Cult

The First Day

<pre style="line-height: 17px; white-space: normal; color: #2a2a2a; font-size: 13px;">"All you have to do is scan the label and the price will come up on the screen. Then you fold the clothes carefully, or just put whatever they buy in one of the plastic or paper bags. Obviously, the size of the bag mirrors the amount the customer has purchased. All good?" the gorgeous brunette asks.<br style="line-height: 17px;" />"Yeah, I got that," I say.<br style="line-height: 17px;" />"And obviously, if it's raining, don't use the paper bags. We want to get the logo out there." she smiles.<br style="line-height: 17px;" />Oh, of course you do, your highness, Al butts in.<br style="line-height: 17px;" />"Yeah, okay." I say.<br style="line-height: 17px;" />"Now go and pick five tops, free of charge. You wear one each day of the week. You have weekends off. It has to bear the logo," <br style="line-height: 17px;" />"Got it," I say.<br style="line-height: 17px;" />I move over from her and choose three t shirts, a vest and a crop top. Been as the shop isn't open, I rip off the top I'm wearing now and put the crop top on over my denim shorts. It shows a little bit of my belly but not too much.<br style="line-height: 17px;" />I stuff the t shirt I was wearing in my back and walk to the staff room to put it in there. I walk back out to the main shop and sit down behind one of the four tills, waiting for the shop to open in twenty minutes.</pre>

<pre style="line-height: 17px; white-space: normal; color: #2a2a2a; font-size: 13px;">At nine, the door slams open. The first customer. Oh my God.

My stomach plummets down to my feet. It's not a first customer. Oh, no. It's Ross. He gives me a weak smile and goes behind into the staff room. Or is he in the staff room? He could be in his father's office.

"Quite the charmer, isn't he?" Brunette asks me.

"I don't know him," I say, "Sorry, what's your name?"

She chuckles. "Sophie,"

That's a very pretty name, Al spits sarcastically.

"I'm Alex," I say.

"I know your name," she hisses.

Why do I have the feeling that I'm going to end up hating this girl? Surely, she can't be as bad as I'm making. But she's just so...precise. She needs to be right at everything. She needs to know everything.

Ross re-enters the room. He looks at both of us. I can feel my face going redder.

His blue eyes are obviously his main feature, but he also has a perfect straight nose and plumpish lips. He has very messy, dark brown hair that's extremely ruffled. His body looks quite muscular, but not over the top. It's quite subtle. He's wearing a blue Cult Lagoon t shirt and beige shorts down to his knees. He wears a variety of bracelets on each wrist.

"Hello Ross," Sophie smiles.

<span style="font-size: 13px; line-height: 17px;">Kiss ass, Al chimes.

I can't help but smile.

"Hey Sophie. You enjoying your first day, Alex?" he smiles. Ohhhhh, nice teeth.

Pull yourself together woman!

"I haven't had any customers yet," I say.

He laughs. "Oh, yeah."

"Are you working today, Ross?" Sophie shifts in her seat.

"In and out," he says to her, but keeps looking at me. She seems to notice this.

Way to go.

"I'm having a Klinky's. You two want one?" he asks.

"What's a Klinky's?" I ask.

"Coffee shop across the road. Though, I shouldn't trust you with coffee shops, should I?" he winks.

I turn crimson. 

"I'll have a strawberry milkshake, Ross!" Sophie butts in.

Butt out!

"I'm okay, thanks," I say.

"No, no, no!" he says, coming closer to the tills, just as the first customer walks into the shop. He sits on the chair next to me, and Sophie shift uncomfortably again. "You've got to try one! You can't walk to 'Bucks everytime you want a coffee,"

"Fine." I say, "I'll go get my purse,"

</span><span style="font-size: 13px; line-height: 17px;">"Don't be silly. It's your first day. I'll treat you," he says.

"You asked me too," Sophie says.

"Yeah, I'll get one for you too, Soph'. What do you want?" he turns to me.

I smile, "Caramel Frap," </span></pre>

<pre style="line-height: 17px; white-space: normal; color: #2a2a2a; font-size: 13px;"><span style="font-size: 13px; line-height: 17px;">Ross returns just as I'm helping the third customer find a shoe in his size. He kicks my ankle playfully.

"I'll put your Klinky's by your till," he whispers.

"Thank you," I say back.

I find the shoe and give it to the man. He takes it and tries it on. In the background I can hear Sophie talking to Ross.

Oh, dear. Will she ever learn? Al smirks.

"Special occasion coming up, sir?" I ask the man, who seems very happy with the shoe.

"Yes, I'm going to a beach party tomorrow. It's annual." he says.

"Oh, lovely. Will you be taking these?" I ask.

"Most definitely. I love them!" he beams. As he takes the shoe off, I put it in the box and go over to to the till. The man looks around for a while at the key rings, so I take the oppurtunity to try my caramel frap from Klinky's.

"You like?" Ross appears from no where.

"Oh, this strawberry milkshake is delicious! Thank you Ross!" a voice booms.

Oh, shut up.

 "Do you?" he urges to me.

"Yeah, better than Starbucks," I smile. It's not. It's on par with Starbucks, but if it's half the price, I can't go wrong.

"Great. About that surfing lesson tomorrow, do you mind if I save the number you gave my dad into my cell so I can give you the details? I've got to nip out. I don't know whether you'll still be here when I get back." Ross smiles. My stomach explodes.

There's a large crash to the side of us. I turn and see Sophie on the floor and her chair on top of her.

Go on, Alex, make a snide remark. I beg you!

"You're giving her surfing lessons?" she shrieks.

The customer seems to be taking a very long time by the key rings on purpose.

"Yeah, so?" Ross asks. 

"You never gave me surfing lessons!" she said.

"That's because you said you'd been teaching surfing to under teen's for five years before you started working here. Alex has just moved from New York. How do you expect her to know how to surf?"

</span><span style="font-size: 13px; line-height: 17px;">She just looks at him with disgust.

"So?" he asks me.

"Yeah, just make sure you put your name in the text, so it's not some randomer texting me," I smile, unable to keep it off my face.

"Sure. See you later, maybe," he says.

"Bye," I say, and he walks out the door.

I turn to Sophie. "Gee, Sophie, are you okay? What made you fall?" I say in my best mock voice. 

You go girl!

Maybe working in Tampa won't be so bad after all. </span></pre>