Siren's Short Stories

Kelly's Kill

Standing for five hours straight really, really sucked! Kelly never realized that, when she became employed at the Quickie Mart down the road from her college, she would actually be wishing for those painful hours in gym preferred to this.

"Serves me right. Karma finally decided to hit back after kicking cats for fun all these years," Kelly muttered to herself. Stupid little felines, She bitterly thought.

It had been a long slow nonproductive day of work. First off it was, what the college students liked to call it, Work Wednesday. The teachers always seemed to love to hold very important tests on the same day. The result was a bunch of late night studying the day prior and unreasonable, and most likely unhealthy, amounts of coffees, energy drinks, teas, and cold showers the next morning. Any thing to keep the students awake and aware for nonstop tests. Which met almost no one had stopped by the store, to afraid to be late and not have enough time to finish their test. Secondly, Kelly was the only one holding shop today. Which meant it was a slow and lonely day. The only reason Kelly wasn't upset with her boss for calling her in, on what was supposed to be her day off, was the fact that she hadn't studied at all for her tests. Meeting all her professors before work,Kelly discussed the situation with them, all but one said she could make up the test the day after. Her coach said that her test would be administered to her sometime that day while she was at work. How this was fair Kelly wasn't entirely sure but everyone knew not to argue with the coach. Finally, Kelly had to take stock, restock, count the money in the register, clean the store. With time on her hands Kelly cracked open her textbooks and studied until her brains were scrambled. Then she did laps around the aisles of the store to prepare herself for the PE assignment that was to come.

So, it was Ten o'clock and Kelly was wore out both mentally and physically. Still having an hour left on her shift and still waiting for her gym test. She dared to hope against hope and wished that maybe just maybe coach forgot. Kelly wasn't the strongest, in fact she was the smallest one in her class and coach never forgot to point it out.

"Look how small Kelly is." He would say.

 "Tell me Kelly, if you were to be attacked how would you survive?" He would ask.

"I mean it's not as if those scrawny arms of yours would have the strength to lift a bow." He would taunt.

Everytime coach would poke fun at Kelly she would turn red with rage. Her fists balled up just thinking about it. She'd always been a runt and she knew it. She might have been small and weak but had a high IQ and was the head of the debate team. She had even brought up the subject of passing without gym to the dean. The idea had been shot down immediately. The dean declining her proposal and saying that the physical education final was mandatory.

Ring, ring. The tiny bell at the door alerted that someone had entered the store. Kelly who had been staring blindly at the counter, daydreaming about ways to torture coach, stood to attention at the sound of the bell. No one came this late on a Work Wednesday. Once testing was over everyone hit the mattresses.

Or their coffins, Kelly thought smugly. At least she wasn't dead from the testing. Not yet anyway.

Not seeing the customer within the last few seconds, Kelly walks out from behind the counter and peers around the corner of an aisle. Nothing. She starts to back up when she bumps into something. Big warm hands grab her shoulders to steady her. A small squeal emits from her throat.

A deep chuckle comes from the person behind her,"Chill Kelly, you act like someone is gonna murder you." He chuckles again.

The hands let go of her and Kelly turns to face Damien Smith, coach's prized rooster in her gym period. Taking a deep breath and forcing a shaky laugh Kelly replies,"Sorry. My nerves are shot. Can I help you?"