Chapter Seven
Hannah
“Oh my god, have you heard the latest Bathroom Bandit episode?” I exclaim, regardless of who may be listening. We’re in the break room during lunch and I’m itching to tell Ruby and Hirim about the newest bathroom scandal that happened this morning.
“No,” says Hirim, his mouth full of food. “But dish dish dish.” I love Hirim’s enthusiasm for the Bathroom Bandit, it matches my own.
I quickly scan the nearby tables, making sure no managers are lurking around. The break room is packed today, with seating for over one hundred staff members. We barely managed to snag a table.
Once I confirm there are no managers in sight, I eagerly share that someone left an unflushed, enormous mess in the toilet, causing a clog that might require a plumber’s intervention.
Ruby grimaces and says, “Oh gross, Hannah. I was eating.”
I apologize but can’t help chuckling. It’s both disgusting and hilarious that someone would do something like that.
“Just how big was this shit to block the toilet?” Hirim asks, raising a dark brow.
I think back to my conversation with Aimee earlier and try to remember the details she shared. “According to Aimee, it was huge. It might even need a plumber to unclog the pipes. So I’m guessing, pretty big,” I say with a shrug.
“That’s fucking disgusting,” Hirim says and we all nod in agreement.
“Anyway, should we assume it’s the same person responsible for the shit on the floor from last week?” I ask the others.
Hirim thinks it’s probably the same person but acknowledges there could also be a toilet malfunction causing the issue. I hadn’t even considered that possibility. I had just assumed it was someone’s revenge poop from last time, but he raises a valid point.
“Hannah, can we please change the subject from the person defecating in the bathroom? It’s really gross,” Ruby pleads, throwing her hands up.
“I’m sorry,” I sheepishly reply. “But it’s the most exciting thing happening here lately.”
Hirim gives me a knowing look and asks, “Is the Bathroom Bandit just a way for you to distract yourself from Clae?”
I had to admit, that was partially true. But I wasn’t ready to confess it.
“Speaking of Clae,” I say. “Something strange happened over the weekend…”
“Oooh, do tell,” Hirim says eagerly, sitting up straight and paying rapt attention. He often called me the gossip queen of BHI, but if that was true, he was definitely the king.
I don’t even know where to begin.
How much should I tell them?
“I don’t know what to make of it, so I wanted your perspective,” I say.
“Stop stalling,” Ruby chimes in with a playful smile, eating a tomato from her salad.
“Well, while I was at Izot’s on Friday night, Clae sent me a text asking to meet him outside because he knew I was there.”
“What?” Hirim gasps.
“That’s not even the weirdest part. I met him outside and he kept insisting on trying again, but I made it clear that was not an option.” I stress this last part as I see disapproving looks on both their faces. “Anyway, he got really angry with me and suddenly Jeremy, the IT guy, showed up and told Clae to back off and stop disrespecting me. He stayed by my side until my Uber arrived, just in case Clae showed up again.”
“Hmm, interesting,” Hirim says with an evil grin. Ruby smacks his arm to make him pay attention.
“And guess what? That’s not even the weirdest part. While waiting for my Uber, Jeremy tells me he teaches a junior surf class. And I surprisingly agreed to meet up with him at Bondi Beach on Saturday morning to watch him teach.”
“Did you go there?” Hirim asks.
“I did,” I affirm to him with a nod. “Don’t laugh, but when I arrived, he completely throws me under the bus and I had to take part in the actual class.”
Both Hirim and Ruby burst out laughing.
“Remember when I told you not to laugh?” I whine, my cheeks turning red.
Hirim apologizes, laughing uncontrollably.
“Did you join in the class? You actually went surfing?” Ruby asks, her sceptical tone evident.
I feel my cheeks heat even more as I reveal, “Yeah, I actually did, and surprisingly, it’s not as awful as I imagined. ”
“I never thought I would witness the day Hannah Upton willingly participates in a sport,” Hirim teases.
“Shut up,” I playfully say, while slapping his arm from across the table. Once their laughter dies down, I finish my story.
“After the surf class, we got coffee from a café, and he remembered my coffee order. As he left for his next class, I thanked him for helping me with Clae the night before, and he says, ‘I’ll always look out for you.’ Like, what does that even mean?” I finish.
Ruby and Hirim are both staring, clearly unsure of what to say.
“Also, he invited me to join another surf lesson next Saturday. However, I declined, as surfing isn’t really my cup of tea.”
“Wait a minute,” Ruby says, raising her hands for me to stop talking. “What is the intended strange aspect of the story?”
“ Clearly , the part where Jeremy promises to always look out for me ,” I say with emphasis.
As she nods, she tucks a lock of dark curls behind her ear and replies, “Okay, I see what you mean. What does he mean by that?”
“Exactly,” I agree. “That comment is really weird, isn’t it?”
“Perhaps he simply means he will keep an eye on you because he’s such a nice person,” says Hirim thoughtfully. “He is genuinely one of the nicest guys I’ve ever met.”
“You think I’m reading too much into it?”
“Perhaps,” he says, shrugging. “It’s difficult to understand his true intentions without discussing it with him.”
“Oh god, please refrain from doing that,” I say. “Let’s just forget I even said anything.”
“Are you thinking there is a hidden meaning behind his comment? Do you have feelings for him?” Ruby inquires .
“No,” I say, my cheeks turning even redder. “I just find the comment to be weird.”
Absolutely not.
I have no romantic interest in Jeremy, I.T. guy, Park.
At least, I don’t think that I do.