Running Out of Time: A Kevin Perry Love Story

Chapter Two

  The following morning, I woke up to the blare of phone call. Glancing at the clock, I saw it was just barely reaching noon. The call did not surprise me. No matter what I had been scheduled for, my manager at Blaze Pizza always seemed to need me in for extra days.
The uniforms were basic, which I had always appreciated. A simple t-shirt with the logo was all I really needed, anything stuffier would have made me quit. By 2:00pm, I had my brown hair french braided into pigtails down to my waist, my usual light makeup applied, and I was out the door.

* * * *

The staff working were people I had only met one or two times, on days like this, so I really had nobody to talk to. To my own relief, Audrey had not been called in with me. Silence was a blessing in this case. I did not have to deal with the constant chatting about things I could not care less about.
"Hi, what kind of pizza can I get for you today?" I asked in the most respectable tone I could possibly muster. This job was intensely repetitive. No matter what different toppings the next customer requested, the process was always the same.
I began to think about the ways I could have possibly appreciated Audrey more, as the customer in front of me said, "Just one build your own, please."
"And the name for your order?"
"Uh, Kevin."
I looked up at the boy for the first time since he had arrived. He looked just like one of the brothers from the night before, but I couldn't understand why he would come to Blaze two days in a row. It wouldn't have mattered if he had or not, so I just continued. However much pizza somebody ate was not my problem.
I worked through the whole order, following his instructions, and i put it in the wood-stone oven, then moved onto the next customer.

* * * *

I was scheduled to get off at 7:00, which was when Audrey ended up being called in. She placed her things in her locker as I retrieved mine, and the first thing out of her mouth was, "The brunette boy from yesterday is back."
"Oh, yippee." The lack of enthusiasm in my voice did not seem to phase her; she continued.
"He's totally here to see me, Ana. He's not a regular, and he's back a second day in a row?" She paused to scoff, and swiftly tied her short blonde hair into a bun. "Boy must really want me. How do I look?"
Audrey was conventionally attractive. She had pale green eyes and the cutest little nose I've seen; something I had to admit no matter how much she annoyed me. She did not need to try to look good. If she would bat her expensive eyelash extensions at any boy who glanced her way, she could have them at her feet. Her boring personality, though, always seemed to drive them away.
I'd get no reward for telling her a lie, so I spoke truthfully when I said, "You're gorgeous." Maybe he was there to see her.
"Hey, do you wanna see my girl for your eyelashes?" She asked as we both left the back. "They'd make those pretty blue eyes of yours pop without all that mascara."
I ignored her comment.

I left right after the conversation with Audrey. I took my last steps out the door, and I turned the corner to walk to my car. Just then, I saw brunette boy, who's name I already forgot, watching me through the windows.