by Bryce Gibson
There were two signs on the doors for the newest location of Burger Heaven—OPENING SOON and NOW HIRING SHIFT SUPERVISORS AND CASHIERS APPLY WITHIN.
Once I entered the restaurant, I spotted Katie right away. She was now going to college in Columbia and had gotten the Assistant Manager job at the new restaurant. She was busy stocking supplies and teaching a new cashier how to run the register, but she took a minute to look up at me and smiled.
I was a few minutes early so I took a seat in one of the booths while I waited. I was busy reading a book on a new app that I had downloaded to my phone when something on the other side of the glass caught my attention—there was someone wearing a black rain jacket with the hood pulled up that stepped into the restaurant. She pushed the hood back. It was Lisa. She spotted me right away and walked over to the table. She was smiling.
“What are you doing here?” I asked her.
“Applying for a job,” she said. “I’m going to USC.”
I was saved from the uncomfortable situation by a man wearing a tie. He had a clipboard in his hand, and he was walking toward the table. I knew he must be the manager. “Well, look, I’ve got an interview. I’ll see you later, okay?”
“I can’t wait.”
MY EYES SHOT OPEN. I had been dreaming.
At first I thought I was home, but the hard, uncomfortable mattress reminded me that I was in the hospital, and it was not the get well soon kind. This was the crazy house. Once the realization dawned on me, I wished that I was back in that dream world where everything seemed to have worked out for the best. Instead, I was reaping the consequences of what I had done.
From the other side of the door, there was the sound of a key and then that of the lock turning. The door opened, and the nurse entered. “It’s time to go,” she said.
I stood from the bed.
“Here’s your name badge.” She was holding a rectangular sticker and a pen.
I took the pen, wrote my name in the blank space, and slapped the sticker to the front of my shirt. The nurse escorted me out of the room.
The quarterly social was held in the central hallway. They had set up a folding table with chips, cookies, and some type of orange punch. One of the nurses had connected her phone to a little speaker and was playing music.
I avoided everybody, the patients and nurses, and went straight to the snacks. I was ladling punch into a plastic cup when somebody said my name from the other side of the table.
At first the voice set me on edge, but then I remembered I was wearing the name badge. I looked up to see who had spoken to me. The other guy was about my age and had short, black hair. He was wearing a t-shirt that had the screen-printed image of a vintage werewolf mask on the front.
It can’t be, I thought. There is no friggin way.
My eyes shot to the name badge on his chest, and I dropped my cup of punch.
HELLO. MY NAME IS CHARLEY.
The End
If you liked The Reading Buddy, please take a second to leave a rating on Goodreads!
Follow me:
Twitter
Instagram
Facebook
To learn more, visit my website
BryceGibsonWriter.com
Don't miss out!
Click the button below and you can sign up to receive emails whenever Bryce Gibson publishes a new book. There's no charge and no obligation.
https://books2read.com/r/B-A-EADG-EYPS
Connecting independent readers to independent writers.
Did you love The Reading Buddy? Then you should read The Resort by Bryce Gibson!
A fun and fast paced teen thriller… Imagine The Island of Dr. Moreau and The Ruins meets The In Crowd.With an island full of teenagers and no internet access, there is the overwhelming sense that all hell is about to break loose.Living on a tropical island is a paradise that most people dream of, but seventeen-year-old Mackenzie Walker is torn between staying there and the idea of having a normal life on the mainland.Spring Break is when boatloads of thrill-seeking high school and college students flood the resort, but it's not an endless party for Mackenzie. He's stuck working. When a frat guy winds up dead, the blame is placed on a dangerous hazing ritual, but Mackenzie's eccentric father is convinced that it was murder.Mackenzie and his friend, Kristen, set off to discover the truth, but what the two of them uncover along the way is far more terrifying than either of them could have ever imagined.Because, on the resort…Something is out there. Something evil that is waiting for its chance to strike.
Read more at Bryce Gibson’s site.
Also by Bryce Gibson
The Reading Buddy
The Resort
Watch for more at Bryce Gibson’s site.
About the Author
Bryce Gibson writes fiction that takes readers to charming and oftentimes sinister areas of the The South. He lives in South Carolina with his wife and their dog.
Read more at Bryce Gibson’s site.
