Him & I

26

"I did."

"In your work overall."

"In my work overall," I singsong, smiling. The corner of his lips lift up in a smile as well as he places the clipboard I didn't notice he'd been holding on the bonnet of the nearest car.

"Ready to arrange mechanical oils in alphabetical order?"

"Why does everyone keep saying that?! I'm not. I'm  really not arranging any bottle of oils today."

He lightly chuckles, grabbing the clipboard from where he'd dropped it.

A worker I've never seen before, must be a new employer, waves at me as he walks past. The curly-head guy doesn't get anything more than a shaky wave back from me because I still don't know how to react properly and on time. He'd even already turned away before I waved.

There are no seats out here, well except for the hammock Sir Neo rests on and the last time I stayed in it I entangled in the material over and over before finally landing face first to the ground. An employee around at the time told me it could've been worse, and I think I agree 'cause at least I didn't loose any teeth.

With no 'safe' seats around, I clean the last step of the outdoor step to sit on it. Nathan's still up and about doing what he normally does with the cars. Things no one lets me do. Though I've never asked to try.

"You know, Nathan?" He perks up from where he's inspecting a car that's too dark for me to tell the make. Unlike how it is inside the shop, the fluorescent lights out here are dim. And the moon isn't white tonight.

Slowly pulling the pencil from between his teeth, "Yeah?"

"I was thinking." I say, rubbing my palms together then let them slide down my knees to wrap my legs to myself.

"Well, are you going to tell me what you're thinking or..."

"Oh yeah, I was think that.. I don't know." I stand off the step and begin walking around as I try to elaborate. "I wanna do tougher jobs. Real things, not just lining mechanical products on shelves."

"Alphabetically."

I send him a glare. "Not the point."

"What tougher jobs are we speaking about?"

"I don't know, maybe diagnose a few cars, trucks. Or something close. I know the theory, I've studied for years, let me try it out. It's time for me to level up, I'm sixteen."

He snorts from where he's crouched, inspecting a tire. "Whoever said sixteen is the age for leveling up in a mechanical workshop?" It earns an annoyed laugh from me.

"Just try me, okay."

"You're only gonna get us fired, Melissa. All of us."

"How does me doing tougher jobs get you fired?"

He cleans his face with a hankerchief before responding, something he has to do because he's actually sweating and working and I'm just here bothering. "It doesn't. Exactly. But you dying of fatigue will."

I give him a flat look and he smiles, walking away from the car and to the steps I'm standing next to.

"I've got this break that I shifted, want to come?"

Back inside the store where the lights are blinding, Nathan and I stay away from where customers are. The small lunch area that's not large enough for ten people to sit in all once. Well, not if they want to breath while sitting.

We choose a table by the corner after getting our food. I munch on the chips slowly 'cause it's been quite long since I ate junk food without feeling guilty. Dad's a strict healthy eater so the food ordered to the house is always... that. Healthy. And in school I have to save face thanks to they group of girls I hang out with.