RUSH

Ch. 3: A Helping Hand

-Bennett-

I cursed under my breath while searching through my pockets for the fifth time, regretting not double-checking that I had everything I needed before leaving the house. I'd been so preoccupied with shamelessly missing all of my classes after oversleeping that I hadn't even bothered to make sure I had my ID card. What now?

We had a semi-strict policy regarding IDs, which required one to have a physical gym ID card to enter the premises. It was a security measure, and the rule automatically applied to the entire staff as well, which typically wouldn't matter if Jonah or someone else was on front desk duty.

Except, Marissa was on front desk duty today, and oh boy did she care. Her name was Marissa, but holy shit was she a Karen. Yet, she was also the floor manager, so I put on an apologetic smile and prayed.

I nervously walked up to the front desk, flashing a weak smile. "Hi, there! How are you doing, Marissa?"

"ID?" she asked while impatiently waving the scanner, sarcastically looking around despite knowing damn well I didn't have it with me.

"Can I give you my number... just for today?" I pleaded. Usually, members could just provide their phone number to confirm their identity in cases of emergency.

"You know the rules..."

"Huh?" I asked, feigning ignorance despite knowing damn well that would get me nowhere with her. "What? No, I'm actually not even on shift today... I'm just, uh, here to work out, is all!"

"I know your schedule, idiot."

"Hah... right," I blurted out, flashing a weak smile. "You sure do."

"The search system's not working right now anyway," she retorted without even checking, lying through her goddamn teeth. "So, no ID?"

I sighed, resentfully frowning at her. It wasn't like I could just call her out on her bullshit with customers watching us, though. "About that..."

"Well, you know gym policies," she explained, forcing an apologetic pout. "I might have to write you up for that too."

"I can see my kids from here!" I complained, pointing at the open room across the lobby. "Just... please let me in or I'll be late. I'll owe you one, alright?"

"Would you like to purchase a new ID card? It might take some time to fill out the new form, though," she pondered aloud, despite knowing damn well she'd immediately chase me down once I'd crossed into the gym to write me up for being late to my shift.

I gritted my teeth, wondering why she couldn't just cut me some slack. There was no way she'd get in trouble for this. "Marissa, please. I'm already having a shitty Monday." This was honestly the last thing I needed after spending the whole weekend dealing with my father's bullshit, not even being able to leave the house after making the grave mistake of looking annoyed during Friday night's dinner.

"Maybe you should have thought about that before—"

She was cut off by the slam of a hand hitting the desk, the edge of a white card peeking out from underneath. "I still haven't used the complimentary 'three-day pass' that comes with my membership," a deep voice announced from right behind me, sounding worryingly irritated. "I'd like to redeem it now. He's my plus-one."