When Doves Cry + The Lost Boys

Chapter Two

"What are you doing up so early?" I was greeted by my sister who was sitting up at the kitchen table reeking of the night before.

"It's lunchtime," I said looking at the wall on the clock. Here I thought, I over slept. "I have work," I told Abbey as I grabbed an apple off the counter. I scrunched my nose up once my hand came in contact with the gooey core. I swiftly threw it into the garbage, deciding not to eat my sister's and her boyfriend's food...ever.

"Where do you work? You never said," Abby said.

"That record shop on the boardwalk," I informed her, "I got lucky."

"How long are you working to?" Abby asked me, with a somewhat concerned face. It was the first time in a long time I saw my sister worry about someone other than herself.

"Closing," I answered, "I should get a good check. I can pay Tommy."

"No!" Abbey exclaimed. Her eyes were wild with concern for a flash, but suddenly she was calm and slumped back into her chair. "I mean, that's late. Don't you have school or something?"

I raised a concerned eyebrow at her. She never gave a damn about anything before moving to Santa Carla. I never knew a place could change a person so much. "What's your problem? You're out every night all night. Did you even go to bed yet?"

Abbey sighed, "Raylen, you're my little sister, I care about you."

I scoffed, "What's going to happen to me? It's a six block walk. I did it all the time at home, later and by myself."

"Santa Carla is different from the cow pastures back home," Abbey told me, her eyes traveling somewhere far away. It looked like she was in a different world, she wasn't focused on me at all. "It's true about it being the Murder Capital of the World."

I rolled my eyes, "Whatever."

"I mean it Raylen, I don't want to have to hang missing posters. When I go out I have Tommy and the Surf Nazi's," Abby told me, "I'd feel safer if you were with us."

"I can't always be with you Abs," I muttered.

Abby groaned, "Okay little sis, have fun and be safe at work."

"Yeah, okay," I muttered, "Maybe we can hangout tomorrow, yeah?"

+++++

The boardwalk was dead during the day. I had a good trial run in the day, helping a few customers with album suggestions and ringing them up. My manager, Todd showed me the ropes of the store. He told me where the back stock was, how to use the cash register, and what to do if someone stole something, which seemed to happen frequently. 

Todd was a cool dude for the most part. He was quiet but funny. Once you got past the awkward small talk and talking to a topic he wanted to talk about, he wouldn't shut up. We had a lot in common actually, we had the same music taste, the same reason coming to Santa Carla, and the same idiotic ideas for the future.

Once the sun went down, and the boardwalk lights were turned on, people started to come out looking for fun. The shop filled up quickly, Todd and I were swamped suggesting music and checking people out. 

Although completely swamped, I enjoyed every minute of it. I had the opportunity to talk about music, one of my biggest passions. I had fun suggesting new and obscure albums to people, and telling people about their sound and bands similar to them. 

It was getting later, and soon the night seemed to drag on. Fewer people showed up to the store and more people went home for the night, getting their fixes on the boardwalk. "Mind if I leave early?" Todd asked me coming from the beaded doorway leading to the back. "Something popped up and I have to get home."