Chapter 183
"How did you get this?" I asked him, "All of this?"
"I have a guy who picks up the food for us, since delivery isn't allowed on campus," Bryce answered, pouring sauce over his salad, "And the setup in this room, that's all Zenon."
Zenon sat down with his food and when I looked at him expectantly, he explained his side. "When we were sophomores, there was a senior on the basketball team who was dating a Spanish substitute teacher. She gave him the passcode to connect to the speakers and he told me before he left."
Makes sense now why there are speakers in this class. It's a language lab.
"He passed on the torch," Axel said before suggesting, "You should give it to Candace when we leave."
When we leave. I didn't want to think about that. They were all seniors and I had another year of high school left. One more year without Zenon, Bryce or Axel. It's strange to think of now.
I was happy with how things were, now.
"And the teachers don't mind?" I asked, impressed at how they secured this whole setup under the administration's nose. It's not like the music they were playing was quiet.
"That's where I come in," a girl's voice said from the door.
I watched Bianca stroll in, making an entrance. She was wearing a white sweater crop top and black jeans. Her hair was up in a fishtail ponytail and she had on a finger ring chain bracelet.
"Cauliflower crust pizza Bryce, right?" she reminded him while she inspected the drinks.
"Yeah, pizza with cauliflower," Bryce pointed at it.
"No. Cauliflower crust," Bianca repeated, twisting the cap on a bottle of sherry.
Bryce looked very confused.
Zenon noticed that Bianca never answered my question so he filled in, "Bianca and Oma are in many clubs at school. They've managed to convince teachers that we're some extra-curricular group."
I glanced over at Bianca who was listening to Bryce exclaim, "What's the difference? Here's cauliflower and here's the pizza!"
I went back to my lunch. It didn't seem like they were going to resolve that conversation any time soon.
"People were really staring at you guys today, you notice that?" Axel asked us, changing subject as smoothly as the sourdough bread he was eating.
"Yes!" I exclaimed, "What was that about?"
"They know," Axel said ominously.
We've already been through this. Zenon and I haven't been that subtle with our chemistry lab make-out sessions.
Axel teased us, "They know all about your little love story."
"It's the least subtle thing," Bianca added, taking a seat with her glass of sherry and pizza. I couldn't tell if it was cauliflower crust, but I was definitely not going to ask.
"At least keep it sanitary," she told us, "Making out in the cafeteria is not something we want to see while eating yogurt."
"Well the cat's out of the bag," I sighed.
Bryce joined the conversation at that exact moment and missed out on the context. "Why does this dead cat keep coming up? I thought we had a funeral to bury the topic."
"You went to a funeral?" Bianca asked in concern.
Bryce nodded, "Yeah, it was for Roger-"
"Winnifred," Zenon corrected.
Axel clapped, "Let's pause this confusing mess of a conversation for a second. Bryce, didn't you have an announcement you wanted to make?"
"Why yes, Axel, I did. Thank you for reminding me," Bryce adjusted his shirt before he announced, "As you may or may not know, it is now December."
"It is," Axel nodded.
Is this the announcement?
"And by the law of logic and the Gregorian calendar, New Year's Eve is not far off."
Again, Bryce surprised no one with this revelation.
"I want to invite you all to New Year's Eve at my winter home," he finished.
Oh. Well that took a turn.
~Early afternoon~
I was excited at the thought of New Year's with my boyfriend. It would be my first planned New Year's Eve kiss.
I arrived at the mall for another afternoon shift at the store. I planned to look at the outfits on sale today and maybe use my employee discount to buy a new dress for New Year's.
When I arrived at work, I was surprised to find the store manager waiting for me behind the cashier. Usually, we only need one person in the store.
"Candace. How are you?" she asked me in a cold tone.
It was the kind of tone that says I don't care how you're doing.
"Good thanks," I replied, "How are-"
"Where are the keys to the store, Candace?" she asked in a very slow voice.
"Uh..." I unzipped my bag to look for the keys, "In here."
I hope.
The store manager stood up and walked to the front, "I'm going to need you to give them to me. A loyal customer has filed a complaint against you."
"What do you mean?" I asked, pulling out the keys for her, "I haven't done anything."
The store manager grabbed the keys and they jingled in her hand.
"According to this customer, you left the store unattended a couple weeks ago," she said, "It's both disappointing and reckless. You put store security at risk and that is grounds for termination."
I didn't even know what to say. This is my first job and I'm already fired. I didn't want to be fired. I needed this job.
"Please, can I get a second chance?" I asked.
From the way she was treating me, I could tell it was no use arguing.
"You will be compensated for this week's work but then we'll cut ties completely. We take the safety of our store and our customers very seriously."
"But I didn't do-"
"It's already been decided. Let's make this a smooth transition, shall we?"
I found myself out in the mall parking lot on a cold winter's day. I had no job and no references.