Chapter 1
“Tess, there’s a huge mound of shit in the giraffe cage again! The little kids are getting grossed out.”
“I’ll be right on it,” I said with a fake cheerful smile.
And that was my job. Picking up animal shit. I worked part time at the Los Angeles Zoo. It amazes me that out of the endless glamorous experiences a person can have in the city of Los Angeles, they choose to visit a stinky animal facility.
To me, it’s funny how so many people dream of coming to California, when it’s actually my dream to leave. And hopefully, I will be living my dream in just a few short months.
I want to live in Africa to study real, wild animals. Not these ratchet beasts in cages. But I have to work here for now, because it’s the closest thing I have to living in Africa. And because I still have a few months left before I finish my senior year of high school.
“Oh my god, there’s boys in the giraffe cage!”
“Someone get them out of there!”
“They’re going to get eaten!”
“Shit,” I thought to myself. I’m tired of these rich California Boys thinking they can do whatever they want.
I looked over and sure enough, there were two teenage boys in the giraffe cage. The one boy was tall and thin with wispy brunette hair. The other boy was shorter, with dark hair, tattoos on his arms, and was also holding a camera. I could hear them talking.
“Kian, we need to get out of here!” the shorter boy exclaimed. “Everyone’s watching us. We’re getting ourselves into more shit than we need to be.”
“Jc, you told me you wouldn’t chicken out! I am finishing this video with the giraffes no matter what. We’ve already come this far,” Kian responded back.
I walked over to where they could see me, since I was the only employee who saw what was going on because I was already in the exhibit picking up the poop.
“You shitheads need to get out!” I yelled at them.
Jc came over to me while Kian was still on the other side of the cage, monkeying around. As Jc came closer to me, I began to examine him up and down. He was actually really beautiful. There was something about the grooves of his face and the way the locks of his chocolate hair were perfectly set into place with his backwards snapback.
This was odd to me, because I usually don’t “fall” for guys. I am usually too focused on my future to pay attention to immature goofballs that other girls my age mess around with. But in the ten seconds that Jc was approaching me, I already knew he was different. And I was actually nervous by the time I had to talk to him.
“I’m really sorry,” Jc answered. “You see, we make weekly videos for youtube and we wanted to do something extreme this week.”
I didn’t want to get mad at Jc. “It’s okay,” I responded. That was all I managed to say since I was so mesmerized by him.
"It’s okay?” Jc chuckled. “What happened to ‘get out, shitheads?’”
“I-I don’t know.” I was at a loss for words.
I think Jc noticed that I was nervous.
“Well are we going to go to jail or something? Or have to pay a fine? I didn’t want to come here but somehow that shithead named Kian convinced me to help him,” Jc said.
“N-no, you won’t get into any trouble. I think I’m the only employee who knows you guys are here. I can get you out without any trouble, but you have to leave right now before anyone else sees you. Get Kian over here, and follow me. But you have to run.”
“Kian!” Jc shouted, “We have to go right now!”
Jc was began to run towards Kian, who wasn’t listening to him, but he didn’t get too far. Jc slipped and fell in the huge pile of giraffe poop that I was supposed to be cleaning up.
I rushed over to help him up. Suddenly, I felt my feet fall through and I couldn’t stop myself. Before I knew it, I was laying on top of Jc, who was covered in giraffe poop.
Okay well this is the first chapter, I hoped you liked it. Tweet me what you thought! @jcsbutt :)
