.𖥔 ݁ ˖🦢˚. ᵎᵎ 𐔌 THROUGH THE LENS I ⋆.˚ ( BOBBY FRANKLIN X READER )
plot: 1990, you work at a camera shop in San Jose's suburbs, your co-worker, bobby, is some emotionally driven weirdo with a weed addiction. he intimidates you, he fantasizes about you. an obsession that leads him to do stuff he never even thought himself capable of.
warnings: 18+ explicit sexual content, voyeurism, bobby being a dick and an obsessive weirdo
a/n: this is the first part of a short series i am currently writing called 'through the lens' and I hope you like it!! keep in mind that english ain't my first language so i apologize for any kind of mistake.
“someone is asking for some paillard 16mm camera?” you asked your boss Ed as he sighed heavily at your incompetence—he still couldn’t tell whether he had made the best choice hiring you for your good looks and cute smile that would tend to seduce customers or if it had been the worst of his life because of your ignorance when it came to cameras.
“look in the back, it’s a fancy black camera with a crank. you’ll know when you see it.” you thanked him and disappeared in the back of the shop, looking for the camera among the hundreds of cardboard boxes. you saw a ‘paillard bolex h16 16mm’ camera that resembled the description Ed had given you.
you grabbed the box and left the store room and walked back to the old man who had asked about the device, “there it is!” you said enthusiastically as you set the box on the counter with a loud thud, almost scaring your co-worker Bobby. you eyed him with a judging look, you never particularly liked him, he was rude, smelled like weed most of the time and talked to people like they weren’t worth anything.
your salary clearly wasn’t enough for putting up with him.
“is it still working?” asked the customer, your eyes fell back on him as you unboxed the camera and showed it to him more closely.
“yes it does!” you replied and felt Bobby’s gaze on you, studying your every move and word, waiting for the moment where you’d fuck up and he’d get to correct and humiliate you.
“how much is it?”
“that one would cost you $120.”
“and what are the lenses?” he asked as his wrinkly fingers brushed on the camera, you immediately fell silent, your boss watched from afar with an eye roll and a head shake.
you heard Bobby chuckle beside you at your lack of response while the customer stared at you, “there are 16mm, 25mm and 75mm lenses, sir,” Bobby stepped in and pushed you aside to dominate the conversation, “you can run it at 8, 16, 24, 32 and 64 frames per second.”
you walked away as soon as you realized there was no point in trying to get your customer back. you stood by one of the kodak section and began reorganizing the shelves as your boss whispered to you, “got robbed again?”
“it’s like a hobby for him,” you rolled your eyes.
Ed let you get off work earlier that day, it was around 6PM when you were walking back home with your walkman stuck in your jeans pocket while dionne warwick played. you hummed to the song when no one was around to hear. you recognized your house in a corner of the street, you took off your headphones and suddenly heard something behind you. you turned, but nothing.
your brows drew together as you slowly turned back and checked your mailbox—empty. you opened your front door, dropped your shoulder bag on the ground and immediately helped your parents in the kitchen. the table was then set and dinner lasted about an hour like it always did, your parents would ask about your day at work, your dad would complain about his colleagues and the projects he was working on while your mom brought some neighborhood gossip to the table, all while the radio played in the background.
you helped with the dishes, bid good night to your parents before running up the stairs and locking yourself in your room.
the wallpapers were white with pink flower details, you had a small antique vanity in a corner of your room with your closet beside it that had pictures of you and your friends stuck on the doors. your bed was a cottage bed with pink and white sheets and white pillows with brown teddy bears embroided on the fabric. right next to your bed stood your desk with your computer.
you closed your curtains, turned your computer on to check your emails and in the meantime changed into more comfortable clothes. once the computer was fully on and running smoothly, you opened your emails.
from: [email protected]
subject: you’ve been hit by the…
you’ve been hit by the…
$$$ MONEY TRUCK $$$
now that you’ve been hit, you need to hit 7 other people with the money truck, including—
“shut the fuck up,” you mouthed to yourself and immediately deleted the email. then something caught your eye, a mail from a sender you had never seen before.
from: [email protected]
subject: pirated star wars movies
*mp3 copies of all three star wars movies*
got these from an AOL chat room, sent me all the mp3 files, enjoy bro
you frowned, confusion waved through you. you clicked on one of the files and it began downloading an mp3 files that was about 420MB. people usually checked for viruses before downloading files from an unknown source, but you had no awareness of that.
you played the movie, a video player opened and the familiar star wars music theme played so loudly it almost startled you. you immediately closed the window and decided to reply.
from: [email protected]
subject: re: pirated star wars movies
hi, i think you got the wrong person. i don’t plan on watching star wars at all.
from: [email protected]
is this not Jasiah?
from: [email protected]
not at all.
from: [email protected]
sorry
whoever you are, you still should definitely watch star wars
you laughed at the mail before shaking your head and turning your computer off before heading to bed.
you clocked in at work at 10AM the next day, Bobby had already been there since 8 and you thought it would be the perfect moment to ask him when he had taken his days off so you could take yours as well while making sure there was still always someone at the shop with Ed.
“can’t you take your friday instead? i have something planned on saturday with my friends,” you asked.
“think i care about your social life? i have a commercial to film on saturday,” Bobby explained.
“who cares about your commercials? they’re not even being broadcasted in theaters before a movie.”
“one day they will. they’ll be on TV,” he said confidently, you wished you could reach that level of delusion.
“sure,” you rolled your eyes, “well in that case, take your tuesday instead so i can actually have a two days weekend.”
“whatever,” he brushed it off with an eye roll.
“dick,” you whispered to yourself and walked away.
it has been days since you last spoke to Bobby, on friday night, the day before your hang out with your friends, you called them to tell them you had to cancel. it was around 8PM when you hung up, you had to wake up at seven the next morning to clock in at work but thought you still had time for a movie.
you remembered the guy from the emails, and eventually also recalled having the first star wars movie downloaded into your computer: why not watch it? you turned it on, found the files in your folders and played the movie before shifting the screen to the side so you could watch it while lying in bed.
you got cozy in your pink and white sheets and focused on the movie. you were absolutely gobsmacked by the end of it and felt like watching the second one was a need. it was 10PM, but you thought you had time for the second one.
you recovered the guy’s email with the copies and downloaded the second and third movie, you played the second one, it was midnight when it ended, and since you couldn’t wait, you watched the third one.
it was 2AM when the end credits rolled, your eyes widened in shock. you could not believe you had waited so long to watch these movies. you had to talk about it to somebody, and a special someone came to your mind.
you sat on your chair while trying to keep quiet before opening your emails and reaching out to him.
from: [email protected]
subject: star wars movies
hi, i listened to you and watched the star wars movies in one sitting. i haven’t had such an experience since reading the lord of the rings. the plot twist of darth vader being luke’s father had me speechless, i love han and leia together, the soundtrack was really good and the special effects are crazy!
what is your name by the way?
i know it’s late and that you probably won’t reply, but just know that i’m glad that you accidentally emailed me with the copies
you checked your other emails and was ready to turn off your computer when another notification caught your eye. he had responded.
from: [email protected]
subject: re: star wars movies
good girl
i’m glad you liked them. vader being luke’s father was crazy, i remember being thirteen years old seeing this in theaters and everyone going insane. han and leia have insane chemistry together, i refuse to believe harrison ford and carrie fisher aren’t fucking in real life. john williams is amazing when it comes to making soundtracks, he also made the songs for indiana jones which also stars harrison ford. you should watch those too if you haven’t. star wars special effects’s revolutionized the film industry, it’s insane! they hand painted most of the backgrounds for the movies!
also, my name is none of your business, but you can call me darth maul. but what’s your name?
from: [email protected]
wow, now i want to see them in theaters, it must be a whole other experience to share this with other people. i have also never watched indiana jones (i know, i suck) do you think you have pirated copies of them? or do i have to go buy them in store?
also, darth maul is ridiculous and lame, i’ll just call you yoda ‘cause you’re probably some old creep and wrinkly like him.
my name is also none of your business, but you can call me leia
from: [email protected]
*mp3 copies of indiana jones*
there you go, hopefully you’ll like them as much as star wars, feel free to email me again when you’re done watching them.
and i’ll gladly call you leia if it means you’re as charming as she is
can i ask where you live? you don’t have to answer, just wanna know how far you’re from me
you and him emailed back and forth all night until the clock struck 7AM and you realized you had to clock in at work.
you and him emailed almost everyday for weeks afterwards, talking about movies, music and interests you shared. you found out you both lived in california and you figured his age based on his way of writing and interests—he was in his twenties just like you were. there were times you tried to imagine what he might look like, you couldn’t help but picture some redhead nerd with dirty glasses, a lisp and braces who was probably unemployed.
but other parts of you liked to imagine a tall, handsome man with luscious blonde hair like george michael’s. he would have deep, blue eyes and a nice smile—you couldn’t help but feel slightly attracted to him which felt odd for you knew so little about him and didn’t even know what he looked like. but it was in the way he always seemed interested in what you had to say and talked about topics like he was a pro.
he did mention being the tallest kid in eighth grade—but that was years ago. maybe he stayed the same height now? you didn’t think much about it, you didn’t care about what he looked like though you enjoyed fantasizing about it, you liked talking to him because of his personality, and he seemingly did too.
it got to a point where you couldn’t even focus at work anymore, “hey,” Bobby snapped at you as he leaned over the counter, “what’re you thinking about?” he said, almost annoyed.
“nothing,” you shook your head and straightened up, you suddenly noticed his shirt—a star wars one. it reminded you of him, everything reminded you of him. then your eyes went up to meet his, he smirked a little as though he knew something you didn’t, you hated that smile, “what’s your problem?” you asked with a frown.
“nothing,” he mimicked you with a shrug and a chuckle before he pulled out a blunt and lit it up in the middle of the shop.
your eyes widened in shock as you looked around to make sure Ed was not around to see that, “you can’t smoke in here, it’s against the rules,” you said to him.
he didn’t respond and brought the cigarette to his lips to take a puff and then exhale the smoke into your face, you grimaced out of disgust, “what are you gonna do? tell on me?” he shrugged with an amused smile, “i can’t take a break, i’ve used them all already today.”
“then take another one, i won’t tell. just get out of here, it stinks,” you almost begged him.
a faint smile spread across his lips with a faint acknowledging nod, “thanks,” was all he said before he walked away and disappeared in the back of the shop.
you went home late that night, had dinner with your parents, and had the same routine as always, you turned on your computer and checked if 'yoda' had responded to your mail from this morning.
from: [email protected]
i can’t believe you can watch grease with a straight face and not cringe, the songs are great but that’s it, it’s just straight up misogynistic.
i guess you’ll see this tonight so might as well ask you now: how was your day?
from: [email protected]
grease is romantic okay? that’s why i love it. your favorite movie is blade runner, you’re lame.
my day was disastrous, my co-worker kept stealing every customer that even went my way. he is such a dick. i don’t think i’ve told you about him but he’s basically a rude idiot with a smoking habit who thinks he’s so much better than everyone else.
i don’t know what’s holding me back from quitting.
anyway, how was yours?
you never got a reply. you went back and forth between reading a book and checking your emails all night but nothing. you thought maybe he was just busy and let it go, you turned your computer off, went back to read and finish one chapter before heading to bed.
you woke up late the next day, your shift only started at 1PM and you spent the entire morning getting pretty just ‘because’. you kept curlers in your hair while doing your makeup before putting on a baby yellow shirt and a pink cardigan with blue jeans. you took the curlers off your hair and brushed the curls off before you grabbed your purse and headed out.
it was 12:52 when you stepped in the shop, your joyous energy immediately caught Ed off guard, “hello sunshine!” he said enthusiastically.
“hi, Ed!” you smiled and left your purse behind the counter where Bobby stood, counting the money that was kept in the cash register.
he didn’t even look you way, he would usually shoot you at least one look even if it was a distasteful one, but today—nothing.
“hey,” you said shyly and put on your badge on your cardigan.
“yo,” he replied, still not looking at you. was he being an extra dick today?
“i like your shirt,” you said, nodding at his ‘end apartheid’ crop top.
“what’s with you?” he finally asked with a shake of his head as he turned to you.
“i’m just in a good mood,” you shrugged, not understanding what the issue was.
“you’re insufferable,” was all he said before he walked past you, hitting your shoulder with enough strength to get you to quietly moan in pain. you held onto your arm and turned to watch him disappear in the store room, wondering what the hell was wrong with him today.
you closed the shop that day, it was 7PM when you started walking back home, it was dark and few street lights were lit up, you turned to a corner and stepped in your front yard before checking your mailbox as you usually did. you grabbed a few magazines your parents were subscribed to and headed home.
“hey honey,” said your mom, “we left you leftovers in the fridge,” she continued while cuddling with your father on the couch, watching another sitcom.
“thanks,” was all your said before you grabbed the leftovers from the fridge while leaving the mail on the kitchen table and heated up the food.
once the microwave beeped, you grabbed your food and headed to your room. you locked the door behind you and set the plate on your desk while turning on your computer just to see if 'yoda' had responded—but nothing. you angrily turned the computer off and changed into more comfortable clothes.
then you felt it again—that odd feeling that someone or something might be watching from afar. you felt an unfamiliar lump in the depths of your stomach before you spun to your window and realized you had forgotten to close the curtains. you immediately brought your pink cardigan back on your naked chest before stepping closer and staring out the window.
your heart raced as you searched for any wandering eyes passing by the street, but nothing, only the neighbor’s cat walking around your front yard. you sighed heavily and closed the curtains before dropping your cardigan to the ground and grabbing an oversized NASA shirt. you quickly headed to bed, it wasn’t long until exhaustion took you away.
the following days had been uncannily quiet—you hadn’t heard from 'yoda' and started worrying. maybe something had happened to him? you would check everyday for new mails, but nothing. you thought maybe he got hacked, but when you realized there was no point in speculating, you quickly ceased overthinking the situation.
the atmosphere at work became even more unbearable, Bobby behaved differently. he was always used to be rude, but very talkative, making sure to always annoy you. but now, nothing. he was oddly quiet. and you had started to miss him being a dick towards you, when there used to be a dynamic.
“are you gonna take a day off this week? i’d like to get friday off, but if it doesn’t fit with your schedule, let me know,” you said softly before shouldering your bag and getting ready to get off work.
“just do whatever you want,” he dismissed you, you didn’t say anything else and just left, your grabbed you walkman and stuck it in your jeans pocket as the ronettes played loudly in your headphones. you tapped your fingers to the beat against your leg while bopping your head and mouthing the lyrics before you arrived in your front yard and opened the mailbox like every other day.
but today, it was different.
the mailbox wasn’t empty or filled with fashion magazines, a package with your name on it sat in the very middle. you frowned and hesitantly grabbed it in your hands, you didn’t remember ordering anything recently. you stepped inside the house quickly, dropped your bag onto the ground and ignored your mom calling you to set the table, instead, you ran upstairs to your room.
you ripped the package open and found a VHS tape with a handwritten note.
thought you’d want to see this.
you frowned before taking a closer look at the tape, you left it on your bed and went downstairs to ask your father for his VHS player, he disappeared in the garage for a short moment before returning with a VHS player, you grabbed it and thanked him before heading back into your room. you turned your computer on and plugged the player onto it before grabbing the tape and sliding it inside.
a video player window opened, the video was blurry at first. then your heart skipped a beat when you recognized yourself walking down the street, singing to dionne warwick. your eyes widened in shock when you also recognized your house. your hand gripped on your chair for support as you feared what would come next.
you froze and so did the image as white noise filled the room, then the video reappeared. your stomach dropped. there you stood in the middle of your room just days ago, changing. you immediately stopped playing the video and tried to hold back from puking. your eyes then drifted towards your open curtains.
no, you thought before rising from your chair and abruptly closed them, you saw a notification appear on the bottom corner of the computer screen as you sat back down. your heart dropped to your stomach again.
from: [email protected]
like the video?
your palms became sweaty as you endlessly stared at the mail, your fingers unable to move to type a response. you tried to take a deep breath but the betrayal felt too horrendous to calm you down. you began imagining the worst case scenarios: how you must have been exchanging with a pedophile for weeks, or a human trafficker.
from: [email protected]
what are you talking about?
from: [email protected]
don’t play dumb now, the vhs
from: [email protected]
that was you? how could you do this? i trusted you
who are you?
from: [email protected]
you don’t want to know
just know that i know more about you than you might think.
then your phone suddenly rang, you jumped in surprise and held onto your chest, feeling your heart pounding hard. you stared at it ring for a moment, could it be him? at last, you brought enough courage to pick up the call and press the old phone against your ear, “hello? who is this?”
“you know who it is, leia,” an oddly low voice with a new york accent spoke through the phone, a shiver ran down your spine as you tried to speak.
“leave me alone! you’re scaring me. is this a prank?” you begged, fearful.
“a prank? you think this is a game?” you heard him laugh devilishly, your blood ran cold. the mere idea of someone walking this earth with footages of you half naked brought discomfort.
“what are you? some kind of old creep?” you asked, your voice and hands trembling.
“maybe yes, maybe not… fuck around and find out,” he laughed again.
“don’t ever call me again you fucking weirdo! and don’t even think of trying to reach out,” you yelled before hanging up the phone. you cried when the feelings finally hit.