Hockey Book

Chapter 6: Promoted to a Judge

Parker

Shit, I'm late for work. Now, I don't have a car, but I have an electric bike and it's much more appealing than walking. I really wish I had a Ducati, actually. That would be even better, but unfortunately, I don't think I'm pretty enough to have my looks pay for one of those, and I sure as hell don't have the money.

I arrive at Duke's Fresh Foods ten minutes past the time my shift was scheduled to start and rush to the back to drop off my stuff before I get caught by–

"You're late." Mr. Coleson's voice is thick with annoyance.

"I know, I'm sorry." An apology is all I can offer because there's no excuse for my tardiness that would be of any use to either of us when the reason I'm late is because I was sulking in bed instead of getting ready.

"Miss Collins, I took you on as a full-time employee because you've never disappointed me as a part-time one, and because you asked. Now you're a full-time employee and you're disappointing me."

I can think of nothing to say that would aid the situation so I only stare back at the balding man and allow silence to settle between us.

Finally, he sighs. "Register eight if it's not too much of an inconvenience for you." he bites out.

I head to register eight and start taking shoppers into my line. The store is small and thankfully doesn't get very busy during the weekday mornings which is when I work. But not being busy only drags out the shifts. After what seems like a hundred customers have come and gone through my line, I check the time and groan when I realize only an hour has passed.

I run my knuckles along my scalp to help ease the tension building up there. My mother called me again last night to badger me about fall break, so throughout the first two hours of my shift I deliberate on how exactly I should go about crushing her spirits. Then I spend another hour and a half after that stressing about starting my Microeconomics class tomorrow.

I decided to use the last scraps of money I had left from my savings to pay for at least one class this semester. Even though the thought of not doing college sent excitement coursing through my body, the thought of being a semester off course made me want to vomit. Yeah, I think taking an extra class is the smart thing to do, even if I'm starting two weeks later than everyone else.

For another hour of my shift, I think about how I'll be getting to see my oldest brother soon. He lives with his fiance off in Tennessee somewhere, but he makes sure to visit me sometime before the holidays. I don't know why he decided to come so early this year, but I don't care. I'm excited all the same. Plus, I enjoy when his fiance, Milani, and I team up on him.

Eventually my mind wanders back to the hockey game we went to a couple days ago. I wasn't expecting it to be so exciting and I definitely wasn't expecting to be so eager to go to another one. But Ashley hasn't brought any of that stuff up. Maybe she's afraid she'll push me too far and I'll snap which makes my stomach burn with guilt because that's not the kind of thing I ever want Ashley to worry about. She's my best friend, and for a little over a year she's been my only friend.

As I'm ringing up another customer I silently decide that if she asks me to another game I won't give her a hard time about it. Hell, I'll be excited to go. However, if she asks about another hangout, I don't know if I can convince myself of that so easily. I know it probably warmed her heart that I went out with her and her boyfriend and his friends after having such a poor social life for almost a year, but it was a strange feeling. I mean, the game I enjoyed, and Chris seems nice and he's extremely handsome, but it was weird. I was surrounded by strangers and I didn't want them to be anything more than just that– strangers.