he couldn't even celebrate that. How could people be so fucking stupid, so insensitive, so horny to pick on someone as sweet as Salem? Although restless to chase after that jack-off and give him a damn piece of his mind, Ren turned slowly to look over Salem and her concerned eyes. Exhaling slowly, he squeezed her hand and reached for her shoulder with his other hand. “Are you okay? He didn’t hurt you, did he?” The dark eyebrows above his blue eyes knotted on his wrinkled forehead, genuine agitation appearing on his face. He shouldn’t have left them. No harm had been done, but Salem was visibly upset even if she didn’t admit it.
Her chocolate brown eyes gazed at the scene in front of her, completely dazed. The atmosphere in the air was so thick with tension that you could cut it with a knife. Sam was still hiding behind Salem, wrapping his arms around her legs rather than clutching to her sweater. She felt a pang of guilt that this whole situation had to happen. Without Salem, Renny and Sam could probably have had a normal shopping day, void of any interruption. It was her fault that Lorenzo is standing there — stiff and raging with anger.
Which brings up the other topic; Lorenzo. He was standing in front of her in all his gloriousnessand handsomenesspreparing to fight someone for cat-calling her. Why? Is it because this is all happening in front of Sam? That had to be the most plausible reason, after all before this week Lorenzo didn't even remember that Salem existed. She's imagined Lorenzo being her knight in shining armor all the time in her daydreamed fantasies, but seeing this all unravel in front of her is so baffling to her that she couldn't wrap her mind around it. She could however, hear the blood rushing to her ears as every part of her face flushed a bright pink in response to all this commotion.
The you slut hit Salem in the chest like a dagger. How hypocritical would it be for someone to completely force themselves on someone else then turn around and call that person promiscuous? In her mind she said you asshole but the only sound that emitted from her mouth was a breath of air, as she was too frozen to speak a word. She did however, inch closer to Lorenzo. Only after everyone dispersed was Salem finally allowed to breathe normally again. She didn't realize how much she was physically shaking until she reached for his arm that came with the hand she was holding, wanting more than ever to feel his warmth through his jacket.
She didn't want to think about how perfectly her small dainty hand fit into his rough one, she didn't want to replay the sight of Lorenzo gazing down at her with concern, small bits of fury still etched in the lines of his jaw and in eyes and she definitely didn't want to let him see her blush. And yet, she did all three. The "my girl" rang through her head so many times that her brain was self destructing. Why did he say that? Was that a heat of the moment thing? Of course it was. Everything Lorenzo has done up to this point has been in the heat of the moment. Right? Right?!?
"I'm okay," She murmured, eyes lowering to the ground as she lied through her teeth. Any person with a set of eyes could tell she was shaken up by the whole ordeal—she was shivering as a byproduct of her anxiety and her ears and nose were bright red from nervousness. Yet she lied. "He-he only brushed my hair back that's all. I'm fine really." Refusing to meet his eyes Salem tried to focus on something else, anything else. But the only thing on her mind was his hands on her, every touch sending electric sparks through her nerves. My girl. His girl. Lorenzo's girl.
All of those had a pretty good ring to it.
#
He was asking Salem if she was okay, but the question he really wanted to know was whether or not she was disgusted by him and his foul mouth yet. Ren was now two-for-two when it came to being unnecessarily violent with his words and intentions. He couldn’t blame her if that’s what she was really thinking, even if he thought his vulgarity in the heat of the moment had been justified. Now, if he had decided to go swinging blindly, then- odds were that Salem would never talk to him again. She struck him as a timid type who wanted no trouble, and all he seemed to bring was just that. He was quick to snap and always yelling at someone- one day it was Liz, how could she know it wouldn’t be her, next? After all, he had lost it just a few days ago, and misguided that anger at her unintentionally.
Playing well with others had never been a strong suit, and that wasn’t going to change just because he was suddenly worried about what his little sister’s friend thought. Even if he tried, it was too deeply ground into his instincts- someone had to protect the people in his life, and who was going to if he didn’t?
Somehow Ren was dissatisfied with her answer, exhaling tersely with his lips tightly pursed together. Liz also did this thing where she would insist that she was “fine,” only to be lying through her damn teeth. Granted, he wasn’t a fond believer in sharing feelings, but it was difficult to sit by when someone else was upset. If she were his Lizzy, Ren would have well picked her apart by now and demanded to know what else was wrong, but he resisted the unshakable urge. She said she was fine. Ren was no fool; if Salem really were as she claimed to be, then why were her eyes clouded over?
He lost his grip on her arm and unclasped his hand from hers, immediately shoving his fists deep into his jacket pockets glancing up and down the aisle wearily. “Well, we better head out, if you’re finished?” Ren suggested somewhat abruptly, all too eager to get the fuck out of that grocery store. “Sam, come on kiddo,” he reached for Sammy’s little hand and nudged him towards the cart he’d abandoned earlier by the ice creams, turning his back to Salem with his mind abuzz. He was coming off the high and now reexamining everything about what had just happened; it almost felt surreal. I held her hand. I called her my girl. He had toed a very fine line back there, too caught up in his anger to catch himself. Fucking reckless.
The mere idea of him holding a high schooler’s hand was more than mildly disturbing, because even if she were a little older than Lizzy, she was still his little sister’s best friend, and therefore, off limits. It was a boundary he didn’t want to go anywhere near- if Liz found out about what he’d done, he wasn’t sure she’d ever look at him the same. The thoughts echoed in his otherwise blank mind as he wheeled his cart behind Salem towards self-checkout. Holding her hand? Calling her my girl? It meant nothing, he decided.
(view spoiler)
The moment his hand left her grip she immediately felt colder, which made sense since Renny suddenly turned away from her — reverting back into his icy and distant persona like he always does when he’s upset. His jaw locked and he brushed her aside stepping ahead of her as he asked her if she was done, and she watched silently as he did so. What is with him? Her own hands found its way deep into her sweater pockets as she headed towards the checkout section, her only reply coming in the form of a silent nod.
He ran up to defend her he protected her and now? Well now he’s acting as if nothing really happening. She guesses it’s because he regretted what he said. I mean, Salem should’ve known. In a damsel in distress situation it only made sense for Lorenzo to step in, that was just the person he was. She was Liz’s best friend, if he didn’t he’d simply seem like an asshole. That’s it. That was the reason. Of course it was. But even though that was the most plausible reason, that didn’t stop her shoulders from slumping ever so slightly. My Girl was just a disguise for “My Sisters Best friend”. As always.
Momentarily abandoning on the silly unobtainable dream of finally getting Lorenzo to recuperate any sort of romantic attraction to her she shook off all her mixed feelings. There were bigger fishes to fry — the ball was coming up soon. She was glad for the distraction of checking out because if she were forced to say anything to Lorenzo she wasn’t sure what would spill out. So she just kept quiet and to herself, offering Sam a smile or wink once or twice so he wouldn’t notice the shift in moods between the two grownups. She stayed silent through check, didn’t say a word while picking up her bags and quietly hopped back into the passenger seat.
As Salem buckled her seat belt she stole a look at Lorenzo, his eyes still locked on whatever he was doing, not bothering to look back and she sighed. How long must she have do endure the friend-zone? At this point it would simply be best for her to give it up. After the ball would probably be the end of Lorenzo and Salem’s one on one time — realistically his sister would finally give up her tirade that came in the form of silent treatment and come running back into Lorenzo’s arms. At this point he would totally forget about any interaction he shared with Salem, forcing her back to square one.
The whole ordeal was just so frustrating! It’s like one minute they’re sharing and moment and the next it’s like that moment never existed. How does someone like Salem deal with it all. She still hasn’t spoke as the car hummed to life, all she did was reach for the radio and turn it up to a reasonable volume like she did when they first arrived. Forcing her eyes out the window she stared instead at the trees and the houses that whizzed back rather than Lorenzo and his hurricane of mixed signals. The best thing for right now is going home where she can finally burrow herself back into her blankets and watch cheesy romcoms. At least in The Kissing Booth the girl gets the guy.
Finally arriving at her apartment complex she stepped out of the car and offered him a wavering smile. “Thank you for taking me Lorenzo,” (Renny has since been abandoned.) “See you later.” And with a small halfhearted wave the small blonde disappeared behind the large double doors.
