Opening Day

Chapter 2: Work

He unlocked and leaned on the door as he held it open for Jonesy. She flicked the light switch and Popcorn Video Entertainment sprang to life in front of them as it had so many times before. Jonesy immediately jogged to the backroom.

He laughed, "Stoner boner! Someone's gotta take care of some business!"

"Fuck you, I have to take a shit!"

"Yeah, sure!" He called after her as she flipped him off.

Softly buzzing neon signs adorned the walls advertising the different genre sections, while a mish-mash of holiday string lights snaked their way from corner to corner. Models of famous spaceships hung over the sci-fi section, monster masks, fake blood, and a Gill-Man mannequin loomed over the horror section. Action, comedy, documentaries, westerns, romance, and in the back a neon pink "XXX" hung over the curtained Adults Only room. The checkout counter was at the front by the entrance/exit, where you would normally encounter Jonesy and Max. Behind where they stood was a concession stand. Fresh, movie theater style popcorn was available for the customers. Small bags were free with every transaction, but you could pay two dollars for a large, or ten dollars for a large in a Popcorn Video Entertainment collectable bucket. Patrons could also get a medium soda from the fountain for a dollar. Candy prices varied. To the back left of the store was the door for the employee back room where Jonesy and Max could hang up their coats, grab a cup of coffee, put any food they had in the fridge, use the bathroom, control any music they wanted to play over the PA or put in a movie that would play on the overhead monitors. Farthest in the back was the manager's office. Inside was the money safe, a desk with a computer on it, filing cabinets, all the necessary papers and equipment needed to run a business.

The video store was owned by Wayne "Smokey" Cobb and his wife Margie, they opened it in 1988 and had been a town fixture ever since. The Cobbs generally let the managers and employees run the place, though they always made an appearance on Mondays, Wednesdays, and any special occasion. They had a reputation and unofficial position as the town's cultural experts and advisors. Jonesy and Max liked them because they let them get away with anything, paid a decent hourly wage, and were almost never in the store. In their opinion, it was the coolest place in Lake's End you could work, it actually wasn't even an opinion, it was a fact.

Max prepared the popcorn while Jonesy loaded up the register. The bin underneath the return slot was full and Max began scanning each bar code with the handheld scanner and placing them on the metal cart. Once the cart was full, he pushed it out into the aisles to return them to their proper homes.

Over in Sci-Fi, Max passed by a spot on the shelf that always caught his eye. It was the box for a movie called "See You Soon."

"Hey Jonesy."

"Yeah Max?" She was entering info into the computer at the front desk.

"Have you ever heard of this movie "See You Soon?"

She thought to herself for a moment, "Nope. Why is it good?"

"I have no clue," He picked up the vhs box and read the back, "All I know is it's, like, a cosmic horror movie from the sixties. That, and I have never seen a copy of it in the store."

She stopped typing, "Huh?"

"Yeah. Just the box. I've never seen it returned."

Jonesy typed into the computer, "It says we have three copies on the shelf. And that no one has ever rented...or returned them?" She turned towards Max, "What the fuck? Haha."

"Fuck that's eerie," He placed the box back on the shelf. He shuddered and went back to work.

As the warm, familiar smell of fresh popcorn began to fill the store, Jonesy dreamily wrote the name "Jamie" in fancy, girly cursive on her left arm in blue ink. Swirls and hearts, curls and stars. Jonesy lightly chuckled to herself and wondered what Jamie Reynolds' lips felt like. She bit her bottom lip and chuckled to herself some more. Click-click-click-click, Jonesy played with the pen, she blushed and eyed the back room door.