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Tilly
1996
“Once again, you have no idea what you’re talking about, Clooney. None.”
“Sully, ease up,” Naomi warned from the desk.
It was my first shift back at Spotlight after spring break, and after walking into another tense movie debate, it felt like I’d never left.
“What are we arguing over today?” I asked, taking off my coat and shoving it under the desk. Kevin avoided eye contact and acted as if I wasn’t there, which was just fine by me. I didn’t have time for his bullshit, anyway.
“Kevin Smith movies. Clerks versus Mallrats.”
“Can’t you like them both?”
“Of course, you can. But that’s not the point. Just like John Hughes, we must have a pinnacle film. The one that demonstrates the director’s best work.”
“And you think…”
Sully pressed a fist to his mouth, looking appalled. “Clerks, obviously.” Then he turned to Naomi. “I can’t believe she even asked me that.”
“Sorry, geez. And Kevin clearly likes Mallrats better?” I turned my attention to Kevin, but he still ignored me, pretending to wipe down the counters with Lysol, but I knew there was nothing on the rag. Kevin was the laziest of all the employees when it came to cleaning.
“Care to weigh in?” Naomi asked, looking as entertained as ever. She lived for these debates, even when she pretended to be annoyed by Sully and his constant need to compare and contrast different movies, directors, actors, and writers. Anything having to do with films, and the two of them were all over it.
And they discussed it ad nauseam.
If the average person walked through the doors of Spotlight Video, they would most likely assume that Naomi and Sully had the least in common. Sully was a curmudgeon that knew everything about everything. And Naomi was the gorgeous Hollywood hopeful that customers gawked at when they rented their videos. From the outside eye, those two couldn’t have been more different. But when it came to movies, they never ran out of things to talk about. And it was entertaining to watch their friendship in action.
“I prefer Mallrats,” I said with a shrug.
“That’s it. You’re dead to me. You and Clooney, both of you.”
“I don’t think you’re allowed to say things like that anymore, babe,” Wendy said through clenched teeth as she approached the desk. “You know, considering your new title, and all.”
“Crap, you’re right. Weezer, care to elaborate on why you like the obviously subpar choice?”
I clamped my lips together, holding back a laugh. He just couldn’t help but be smug and arrogant, no matter how he phrased things. And yet, I was enjoying his snark more and more.
“I don’t know…a bigger cast, a more dynamic setting—”
“The mall?”
“Um, better than a convenience store.”
“Let her finish,” Wendy corrected Sully. “Go on, Tilly.”
“Less philosophical pontifications.”
A voice that had been silent up until that moment took the opportunity to get a dig in. “Careful now, don’t hurt yourself with those big words.”
With daggers in my eyes, I glared at Kevin. “How nice of you to join the conversation.”
“Um, FYI, Tilly agrees with you, Kevin,” Naomi snapped. “Don’t be a douche just for the hell of it. Either make a point or stay out of the conversation.”
“I must concur,” Sully said, giving Kevin the stink-eye. “And Tilly makes a good point. I may not agree with her in any way whatsoever, but at least her arguments are solid.”
Kevin and I had started at Spotlight on the exact same day. One of us was blending in, making friends, and enjoying the culture of the store. The other…was collecting a paycheck and annoying everyone else in the process. Secretly, I wondered if Sully was collecting dirt on Kevin to get Hannah to fire him.
