The Little Life

Chapter Thirty Two

The next morning we were met by Leo when we made it to the kitchen. He was already cooking breakfast.

"Good morning you two. Busy night, eh?" Leo said as he looked at us over his shoulder, making my face turn beet red.

"Oh grow up" Jack teased before tossing a blueberry into his mouth.

"Any plans today?" I asked before sitting on a stool at the island.

"I'm gonna meet up with some friends from the area. You guys do whatever" Leo said as he flipped a pancake.

"Well I think Cal and I are gonna go to the zoo then" Jack said as he smiled at me.

"I would love to! But I have my Ethics final today, remember? It's the last final of the semester before I'm free for the Summer"

"Well, then we can go after. What time is it again?"

"It's at 1. I have an A in the class since it's pretty easy, we can go after since it shouldn't take me too long" I said as Leo placed a plate in front of me with pancakes covered in blueberries. He squirted some whipped cream on them and I thanked him before taking a bite.

"It's a date then. I'll finish up some work for the club while you're doing that. Thanks for breakfast Leo" Jack said as he took a seat beside me.

Leo gave Jack a small plate of pancakes and another large plate filled with sausage, eggs, bacon, and toast. "You think I'm some kind of ogre, eh? Not that I'm complaining" Jack laughed as he looked at the spread in front of him.

"No I don't think you're an ogre," Leo laughed, "I think you're a six foot 215 pound guy that lifts weights and eats enough to cover that"

"You wouldn't be wrong" Jack laughed.

We finished our breakfast and talked about our plans for the day before Leo ventured off to accompany his friends downtown. I studied for a bit after I finished eating while Jack worked on paperwork for his business. Luckily Ethics was an easy A so I didn't have to study too much. The exam was also open book but I wanted to take it without notes to see how I did. We got two attempts, so if I didn't do well I could always try again with my notes.

I studied for about an hour to pass the time then got dressed and ready to head to campus. I gathered my notes and said goodbye to Jack quietly, as he was on the phone, and headed outside to get in my car. Once I was in and the car was started, I opened Spotify to play some music on my drive there. I put Hozier songs on shuffle before driving off.

When I arrived to campus it was pretty busy. There were lots of people outside of the testing center and in the courtyard with books and papers scattered everywhere. I said 'Hi' to a few people from my classes before heading into the building for my final. Once I was in and took my seat with the supplied laptop, I took out my phone to check notifications since I was a little early. I noticed a text from my boss, asking me to come in for a meeting later today. I replied that I would be available around 3pm and he instantly texted back confirming. I texted Jack about the meeting as more people began to pile into the classroom. I silenced my phone and slipped it into my crossbody before logging into Blackboard on the laptop.

After a few minutes of instructions and talking, the professor gave us the go ahead to complete the exam. I decided to take out my notes just in case after looking around and seeing piles of notes everywhere. I opened the exam and typed in the password before starting.

I was the first one finished but I was scared to get up. Eventually I did since nobody else stood up in the time it took for me to gain courage. I had passed with a 96% without notes, so I was feeling pretty proud of myself. I gathered my things and placed the laptop back in its designated spot on the rolling cart before making my way out of the building and back to my car. I pulled out my phone and saw Jack had replied, saying something came up at work anyway and good luck on my exam. I texted him my result and that I was on my way to work for the meeting and would be back later tonight. I opened Spotify and put on a random playlist before heading the hour and change to my work.

When I arrived everything seemed normal. It was busy and all of my coworkers said hello to me as I walked through the building to the managers office. Pete, the general manager, was in the office with Ashley, the district manager. I felt my stomach begin to knot as we all greeted each other and they shut the door.

"What's up guys?" I said as I sat down.

"Well as you know I'm retiring in a few short weeks, thank God" Pete laughed. "I've spoken with some people and me and Ashley have come to the conclusion that we would like you to take my place."

"I-huh? Me? But Johnny is your assistant manager. Not me?" I asked, probably looking like a deer in headlights.

"Johnny...will no longer be working here after today due to certain...circumstances. You can think about it. You don't have to take the position, we know you're in school. We can bring in someone else if you're unable to take it. We just wanted to offer it to you first, since you're the star employee here"

"Oh. Well-I-uh-yeah. Um can I think about it?"

"Of course! We just need a decision by next week. If you decide not to take the job, we have to bring someone in and either way, we need to get training done before I retire. But take your time, talk to Jack, see what you think will work best for you. I'll email you over some things about the job to help your decision" Pete said as he stood up and held his hand out. "Although I do hope you take it, I'd love to leave this place knowing it's in good hands"

I reached out and shook his outstretched hand before saying my goodbyes to both of them. I ordered a green tea and sat in a booth before calling Jack.

"Hey sweetheart. How did the meeting go?" He asked on the other end.

"Umm it was good. I have to talk to you when I get home. Nothing bad though so don't worry. Do you want food from here for dinner or do you wanna cook?"

"Let's cook together. I miss you. And congrats on your final! I knew you would ace it. I'll see you when you get home. I love you ladybug"

"I love you too. See ya" I said before hanging up and getting in my car to head home.