Shoplifter

298 words

It was a small neighborhood grocery store named Papa Martino’s. Jeff was a student He worked until three, almost every night. Then the Trucks came. He resupplied the shelves.

One o’clock. Martino Junior approached him with a daunting look and showed Jeff a video on his phone. It took time but Jeff realized he was seeing himself from the back, uniform and all, passing his hand through his hair, taking beers and leaving the store. Then coming back with supplies from the trucks.
“That’s not me!” Jeff said.
Martino squinted at him, “Listen ah kid, I like ah you. But next time I see this kinda shit I give the video to the police.”
Jeff knew this was not him. He had to prove it. Getting a criminal record would send his life in a bad direction. He guessed the thief was doing it when Jeff was busy in the back getting supplies from the trucks.

Two O’clock. Harry always came at this hour. He was an ex worker and Jeff’s best friend and roommate. Harry was fired after not cleaning properly on three different shifts. Harry passed his hand through his greasy hair and placed the Mountain Dew on the counter. “Yeah I know it’s unhealthy. I wanna be unhealthy.”
Jeff shook his head, “You’ll be dead from all that junk, you disgusting slob.”

Two Forty Five. Fifteen minutes till resupply time. Jeff stuck his phone behind the beers and hit record. Now he would see who was behind this.
Three O’clock. He made as if going outside, waited, came back to see beers missing.
Three Fifteen. Jeff showed Martino the video of Harry taking the beers.
“I guess he knew you ah snitch on ah him for not ah cleaning. He want revenge on ah you.”