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TWENTY-SIX

CHAPTER TWENTY-SIX
MARCH 10TH, TUESDAY

BRANDON HYNES

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I shifted in the hard ass plastic chair as I watched the welcoming video the hiring manager had me and a few others watch in the stock room.

As annoying as it was, I was really happy to have had a job. It took weeks and weeks of filling out applications and praying for interviews for me to have gotten to where I was. I was grateful, but damn was I a few seconds away from falling asleep.

The video went on and on about the company's policy, customer service tips, and the importance of maintaining a positive attitude in the workplace, but my mind kept drifting to Tobias.

How he called me his boyfriend and weird I got afterward and how he was the one planning a date for us. It felt like we were moving fast, but at the same time maybe I was just overthinking it.

Maybe I was just exhausted from watching those damn videos all day. Yeah, that was what it was. As my eyes began to close and my head slowly leaned forward, I felt a tap on my shoulder.

It was a guy with a man bun and perfectly arched eyebrows who also had gotten a shirt that was a size too big for him  “Stay up,” he said.

I chuckled. “I'm tryna stay up, but it's hard.”

“I know. These videos have been brutal, right?”

“Hell yeah.”

“Like do they really expect us to remember all of this?”

“I'm more of a hands-on learner.”

“Tell me about it. Anyway, I'm Nathaniel, by the way. But everyone calls me Nate.”

He stuck his hand out between us like he was smuggling drugs. I shook it and said, “Brandon. Nice to meet you.”

“So, is this is your first job in retail?”

“Yeah. How'd you guess?”

“I didn't. I was just curious. Are you nervous?”

“A little. Not really though, I'm sure it'll be smooth.”

“Yeah. I think it will be on most days anyway. We'll have to expect the occasional Karen's but as long as we have each other's back, we'll be good.”

We shared a small laugh and continued to chat through the rest of the videos. We mostly made fun of the super excited narrators and the cheesy acting.

It was easy to feel comfortable with him and he was such a cool guy to talk to. He told me about his previous retail experiences, the good, the bad, and the hilariously awful.

He even shared his key tip of dealing with annoying ass customers and that was to be overly nice.

When the videos finally ended, we were led into a smaller room where we received our employee handbooks, locker assignments, and a brief overview of the store layout. We even got assigned lockers and Nate's locker was right next to mine, which was cool.

“From seat buddies to locker buddies,” he said with a smile.

“I guess so,” I said, returning his smile.

The rest of the orientation process was a blur. It was a bunch of paperwork and the managers introducing themselves to us, and a tour of the store and more first day shit. I was ready to go home if I was being forreal.

By the time we were finally done, I felt like my brain was fried with information.

As I made my way to the door to leave, Nate had caught up to me.