The Invincible Summer of Juniper Jones (Wattpad Books Edition)

Two

"Nothing fancy here," he went on. "Menu's only got a few items, and since you have the morning shift, you don't need to worry about closing down. You'll be okay?"

"Yes, sir." Ethan nodded. It seemed that conversations with his uncle shrank his vocabulary down to just those two words. He didn't have the voice to mention that back home he had worked at the local Steak 'n Shake for half a year. He wasn't sure if anyone in this town had ever even seen a Steak 'n Shake.

"Listen, I wasn't planning on this." Uncle Robert looked uncomfortable as he ran a hand over his stiff hair. "But your dad didn't want you lazing around all summer, and the boy who worked here last summer, ah—well, he's gone now."

Of course, Ethan thought, seething. As if being sent to this place wasn't enough.

"Anyway," Uncle Robert went on. "Let me give you a tour of the place."

As it turned out, the place wasn't much—just the main shop plus a small kitchen in the back, behind a set of metal doors. Tuesday was burger day, Ethan learned, and the only time the rusting old stove ever got put to use. The rest of the time, sodas and milk shakes were the only items on the list.

"Real variety," Ethan muttered, glancing over the laminated menu. Uncle Robert, thankfully, didn't hear.

Ethan learned how to operate the soda machine—how to blend ice cream into a milk shake the right way—and where, exactly, to kick the jukebox in case it stopped in the middle of a song. All of this instruction was given in Uncle Robert's curt tone, and all without a single heartbeat of eye contact. Ethan gave his understanding in half-hearted nods, all the while eagerly awaiting the moment when Uncle Robert would leave, and he would finally be alone.

At a quarter to nine, Uncle Robert completed his tour back in the main area. Ethan looked out of the rectangle of glass on the door and didn't see a single soul on the street.

"Well, then," Uncle Robert said, fixing the collar of his shirt. He coughed into his fist. "Do you understand?"

Ethan nodded. "Yes, sir."

"Are you sure? I don't want any slipups."

Hollowly, Ethan recited the same response.

"Good. Good." Uncle Robert adjusted his pants and looked at the mirror above the counter, then at the song list next to the jukebox—anywhere but at his nephew. "In that case," Uncle Robert continued. "I'll leave you to it. There's a telephone in the back if there's an emergency. Try not to call."

"Yeah," Ethan mumbled. "No sweat."

Uncle Robert nodded quickly, his receding hairline catching the light. "I'll be back in a few hours," he said, leaving as if he couldn't get out quickly enough.

Once his uncle had disappeared down the lone cross street of downtown, Ethan stood in the center of the malt shop, taking everything in. It was slightly cooler in here than it was outside, but every move Ethan made still felt like he was swimming through the air. It hung; it lingered; it sat on his shoulders and buried his feet in the checkered linoleum. He felt heavier in this place.

Sighing, he forced his leaden feet to march behind the counter, snagging a squeaky vinyl stool on the way. Once he was situated, positioned conveniently behind the cash register, he looked both ways, licked his lips, and lifted up his shirt.

Tucked into the waistband of his pants were the two latest issues of Strange Suspense Stories. He had read them about a dozen times each already, of course, but they had been the first of the stack he had smuggled into his suitcase.

Pulling the comics carefully out, Ethan placed them on his lap. He flipped the top one carefully to the first panel, so as not to wrinkle the pages. His uncle probably would not have approved of this, reading comics while on duty. If he noticed, of course. Which he hadn't that morning, when, at the breakfast table, Ethan made it through the first edition of Outlaw Kid—twice. He'd absently stirred his oatmeal as his aunt spoke loudly about their neighbor down the road, her voice expanding as if she wanted it to crawl up the walls and nestle into every corner of the woodwork. He wondered if she knew how terrified she sounded.