watched his friend drop subtle hints at Zoe since she’d arrived on campus. “Shit. Dude. They’re coming over here.”
Ryle’s defenses went up quicker than a boxer in the ring.
“Hey ladies.” Kaiser gives us a guy wave—you know, the way that doesn’t make you look like a creep while waving. The guy wave is more of a two-finger salute in the air.
“Hi,” Zoe says with a squeak.
While I haven’t known her long, I know Zoe isn’t the bashful, squeak-when-a-guy-talks-to-her type. She must really have it bad for this dude. I feel her elbow nudge me in the side. “So what are y’all up to?” It’s a ridiculous question. She knows what they’re both up to. We’ve been watching them.
I’ve officially been crowned with stalker status.
“Well from the looks of it, we’re in a gym. Take one guess as to what we’ve been doing?” Ryle’s voice is stern, with no hint of humor.
“Well, this has been a pleasant conversation, but look at the time.” I glance at my wrist, well aware that I’m not wearing a watch. “It’s time for me to start my shift.” I’m pleased at how nonchalant I sound. Take that, fuck-wad. “Zoe, come say bye before you leave.” On that note, I slide away from the triangle of weirdness and make my way to the employee lounge hidden behind a wrap-around desk.
The room is big. I’m surprised at how much stuff they’ve fit in here. There’s a faux brown leather couch and a small wooden TV stand with one of those big square televisions sitting on top of it. I zero in on the time clock and notice my name written in chicken scratch on a yellow card. Sliding it in the small machine on the wall, red numbers stamp my card. My first day of work, and I clocked in ten minutes early.
Overachiever. I grin.
Spinning around, I notice a set of lockers on the far side of the room. My name is written on one in black Sharpie. I pull the latch open to stuff my bag into it, and notice a manila envelope, also with my name on it. Sliding a hand inside, I pull out a name badge. Affixing it to my shirt, I flip through the rest of the contents of the envelope – policies and regulations. I’ll read them later.
Luckily, there’s an employees-only bathroom by the lockers. I start toward them, but stop in my tracks when a bulletin board catches my eye. Mostly, there are just wage and discrimination notices hanging by thumbtacks, but what draws my attention are a few pictures of Kaiser, Ryle, and some kid. In every image, it’s the same threesome. I wonder who the kid is. Flipping the picture over, it reads, Aaron Harris. We miss you, bro.
“Didn’t you ever learn not to touch what doesn’t belong to you?”
I swallow, knowing that I’ve been caught. Quickly, I tack the picture back on the board, careful to make sure I don’t make any new holes on it. I hesitantly turn around as Ryle’s eyes study me. I hope that my face doesn’t betray me as I inhale and try to look like I’m not guilty, although he caught me red-handed. “It’s on a bulletin board. Doesn’t that mean it’s on display for all to see?” His scowl doesn’t change. “I’m sorry. I was just curious.”
“Curiosity killed the cat.” He spits out, venom in his tone.
Great. We’re back to this cat and mouse nonsense.
“Like I said, I’m sorry. I didn’t think anything of it. It’s just a picture.”
“It’s not just a picture. Not to me.”
I notice a muscle ticking along his jaw as he leans in closer to me. Hot breath escapes his lips, blowing the tiny hairs that fell out of my ponytail. It tickles the side of my face, and I hold my breath in anticipation. Of what, I have no clue.
“I forgive you,” Ryle whispers huskily into my ear. The sound of his voice causes me to shiver from head to toe. He lightly laughs, an acknowledgement of the effect he has on me. My heart continues to pound like a summer storm as he backs away, leaving me breathless and completely smitten.
I forget about going to the
Ryle’s defenses went up quicker than a boxer in the ring.
“Hey ladies.” Kaiser gives us a guy wave—you know, the way that doesn’t make you look like a creep while waving. The guy wave is more of a two-finger salute in the air.
“Hi,” Zoe says with a squeak.
While I haven’t known her long, I know Zoe isn’t the bashful, squeak-when-a-guy-talks-to-her type. She must really have it bad for this dude. I feel her elbow nudge me in the side. “So what are y’all up to?” It’s a ridiculous question. She knows what they’re both up to. We’ve been watching them.
I’ve officially been crowned with stalker status.
“Well from the looks of it, we’re in a gym. Take one guess as to what we’ve been doing?” Ryle’s voice is stern, with no hint of humor.
“Well, this has been a pleasant conversation, but look at the time.” I glance at my wrist, well aware that I’m not wearing a watch. “It’s time for me to start my shift.” I’m pleased at how nonchalant I sound. Take that, fuck-wad. “Zoe, come say bye before you leave.” On that note, I slide away from the triangle of weirdness and make my way to the employee lounge hidden behind a wrap-around desk.
The room is big. I’m surprised at how much stuff they’ve fit in here. There’s a faux brown leather couch and a small wooden TV stand with one of those big square televisions sitting on top of it. I zero in on the time clock and notice my name written in chicken scratch on a yellow card. Sliding it in the small machine on the wall, red numbers stamp my card. My first day of work, and I clocked in ten minutes early.
Overachiever. I grin.
Spinning around, I notice a set of lockers on the far side of the room. My name is written on one in black Sharpie. I pull the latch open to stuff my bag into it, and notice a manila envelope, also with my name on it. Sliding a hand inside, I pull out a name badge. Affixing it to my shirt, I flip through the rest of the contents of the envelope – policies and regulations. I’ll read them later.
Luckily, there’s an employees-only bathroom by the lockers. I start toward them, but stop in my tracks when a bulletin board catches my eye. Mostly, there are just wage and discrimination notices hanging by thumbtacks, but what draws my attention are a few pictures of Kaiser, Ryle, and some kid. In every image, it’s the same threesome. I wonder who the kid is. Flipping the picture over, it reads, Aaron Harris. We miss you, bro.
“Didn’t you ever learn not to touch what doesn’t belong to you?”
I swallow, knowing that I’ve been caught. Quickly, I tack the picture back on the board, careful to make sure I don’t make any new holes on it. I hesitantly turn around as Ryle’s eyes study me. I hope that my face doesn’t betray me as I inhale and try to look like I’m not guilty, although he caught me red-handed. “It’s on a bulletin board. Doesn’t that mean it’s on display for all to see?” His scowl doesn’t change. “I’m sorry. I was just curious.”
“Curiosity killed the cat.” He spits out, venom in his tone.
Great. We’re back to this cat and mouse nonsense.
“Like I said, I’m sorry. I didn’t think anything of it. It’s just a picture.”
“It’s not just a picture. Not to me.”
I notice a muscle ticking along his jaw as he leans in closer to me. Hot breath escapes his lips, blowing the tiny hairs that fell out of my ponytail. It tickles the side of my face, and I hold my breath in anticipation. Of what, I have no clue.
“I forgive you,” Ryle whispers huskily into my ear. The sound of his voice causes me to shiver from head to toe. He lightly laughs, an acknowledgement of the effect he has on me. My heart continues to pound like a summer storm as he backs away, leaving me breathless and completely smitten.
I forget about going to the
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