The next morning, I have an email from my advisor. She wants to meet with me to make sure I want to completely withdraw or apply for a deferment. With my grades, I could apply for a grant. Ronald will receive a portion of the tuition back. I schedule an appointment to talk with her and get ready for work. In the kitchen, there is a note from Ezra.
Snookem’s,
I’m sorry about last night. I had too much to drink and I was an insensitive asshole. I should have said, I’m sorry your mom can be overbearing, and I love you. Your mom loves you. So does Ronald. We all only want the best for you. We’ll talk later, and Holden will bring a key by your work at lunch. I am leaving you the spare key to my car. You can drive it to work today. Holden is giving me a lift to the office and I will get an Uber home. I left you one of my old cell phones on the dresser, I already had it added to my account and programmed important numbers for you.
All my love,
Ezra
I groan. He must have spoken to my mother. I don’t know whether to choke Ezra or forgive him.
When I get to work, I am stuck tagging the sales racks. I hate working retail. I despise all the rude people who shop here, but I guess it pays and I should be happy I’m not working fast-food, yet.
The one perk of working here though is the employee discount. I eye the spring arrivals, daydreaming about being on a beach somewhere with a cocktail and a book while sticking red and green stickers on price tags.
“Excuse me, Miss. Do you have this in an extra-large?” The busty blonde who reminds me a lot of Mimi from The Drew Carey Show questions, her vibrant purple eyeshadow and pink lipstick exaggerating her facial expression holds up an electric blue sequined dress.
“Not in this section. Have you checked in the plus size wear?” I don’t mean my suggestion to come off as rude, but there is always a customer who thinks she can still fit into the junior’s clothing like she did before kids and ten years of marriage.
“I’m not plus-size. I have wide hips.” She twists her nose and mouth up at me.
“Ma’am, this is the junior’s section. The sizes are tailored to fit teen girls.”
“Well, I have never.” She mocks a face of horror as though I have insulted her beyond her belief. “I want to speak to a manager,” she demands, storming off toward the perfume counter.
I sigh and go back to my task. There is no making some people happy.
Moments later, I see the woman fake crying to Ted. He’s the department store manager and I swear the guy hates me. He is always writing me up for something.
He talks with her for a moment and leads her away.
Great.
I don’t see any sign of the crazy lady or Ted before or after I return from my lunch break. Maybe I will get off with a mild warning or escape a talk with Ted completely.
By the end of my shift, there still isn’t any sign of Holden or my new key for the apartment for that matter. At least I was able to drive Ezra’s car today. He had Holden drive him to work and said he’d catch an Uber home, but he took his keys with him. I am using his spare car key. Which means I will have to rely on Holden to let me in.
When I go to clock out Ted calls me into the office. “Please, have a seat.”
“What’s up?”
“You called in Saturday and didn’t file the proper paperwork. You were out of days and today with the customer you upset that’s too many marks against you and I have no choice but to let you go.”
“What? You’re firing me?”
“Afraid so. I’ll need you to turn in your name tag.” He gives me a fake grimace. I know the jerk is enjoying this all too much.
I rip it from my shirt not caring if I tear a hole in it.
——––—
Holden James is a jerk with a capital J. I wouldn’t be surprised if the dude counts the notches on his bedpost by actually carving them in the wood with a knife. I’m not sure what he does when he isn’t driving me mad other than play cards and shooting pool in the back of some dank bar, Big Mike’s Grill.
I’ve only been here a few times, and the times I was here, I wasn’t impressed. I could’ve sworn a guy was pissing in the corner. It was so gross. A couple was dry humping on a couch, and a huge fight broke out. One night, a guy was stabbed in the parking lot. After that incident, I swore I’d never go back, and Ezra promised me I wouldn’t need to. The only appeal of the place is the Saturday night open mic. It always draws large crowds, or so I have heard. My best friend, Bailey, likes going to the open mic nights. Well she used to until she kept running into Holden.
Anyway, I don’t have a key of my own still, since Holden neglected to bring one to me today. I am technically moving the last of my stuff in tomorrow. Holden was supposed to get a key made for me and bring it to me at lunch. Of course, he was a no show. I should’ve known better than to depend on him. Holden isn’t known for being dependable. I’ve never known him to keep a promise, and I gave up setting him up with my friends forever ago. I set him up with my cousin, Whitney, when she came for a visit and he took her to a strip club. Who does that? Holden James, that’s who. My friend, Carissa went on one double date with us and Holden, and she swore she’d never do it again. She said she wasn’t looking to join the long line of one-night stands that plague that man.
After three ignored text messages and thirty minutes of standing in the cold, I give in and drive to the Grill. It isn’t a shock to my system seeing Holden’s rusty tin can he calls a truck sitting in the lot. Stupid jerkface. I’d kick his ride if I weren’t afraid it’d fall apart on impact. I swear that thing is an accident waiting to happen.