Chapter One


The floors were sticky, the air felt thick, and the tick of the clock went louder with every second. I looked around my colorful classroom and took in the faces of my classmates. It was the last day of school, and everybody was doing something other than paying attention to the announcements on the loud speaker. People were doodling, nonchalantly texting, whispering or writing. Nobody did the summer word search Mrs. Trymble gave us. It was the last year of being a sophomore. In two months I would be a junior. That much closer to finally graduating. I could hear the screeching of the buses wheels as they pulled up one by one. I was going to Audrey’s after school today. We decided we would apply to a bunch of different places, and whoever would hire us both we would accept. I glanced over at her and she was popping her gum, throwing out old algebra two home work assignment. She really despised that class. I then looked over at Eric Block. Why was he so beautiful? His eyes were so blue and deep. I lost myself looking into them. His hair was long and blonde. It shined and looked so soft. His smile was bright and he showed all his teeth when he smiled. It most the best thing I’d ever seen. He would never go after a girl like me though... Interrupting my thoughts, was the final bell. Everybody jumped up and rushed into the hallway, papers cluttering the floor, giddy girls running from locker to locker. The teachers all held the same expression, one of relief and joy. Audrey waited for me to catch up, and we exited the classroom together.

“Can you believe we’re finally done? I mean in a few months we will be driving. Not with our parents in the passenger seat either. This is going to be one hell of a summer.” She looked forward with confidence as a few boys smiled shyly at her.

I saw Eric glance in my direction from the corner of my eye, as he talked to his football buddies. What I wouldn’t have done to run into his arms at that moment.

“How do you get every boy’s attention without even trying Aud?” I got so irritated by the way everything came so easily to her. I guess that’s a little selfish, but it’s hard. She’s the girl with the perfect skin and pearly teeth. She had long legs and thin hair. I’m not saying I’m ugly, because I’m not completely insecure. But standing next to her it’s hard to hold your head high.

She threw her head back and laughed, getting the attention of anybody within 100 feet of her. She always liked to pretend she’s having more fun that any one else.
“This summer will be different for you Keira. If one thing changes it’ll be the way people look at you, and the vibe you give off to others.” She looked at me and sincerely smiled.

We walked into her empty house that day, and ran straight into her room. It was one of the houses that looked as if it just came straight out of a magazine. Her room perfect. It was with white, with pink stripes. Or I guess you could say it was pink with white stripes. Her carpet was also white, and her walls held up black photo frames, of her with her friends and family. Her windows were huge, and you had a clear view of the neighborhood. She had a king bed with a hot pink duvet, matched with light pink sheets. All her furniture was black, and her flat screen TV hung above her desk across from the door. She had a bathroom attached to her room, with the same decor.

We instantly began tearing through her two closets and four dressers, for something that says “Hi, I’m cute, but I’m a diligent worker.” We decided on the first three places we would apply to. The CVS drug store in town, the Barnes and Nobles in town, and the Piggly Wiggly grocery store. We decided on dress pants and button up shirts, with the sleeves rolled to our elbows. We were wearing cute flats, and very little makeup.

Audrey’s parents worked most of the day, so if we needed to get in town, we usually walked. Her neighborhood lay in the center of town, and the local stores were simply five minutes away. We walked on the shoulder of the road, and it sure was a hot day. The sun was really beating down on us, so we decided on a slow paced walk so we wouldn’t break a sweat. I loved this time of year because everything looks so much happier. The trees were so green, and they looked they were dancing as they sway in the wind. The grass looks so full and even the some dirt particles glinted in the sunlight. Audrey was complaining about somebody but I zoned her out. We took shortcuts through trails and the way the branches hung and the leaves moved was beautiful. The air smelled clean and I swore it only smelled that way in the summer time. Before I knew it we were on the town’s sidewalk.

When we walked into CVS the first thing I noticed was the air conditioning. It was freezing, and I felt relief from the heat. The aisles were filled with anything you could imagine. Shampoos and conditioners, school supplies, snacks of all sorts, cosmetics, children’s toys, house cleaning items, and basically all the essentials.

We walked up to the counter and an extremely bubbly girl with the nameplate “Cindy” was happy to help us.

“Hi, I’m Audrey and this is my friend Keira. We’re looking to apply for a job. Are we at the right place?” The girl’s face lit up and Audrey tried not to laugh. This girl was so into her job it was a bit ridiculous.

“You girls sure are in the right place! Here! Let me grab the applications!” She reached under the tidy counter and began to rustle through the papers. She submerged after a good two minutes with rustled hair.

“Boss sure hid these well huh? Well here ya go. There are seats over by the pharmacy desk if you girls would like to sit.” She handed us pens and pointed across the room to the pharmacy area.

We walked through the aisles and sat down. The chairs had remotes for massage control, but Audrey’s didn’t work. I giggled and put mine on high, just to rub it in. The questions were standard, and they asked us to leave a phone number in case they decided to call us in for an interview. The paper said the manager would call within three days if they were interested. The paper’s only took a few minutes, and we were out the door in no time. When we handed the cashier our papers, I threw a bag of peanut M&M’s on he counter. She rang them up with her too peppy smile, and shouted “Hope to see you soon!” when we walked out the door. The moment we walked out and the hot air hit us again, Audrey began to crack up.

“That girl was whack! Were you thinking what I was thinking? Her face was in such a tight smile I was waiting for it to crack!” She was bending down with her hands on her face now, and she took quick sharp breaths. She couldn’t control the laughter. I giggled and watched as she began to compose herself.

We only had to walk half a block to Barnes and Nobles. When we walked in, it was quiet. The walls were lined with books and there were people all over. Sprawled in chairs, sitting at tables, walking around, flipping through books... It took me a few minutes to spot the counter but luckily there were only two people checking out, so this would be fast.

“Aud over there.” I pointed to the counter and she followed me as we squeezed through people. When we reached the counter I talked this time.

“Hi, I’m Keira, and this is my friend Audrey. We were wondering if you guys were currently hiring?” A cute boy with curly black hair smiled at us and pulled applications out of a drawer behind the counter. He handed them to us and threw two pens in too.

“There’s chairs all over... Just make sure these get back to me.” He winked when he said it, and I blushed. We walked away and he started helping the next customer.

“He was pretty cute Keira. But we could like never work here. Look there’s old people over there...” She pointed in the direction of a man who looked about 50.

“There’s old people everywhere smarty.” I rolled my eyes. The real reason she didn’t want to work here was because she was afraid she wouldn’t be the center of attention. She noticed the guy was interested into me and not her, and this bothered her. I began filling mine out, and looked over when I heard she began crumpling the paper up. She popped her gum, walked over to the register and asked the same cute guy if he could throw it out for her. She turned back around and flipped her long hair, and made her way back to me.

“I’d like to leave if your ready... Oh you’re not really filling that are you?” She gave me the I-don’t-think-so-we’re-leaving look. I sighed and looked at the papers then at her. She held the same expression and turned around. So I did what I do best. I followed her out leaving the half filled application on the empty register next to the cute guy. He half-heartedly smiled at me and I walked in Audrey’s footsteps out the door.

“You really can’t help me out can you? A cute guy notices me, and you see old people so you jet. Really? Thanks. Maybe it’s time to go home.” I shot Audrey an annoyed look and she rolled her eyes. There was no winning with her.

“You’re not going anywhere other than the grocery store down the street. If we don’t get going my hair will frizz out. It’s humid.” With that she began walking up the cracked sidewalk passed the colorful stores that lined the street. Her hair swung side to side and I began to walk behind her.