I SCREAM, YOU SCREAM | Alan Frog

Surf Nazis and Tourists

The first week of summer has passed and there seemed to be a new flood of tourists that came into Santa Carla. The first tourist rush of the summer. It was fine with everyone, usually everyone minded their own business and the passerby's would be fine and find whatever they needed on their own. 

Tourists were fine in the the Ice Cream Parlor's workers, as few as there are, eyes. It was the surf nazis they worried about.

"Gloria, are you ever actually at the beach?" Eric asks watching his friend walk over to the jukebox in the back corner. 

"Oh yes Eric, but my shift doesn't start for another hour so I'll stay here until then." She tells him as she flicks through the song choices. 

Eric, as of recent had started coming to the parlor more often than usual. His family owned the skate/roller skate shop across from the Frogs' comic store. He normally worked there during the summer and came by every once in a while, but for the past few weeks he'd been at the parlor more than the shop. Not that it mattered much, his siblings worked there too. 

Alan Frog had been to the parlor more than usual as well. Sometimes he would come in with his brother and sometimes he wouldn't. Today was one of the days he didn't. 

A few days ago, the said boy walked over to the counter and stared at the two boys behind the counter. Joey whacking his might onto he frozen yoghurt machine and Steven wiping down the counter before looking up at Alan. He leaned on his arms before saying, "Not that I don't like having you around Alan, but you and your brother are going to have to pay up sooner or later man. Preferably before graduation." 

Throughout the short part of summer so far, the Frogs' have been to the parlor more than usual. But they haven't exactly paid for most of their orders yet. They weren't bad people, a little strange, but not bad. Steven knew that they would pay eventually, they hate being indebted to anyone. 

And just like that, Alan reaches into his jean pocket and hands Steven a wadded ball of money, soggy money. 

Steven, standing with an awkward smile, his hand outstretched and holding the damp money nods and thanks the boy. He doesn't know why the money is wet and he wasn't going to ask about it. But he was definitely going to wash his hands afterwards just in case. 

It wasn't enough with the money that was just given to pay off what the Frogs owed completely but it was a good amount. 

After doing some more math, Steven looked back up and saw that the Frog boy wasn't in the parlor anymore. He wondered how Alan always did that, how he could always leave without anyone noticing. He shrugged and washed his hands, not before slamming his hand onto the machine that Joey was trying to fix first. 

A woman with her kids came into the store not too long later and ordered ice cream. They all got cherry ice cream. The one that Courtney was supposed to make and never did so Steven had to. 

Steven replied a small, 'of course,' before getting their order ready while Joey went around and grabbed empty sundae bowls from tables. It wasn't particularly busy today but it wasn't exactly a slow day either. 

"You know that you can sit at the bar right?" Steven called to Alan, who was across the parlor sitting in the corner booth he always sat at. But the boy just looked up and went back to whatever it was that he was doing before. 

Gloria took this time that she had left to go to the Jukebox, even though there was already music in the back from the record player on the counter, to go pick music. She stood there scanning through her options before choosing some random song from the Rolling Stones. As Gloria made her way back to the bar, she slid into the booth and sat next to Alan.