Amethyst Read Online Free PDF

steady employment.
    I glanced around
the store, feeling lucky to have this job. Things were unusually quiet, and I
could hear the soft music playing overhead and the buzzing ceiling lights.
Several check stand lanes were cordoned off with spiraling, black cords. I
walked on my tip-toes to get a better visual advantage of the aisles and
spotted a couple night crew workers throwing freight in the freezer section.
The only other activity came from the coffee shop up front where a small line
of caffeine addicts waited patiently for their morning fix.
    Jessica Nelson,
the PIC (person in charge), was standing in check stand #9 intently studying
the front end sheet. The front end sheet denoted every checker’s scheduled
shift, break, and lunch. The person holding it was the supreme ruler for the
day and was responsible for happy customers.
    Although petite
and shorter than me by a couple inches, Jessica’s attire looked much the same
as mine. With our black slacks, white blouses, and colorful scarves, we
epitomized standard dress code. Her shoulder length brown hair, although much
shorter than mine, was also pulled back into a ponytail. She was chewing on a
pencil eraser.
    “Hi Jessica,” I
called out, so I didn’t startle her.
    “Lexi!” Her face
brightened as she glanced up. “Thanks so much for coming in. Nothing like the
CSM calling in sick and leaving me with all her duties. Lucky for me, you were
up early.” She flashed a grateful smile and tucked a few wispy strands behind
her ear.
    As I approached,
I tripped over a shopping basket and fell to the floor. She reached down to
help me up and said exasperatedly, “Customers are always leaving baskets
everywhere, except where they belong, of course.”
    When our hands
locked, her fingers tightened around mine, and her emerald eyes rounded.
Gasping, her mouth opened wide and her eyes lit up like Christmas lights. She
looked like she’d just found out Santa Claus was real and was heading her way
with a sleigh full of loot. Pulling me to my feet, she smothered me with a huge
hug. Just to make things even weirder, she started giggling – louder and
louder, tears pooling in her eyes.
    “Lexi,” she
managed to say in between laughs, “I’m so glad I found you. I just can’t
believe it. What are the odds?” She clapped her hands together once. “It’s
gotta be fate.”
    I stepped back
puzzled at her bizarre behavior. “Jessica, what are you talking about?”
    “Oh, I’m sorry,”
She grabbed a tissue off the check stand, dabbed the tears at the corners of
her eyes, and blew her nose loudly. “What I meant was – oh, never mind. Can you
forgive me?”
    “No worries. I’m
glad you got a laugh out of it. I’m sure I looked like a total idiot.”
    “Oh, no, it’s
not you,” she said, “I’m the idiot. Sometimes the littlest things set me off,
and I can’t stop laughing. I can so relate with the Energizer Bunny.” I bit my
lower lip to suppress a smile. Grabbing my hands, she added, “I feel like we’re
long lost friends, and now that we’ve found each other we’re destined for many
adventures.” She lifted her hands and waved them in the air. “Reminds me of
when Anne of Green Gables met Diana for the first time and knew she’d found her
kindred spirit.”
    I couldn’t help
but shake my head and chuckle. The girl was totally bizarre. “How much coffee
have you had?”
    “None. Nada.
Zilch. You’ll learn quick enough that not only do I laugh a lot, but I’m also a
little bit crazy and a lot scatter-brained. It doesn’t take caffeine to get me
going. Ask anyone who knows me, like my cousin Shelby, who works back in the bakery.
She’s seriously serious, but you’ll love her. She’s gonna be shocked when she meets you.” I gave her a funny look, and she waved her hand. “Oh don’t
worry, I mean it in a good way.”
    I frowned but
nodded. “Okay. Well, I’d like to meet her. I don’t know many people here yet –
other than you and my