RUSH

Ch. 22: Tepid

-Bennett-

Against my better judgment, I let Riley stick around near the end of my shift. She barged in uninvited and decided to stay, declaring this a safe haven after Marissa tried to make her clean the bathroom just because the janitor was busy elsewhere. I was a bit perplexed at first, only to realize our dearly beloved manager wouldn't do much more than glare at us through the window... clearly trying to avoid me.

I couldn't help but wonder if Mr. Phelps scolded her as well.

As for Riley, she was pleasantly helpful, providing an extra set of eyes to ensure the kids weren't getting into any trouble. Her energy nearly surpassed that of the kids, but they almost seemed to cancel each other out, such as when they all managed to tire themselves out by having an impromptu jump rope competition. Riley ranked 11th place, which she was only a bit salty about.

She did ask for a recount, blaming one of her long braids for getting caught on the rope. None of the participating kids believed her though, since she'd tied her hair back into a ponytail before going. And thus, her nostalgic dreams of channeling Keke Palmer as Mary Thomas in the 2007 Disney Channel original movie Jump in! were unequivocally crushed.

"You're still Mary in my heart," I promised Riley, which she at least seemed thankful for.

"I am, aren't I?" she agreed, nudging me playfully.

Still, the liveliness did help the time go faster. One moment we were in the middle of Riley getting brutally outjumped by children, and then the next the final student was being picked up and we were finally putting the equipment away.

"Who's that?" Riley pointed out while sauntering over after a bit of clean-up, casually settling an arm on my shoulder. "D'you know him?"

"Huh?" I huffed at the added weight, briefly sinking down before I gently shrugged her off. There was a light, resurging ache along my ankle, but it was more tedious than anything. She apologized upon realizing, but I waved it off and frowned questioningly. "What are you talking about?"

"Someone's trying to get your attention," Riley elaborated with a sense of urgency. "At two o'clock."

I peered up at her with knitted brows, attempting to use my hands to simulate the arms of a clock before having my body impatiently turned towards the large window. "I swear I was getting there—"

The rest of the words cut off as my jaw clenched shut, my darting eyes widening in bewilderment as I caught sight of Mason and his friend.

Just like Riley had mentioned, there they were on the other side of the grimy glass, casually walking down the main hall on their way to the lobby. I'd clearly pushed Eric's invitation to the farthest recesses of my mind, given that it wasn't until I met his gaze that my body grew tense anew, suddenly floored by the tiresome realization that my day was far from over.

Eric beckoned me over with the tilt of his head, a knowing smirk present upon his lips as he pulled Mason closer, roughly tousling his hair before yanking him forward by the neck. And then they both disappeared around the corner... just as quickly as they'd shown up. I tried to follow with my eyes regardless, noting the tedious blurriness caused by the dozens of small fingerprints scattered across the glass, most of which heavily congregated near the borders.

Or maybe it was my own vision? I did feel somewhat lightheaded, though that could've been the exhaustion. It wasn't too far into the night, but my body already felt quite heavy and tense after a long day.

"That guy totally called you over," Riley pointed out.

Alright, so Eric clearly hadn't forgotten. And he'd found a way to make it Riley's business too, surprisingly enough.