Caught Redhanded

1

"Would you pass me next week's schedule?"
Lila nodded, grabbing a sheet of paper on the desk in front of her and handing it to Rick.
Her boss raised an eyebrow, then shrugged.
"Something wrong?" He silently offered the paper back, and Lila looked down at it, trying to find what had caused Rick's reaction.
"They cut the Tuesday free skate. Must not be enough people."
Lila slide the paper back to its spot. Rick had been honest about the rink's finances when he had hired her a few years ago. He had been transparent about her pay, too, but she didn't mind. She would rather spend her days in a place she enjoyed than make an extra dollar at the restaurant down the street where her friend Rebecca was berated on a daily basis.
"This check makes it all worth it," she would say, waving the piece of paper in my face when I would ask why she did not search for another gig. "Plus, the hockey team frequents it," she would always add.
"I'm sorry, Rick," Lila said. There was not anything else to add. The free skates had been dropping slowly, and the only time life graced the rink was when Lila's high school team had practice or a game.
Rick just huffed. "Well, kiddo, I don't have anything left for you to do for the night. Why don't you head home?"
Lila smiled. "If you're sure."
He nodded back, returning her smile. "Thanks for your help."
After grabbing her school bag and exiting the rink, Lila was met with the crisp air of autumn. Hopefully her last one in Ludlow. This time next year, she would be somewhere else, starting a new part of her life.
Something bright flashed on her closed eyelids. She must have closed her eyes. She opened them, shielding them against the bright headlights of a truck that had just pulled into one of the accessibility spots.
The door swung open, the lights still on and the engine still running. It was hard to see with the lights in her face, but Lila deduced that it was a boy around her age who dropped from the driver's seat onto the gravel of the arena's parking lot.
"Can I help you?" Lila asked. Her question came out a bit sharp, and the stranger closed the door before walking up to her. It was Theo—another senior at Ludlow High and captain of the hockey team.
"Uh, I'm just grabbing something I forgot in my locker. Are you the security guard or something? Real scary, standing here in the dark."
Lila rolled her eyes. She could hear the local news murmuring silently from the truck. "You don't look like you need the accessibility spot. Or to leave every single thing in your truck on while you're not in it." She was only half joking. Of course at 8pm, there was no dire need for the spot, but there was no reason to leave everything on when she knew it would take him at least ten minutes to get to the boys' locker room on the other side of the rink and back.
It was his turn to roll his eyes. "Okay, well why don't you be a dear and watch my truck for me, and I'll be right back. You can move it if the three other accessible spots get taken on this busy night."
Lila narrowed her eyes. She had never really spoken to Theo before, but she could have done without ever speaking to him after this one conversation. It was clear that he was a spoiled kid with no sense of respect.
An idea flitted through her mind, and she plastered on a smile. "I would love to."
He seemed taken aback by her response. He was probably expecting something more along the lines of the recent dialogue that they had exchanged. He did not seem to care as he just rolled his eyes once more and went to open the door. It was locked, as Lila had left it.
He turned back. "Could you open the door, pretty please?"
"Certainly."
She twisted the lock, holding the handle up as one had to when unlocking the old door.
"After you," she said, motioning for Theo to go in.
She closed the door behind him, still hearing the radio faintly through the door.
She waited for the handful of minutes it took for him to cross the rink and then return. His hands were in his pockets, and it was not discernable what he had grabbed, but he mumbled "thanks" as he left the arena and Lila closed the door behind them outside.
He hopped up into his still running truck and looked at her for a moment. She could almost feel his eyes drilling into hers. He closed the door to the truck without another word, then sped off.
She smiled to herself. Just one last thing to do. She pulled the handle up and unlocked the rink door once more.