Chapter 52

Monday arrived. He was late, unfortunately. Not only did he do overtime but also went early. He needed the money, after all. He biked home faster than normal and opened the door to Ophelia. She was crouched down and nervously choosing between shoes.

Ophelia's outfit was as lovely as her, carefully chosen to provide both comfort and a sense of security. She wore a pair of loose-fitting black leggings and an oversized hoodie that engulfed her voluptuous frame, the hood pulled up to partially obscure her face. 

As Owen opened the door, Ophelia greeted him with big blue eyes teetering between stout determination and shaky nervousness. She fidgeted with the hem of her hoodie, her fingers tracing the familiar fabric as she glanced back at the numerous shoes set in front of her.

"Hey, Owen," Ophelia greeted softly, her voice tinged with apprehension. "I'm, uh, I'm ready to go to the convenience store with you."

Owen smiled reassuringly. He went down to her level and reached out to gently squeeze her shoulder in a comforting gesture. At the time, she was cool with it. However, saying something and actually doing it were two very different things. In fact, he was sure she was silently dreading this. She didn't want to do this but she had to. That was what she thought.

"Do you want to go by bicycle?" Owen asked. "Or should we walk?"

"Walk," Ophelia murmured, her voice barely above a whisper. She glanced between her shoes again. "Do you…nevermind. I can do it myself."

He stayed silent. Her feet were adorned with a mismatched pair of socks, one featuring cartoon characters and the other adorned with geometric patterns. Eventually, Ophelia selected a pair of well-worn blue sneakers, the laces tied tightly in a double knot. Her feet slid in smoothly and she rose to her full height with great determination.

The moment they stepped out, Ophelia stood directly beside him. Going down the stairs, she went closer to his side. Once fresh air arrived, she inhaled sharply and held onto his arm. She really wasn't good with broad daylight. He understood so he kept quiet and smiled.

The walk to the convenience store was about two minutes. As soon as the automatic doors were in sight and they saw a man walking in ahead of them, Ophelia's grip on Owen's arm tightened slightly. Once inside, her blue eyes darted nervously around the brightly lit aisles. Owen could sense her anxiety but knew this wasn't his battle to fight. All he could do was be there for her. 

Slowly, they made their way through the store, Ophelia sticking close to Owen's side as they navigated the aisles. She seemed to tense slightly as they moved further into the store.

When they reached the snack aisle, Ophelia's eyes lit up with excitement as she spotted the array of chips lining the shelves. She hesitated for a moment before tentatively reaching out to grab a bag of Doritos.

"I'll take this one," she said, holding up the bag of Doritos with a small smile. "And this one. And this one."

Owen laughed. "Anything else you want to get?"

Ophelia hesitated for a moment before her eyes landed on a jar of salsa and the chips that accompanied it, her mouth watering at the thought of the combo. "That's five," she said, her voice tinged with excitement. "I think I'll take three more just to be safe."

"Going for a record eight?"

"Anything, remember?"

"Anything," Owen agreed, chuckling at her enthusiasm. "Sounds good to me." He reached out to help her select the remaining bags of chips. 

Ophelia and Owen approached the counter and the cashier greeted them with a friendly smile. She was a young brunette with a big smile and a ponytail. Owen often saw her since he came here regularly.

"Owen, hello—"

The cashier was cut off by the boisterous voice of three men. Their entry was marked by their golden chains and baggy clothes. 

"Yeah, dude, that shit was craaazy! Still can't believe he jumped."

"Bro, the police better not know."

"They won't, I made sure of it."

Owen pursed his lips. It didn't take a genius to figure out who they were.

The cashier's friendly smile faltered as she glanced nervously at the newcomers, her hand hovering uncertainly over the register. Sensing the tension in the air, Owen put an arm around Ophelia's waist and gestured for the cashier to continue. She seemed hesitant.

'She must know these guys. That complicates things. They're not apart of the Royal Lions. They are either just loud punks or shitty troublemakers.'

The cashier swallowed and began scanning their items, her hands moving quickly to complete the transaction. Meanwhile, Owen kept a watchful eye on the three men. Apparently, they had a run-in with a low grunt of the Royal Lions and made him jump into River Fox.

"Aren't all, like, cameras connected? Can't they scan our faces?"

"The police ain't that great, so no."

It must have been yesterday or earlier today. Regardless, they didn't have remorse. They were having fun. With that kind of trio, the range of behaviour was all over the place. Sometimes, they could be good and other times they could be horrendous.

It was clear that they were trouble, although whether they were trouble for innocents remained to be seen. For now, all he could do was keep Ophelia close to him and get out as quickly as possible.

"Hey, you. Do you mind moving? We need to grab the gum," said the tallest gangster, tall and with several ear piercings. 

"Sure." Owen gently moved himself and Ophelia to the side. The cashier was still scanning their stuff.

"What's up with her?" asked the tall man, glancing at Ophelia who trembled lightly. "She your girl?"

"Yeah," Owen replied. "She isn't good with people."

"Ah, really? My bad." The tall man's heavy fohawk hair bobbed as he scanned her. Ophelia backed away and held onto Owen. There was a flicker in the tall gangster's eyes and he turned to get his gum. At the same time, his other friends arrived. Despite being first, the gangsters got their items scanned ahead of them. They left, laughing and without incident.