n very social or charismatic, and I'm not looking forward to helping people, all I want is to sit in the high chair by the entrance and

aybe eighteen or nineteen, and she would always sit there and read a magazine or some romance novel. People would ask her for help and she would point them in the direction they

s sitting in the sun, and she had a tattoo of a Hawaiian flower on her ankle. She was some odd role model to me. We never spoke, she never knew of my existence, but I thought she must be

a responsible employee, so it may as well be my first impression. The beach seems to be as crowded as it will get

ting to designs on the wall, and I move past them as I reach the register. Sally is there, leaning against the wall, waiting for the people to decide

ecause right in the middle is my orange sunset. "Uh, yeah. This one is my favorite so... s

and I do so. "This is Brandon. He's on the p

u d

nice to meet you' from me, but I cross my arms and squeeze myself. Brandon smiles at Sally, and Sally says, "

looks like a surfer and I immediately decide that I don't like him. He's too pretty. Everyone probably loves him and his

thrown over it and it's calling to me. "Whenever we get new shipments, just take the boxes back here and put them in their slots. You're welcome to leave when you're on break to get coffee or whatever. Brandon's break is a

ly urges me to give it a shot. I clench my jaw and walk over, knowing I'll have to

me, holding her daughter's han

ven throw in a smile and she nods. My chest is tight and I turn back to Sally, rus

hy and respected their space. I

rgot where they were when talking to a customer. I can tell she's not one to really

l show you how to

as Sally teaches me. I always look away when we acciden

ng and tells me to come back tom

rs, maybe a few years younger than me. One of

at midnight. I felt like someone edgy and rebellious since I had to sneak out of the house, and I eventu

a way that made me look comfortable, but on the inside, my heart felt like it was on fire. He told me that he wasn't, and all I thought to say was okay. After that, he started asking me a bunch of questions. Have yo

w beautiful he thought I was. I blushed and shied away, a bubbly feeling rose up inside of me. He then asked if I

or some reason, he made me feel dirty. The way he said

n the house at eight thirty. Aunt Wendy doesn't work anymore and my mother is on vacation as she's a schoolt

phone has been dead since yesterday and I'm not going to bother charging it. I'm

s Sally said she wasn't going to be here. "Hey, ready for you're first day?" He as

I guess,"

you how to work the hea

," he opens the press, "then you're going to set the temperature to three seventy-five," he reaches for the temperature knob and turns

not perm

then? Do you have a house

tions. As he rambles, my mind wanders to the heat press. I wonder what it would feel like if someone

on the plate with the designed side facing up, and set the transfer on it faced down. There's already a protective pad on it, so you won't have to cover the transfer with anything. So just close the press, start the timer," he points t

ask, expecting that in t

press. "And usually we keep the heat on if it'

ka

ne or sweeps the floor or brings out new clothes. Two or three people walk in before noon and one of them gets a shirt. I retrieve the transfer

he'll ask me how I'm doing, I'll say good, and he'll give me the garment. At two, things slow down and Brandon goes on break. I sit up front in my chair and watch as he heads down to the beach. I find it odd. I thought he would go get

pletely seriously, but all of them know how to play. Everyone seems to like Brandon as I expected. He looks like a golden boy down there, blonde

One order of California rolls and I'm sitting up on the seawall, my feet dangling freely as I eat. The half of the beach that stays mostly dry is still packed with people while the lower half i

ised and beaten up to even

could react like them. Brandon would ask me how I'm doing and I would

ss that talking to me becomes a chore? Why can't I just have fun at my own b