Red Sun by Raven St. Pierre

never have gotten the message.  But the fact that I’d mentioned it to Ruthann made that impossible.  So, the only thing I could do was make the call as quick as possible and get off the phone.
                  My hands trembled as I pressed each of the seven digits.  Jolon is unfortunately one of the few people who has the power to make me feel intimidated.  Not even my dad has that affect on me.  It seemed like five minutes passed in between each ring of the phone and my stomach was in about a thousand knots as I waited.  With each tone, I had hope that he wasn’t going to pick up.
                  “Yes,” he answered, his voice deep and solid.
                  I felt like I was sitting in the principal’s office waiting to see if I was going to be in trouble.  “Y-yeah, this is Solei.  From Ruthann’s.  I just got your…”
                  “Right,” he interrupted.  “I called about the purchase I made yesterday.  I used my credit card and somehow you charged me twice.  What do you need to do to fix it?”
                  I had no clue.  “I-I apologize for that.  I’m kind of new here though; maybe Ruthann can help you.  Hang on while I grab her.”
                  Before I could set the phone down on the counter, he spoke again.  “But Ruthann’s not the one who made the mistake; you did.”
                  I could smell his arrogance through the phone.  “Well, you’re right, but I’m telling you that I’m not that knowledgeable about Ruthann’s policies just yet, but I’d be happy to…..”
                  “It was only about twelve dollars.  I have to stop back by there tonight to pick up the stone sample Ruthann got for me.  If you’ll drop it by here instead, I’d consider your debt paid.”
                  Debt?  “Excuse me?  Making deliveries is not in my job description.”
                  “And neither is overcharging customers, now is it.”
                  We both held the phone in silence; Jolon, waiting for me to submit to his demands, and me, waiting for him to realize that he was being completely unreasonable.  “What time does your shift end?”  He asked.
                  “When it ends,” I replied.
                  He breathed into the phone.  “The shop closes at seven, so I’ll be expecting you before 7:30.  Ruthann can give you directions.”
                  When the call disconnected, I slammed the phone down and stared out the window.  If I hadn’t already hated him, I definitely would’ve after that.  It was hard to imagine that I’d once thought he was even remotely attractive.  It didn’t matter how hot he was on the outside, he was hideous on the inside.  And note to self:  stop calling him hot…..even if it is true.
                  Ruthann agreed that my making the delivery to Jolon was a fair trade for my minor mistake.  Not only did she agree, she even insisted on letting me drive her car which was parked in the driveway of her house right next door to the shop, hidden from the road.  I fussed the whole way to my destination; glancing down every so often at the directions Ruthann had given me to make sure that I wouldn’t end up lost in the woods. 
                  The whole thing was ridiculous but apparently no one saw it that way but me.  It didn’t make sense that this was the only way to rectify the situation.  Not only did I have to make the delivery after working all day, but I had to completely rearrange my evening to do so.  When my shift was over, I had plans to take a much needed shower and to catch up with Tarik.  But now, I had to let my dad know I’d be working over and that Ruthann told me to use her car to drive myself back to the house.  This guy was causing me way more trouble than he’s worth.  But, if