The Indie – Summer
THE INDIE
SUMMER
You can do this, Summer. You can do this.
On the final Friday of the month, I poured coffee into my bright red “Adulting Mode” mug and lined up this month’s bills on my desk.
No matter how many times I did this, fresh dread pooled in my stomach as I wondered what my final balance would be.
Counting down from ten, I paid them one by one, watching my savings balance drop with every payment.
By the time I scraped together enough for payroll, I had eight hundred dollars left for myself.
“Okay, Summer.” I let out a deep breath. “You’re still surviving.”
I tucked the envelopes into a folder and left my office.
When I reached the first reading nook, I spied Michael and Kelly leaning against the thriller shelves.
“Hey.” I smiled at them. “What are you two doing here so early?”
“We just wanted to come and talk to you before we open,” Michael said. “You got a few minutes?”
“Always for you two.” I plopped down on a chaise. “What’s going on?”
Kelly sighed, and Michael moved closer.
“We’ve been doing interviews for the past couple weeks, and they, uh—” Michael paused. “They finally made us an offer we can’t refuse.”
“Who is they?” I asked.
“Sinclair Street Books.”
My stomach dropped to the floor.
“So…” He pulled an envelope from his back pocket and handed it to me.
Kelly handed me one, too.
“These are our two weeks’ notices,” he said. “And considering just how hard times have been on you lately, and the fact that we both got signing bonuses, we also included a signed statement foregoing our final paychecks.”
“Please don’t kill us for this.” Kelly’s eyes watered. “This was a really hard and emotional decision. We still love you and hope we can still be friends.”
I nodded slowly, too stunned to speak.
“We’ve been here since midnight, and we went ahead and did this week’s stocking to save you some time,” Michael said. “And we hope you won’t add us to your ‘Readers Behaving Badly’ wall.”
“No, I…” I stammered as I stood. “I would never do that.”
“Well, thank you so much.” He extended his hand. “The past few years with you have been amazing, and I know Slow Burn will keep simmering.”
I shook his hand, and Kelly pulled me into a hug.
As if the awkward silence hanging between us was their cue, they walked out the front door. Then they took a long look at my sign and strolled across the street.
I stood still with an aching heart, unable to move, unable to cry.
I stayed there until the sun started rising, until light slipped through the blinds and I realized how much time had passed.
Tears pricked my eyes, but I couldn’t bear the idea of letting them fall just yet.
I stormed back to my office and locked the door.
“WHYYYYY?!” I screamed at the top of my lungs before collapsing into my chair.
I pulled out Kelly and Michael’s checks and ripped them to pieces.
Part of me was grateful they'd saved me money on their way out, but the other part was pissed as hell at them for leaving me like this.
Things were starting to get better…
Before I could think things through, I picked up my phone and scrolled down to Adrian’s name.
FUCK YOU.
FUCKKKKK YOUUUUU.
Adrian Sinclair
Name the time and place.
This isn’t a joke. You’re a fucking dick-faced villain in my life’s story and I hope your character DIESSSSS IN THE END.
DIEEEEEEE!
His name immediately flashed across my screen.
I hit ignore.
He called again.
Ignore. Block.
I tossed my cell across the room to prevent myself from reaching out to the enemy again.
This isn’t ALL his fault…