Jackson immediately threw his hands up when she had snapped at him, jerking away from him and clutching onto the bag in her hands. He laughed, shaking his head. “Woah – easy there tiger. I come in peace,” He teased before allowing his hands to fall to his sides. He tried to peer at her from under the baseball cap, tilting his head a bit downwards as she gave him an exasperated sigh.
“If I was going to turn you in, do you think I would’ve knocked some heads back there?” The male asked, one thumb pointed back in the direction of the convenience store. He shifted in front of her, one hand going up and rustling his dirty blonde hair. He was being somewhat genuine. He might have been someone to avoid for many reasons but there was no darkness to his intentions just yet. “People usually don’t steal around here unless they’re in trouble, sorry if I just wanted to check up on you.”
Jackson caught the baseball hat as she tossed it at him, yelling at him for insinuating the fact she didn’t know how to shoplift. He allowed his eyes to trail over her features for the first time – she’s really cute. It wasn’t until now he had begun thinking those thoughts he liked to keep hidden. He nonchalantly studied her facial features, his mind running a mile a minute. He laughed a bit nervously, one hand going up and rubbing the back of his neck. “It’s a small town, there’s not much to do sadly.”
After a few moments he smiled at her and held out one hand for her to take. “Name’s Jackson,” He introduced himself, keeping his interactions with her light and friendly. He didn’t want to scare her away too soon.
“I don’t need some weirdo stranger checking up on me, thanks.” She sniffled indignantly, nails digging into the material of her bag as she stared him down, trying to make sense of this exchange. “Like I said, I’m just a little hungry. Not in any trouble. I’m not a damsel in distress, so if that’s what you’re after, maybe you should stakeout the convenience store a little longer.”
He held out his hand. She stood there, staring at it as though it were some wild pack animal, ready to pounce at any given moment and take a bite out of her. Finally, with a heavy sigh, she dropped her bag, letting it hang from her shoulder once more, and took his hand. “December.” She carefully shook his hand, still treating it a bit cautiously. “And you’re right, I’m not from around here.” She didn’t want to spill her life’s story to this guy, but on the other hand, it might be nice to have some more information about him. Quid pro quo.
“I’ll tell you my story if you tell me yours,” she offered, smirking a little. This hick town in the middle of nowhere did happen to be her final stop on the search for her sister, so she probably wouldn’t be able to shake this Jackson character the whole time she was here. Might pay off to make nice with him. So she plastered on a smile and hoped it looked believable. She still didn’t trust him, though. Not for a minute. “Maybe over a drink? If you don’t mind paying, that is.”