Quadratic Equations

For audio click here

Chloe stood and sighed, this wasn’t suppose to happen. She was standing in the middle of WHSmiths holding a copy of Cosmo in her right hand while a security officer held her left arm and spoke in to a radio.  She’d been caught in the act of putting the magazine inside her coat and now was awaiting her punishment. She’d been so bored in work, so, so bored. The morning had dragged so slowly that she felt like an acorn could have grown in to an oak tree. So she’d decided she needed some excitement and nicking a magazine in her lunch hour was a quick way to get an adrenaline buzz.

‘Come with me,’ the guard said.

‘I was going to pay for it.’ Chloe said for the third time but the security guard ignored her, leading her to a door that lead towards the back of the shop. What the hell was going to happen? Chloe thought to herself. She felt a little sick, nerves growing in her stomach. Would they phone the police, would she be prosecuted over a stupid magazine? Why had she been so stupid? Why couldn't she have gone to the gym or just for a walk like normal people do on their lunch breaks?

It was musty and dusty out back with piles of newspapers and boxes lining the corridors, the place looked like a fire hazard panicking Chloe a little, and the lack of air didn’t help her state of mind. The guard knocked a door with Manager written on it and opened it.  He took his hand off Chloe and guided her into the room.  Chloe’s eyes were filling with tears, how was she going to explain this to her boss, to her mum? She bit her bottom lip, trying to hold back the tears. The manager looked up at her and Chloe’s face cracked into a smile.

‘Stan!’ she said, pleased to see a friendly face. She’d sat next to Stanley in Maths classes in school. He’d helped her with quadratic equations. But her smile disappeared when she remembered their last encounter. About 2 years after school, they’d met by chance in a bar and Chloe had kind of pretended she didn’t know who Stan was.

‘Thank you Ben,’ The manager said to the security guard making it clear he could leave the two of them alone.

‘Hello Chloe,’ Stan said. “I’m surprised you recognise me.’ Chloe’s hope that he’d forgotten their last meeting was forlorn.

“Hi Stan, of course I recognise you, how are you?’

‘Well better than you are,’ Stan said. Chloe didn’t like his tone.

‘It was only a magazine, ‘ Chloe said, ‘ I was just bored. Just a bit of fun.’

‘Do you know how many times I’ve heard that?’ Stan said and our policy is to always prosecute.’

Chloe put her head down, all of this fuss for one lousy magazine, it was meant to be an adrenaline buzz not a complete nightmare.

‘Of course,’ Stan said ‘maybe we could come to an agreement.’ They were the words Chloe wanted to hear. She looked up and saw something she didn’t want to see. Stan had loosened his belt and undone the top button of his trousers. He smiled making it clear what kind of arrangement he meant. Chloe swallowed, she’d not been expecting that. A million thoughts rushed through her mind like a plague of locust. It was a way out, an escape, but at what price, her dignity? Her pride? But wasn’t that already in tatters? What did she have to lose?

She stood up, took a step towards her old school friend and then fell to her knees in front of him. She smiled at him, and took his trousers wriggling them down to his ankles.

‘Wow!’ Chloe said. Stan smiled, enjoying the power. Chloe took a deep breath, flicked her hair from her face and then took a photo with her mobile phone.  Then she stood up and headed to the door.

‘If you wanna call, the police, be my guest,’ she said and opened the door and walked out of the office, her head held high.