Ricky's POV
I have been waiting for this rookie to show up for 20 minutes now. I can't believe my boss made me in charge of taking care of the new guy. Can't he have chosen anyone else? I'm not even the most experienced one working here, plus, I'm just a high school student. I groaned for the 10th time that morning, pacing around the lobby of the movie theater, constantly glancing down at my watch. It was 8:25 am. If they don't show up in the next 5 minutes, I'm ditching. As the clock chimed 8:31 am, I was about to leave to vent to my boss, but then I heard the door swing open.
I instantly whipped around, my eyebrows raising as I stared down at the petite, brunette-haired girl. She was bent down, definitely out of breath. Is this the new recruiter? I crossed my arms, putting on a stern expression to let the girl know that I was not in a good mood. When she finally caught her breath and stood back up, she looked extremely familiar, gorgeous too. I disregarded the thought in my head, reminding myself that I should be mad at her.
"You're late," I stated, my eyebrows furrowed and my fists tense.
"I am?" She replied, her breath still a bit uneven. That voice seemed all too familiar like I'd heard it a thousand times before. I ignored my speculation, starting my annoyed rant.
"Did you not get the email? You were supposed to be here at 8:00, so I could show you around and teach you the basics. You made me waste 30 minutes, and now you show up here with your sweaty clothing and messy hair. I'm sorry to tell you this, but you can't just treat this job like a game." I lectured.
Her mouth was agape and it was obvious that her expression was one of outrage. "Well, I'm sorry to tell YOU, but I'm one of the people at East High who is considered as the prettiest and most popular." She remarked. That's when I suddenly realized. I was standing right in front of the one and only, Nina Salazar-Roberts. The girl I've had a crush on since 3rd grade. I could barely recognize her without all of her extravagant make-up and over-the-top outfits. My arms fell down to my side, and my face softened.
"Wait a second, are you Nina Salazar-Roberts?" I asked, even though I pretty much already knew the answer.
"You didn't already notice? Yeah, that's me, and you are?"
Of course. Of course, she doesn't recognize me. It's not like I haven't been going to the same schools as her for years now. But who am I kidding? She's never going to remember the nerdy kid that no one in the school takes interest in. "Richard Bowen..." I answered, still disappointed.
"Richard Bowen? Huh, that name sounds familiar..." She pondered, probably going deep inside her memory to remember that one name. Then, her face suddenly lit up. "Oh, you're that weird guy who always smiled at me in English last year!"
My whole face turned red, embarrassed that she remembered the worst part of me from sophomore year. "Oh yeah, that's m-me." I stammered, staring down at my beat-up converse to avoid eye contact. After my skin felt cooler and it was pretty much its normal shade of color, I decided to speak up again. "Um anyway, let's get started," I said, losing my confidence by the second.
"Hold on, just because you know who I am now means you can suddenly change your whole attitude?" Nina said, scoffing.
"What? N-No, that's not what's going on!" I defended myself.
"Sure Robert Brown, don't think that I didn't forget what you said to me earlier." She snapped back, rolling her eyes.
"It's Richard..." I mumbled, Nina not even acknowledging that I said something.
"Whatever, just teach me what to do, and let's get this over with." She demanded. I gave her a little nod, not even attempting to fight back.
Over the course of a few hours, I gave Nina a quick tour and taught her everything she needed to know. I don't know if she understood any of it since she didn't say a single word to me the entire time. Then again, I wasn't really trying to be descriptive either. My mood was already crushed from the interaction earlier. Once we finished, it was now 11:00 am. I could tell Nina was done with me at this point from the way she just stormed out of the theater without even saying goodbye or thanks. I sighed, leaning on a wall and slowly sliding down into a seated position.
I sat there for a while just thinking about what happened. I finally got the chance to talk to my childhood crush, and I screwed it up. I fucking screwed it up. She definitely hates me now, and I've ruined any possibility of me and her getting together. Hell, she doesn't even know my name. I groaned, banging the back of my head against the wall. I checked my watch, seeing that my shift was up. I stood back up, grabbed my bag, and miserably trudged out of the building. As I stepped out into the busy, noise-filled street, there was only one thought left in my mind: how the hell am I supposed to work with Nina Salazar-Roberts the whole summer?