Page 11 of Haunt the Mall
And being careful meant not fucking strangers like that manager in a dark theater. I sighed. A girl could dream.
As I made my way to the sales floor, I overheard Bree gossiping, “I still can’t believe Willow had to leave. What a baby. Why did Kat go with her if she wanted to see the movie so badly?”
Buttons clattered into their pail as AJ continued sorting. “To be nice, probably.”
“Yeah, because Kat’s so sweet,” she said sarcastically.
I stopped and furrowed my brow. Did she think I was mean?
She spun the buttons in the bin with her finger. “She wouldn’t even share her popcorn with us.”
Snickering, AJ nudged her arm. “Hangry lady.”
“At least I’m not selfish,” she said.
A giant claw prodded the inside of my chest. No monster was going to break through my ribcage and demand blood if I could help it. My predecessor warned me about attitude shifts when I’d taken the position. But grace could go a long way.
I inhaled deeply and strode out to face the not-so-adoring crowd.
Bree schooled her expression as if she hadn’t just been bad-mouthing me. “All good?”
I flashed her a smile and tidied a rack. “Yeah. Next week, we get the bulk of our costumes, so get excited for a mini fashion show. I’ve already got the playlist set.”
She brightened. “We can try them on? On the clock?”
“Yeah. We did that before, anyway.” Was that nice enough for her?
She high-fived AJ and cheered, “We’re gonna look so fucking hot.”
I glanced around to make sure no kids were in the store. “As long as the work gets done—”
She waved me off. “It always does. I’d been thinking of dressing up as a witch, but if we get something sexy, I might have to buy it.”
“I’ve seen the previews. Should be a good batch,” I said.
“Finally.” She twirled the empty hanger and sat on the counter. Technically, that was against regulation. If she needed to sit, we had a bench in the shoe area.
“Hey, can you put something on that hanger?” I asked.
“Yes.” She rolled her eyes and pushed off the counter.
The claw in my chest tapped again. So much for goodwill. As Bree’s friend and coworker, it’d been easy to direct her. ‘Get off your ass and hang that up’ did the trick. We might’ve even lightly smacked each other’s backsides with hangers back then. She’d laugh and do what I said. As a manager, I was 'the man.' The enemy. One of the pitfalls of working for an anti-establishment brand.
By the end of the shift, my widow and hot guy high had faded.
I didn’t want to blame Bree. Or customers. I probably was hungry—or hangry, as AJ jabbed earlier.
Still, I hesitated when it came to taking home my popcorn. It’d be a nice treat for a rainy day. What if I needed it? A perfectly preserved memory.
That intriguing manager helped me. He boosted my self-esteem, and I finally got to see the movie. It was an all-encompassing kind of satisfying.
Although treats did go stale. Eventually, the delicious scent of butter would fade. Or attract bugs. Nope. Better enjoy the popcorn while it was relatively fresh. I grabbed the bag, locked up the office, and then waved to my crew. “Bye, fam.”
“Bye,” AJ said.
Bree didn’t echo the sentiment.
It was fine. I left the mall resolved to go home and rest.