Susanna Gilmore is a small-town girl, and she loves everything about it. Now, she and her sister are going from a public school to an elite private school. Despite feeling like she doesn't belong, she determined to make it.
Black Sabbath was blaring through the apartment as Jess got ready for the day. Anna grabbed a food magazine that was on the table. "Huh?" She looked at the envelope that fell out of it. "To the family of Jess Mariano." She took the letter out to read that Jess got employee of the month at Walmart. There was going to be a ceremony to honor him.
"Oh no, you weren't supposed to see that." Luke took the letter and put it in his pocket.
"Why not?" She squinted at him.
"Well... I guess because Jess doesn't know that I'm going. I'm planning on surprising him." He bought the magazine knowing Jess wouldn't be interested in it.
"Because he would hate that." She figured that would be the only reason Luke would go. He nods his head. "I want to come."
"Alright, you can come." He gave in like he had a choice. "So, I talked to your mom downstairs and she said you got into Gillespie's Culinary Art School. Congratulations." He gave her a side hug. She froze in surprise. "Sorry, I'm not good at hugs...oh." She threw her arms around him, squeezing tightly. She had been waiting to hug Luke for so long. "Okay." He pats her back when she doesn't let go.
Jess came out of his room to see the embrace. "What's going on?"
"I congratulated her for getting into the cooking school." He told him.
"Okay... time to go." He peels her off. They walk down the stairs and out of the diner.
"I got a hug from Luke." She beams.
"Yup, you smell like grease." He sniffed her.
"I smell like a man." She puffs her chest out.
"You're lucky I'm letting you in the car." He unlocked it.
She got in before he could change his mind. "Today, we are changing all the soap to one that smells like rotten milk."
"Where do you even find that?" Jess started up the car and pulled away from the curb.
"The Internet." She sang. "I ordered it during the summer. We were going to kick it off with that, but it only came in now. I honestly thought I got ripped off. Good thing I didn't send that angry email."
He snickers. "Oh yeah, that would have made the guy cry."
"I am a force to be reckoned with." She ignored the sarcasm to pretend like he thought she was tough.
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Luke and Anna walked into Walmart's breakroom where they were holding the ceremony. They took a seat in the back. The manager walked to the front and stood behind a podium. "Hello everybody. Hope you're having a good day. You folks know we do this every month, just a little get-together to honor our new Employee of the Month. Nothing fancy, just a quick thanks and a way to go. Oh, and there's two hundred bucks in it. I think that's how we got our honoree to show up to this thing. You know him as a trooper, our Mr. Reliable. The first time this young man sat down on that forklift it was like an extension of himself. And yeah, he's not one for small talk, but this boy's production is out of sight. It's Jess Mariano, everybody." He pointed at the moody teen who was leaning against the wall with his arm crossed.
