Chapter 2

Chapter Two

CALVIN

"Roll for perception," Everett said.

"Ugh. Why? Can't I just go in guns blazing?"

"You can, but remember what happened last time?" I warned.

Ian didn't listen. He never did. We all watched in bland amusement as he went gung ho into the dungeon that Everett very ominously described as darker than a thousand midnights. Ian lacked any sort of self preservation. He was too excited to get to the fun parts. When his character tripped a bunch of booby traps and died, I saw it coming a mile away. I couldn't help but snort.

"Shit. Cal? Revive me?"

"No can do, buddy. I used my last resurrection spell on you the other night. I don't have the gold to buy another one."

Ian dropped his forehead onto the table and moaned. We warned him. He went through characters like candy at this point.

We were discussing possible options to save him when my alarm went off. "Time's up, guys. My shift starts soon."

Every weekend, we all came to my work early to play. My boss, the kind man that he was, let us use the space before we opened so we could all sit around the massive table in the back. He let other players use the space during working hours, but I got special treatment because he loved me. At least an hour of uninterrupted playing time, and access to the breakroom for snacks. What more could a nerd ask for?

Since we were already at a good stopping point, Everett made note of where we were and started packing up. He worked in the shop across the hall. Working in the mall at my age was a little pathetic, but aside from nerdy stuff like this, I never could quite settle on what I wanted to do with my life. At least working here, I could afford my portion of the rent. I lived with Everett and Robbie. Robbie, at least, had a decent job and was happy to give us a heavy discount on rent. Without him, I'd still live with my parents, who hounded me every chance they could get to find a ‘real job' like my older siblings. What they meant was to find a boring job that would slowly suck the life out of me. I preferred to work here.

The guys finished packing up while I opened the store. It was a hobby shop, not necessarily nerd focused, with everything from model planes, trains, and cars, to books, but the game section was growing since it was the most popular. I made suggestions to the boss whenever I had the chance, and I figured we were doing pretty well. At least, there were always people in the shop. So when Arjun pulled me aside at the end of my shift, I wasn't expecting such shitty news.

"My son will come back soon. He is going to take over, so you will have to follow his rules. Understand?"

No, not really. Arjun's son was the worst employee on the planet. I was relieved when he returned to college. The guy hated everything about the shop and alienated a lot of customers every time he worked here. It sucked, but I got through it, and managed to keep customers coming back despite the douchey comments Dev made. He wasn't even supposed to be back for another few months. He was supposed to finish out his school year before I had to deal with him again.

"But–"

"You can make your recommendations to him. His degree was in business. He will have good insight. Give him the lay of the land. Yes?"

I resisted the urge to groan. I hated working with Dev. Working for him would be another layer of torture entirely. The guy screamed shady. It would be smart to start looking around for another job. I made a mental note and forced myself to smile and nod.

"Sure thing, Arjun. I'll help out. When will he get here?"

"Two days. I cannot stay today. I need to get the house ready. You close up tonight, okay?"

Great. That meant a twelve-hour shift. Normally, I'd be pretty happy with that, because I liked being here and it meant more pay. But with the dreaded return of Dev, I almost wanted to refuse. I needed time to mentally prepare to deal with that asshole. Still, I couldn't tell Arjun no. He was a great boss. He was just blind to what kind of son he'd raised.

This was going to suck.

"Calvin! Come here!" Dev bellowed from the back room. I rolled my eyes hard. The jerk had been here a week and still couldn't get it through his thick skull that he couldn't yell and expect me to jump to answer. I gave the customer in front of me a pained smile.

"Sorry about him. Doesn't realize the volume of his own voice. He's a little slow, you know?"

The customer, a middle-aged woman with bleach blonde hair, at least looked understanding. She put her hand on top of mine and patted it lightly. "My nephew is the same way. It's exhausting to deal with, and my poor sister is constantly being barked at. Maybe try to distract him with something? That's what I do when they come to visit. He likes to draw, so I always have paper and crayons on hand. Give him something to focus on, you know?"

I had to fight hard not to burst out laughing. I nodded politely, playing up the story. "Yeah, that's a good idea. I think there are some coloring books at the shop next door. I'll make sure to pick some up. Thanks."

"No problem. It's great that you're giving him some work, making him feel accomplished. I'll be sure to come here again soon. My nephew is so hard to shop for. Here is the only place he asks for anything."

Finishing out her order, I put it in the bag with a smile. "Well, it's good he has such a nice aunt who will get him what he wants. Thanks for coming, and have a good day."

She preened at the compliment and waved on her way out. Ian was hanging out near the back, and he wasn't trying at all to hold back his laughter, clutching at his sides and slapping his leg. I flipped him off on my way past.

"Shut it. Watch the shop for me, will you?"

He waved me off, still laughing. It was his day off and he always came to the mall to pester me and Everett if he had too much free time. Arjun trusted him to watch the front if I had to duck in the back for any reason. Dev didn't, but he'd find any reason to bitch at me. Leave the register unattended, shut the doors so I could get the task done without worrying, ask him to watch the front; all options were the worst to him and I couldn't do anything right. Asking Ian to watch the front was the least objectionable option. I'd still get bitched at, but whatever.

"Calvin!"

"Dude, I'm right here," I groused as I stepped into his office. Arjun kept the office pristine, but Dev was a waste of space. In the one week he'd worked here, it looked like the office had been hit by a tornado. How he managed to find anything in here, I'd never know.

"What's this?" Dev demanded, waving a piece of paper at me. I frowned.

"It's a request form? For new products. I've gotten a lot of people asking about–"

"I don't give a shit about your nerd stuff, Calvin. And I'm not wasting money on stuff like this. Stop wasting my time."

I pressed my lips together, fighting off a scowl. "It's not a waste. D&D stuff is really popular, and with–"

Dev scoffed, rolling his eyes hard. "No one cares. This place is so stupid. We could be making a hell of a lot more selling something decent. Don't fill my old man's head with crap like this. I don't want any more requests from you. I've got more important things to do."

Like what? I almost wanted to ask. He didn't do shit. He spent most of his time back here on his phone, probably playing with himself. I did most of the work for the shop. I opened and closed, cleaned, put out more products, made orders to replace stuff, the works. I could run the whole place on my own blindfolded. Meanwhile, Dev was on a mission to run this place into the ground. I was at my wit's end and it'd only been a week. It was a good thing I had a job interview later in the week. I wouldn't be able to handle this place for too much longer.

"I'm leaving early. I'm meeting someone. Lock up and clean this office up while you're at it. It's a stye in here."

"It's not my office," I argued. "You told me not to come in here anymore."

"And now I'm telling you to clean it up. It's not a hard concept, Calvin. I don't have time to walk you through it. I've got better things to do."

He shoulder checked me on his way past, nearly knocking me into the wall. Yeah, I wasn't a big guy, or a fighter, but I seriously wished I was sometimes. Guys like Dev deserved a right hook on the regular.

I followed him out through the front and headed him off before he could ream Ian for being behind the counter.

"Any customers?"

Ian's gaze was glued towards the back, and when I followed it, my jaw almost hit the ground.

"Holy crap."

"I know, right? Think she's lost?"

Could be. While she was pretty deep in the shop, she didn't actually look overly interested in the shelf in front of her. Her eyes narrowed on Dev as he walked out. I'd immediately assume an ex, but there was no way a douche like Dev pulled a gorgeous woman like that. She was way out of his league. And mine, but that didn't stop me from approaching her.

"Hey, can I help you find something?"