That was basically how all of our conversations had gone this week. Dylan popped his head into the break room as I stormed away. “Scout, you wanna come give us a hand? The weekend wave is starting.”
“Sure. Give me a second.” I hurried to the fridge and pulled out my own recyclable bottle I brought with me every day. I took a large swig of blood and then tossed it back in the fridge. I wouldn’t be back in here for a few hours.
The wave was just like every weekend. It sucked. Vamps of all kinds, their familiars, and occasional groups of humans thinking they were edgy for coming out past curfew came to screenings. The first wave was overwhelming, but we got through it intact. I high-fived the guys and told them to take a quick five-minute break before the next wave.
We were hit right on time, but the crowd was even more packed this time. We had some popular titles coming out tonight, so we were prepared for numbers, but this was insane. The three of us were screaming at each other for this and that. We ran like chickens trying to keep up with the demand for tickets, popcorn, and snacks.
Just when I was about to go off on a familiar for being a dick about soda prices, I saw the break room door open. My eyes flicked over to see Desi coming out, adjusting a red vest over his black Iron Maiden shirt.
We made eye contact over the crowd, and he quickly made his way behind the counter, joining me.
“What seems to be the issue?” he asked the guy. I watched Desi’s eyes flick to the red ribbon tied around the guy’s wrist, labeling him as a vampire’s familiar.Their source for fresh blood.
“These prices are outrageous.”
“You’re holding up this line because you weren’t smart enough to shove a bottle of pop in your coat? Fuck off before I take your ticket,” Desi snarled. The customer blinked rapidly. His vampire date squeezed his arm and gave me an apologetic smile. They moved quickly to let the next person in line order their snacks.
Desi took their order with a pleasant smile. Fake, but still pleasant. Once they rattled off what they wanted, he stepped back and began getting their snacks. “You handle the register. I’ll be the runner.” I nodded and took his place, doing what he said.
Things went so much smoother. I took the orders while he doled out all the food. With Adam at the ticket booth and Dylan doing usher, we managed to get through the next wave with our sanities mostly intact.
Once the last person was served and on their way to their designated screening, I sighed deeply and relaxed against the counter.
I heard that stupid fucking chuckle and looked up to see Desi staring at me, arms crossed and smirking.
“Thanks for doing the bare minimum,” I said.
“Anytime, co-manager.” He laughed again. Just then, Thing One and Thing Two came up and started high-fiving Desi.
“You should come out more. You rocked that shit,” Dylan exclaimed. I rolled my eyes and turned away. I wasn’t going to give Desi the satisfaction. He did his job. Finally.
“It wasn’t terrible. Don’t expect this to be a daily occurrence.” He told them. I stormed off to the break room to take another long drink. Thick cold blood ran down my throat, and the headache that had begun to form quickly disappeared. I took a quick bathroom break before hurrying back to help with the next wave.
To my surprise, Desi stayed out in the lobby with us the entire shift. During slow periods Adam showed him the cash registers and the computers. He swept up popcorn in the main area and even went on a few runs as an usher with Dylan.
When the shift was finally over, I dragged myself back to my desk to finish up the numbers and change out registers for the day shift. One of the few things that had changed for the better when humans discovered vampires was that businesses could now be open twenty-four hours a day. Humans worked when there was sun, and the blood community ran the night shifts.
My entire body was exhausted from running around all night. I couldn’t wait to get back to my apartment and relax.
“You alright?” The familiar male voice made me look toward the door. Desi stood, watching me with his hands in his pockets, looking genuinely concerned. It was suspicious.
“I’m fine. Just tired.” I gave him a small smile and leaned back in my chair. “You did good out there.”
He smirked. “Grab the popcorn and make sure no one’s making out too loudly in the back. I got this gig down.”
I laughed. “It’s not bad. Plus, free movies.”
“I know, right? The guys invited me to a private screening tomorrow before our shift.”
“Nice.” I nodded and went back to finishing up the shift paperwork.
“Is that manager stuff?”
I glanced up briefly, but my eyes returned to the work on my desk. “Yes. I’m trying to get it done so I can go home.”
I saw him nod his head from the corner of my eyes.
“Show me tomorrow, and I’ll start helping.”
