“Senna, can you go out and buy some milk?” The lady said more as a command than a question. Her back didn’t even turn around to speak those words to her face. She knew the girl was standing in the living room. Then again, Senna just arrived home, removed her shoes, and closed the door just loud enough that her mother heard her.

With no complaints, the girl answered a soft-spoken okay and shoved her feet back into her worn out sneakers. Her hands unconsciously skimmed the small locket-shaped necklace wrapped around her neck. The door closed behind her as she dragged her feet against the pavement.

It wasn’t unusual for her mother to ask her to do errands. That’s what a daughter was for. She didn’t even bother walking up to her mother for some cash. She knew from previous events that it would never end in her favor. Her mother’s words were almost identically recited the same out of the four times she asked for money: ‘You have a job and money, use that.’

Senna couldn’t retort back as she did live under her parents household for free. It was the least she could splurge out. Sometimes it was rather too much. Her mother asked her to purchase soju for her gathering when she should know well enough that her daughter wasn’t even close to drinking age. The only thing she would get is a boot out of the store.

The walk to the convenience store was short. Her hands grabbed a carton of milk and a strawberry lollipop at the front counter as a treat. Senna shared a quick look at the cashier who became familiar with cashing her out. The girl stopped by at least half of the week, and he only worked evening shifts on the weekdays.

His hair color changed from two days ago; a warm red replaced a natural black. His eyes changed swiftly from a light brown to a darker shade. She placed the items on the counter and rubbed her eyes. They acted up again , and she felt uneasy seeing the fuzzy change not due to a bending of light.

The unusual incidents have been occurring recently these past two weeks, and she was not a fan. From the corner of her eyes, she caught ahold of his deep stare. His eyes felt like lasers penetrating her fair skin. Her skin felt the temperature rise underneath her black rain jacket. She formed and brought a fist up to and feigned a cough, however, he was still fixated on her amidst scanning her purchase.

The girl couldn’t deal with the uncomfortable pressure. “What’s the total?”

His eyes moved to look at the cash register and she felt less stuffy in the store.

“The total comes up to be $3.75.”

His fingers grazed the knuckles of her hand as Senna handed him a ten dollar bill. Her teeth clenched softly on her tongue, feeling the static linger on her skin. The corner of his lips slightly uplifted.

“Change is $6.25 miss. Have a safe trip.” The smile stayed there, but she knew it wasn’t simple. There is something in the undertone of his voice and expression that brought uneasiness.

This wasn’t the first time the boy did this to Senna. She remembered the first time they met for some reason. It was weird that he gasped and appeared shocked when they accidently touched. He let out a soft, but audible gasp and retracted his hand back as if she was contagious. After that day he constantly repeated the gesture, but the heat has been exceptionally warmer. And he keeps it there longer, as if to mock her o