Cross It Off The List

Chapter 2 - "Successful"

James sits beside me, and we smile as the cool spring air blows our hair back. He put the hood to the car down and we started driving. I laugh a little bit and look at him. His brown hair was cut short and spiked up. His eyes were brown and big, like a puppies eyes.

"So what's number one on the list?" He asked pulling it out of the pocket. "Let's see..." His eyes looked at the paper. "Okay. So having a fulfilling job?" He asks me.

I forgot that was number one. I really only remember the list when I write it down. I shrug, there was no point to have it now. "Yeah, but how are we going to get me a fulfilling job? Its not like I have long enough to apply for one."

He frowned. "You're the best thing that's every happened to me." He said, catching me by surprise. "When you and your mom came along, there was hope. There were people who could care for me. And you and her did. But now... now you make it seem like that doesn't matter. It does. So let's make a video series about this."

I looked him dead in the eye. There was always hope glimmering in them. A fire that burned so hot that your it rid your soul of all doubt. Not mine. Not now.

"Okay." I say pulling out my phone. I opened up my camera application and held it up so it showed both me and him. I press the record button and speak first. "Welcome to part one of the... um... Cross Off The List internet series."

James laughed and pulled into the parking lot by the beach. People were all around, minding their own business and such. He looked over with a goofy smile and spoke loudly. "Yes, I'm James and this is my stepbrother, Mason. Cross It Off The List is going to be us completing my brothers, I guess you could call it a bucket list."

I pause the video and put my phone away. "So, why are we at the beach?" I ask, still smiling. "I mean, I'm not opposed, but this really has nothing to do with the list."

"Well, we're just here to go over the reasons this is a successful job." He says. "Number one, you should probably quit your other job. That'd be a start."

In all honesty, I had forgotten I even had a job. I guess it really hadn't run through my thoughts since this morning.

"Yeah, I guess." I say. "But let's make it fun."

"How do suggest we do that?" He asked.

"I don't know." I say looking up at the sky. The sun was directly above us, shining down. "Let's dig up some dirt on some of the people who work with me."

"Okay." James nodded, agreeing with me. "Whelp, let's get going to the library."

-----

James walked into the grocery store behind me, holding up my phone recording for the video series. I look back once more with the biggest smile ever. We also had recorded ourselves doing the research on everyone. The stuff we found was insane, but we're only directing our attack at one person specifically.

As soon as I get to the cashiers, I see Gary, the manager, scolding one of the employees. I couldn't see her face, but her long black hair was in a braid that went down half her back. I could hear him clearly.

"-have to be kidding me! One more mistake, and you're out! I mean it this time! You can't just keep calling me over here each time you have no clue what you're doing!"

I almost wanted to punch him in the face, because before he was manager he was a naïve employee too. He had called the manager over more times than I could count. When he quit, he assigned Gary the job because "he taught Gary everything he knows, he'll be a great manager."

Well now was time to prove him wrong more than ever. I walked over to him and pushed him away from her. "Leave her alone, Gary."

"Look who finally decided to show up for work!" He shouted in my face. "Next time you pull a stunt like that again, you're fired!"

"You know what, Gary?" I say putting my hand against his chest and pushing him against the counter. "I quit. You're an asshole, and I don't want to work for you anymore."

I turned around to face the girl. It was Daisy. She had started working here about a week ago. I never really talked to her, but I wanted to. I wanted to ask her on a date, but I'm a wuss, so that was unlikely to happen to begin with.

"Daisy, I'm sorry you have to deal with this asshole everyday." I give her an apologetic look and say, "But, soon enough you won't have to."

I turn back around and hop onto the counter. I turn toward the other three cashiers. I knew all of them. Jackie, Vilna, and Lee. They all just watched the conflict go down and looked up at me like I was a hero.

"Now, I did some research and found out that each of you, plus two others, wrote a report on Gary." I say aloud so everyone, including customers, could hear me. "Only one got to his superiors, and somehow he brushed that off. So, if you're tired of him, yell out loud what he did that made you write the complaint."

"You don't have to answer that!" Gary shouted looking at all of them with a glare that said if they said anything, they'd et fired.

Luckily, Jackie got onto her counter and went first. "He sexually assaulted me, and I wrote a report to his superiors and the police, but bribed me not to send them in."

People looked at him disgustingly and Lee went next, standing onto his counter as well. "I caught him stealing food and blamed it on a costumer. Mine got through, but I guess they didn't believe me."

Vilna looked down at her shoes, probably debating if she should do it or not. Then she stood on her counter and yelled what he did. "I caught him having sex in aisle six, but when I filled out the report he stopped me from sending it and threatened to fire me and write a false report if I sent it in."

Everyone looked at Gary, who was as red as a tomato. I hopped down and looked at him in the eye. "Now, you quit or each of them will send in a report and you can get fired. It's your call."

"You-" I cut him off by punching him in the face incredibly hard. Harder than I thought I could punch. He laid on the floor with blood running from his nose. He held it in pain while everyone looked at me like I was a hero. It's a really good feeling. The feeling of being victorious.

I looked at James and he was trying to wave me out. I started running to him before I heard the sweetest voice.

"I quit too, you douchebag!" She sent a kick to his ribcage and started running after us. "Let's get out of here!" She said running past us.

I looked at James, who just shrugged and ran after her. I looked back at everyone who was staring at me expectantly.

I smiled, waved, and ran out laughing.