RODRICK'S RULES

Let's Get Down to Business

Rodrick:

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"You're my WHAT?!" Roxanna's voice boomed loud enough to crack the building's foundation.

"I'm your trainee...like I've repeated 3 times already." I shook my head. Roxanna was definitely surprised by my new position, but I couldn't tell whether it was the good or bad kind of shocked yet.

"Ready for my first day on the job!" I beamed at Roxanna. Honestly, I didn't care how she felt—either way she'd be grateful in the end. Oh, was I so ready for this.

Roxanna stared at me dumbfounded, her mouth gaping like a fish. Her finger twitched as she pointed up at me, her face contorted in a goofy, confused expression.

I carefully pushed down her floating finger. "Why don't we just calm down a minute. Take a breather while I go clock in with Casey, okay?" I looked down at Roxanna, still blank faced, her mouth opening and closing, fumbling for words.

I took that as my cue to break for the back room, where thankfully Casey stood hunched over a clipboard, leafing through a new shipment of vinyl.

"Hey, Casey!" I called into the storeroom. Casey's hair whipped around revealing fresh piercings on her eyebrow and lip. You'd think I'd get used to Casey's punk phase by now, but it was still a shock compared to her daisy-chain days back in junior high.

I'd known Casey and her family since I was a kid. My parents used to lug me to barbecues every summer with the Vick's, but after awhile, I refused to go. I'd only talked to Casey a few times here and there, but we were still decently familiar. That's one of the reasons that helped get me the job. Casey wouldn't tell me the other.

"So, I'm guessing Roxy took things well," she smirked to herself, flipping through inventory sheets.

"As well as you'd expect, I guess. Need any help back here?" I scanned the room lazily, attempting to project a casual front. Casey saw right through it.

"No, no, I think your most needed in the front. Take this list to Roxy, she'll know what to do with it." Casey shoved a flimsy scrap of paper in my direction and scrunched back down over her clipboard.

I took a cautious step out of the storeroom. Roxanna was enthralled in the bookshelves again, organizing and restocking, though I could tell she was nervous by the way she was biting her cuticles. A few weeks ago I might have found this habit gross, but on her it was kinda cute. I liked watching her nervous, off-balance, anxious for what's to come.

She looked over, meeting my eyes for a split-second, then averted her gaze. Moving over towards the shelves, I unraveled the crumpled sheet in my palms. "Uh, Casey said to give this to you. She said you'd know what to do with it."

Roxanna looked at me with a blinded, doe-like expression then quickly flattened out the paper. "Uh, I have to what??" Roxanna exclaimed, roughly folding up the paper and shoving it in the pocket of her jeans.

She scoffed.

"What is it?" I asked.

Roxanna crossed her arms, huffing as she stared sidelong at the floor. "She wants me to train you on all the basics...but that will take a week at least! Ugh, why do I have to do this?!" she sighed, keeping her gaze fixed on the floor.

Surprisingly, I felt kind of deflated. I didn't expect her to be so against us working together.  "Am I really that intolerable?" I spoke, raking a hand through my hair. Maybe I shouldn't have taken the job? Did I overstep?