love is strange // solby

🥀 .: un :. 🥀

"Someone doesn't seem that enthusiastic about their summer job." Colby was laying on his bed, scrolling through Twitter. His friend Elton had come over an hour before he had to leave for his second day at his new job at the record shop down the street where he earned the amazing title of "manning the register."

He didn't know much about his job yet, but one thing he knew for sure with his one day of experience was that no one ever came in. And the only people that stopped by being women in their 60's who complained about the lack of Elvis vinyls that were in mint condition. When they found one, they examined it with those old pointy eye glasses and pointed out all the scratches, scuffs, and dents on the covers due to years of use. Colby couldn't help due to his little knowledge about the store and the records it carried.

"Wouldn't you be upset if your parents forced you to get a job over the summer? I don't even know how this place is still running. Literally no one stops by to buy anything." Colby sighed and set down his phone.

Elton was still scrolling through his when he remembered something. Their annual camping trip every summer at the end of June. He knew Colby for sure couldn't miss it; he never missed it once! "Will you be able to make it to the camping trip we go on every year? It would be boring if only Corey came."

Elton frowned and leaned back in the desk chair he was sitting on. "You wouldn't miss it, would you?" He asked.

"Why would I miss it?" Colby knew that he would upset Elton if he didn't go. God, Elton might stop talking to him. He couldn't lose his only friend. Of course- Elton had other friends that could steal his place at any given moment. Corey for example, could easily knock Colby out of the way. Colby would be lying if he didn't say that he was jealous of Corey's popularity and how close he was to Elton. Colby wasn't necessarily an outsider, but it's true that he didn't have many friends. Who would want to be friends with such a loser?

"Colby?..." Elton had a puzzled look on his face. When he looked over at Colby he saw him staring into the corner with his hands clasped tightly in his lap.

Colby had realized that he didn't say that he wouldn't miss it out loud and it was only his damn thoughts. If he was to say something now, he might end up spilling out all his thoughts about Corey. "Oh, um," he pursed his lips, trying to think of the right thing to say. "I'm sure I could make it. It's not like I'll be stuck with this job forever."

He glanced at the clock hanging on the wall right next to his door. 2:57 the clock reads. "Oh sh*t! I'm going to be late!" He scrambled off of his bed and picked up the wrinkled black sweatshirt on the ground. Colby quickly pulled the sweatshirt over his head and grabbed his phone and shoved it in the sweatshirt pocket.

"Elton I swear to god, If you eat all the food in the house while I'm gone, I will kill you slowly and painfully." Colby shouted as he headed down the stairs to the front door.

Elton followed behind him and raised his hands jokingly above his head as to surrender. "Okay, okay, I won't eat all the food this time, but I will find those Oreos that you hid from me." He poked Colby's side, making him double over in pain and from laughing before he ran back upstairs to his friend's bedroom.

With a sigh, Colby opened the front door and started to jog towards the record shop. "Two blocks to go." he thought. He was just hoping he could make it there before 3:15.