Worth the Trouble ✓

17 | picture it

WORKING AT THE CINEMA IS not what I expected.

I thought I could project movies, sit back, relax, and enjoy the show. But it turns out that privilege—and it is a privilege, apparently—needs to be worked up to. As the newest recruit in Carsonville's only movie theatre, my role is to sweep the rows and aisles up after each screening. Remove leftover sodas from the armrest holders, hand in lost property, et cetera.

A glorified cleaner. Once I work hard enough, I upgrade to ushering. If I do well at that, I can work at the registers. Then, and only then, I finally might be able to project one movie.

"How was school?"

I glance up from the broom and dustpan in my hands.

Across the empty cinema is Ian, halfway up the aisle. Ian was hired two months before me, which means he's way closer to earning projecting privileges. He's a junior at Everglade, another high school in the greater Carsonville suburban area.

I shrug. "Fine."

I think Ian's keen on making me feel welcome because he's been showing me the ropes, and he's older. Sometimes it feels comforting to know he won't let me fuck up too bad. But at times like this, he makes too strong an effort to get to know me. Dude. It's just a job.

I muster a companionable smile. "You?"

Ian and I have developed a routine whenever we clean theatres together. We go down separate aisles. We take our respective wings. and alternate rows in the middle. When we crossover in the middle of the seats, we chat.

"Also fine. Are you going to take those Thanksgiving shifts?"

Our manager offered us a bunch of public holiday shifts for the winter break. Before getting a job, I would have shied away from spending my holidays doing anything productive. Now, I want to work as much as I can. Raising a kid is not going to be cheap.

I work after school shifts four times a week. I also work one shift every weekend, but I never know which day until my manager texts me. Over the winter holidays, my plan is to take as many holiday shifts as I can. It's the logical, responsible thing to do. If I'm going to get paid time and a half for the same amount of work, I should work the holidays and celebrate on other days.

"Maybe. Probably." I'm not particularly attached to the holidays themselves, just people who are important to me. "My family doesn't have much planned this year." Or any other year.

Suki has finally broken the news to her parents that she has a boyfriend.

At least, that's what she tells me — and this time, I'm inclined to believe her. It's a necessary step before dropping the pregnancy bomb on them, micro-dosing them with surprises so they don't have to process everything at once.

Her parents weren't even too upset. They just want to know that I don't distract her from her schoolwork and treat her the way she deserves. I was suspicious about that reaction because, from what Suki's told me, they are pedantic hardasses who are impossible to please.

What Suki told me might have been her trying to make me feel better. But sugar-coating or not, the Yamatos' invitation to have dinner with them the day before Thanksgiving is very real. Disturbingly real.

Are they going to interrogate me?

Survey me like a science experiment and draw the conclusion that I'm not good enough for their daughter?

"Suit yourself." Ian smiles, dumping an empty popcorn carton into his rubbish bag. "I won't put my hand up then. I was on the fence, but I'd rather be at home over the holidays."