And getting away from my mom. She’s being so happy and optimistic about these books and it’s creeping me out. It’s like she’s a totally different person than she was just a few days ago when she was talking about getting a real job.
Luckily, the weather has cleared up from the storms over the last two days, and it’s bright and sunny. I don a pair of oversized sunglasses and pull my hair into a messy bun and then I start handing out fliers to people. As I walk along the boardwalk, I pass by the video game store and think about asking them if I can leave some fliers on their front counter. I figure nerdy people play video games and so they might also read books, right? Or, at least the parents who buy games for their kids might be interested in books.
I approach the store and start to reach for the door handle when I see the large sign on the wall.
OUT OF BUSINESS
I stop, gazing up at the Games & More sign. It’s been covered with a black tarp. The store is completely empty inside, all of the former shelves of video games are now collecting dust. When did this happen? It was only a week or so ago that I came in here to trade in some used DVDs for cash.
Then I see it. The sign of betrayal that is so obvious I can’t believe I didn’t think of it before. Jack Brown Properties is printed on the bottom of a sign that’s been placed in the window.
He bought the video game store. And now he’s coming after The Magpie. I grit my teeth and head back down the boardwalk. I’d been doing a half-assed job of passing out fliers before, but now I’m determined. I will give a flier to every book loving person on this damn beach because I will not let Jack Brown buy our store from us. I don’t care what it takes—I will sell every copy of those books my mom bought. Just thinking about earning enough money to forever be able to tell Jack Brown to piss off gives me motivation.
When all of my fliers are gone, I head back to the store and make copies of more. Mom had printed two fliers per page, but I shrink it down into four per page that way I can print twice as many.
While I’m cutting the papers into quarters, I call April. “Please tell me you’re not doing anything exciting,” I say when she answers.
“That depends. Do you find laundry exciting?”
“Damn,” I say with a fake sigh. “You’re clearly having a very fun filled Saturday. So I guess I can’t talk you into coming to the store and helping me out?”
She laughs. “What do you need help with?”
I explain the books and the fliers. “That sounds fun,” she says. “I’ll have my mom drop me off and I’ll tell her to browse the books, too. She’s a big reader.”
My heart swells with gratitude. When April and her mom arrive, my mom immediately shows off the new books. April’s mom and my mom have only met a few times, but they always act like they’re close friends. We watch while they gush over books and when April’s mom chooses three to purchase, my mom gives me a big smile.
April and I leave the moms to themselves, and we venture out onto the boardwalk. “So how’s your tutoring going?” she asks.
I shrug. “I think I’m going to kick ass on my Chem test this Monday. I studied that stupid review website so many times that I’ve actually memorized things. Like…academic things.”
“Awesome,” she says. “I’m glad you’re getting help but it sucks that I have to walk home alone two days a week.”
“You could always hang out in the library and wait for me,” I offer. That sounds epically boring, but April seems like the kind of person who wouldn’t mind. She could get her homework done, because she’s also the kind of person who does her homework.
“I would, but I don’t want to be a third wheel,” she says, turning a random grin on me.
“Huh?” I say, stopping to hand a flier to an elderly couple. “Hi there! The Magpie now has a selection of bestselling novels in stock. If you’re interested, you can bring in this flier for an extra ten percent off!”
After they leave, I turn back to April. “There’s no third wheel in tutoring,” I say with a laugh. “But I have to warn you, you’ll probably be bored to death.”
She smirks. “Oh come on, Nat. You don’t have to play dumb with me.”
I stop mid step and turn to her. “What are you talking about? Iamdumb. That’s why I have tutoring.”
She rolls her eyes. “You also have a littlecrushon tutoring, I’d say.”
Okay, now I’m really confused. “What the hell are you talking about? I hate tutoring.”
“Are you seriously not admitting it to yourself?” April shakes her head and hands a flier to the guy selling hot dogs from a cart. “You’ve been talking about Jonah nonstop, Nat. Like…every day since you started working with him.”
“Uh yeah, because it sucks. I hate tutoring. You’re the one I vent to every day.”
She gives me a look and her intentions are unmistakable.
I put a hand on my hip. “You think I have a crush on Jonah?”
“You said it, not me,” she says with a shrug.
