Knives & Pens

“Andy wake up!” Pandora ordered on a Friday morning, she had to be at work before twelve and it was now eleven. Andy was still asleep, snoring heavily and loudly. He was shirtless, and had a pillow half covering his head with his mouth half open. Pandora sighed, and shook Andy hard, waking him up immediately.
“Let me sleep.” Andy groaned, Pandora pulled the pillow away from him.
“No, please take me to work.” Pandora told him, Andy looked at her and sighed. How could he say no?
“Fine, I’ll take you.” Andy said, he climbed out of the bed and started to get his clothes. He waited until Pandora had left the bedroom before changing into his black jeans, and pulled on a V-neck tee-shirt. He tied on his sneakers, and grabbed his phone and slid it down his back pocket. He grabbed his black leather jacket and left the bedroom, he headed downstairs where Pandora stood at the door waiting patiently with a smile on her face. Andy opened the door, and let her go first then followed after her. They hopped into the black/red mustang and Andy started the engine, before he pulled out of the driveway Pandora hooked her Ipod to the radio and started to play The Gunsling, it was an ‘old’ song, but Pandora loved it just like all the others songs. She turned up the volume, and looked at Andy with a smile as he backed out of the driveway. It was hot today, the sun was shining bright in the blue sky, the sky Pandora adored to see. She rolled down her window, letting the hot air fill the car and the breeze from the mustang blow her hair around. As The Gunsling started playing lyrics, Andy turned the volume up louder and started to sing along. It wasn’t long until both of them started singing along, and as the screaming began Andy started screaming along. Pandora didn’t expect it, and was all smiles once he did. Once he stopped screaming, Pandora turned down the volume.
“Why did you stop screaming?” Pandora asked him, she was always curious and what would be the best time but to ask him now?
“Well, it’s like with the look thing. It’s something different to do, then what I used to do.” Andy said, Pandora nodded.
“Do you think in future songs you’ll start screaming again?”
Andy shrugged his shoulders. “I honestly don’t know, but if I ever decide to do it again you’ll be the first one to know. Now, do me a favor and turn back up my song.”
Pandora giggled and turned back up the song as loud as it was before, the grocery store building appeared in sight and Andy came to a red light. The grocery store wasn’t far from the red light, just up the road a bit then you turn right. As soon as the red light turned to green, Andy pressed down on the gas pedal. He turned into the grocery store’s parking lot, and pulled up to the door.
“Don’t forget to call me on your break!” Andy demanded through the loud music, Pandora nodded and opened the passenger seat door. She was halfway out of the mustang when she stopped in thought, she hesitated for a second then leaned over to Andy and kissed his cheek. A smile appeared on Andy’s face, and he was speechless.
“Thanks for the ride!” Pandora said, then hopped out of the mustang, closing the door behind her. She left her Ipod playing loudly, but Andy didn’t mind. He waited until she was in the grocery store before driving off, he liked to think she was safe once she entered the grocery store. That’s why he waited until she was inside before driving off…


Faith approached Pandora immediately before she reached Colin’s checkout line, Pandora jumped a bit in fright as Faith appeared out of nowhere in front of her.
“Right on time Pandora, I’m impressed.” Faith said, Pandora smiled.
“Thanks.”
“I’ll tell Charlie he can join with Kate, and you can join Colin again. Okay?” Faith said, Pandora nodded and Faith walked off to tell Charlie to join Kate, whoever Kate was. Pandora never met Kate, but as she watched Charlie walk off to join a girl with red hair, she figured that was Kate. A smile appeared on Colin’s face as Pandora appeared beside him, he started to ring up groceries and she started to bag them immediately. They were extremely busy today, and Pandora didn’t get a break until three. She was sitting outside on her break, after finishing a salad she bought from the grocery store. She reached down her back pocket and pulled out her phone, she dialed Andy’s cell phone number and held the phone to her ear as she listened to the dial tone.
“Hello?” Said a deep voice on the other line, Pandora was always curious of how his voice got so deep.
“Hey, what’s up?”
“Just left a baby store with Juliet and now heading towards the mustang, what are you up to?” Andy told her, before Pandora could reply, she heard Juliet’s voice say something in the background and Andy agreed with a “Yeah okay.”
“I just got a break a few minutes ago, now I’m sitting outside.”
“Damn really? Must be busy there today.” Andy said, Pandora nodded even through he couldn’t see it.
“Yeah it is, I’m tired.”
Andy chuckled. “Your always tired!”
“Yes I am, but so are you.” Pandora said, Andy was quiet for a few minutes.
“Fair enough, what time do you want me to pick you up?”
“I don’t know yet, I’ll call you when I’m let off. If that’s cool?” Pandora said.
“Hell no it’s not cool! Just kidding, why wouldn’t it be cool?” Andy said, making Pandora giggle.
“I don’t know, I was just being polite!”
Andy chuckled. “Well, it is cool. I’ll pick you up when you call me, I won’t press ignore. I’m going to go, don’t want to be driving and talking on the phone. I’ll see you later, don’t get into any fights, I don’t feel like bailing you out of jail tonight.”
Pandora giggled. “Okay, talk later Batman.”
“Bye Robin.” Andy said, then the call went dead. Pandora hung up and slid her phone back into her pocket, and that’s when Colin joined her with a smile on her face.
“I knew I’d find you here.” Colin said, pulling out a lighter and a cigarette pack.
“Really? How?” Pandora asked, watching him light up his cigarette.
“Because this is where I take my breaks,” Colin said with a smile, then he offered her the pack. “Want one?”
“No, I don’t smoke.”
“Ah, you look like you don’t.” Colin said, Pandora smiled and looked at the ground.
“Is that a good thing?”
“Oh yeah, smoking is bad for you.” Colin said, exhaling the smoke.
“Then why are you smoking?”
“Excellent question! I have no idea.” Colin told her, making her giggle.
“Great answer.” Pandora said, with the hint of sarcasm in her voice.
“So, I’m guessing you live with the tall guy huh?” Colin said, Pandora figured he meant Andy since he was the only ‘tall guy’ she lived with. From what she could tell, Andy was taller than Colin.
“Yeah, I do. He let me move in after I toured with him.”
Colin nodded. “What’s his name again?”
“It’s Andrew, but for some reason he doesn’t like being called that. So everyone calls him Andy.” Pandora replied, pulling her knees up to her chest.
“Awesome I guess,” Colin said with a chuckle. “So, how old are you?”
“I’m eighteen, what about you?” Pandora said, Colin smiled.
“I’m twenty.” Colin replied, exhaling his cigarette smoke.
“Really? You look seventeen.”
“That’s a good thing, well you look sixteen or seventeen. I figured you were at least one of those ages.” Colin said, Pandora smiled.
“Well, that’s a good thing.” Pandora told him, he smiled even more.
“Tell me your full name.”
“Pandora Skylan Chambers, yours?”
“Collin Daniel Walker.” Collin replied, Pandora smiled.
“Nice.”
“I guess it is, but I like yours better. Do you have a boyfriend?” Collin said, Pandora shook her head side to side.
“No I don’t, do you have a girlfriend?”
“Nope,” Collin said, putting out his cigarette. “Are you busy tomorrow night?”
Pandora thought. “No I’m not, why?”
“Well, would you like to just go hang around a bit?” Collin said, Pandora smiled and nodded.
“That sounds like fun, sure.”
A huge smile appeared on Collin’s face and he figured he done good, he took a look at his watch and their twenty minute break was over.
“Well damn, that was quick. Break is over.” Collin said, standing up. Pandora held up her hand and he took it and pulled her up, they headed back inside the grocery store together and got back to work.



It was around eight thirty when Pandora was let off work, she walked outside seeing the sun gone and the darkness beginning. She pulled up her hood on her jacket and pulled out her phone, she dialed Andy’s number and held it to her ear.
“Hello?” Andy answered.
“Come pick me up?”
“Hell yeah, I’ll be there in ten minutes tops.” Andy told her, the call ended and Pandora hung up and leaned up against the wall.
“Do you need a ride?” Collin’s voice asked, Pandora smiled.
“No I’m good, Andy is coming to get me.”
Collin smiled. “Okay cool, I’ll see you tomorrow. Oh, um, I might need your number.”
Pandora turned red as she felt embarrass she hadn’t gave him her number, she told him her number and he put it in his phone. He told her bye and he’ll text her tomorrow afternoon, she watched him disappear as he started walking through the parking lot. It wasn’t long until Andy’s mustang pulled up, she ran towards the mustang and hopped inside to see a smiling Andy.
“How was your day?” Andy asked as he drove off, Pandora put on her seatbelt and smiled.
“Good actually, what about yours?”
“Busy, Juliet had me running everywhere today.” Andy said, Pandora leaned her head back against the seat and looked at him.
“Aw, I’m sorry.”
He smiled a bit. “It’s cool, so what happened today?”
“Well, my manager greeted me when I got there and said I was on time and she was impress. I bagged and bagged, it was pretty busy today. Then I called you on my break, and then Collin, the guy I was working with Wednesday, asked if I wanted to hang out tomorrow.” Pandora said, Andy was quiet for the longest time it seemed like.
“You mean like a date?”
Pandora shrugged. “I guess so, he just said hang out.”
Andy kept on driving, keeping his focus on the road. “What did you say?”
“I said it sounded fun, and I agreed to go.”
Andy nodded. “What time?” Honestly he wished she said no.
“I don’t know, he said he’ll text me tomorrow afternoon.”
“Well, if you want to go and feel like going. I won’t keep you from going, just have fun and be careful.” Andy said, being the protective person he is.
“Thanks Andy,” Pandora said. “Where’s my Ipod?”
A smirk appeared on Andy’s face and he lifted the white Ipod up, she smiled and took it from him and started to play The Gunsling again. Andy turned up the volume as loud as it was this morning, and continued to drive. Of course he questioned Collin, but he wasn’t the boss over Pandora, and she is eighteen. If she wanted to go out with Collin he couldn’t stop that, she can do whatever she wants and he can’t do anything about it. Just show her he cares for her, and wants her to be safe.

Notes