After Hours (boyxboy) | ✓

Chapter Thirty

Emmett's POV

It was cloudy this morning. We’d probably be inside for half the shift. This would’ve been okay in the past, but I wasn’t sure if I could deal with Bell for more than thirty minutes at a time. At least Laura and Donny would be there to distract me (unless they were making out the whole time).

As I walked through the country club, I wondered what Brendon was doing. Maybe he was going to come to work and apologize to me today. That would be cool. It’d be under pretty lame circumstances (and weather), but still good enough for an apology. I just hoped he’d have the common sense to show up during one of my off rotations, if he even came at all. 

A red sweatshirt hung from the counter of the shack. All lifeguards got the same one, but inside I hoped it was Brendon’s. I unlocked the gate and walked to the shack. 

“Morning, kiddo!” Pam yelled. I must’ve jumped ten feet. I did not see her when I was coming in. She walked to me.

“What’s up?” I asked.

“Just saying hey. And pick up the pace! Opening up is no joke, Summers.” She furrowed her brows. It would’ve been terrifying, but she wasn’t really that scary. She was kind of just… old? And weird.

I stifled a laugh. “Uh — okay.”

I scrambled around the pool, unlocking all the doors (except for the storage shed). A few minutes later, Donny strolled through the gates. He waved. I waved back. After opening the rest of the doors, I joined him at the shack, where he was examining the sweatshirt.

“S’that yours?” I asked.

He shook his head. “Brendon’s.” A piece of paper fell out of the pocket. It drifted onto the pavement. I knelt down to pick it up.

“Morning!” Laura chirped. Donny pulled her into a hug.

The paper had neat writing on it. I must’ve read it a thousand times.

Emmett—

First Story Archives, MVS, A–K.

—Brendon

I squinted at it, trying to make sense of the words. First Story Archives was the store where we had our first real date. I didn’t know what anything else meant. I guess A–K might be a range of letters — their CDs were arranged alphabetically. 

“What’s that?” Laura asked. I glanced at her, then Donny, who was smirking.

I shrugged. “I guess it’s my apology.”

“No, what does it mean?” She raised one eyebrow as we all squinted at it. 

Donny laughed knowingly. “I guess you’ll find out?”

I glared at him and tucked the note into my pocket. Brendon really was planning something. His sweatshirt still hung on the counter. I grabbed it and pulled it over my head. The familiar scent of lavenders embraced me. Laura laughed and entered the shack. I followed her, as did Donny.

Bell arrived a few minutes later. She looked a mess as she stumbled through the gate. I’d never seen her so quiet. I guessed she was just hungover or something.

“Hey, Bell,” I said. She nodded lazily and shuffled into the shack. It was going to be a very long shift.

***

Turns out, Bell was sick. She went home when it started to rain. Donny, Laura and I spent the rest of the shift spewing theories about Brendon’s plan. Donny seemed to know what was happening already, and he gave us random, obviously wrong ideas.