A Year Around the Sun

t h i r t y - nothing is awkward for me

i always thought i would sink,
so i never s w a m . . .

🌊🌊🌊

The last week of WonderPier being open snuck up on me. September was coming to a close, as was boardwalk season. Two more days in my booth, and then my only job was weekends at the diner until late May. Working two jobs in the summer is enough stress, but working two jobs with school wore me to the bone.

Even though it's a Thursday evening, that didn't deter people from clogging up the pier. I guess the weather being beautifully warm and breezy helped everyone come out of their houses and enjoy it. Whatever the reason may be, I'd already been at the pier for two hours after I came here straight from school and I was already tired of everyone's shit. Needy, rude customers were just adding to it.

I'd just given a family a giant stack of tickets when Beverly came strolling up to the window with a grin.

"Wanna go on break?" She asked me, raising an eyebrow.

"Yes, please," I mewled. "I guess you got my telepathic message telling you to come save me from these horrific people."

"You know it, kid. Take thirty and go get something to eat. I don't need you passing out on me when you got a couple hours left to go," she said.

"Don't remind me," I grumbled as I rolled my eyes. She just laughed and bid me goodbye, so I quickly locked up my booth and made a dash to the snack stand.

I decided on a giant soft pretzel and once I was already three bites into it, I headed over to where my friend Liz was working the squirt gun race. She's about my age and we've been working at the pier together for awhile, so we get along. Wandering the boardwalk sounded too tiring with how much energy I was lacking, so I settled on talking with her for the rest of my break.

"Hey," I breathed when I reached her, sitting in one of the empty stools that ran along the front of her kiosk.

"How's it going?" She smiled.

I shook my head, taking a moment to yawn. "I just wanna go home."

"Same here. I hate working this stupid ass game because I barely get any people. It's so boring," she ranted while she adjusted some of the prizes that were hanging on the wall. "Do you think Bev will let me leave if I don't get anymore kids?"

"No way," I chuckled at that idea. Even though Beverly is a relatively kind woman, at the end of the day, she only cares about one thing – making money. She's been running this pier for almost a decade and she's the reason why it's still alive. If it weren't for her, they probably would have demolished it years ago. It's obvious that she's good at her job and wouldn't give it up for anything.

Liz let out a dramatic groan, dropping her head into her crossed arms that were resting on the counter. I think she said a few choice swear words, but they were muffled from her head being down.

I munched on my pretzel as the two of us continued to gripe about working at the pier. Being two teenage girls, we quickly got lost in our conversation. Luckily, nobody came up wanting to play the racing game during the time I was sitting with Liz. Except for one person, but they weren't there to win a dumb prize from a squirt gun.

Just when I thought I was home free, my misery came back.

"Oh, hi." That hostile tone could never go unrecognized.

I whirled around, panic evident on my face as I saw Sky sitting beside me. The arrogance in her grin didn't quite intimidate me as much, because now I know her story. I know who she is, what goes on in her mind, why she says the things she does.