I was beginning to become a permanent part of my bed. I had barely gotten up in the past week after the party, only to shower and to show my parents I was still alive around dinner time. I knew the sun outside was playing out around me, but I was content to be pale inside if I meant there was no chance I'd run into anyone from school. Sandy had been giving me updates from the outside world, and I had doubts that she even knew how defeated I was. She was busy with Jeremy Knight, falling in love in the quick way she always claimed too, and I was in my room alone, I never realized before I dated Matt how alone I really was. I had never had weekend plans, and then suddenly I was out every night, seeing Eastport as something different, something through someone else's eyes. I longed for company but I did nothing to remove myself from the loneliness that sa on my window ledge, it was like a prison guard holding me hostage.
"Faith?" my mother said, knocking lightly on my door, pushing it slightly ajar. "You have a phone call." My mother said outstretching her arm, I got up and grabbed the phone, clearing my throat, hoping I wouldn't sound as groggy as I felt.
"Hello?"
"Hi! It's Martha, from the East Hawk Beach Club," I rolled my eyes into the back of my head, wishing my mother hadn't even handed me the phone. Since I was 14 I had worked at the club in our neighboring beach town for low rates and long hours. I hated it, but the few dollars an hour I made there were all that saved me from working during the school year, and the even fewer that had made their way to my savings were needed to put a down payment on a car in the next few months. I started listening again as she offered me a higher position and wage. "So will you take it?"
"I guess so, but what's the catch?" she sighed and after a moment, began again,
"I need extra staff at the new extension of East Hawk, Dune Deck, it's a little father down on the stretch than East Hawk, but I promise it'll be better, more state of the art, a lot of people from Eastport are set to work there too, so you'll definitely know people, please say you'll do it, I'm desperate for help." I thought about it for a moment, I guess it had to be a little better than the struggle of the last few summers.
"Sure, you have a deal."
I pulled into the beach club the next morning, bright and early at 7 AM. I locked my bike up outside and ventured in to uncharted territory. The doors slid out of my way and I was greeted by a full blast of cold air from the "new state of the art air conditioner" Martha described to me as she ran up to me as soon as I came in the door. Her dark, black almost purple hair was piled as usual on top of her head in a messy bun, her green eyes looking bright as she talked a mile minute, I blamed it on the coffee that always seemed to be permanently glued into her left hand.
"So, I need you to set up the dining room in here, we have a luncheon at 12:30, and I need you to serve on that, after that we'll have a late lunch hour for our other club guests, and then the dinner rush." She patted me on the shoulder as I nodded taking in all she said, before I knew it, she was halfway across the room yelling at someone else. Before I started I decided to walk around a bit, explore the new place, it was as nice as Martha had led on. Rooms above me were all complete with terrace balconies, a peek inside the kitchen showed all stainless steel appliances, spotless tile floors, and dozens of new pots, pans, and cutlery. One exit to the back led directly out to the beach, the cleanest in New York, now privatized and preserved by this club, and the other door outside, led back to the pool, complete with waterfall, so many lounge chairs I couldn't even keep my head straight trying to count them and a deck bar to my right as soon as you walked out the door, it seemed more like a tropical resort than something in Eastport's own backyard.
I probably rolled about 1000 silverware- napkin bundles, and by 11:00 all the tables were set, floors clean, and chandeliers sparkling, nothing was left to do except wait. We sat around a vacant table near the back of the dining room playing cards, as the other employees started to file in.
"Martha told me all these people from my school were going to be working, but I guess either not today, or that was just her ploy in getting me to work here." I said to one of the other waitresses, Kim. She shrugged as she threw down a King of Hearts in war and collected the cards in a swoop of the hand. I heard the door behind us open and a gaggle of people come in, I didn't even bother turning around. From the sound of it I could tell who it was, the lifeguards.
Every summer lifeguards rotated in and out, but one thing about them never changed. They were always obnoxious, narcissistic, and completely beautiful, as if they had just stepped out of a Sports Illustrated magazine.
"Don't look now, but here they come." Kim said, my back was turned away from the door, and as I dropped my next card I saw her withhold her next battle, her eyes growing wider as I heard the door comes back together and close automatically
"Kim, what are you looking at?" I said to her as I, now curious, swiveled around in my seat to see what was going on.
"Oh, Faith, hey." My mouth went dry and I felt my heart drop into my stomach, sloshing around in the coffee I'd drank this morning. His tall frame casting a shadow over me, blocking the sunlight that was streaming in from the window
"Matt..." I finally stammered. "Hi."
YOU ARE READING
This Kiss
Novela Juvenil“Okay, I could be wrong because I only saw him for a second, but I think, I think it was Matt Sullivan.” The music was loud and the floor of the club was crowded with people, at a concert that would soon become the talk of the year. Straight A stude...
