target boy ≫ l.h. [on hold]

8%

-luke.

working at target sucks.

actually i wouldn't even call working at target sucky, it's more like being trapped in the deep dark pits of hell with satan as your boss and a bunch of arrogant customers eating away at your soul slowly and painfully.

"luke, do you know where these go?" cass's voice pipes up from behind me.

just kidding. i love working at target.

"yeah, uh, aisle ten," i say, pointing behind me in the direction of the kitchen appliances.

"thanks. also, michael wants me to tell you to be over at his tonight at 7 to see if you three and calum make a good band. can you make it?"

"yeah, for sure," i nod. i wouldn't miss it for the world.

"cool, see you later then." she stalks away towards the frying pans and colanders to restock returns, while i head to clean the men's bathrooms.

cass has been working here for about a week and a half, and i swear kerry took a liking to her faster than i did. i have never heard kerry yell at cass yet, which is extremely rare for a new team member.

lately, michael and ashton have become good friends. they hang out almost every day, and i tag along most days. cass joins us whenever she can, and i've begun to notice her personality come out more. ashton hasn't made any moves on her, which i'm grateful for, since i know he thinks she's attractive.

"luke, when you're done with the men's restrooms, i'm gonna need you to help one of our new members restock some products. pierre had to leave early just now due to a family emergency, and you're the only other guy not doing anything terribly important," kerry's all too familiar voice blares through my earpiece.

ouch. is cleaning the men's restrooms considered a second priority? i guess kerry wants the corporation to crash and burn when our customers start complaining about the poor sanitation of the restrooms.

i sigh and head to the backroom. when i walk in, cass's small frame is struggling to reach a box on a shelf just barely out of her reach. she's jumping and her red shirt is ridden up slightly, exposing a small portion of her stomach.

focus luke.

"need a little help there?" i say as i approach her. she spins around and relief floods her face.

"i thought i was going to have to get that creepy guy brent," she exhales. "i don't like him, he gives me a bad vibe."

of course brent was hitting on her. he hits on anything that walks and has boobs, but i'm especially not surprised because hey, it's cass. any guy would hit on cass.

"yeah, that's just the way he is," i mumble, reaching up and easily grasping the box. being 6'4" has its perks.

"what are you doing here? aren't you supposed to be doing kerry's dirty work or something?" cass jokes.

"very funny. actually, pierre had to leave early so she called me." i smile, and she returns it with a small grin.

"okay, well let's get started. want to help me unload these?" cass pulls out a boxcutter from her belt and opens the box, and to her amusement and my displeasure, we find a bunch of women's panties inside. lace panties.

"um, you can take care of these, uh..." i mumble while stepping away from the box.

"don't be silly luke. after this, we have a box filled with bras, so you lose either way," cass grins. she was enjoying this, wasn't she?

"fine. let's get this over with." i groan, following cass out the backroom and to the lingerie.

--

being a nineteen-year-old tall australian boy, restocking women's lace panties was uncomfortable to say the least. i kept getting looks from the various middle aged women and tween girls shopping, and to make matters worse, cass was nowhere to be seen. she had run off to help a customer find something and hasn't come back since.

i finally finish putting the panties in their right places when i spot brent walking next to cass, animatedly talking. cass was doing her best to be polite, but i could tell she was annoyed.

so i decide to do the first thing that comes to mind when blinded by jealousy; i walk up to them and disrupt their conversation.

"hey brent, cass," i greet them both. cass is looking at me with wide eyes as if saying thank you and brent is looking at me with disdain. brent doesn't like it when he's interrupted from his hobby of picking up girls.

"hey luke, what's up man? have you met cass here?" he reaches out and places his hand on her shoulder. i stare at the scene in front of me for a second before responding.

"yeah, we have a few mutual friends," i say nonchalantly. "cass, wanna get the rest of the products out on shelves?" it's a valid excuse for me getting her away from brent.

"yes, we should get back to work," she rushes, moving to stand by me. i swear my inner ego just exploded right then and there.

"see you two later," brent winks at her and pats me on the back roughly.

i was really starting to dislike that guy.

"he asked for my number just when you came and interrupted us, so thank you," cass says once we're no longer with douchebag #1.

"no problem," is all i say. we reach the backroom and i immediately pull the box from its place on the shelf. "let's get this done."   

a.n. hey the song of the chapter is catch fire just bc it's one of my absolute favs off of sgfg and i was listening to it while writing/editing this chapter :')