Hiding From Us

15. hannah

Of all places, why did they have to come to Subway? 

     It was seven-thirty two. My shift ended at eight. I hadn’t gotten the chance to eat dinner yet, so I was tired and hungry and stiff from gymnastics. I wanted to go home, but I forced myself to stay because I needed the money for a new pair of Lululemon sweatpants. And there was no one to pick me up at this time. 

     My coworker—this really hot Mexican guy called Miguel—put on his delicious smile and assisted a customer. I turned over to my other not-so-hot coworker, Aimee, and gave her a GET ME OUT OF HERE look. She shrugged back sympathetically. 

     Five minutes past. Ten. Fifteen. Twenty. 

     What the hell? I figured. Nobody else is coming. I’m out. 

     Just as I was removing my apron, my boss caught me. He was this small guy with only a little hair on his head and even less underneath his nose. Our conversation did not stray from the usual. 

     Mr. Hurndell: ‘‘Going somewhere, Evans?’’

     Me: ‘’Uh, I was hoping to go home.’’

     Mr. Hurndell: ‘’Ms. Evans, what time does your shift end at?’’

     Me: ‘‘Eight.’’

     Mr. Hurndell: ‘‘And what time is it now?’’

     Me: ‘‘Seven fifty-four.’’

     Mr. Hurndell: ‘’So it’s not eight yet. And you still have to wear this uniform for six more minutes.’’

     And then he would hand me my apron and I would finger him when his back was turned. And then I would stand in the corner and chat half-heartedly with Aimee while watching Miguel’s biceps flex as he prepared sandwiches. 

     And then

     Erick.

     I recognized him immediately as he walked in. He was dressed in a dark green dress shirt that went really well with his eyes. I forgot about Miguel, suddenly, and self-consciously worried over my hair. 

     Miguel looked up. ‘’Oh—’’

     ‘‘It’s okay, I got this,’’ I replied, pinching his shoulder. I moved towards Erick and was about to smile winningly and ask for his order when the door opened again and another guy walked in.  

     ‘‘What’re you having?’’ said the other dude in a light voice. He took Erick’s hand, and for a moment of panic I thought, Is Erick gay?! but then I noticed a couple things about this other, uh, person. A) the voice, though still at a tenor level, was too high to be a male’s; B) they had no Adam’s Apple. I watched when he/she swallowed, and there was no bob in the throat, which also lead me to realize that C) she did, in fact, have boobs. 

     ‘’I think I’m ready,’’ Erick said. ‘‘You?’’

     ‘‘Yep.’’

     That was my cue. I walked up to the counter and said, ‘’Hi, welcome to Subway. What can I get you?’’

     Erick’s emerald-green eyes lit up. ‘’Oh, hi, Hannah. Um, I’ll have a footlong Italian sub, please.’’ Then he moved forward and put his lips to the girl’s right temple. ‘‘Your turn.’’

     She ordered something weirder: a six-inch ham-and-cheese on whole wheat, topped with tomatoes, pickles, and mustard. She picked out a bag of Doritos and an orange juice. Erick got Ruffles and a coffee. 

     The girl paid with a debit card. Her ears were not pierced. She was wearing a green toque over her short, curly hair. 

     ‘‘Hannah,’’ said Erick, ‘‘have you met Shain yet? I guess you haven’t.’’

     The girl—Shain—looked up. ‘’Hm?’’

     ‘‘This is Hannah. Family friend, I guess.’’ 

     Family friend? I scowled. Just because my uncle was his uncle’s stepbrother, it did not mean we were family friends. But I kept my cool and said, ‘’Hi.’’

     ‘‘What’s up?’’ said Shain. 

     Erick said, ‘‘Hannah, this is Shain. My girlfriend.’’

     Oh. 

     I remembered Lindsey telling me about this. That first day of school, where she mentioned Erick’s toque-wearing acne-less girlfriend. But back then, I’d had no idea what I had been planning to take on. I had no idea that this toque-wearing, acne-less girl was in fact bizarre and kind of cool. At least, Erick seemed to think so. She had eyes the color of storm clouds, and there were at least a dozen bracelets on her wrists. I honestly didn’t know if she was a friend or an enemy. 

     I said, ‘‘Oh, that’s awesome. Well, enjoy your meal.’’ 

     They took a picnic table outside to eat. I swore silently and repetitively after that as I pulled off my apron and my gloves and got my jacket and purse. After I called home to get my mom to pick me up, I stood at the corner and watched them. 

     Erick ate randomly, taking two bites of his sandwich and then taking a handful of chips before drinking his coffee and going back to his chips. Shain, on the other hand, nibbled on her chips briefly and was about to take a bite of her sandwich when Erick said something to her. He gestured toward her mouth, his eyes trained on the crumb on her lip, and Shain could’ve grabbed a napkin or whatever, but she leaned right across so that their noses were inches apart, and that was how Erick happened to be sucking Shain’s lower lip very gently. 

     God. It made me sick. It made me sad. 

     I dashed inside and grabbed a napkin from a table and took a Sharpie from my purse. After I scribbled eight letters on it, I waited until Shain had left for the bathroom and Erick was dumping the garbage before letting it float onto their table. 

     I watched his expression as he read it:

     F U or F HER.