Only Once

Chapter Twenty-Four: Fashion Statements

Chapter Twenty-Four: Fashion Statements

“First things first though.” Spencer announced. “I need to get my stuff.”

“What stuff?” Erika asked, perplexed.

“I need to get my coat and whatnot from the locker room at Target.” Spencer explained and rose from his seat. “You can just wait right here and I’ll be right back.”

“Okay.” Erika replied and crossed her arms across her chest, looking anything but pleased. She flipped back her hair, breathed huffily and pursed her lips.

“Don’t take too long!” she added as he turned to leave.

Spencer offered a half smile before running off, his worn out Nikes padding on the ground as he did so. He weaved his way through the thick crowds that were splattered in clusters across the mall until he finally reached his former workplace and barged in. There, the first thing he saw was one of his former coworkers, Lance, standing at the door and talking to an attractive girl. After noting the flyers in his hand, Spencer determined that he was supposedly acting as a door greeter.

Spencer stood at the entrance and found himself staring at the person who was supposed to be doing his former job continue to talk shamelessly with a girl. Customers slid past him into the store yet he paid no attention to them. Instead, he was flexing and smirking.  

Spencer blinked and found himself wondering when Lance would get fired as he seemed to be doing a far worse job than he ever did. Then, his feet suddenly seemed to develop a mind of their own and brought him right before the occupied worker.

“Yeah, so I work out four times a week. I’m like always at the gym, you know?” Lance was saying. “It’s pretty –hold on.”

He noticed how someone was standing right by him and turned around to become face to face with Spencer, who had been planning to flee.

“Welcome to Target…Spencer!” Lance began the same, boring line but broke off when he recognized the dark haired boy who stood before him. “Where have you been, man? Like, when did you return from your break?”

“About that…” Spencer ran a hand through his hair and led Lance away from the girl before blurting out the news. “I got fired.”

“What?” Lance blinked before jutting out, “No way, man! Why?”

“Cause I went out on my break for too long.” Spencer replied after hesitating for a moment and watched as Lance’s eyes widened and he placed a hand on his shoulder.

“Dude, no way!” Lance was on the verge of laughing. “What is this? Like your third day on the job?”

“Second.” Spencer corrected which only made Lance start to guffaw with laughter.

“Dude!” he hyped when he was done. “No frickin’ way! I think you broke some record, no?”

“You know that girl is still there, right?” Spencer blurted out and motioned to the girl who Lance had been chatting up when he’d entered the store.

Lance didn’t even look back and shrugged nonchalantly.

“She’ll realise she’ll have to leave soon enough. But anyway, what I find more shocking is how you lost your job on the second day. I mean, seriously, who does that?”

Lance proceeded to laugh some more when Spencer provided him with no response and continued to do so until he suddenly straightened up and became serious. He ran his hands over his uniform in an attempt to smoothen it out and straightened up the pages he was holding against his thigh.