The Things That Make Us

Chapter 8

Hannah

Seb knocks on the pool house door, two mornings later. It's Saturday and it's early, so I'm still in my pajamas, but I cross the room and let him in before I notice that he's not alone. Cannon is behind him. He's wearing shorts and a tank top and his hair is that same messy, wavy mop. He looks a bit awkward as he comes in and avoids eye contact with me. I haven't seen or heard from him since we made out pretty heavily on the beach, after I talked to my mom. I don't know what I expect from him. He doesn't have my phone number, but he knows where I live. I kissed him and then he kissed me and then he left, just like that.

  I've been feeling all sorts of things over the last two days, but I've kept it all to myself. Talking to my mom. Kissing Cannon. I don't like holding onto secrets. It feels very wrong.

  "I found you a job," Seb tells me proudly, keeping his eyes on me as he crosses into the pool house and sits down on the wicker couch.

  "Really?" I ask back.

  "Yup. My boy Cannon here works at the bike shop, down the road. It's next to the Insta Quick Shop, which is also owned by the people who own the bike shop. And that man was our high school mechanics teacher, Mr. Colson, and his wife. Anyway-"

  "Hey," Cannon interrupts Seb, finally looking at me.

  I smile at him but then wonder if I'm being too easy. "Hi."

  "Mr. Colson said there's an opening for day time cashier at the Quick Shop. It's like 6am start, if you can handle that," Seb goes on, ignoring the fact that Cannon and I are having a moment.

  "Uh, yeah. I could -"

  "Cool. Well, Cannon's gonna take you down there to interview with Mr. Colson," Seb says casually, standing up again.

  "Um, I am?" Cannon asks him, eyes wide.

  "Yes. That's why you're here. Don't act so weird, bro." Seb laughs, then smacks his friend on the shoulder. "I have to meet Sabrina in ten minutes, were going surfing. Just take Hannah down there and make sure she gets the the job."

   "No pressure," I laugh and roll my eyes at Seb.

  Since I'm not even dressed yet, the boys go back outside and I'm left to get ready for a job interview that I wasn't expecting today. But once the shock wears off, I'm so happy, I can't stop smiling. I was planning on going downtown to start looking for a job this week anyway, and now Seb has already gotten the process started.

  Seb is gone when I go outside a few minutes later, wearing a sundress and my runners. I threw my hair into a pony tail since there wasn't time to shower, and just swiped on some lip gloss before heading outside. Cannon looks at me, then drags his eyes down my body and back up again.

  "You were being weird, when Seb was here," I tell him, as soon as we start walking out towards the road.

  "I'm not good at keeping secrets. Especially from Seb," he tells me, tucking a hand into his pocket of his shorts. "We've been friends since we were eight."

  "Really?"

  "Yes. That's when he moved in here. I live just down the road." He nods up ahead where there's a few smaller houses, but doesn't tell me which one is his.

 "Damn. I don't know anyone I knew when I was eight."

 "You used to live here, in Clearwater?" he wants to know.

 "Yeah. Long time ago. I left when I was five."

  "You're back though... for good?"

 I shrug. "For now."