Page 29 of F*ck You

11

Lee

Wiping sweat from my brow, I looked around at the freshly cleaned boat. All the dirt and grime that coated the deck from last night’s and this morning’s tourist trips was now gone, and it had an added sparkling gleam. I’d been at it for hours, even using a pocketknife to scrape off some gum someone had left underneath the railing that looked as though it had been missed the last several cleanings. It took extra effort to come off, but it felt worth it.

A slurping sound cut through the peacefulness, and I turned around to find the source then groaned. Giana stood on the dock, sipping a large fountain drink while she watched me work.

“You know, watching me work like this is actually kinda creepy. But if you insist on doing it, might I suggest some popcorn?”

She stopped drinking, leaving some pink lipstick around the tip of the straw, and smiled. “That’s a good suggestion, but don’t you worry. I already have a snack.”

“Great,” I mumbled.

She reached into her purse that could probably double as a suitcase and pulled out a vat of what looked to be chocolate pudding. I raised an eyebrow in confusion. “Do you normally just snack on large tubs of pudding on the beach? I wasn’t aware that was a thing.”

With a smirk that meant she wasn’t up to any good, she lifted the lid of the container and then tilted it forward slightly as she reached over the edge of the boat. I wasn’t fast enough to stop it, so I watched with my jaw dropped as the large container went flying over the boat, spraying the newly cleaned surface with globs of chocolate pudding. The glass bowl shattered as it landed, sending shards in every direction and even slicing the skin of my feet and shins in the process.

“Oops.” She covered her mouth with her hand as if all she’d done was make an innocent, minor mistake regardless of the drops of blood starting to run down my legs. “I’m so clumsy. It’s such a shame, too, since you’ve worked so hard to clean this.” She shrugged a shoulder. “Oh well,” she added, as she then turned and walked away.

It took everything I had to not run after her and smash her face into the glass covered deck. I used every bit of my restraint to not grab her by the hair and swing her in a circle, ripping out the delicate strands in the process.

Unfortunately for her, my control wasn’t enough to keep me in place, and I soon found myself running after her, my feet pounding loudly as I sprinted down the dock. She turned her head, saw me, and then screamed before she took off running. I got some sick satisfaction when I saw the color drain from her face, and it only made me run faster until I caught up with her.

Reaching out a hand, I grabbed her by the hair and pulled with such force we both tumbled to the ground. Her shrieks were earsplitting, but it didn’t bother me. I was finally trying to get my anger issues in check, but luckily, I hadn’t made it too far in. I supposed I could start over again tomorrow.

We rolled across the ground, and I dodged her sharpened nails as I grabbed at every bit of her I could reach. At some point, I ended up pulling down the top of her pale bikini, ripping it so it hung down, exposing her fully tanned breasts. This bitch sunbathed topless.

Pulling apart, we scrambled to our feet. Her arms crossed her chest in an attempt to cover herself up, and that was when I noticed the large crowd that had formed around us.

“You’re insane!” she shouted, as a sob broke from her throat. Her eyes widened at the growing crowd until she turned and sprinted away from me.

Claps rang out from the crowd as she left, and a few people even went so far as to shake my hand and congratulate me, to which I flipped them off instead in the general Lee fashion.

“She’s the bitch of North Isle. I’m glad someone finally had the balls to stand up to her, but heads-up, she’s going to try and make your life hell now. You have my greatest sympathy,” a woman said to me, patting me on the back before disappearing.

The crowd dispersed as quickly as it had appeared, and my breathing was heavy as I turned to look back at the boat. My shoulders slumped when I saw how much I would have to clean up again, so I trudged my way up the dock, back to the boat, and got to work.

I was a quarter of the way done and in the process of changing out the bucket of water when Larsen showed up with a bag. “Hey, I didn’t see you at the beach, so I went looking for you.” His eyes narrowed when he saw me and then dipped down to see the dried blood on my legs before he rushed over. “What happened? Are you alright?”

He reached into his bag, pulled out a small first aid kit, and then wasted no time getting to work on cleaning up my wounds before I could even form a response.

“Yeah, I’m fine, just an encounter with a bitch in the wild. Good news though, I won. And I mean it when I say you should’ve seen the other guy. I’m just glad I’m not her.”

“You were in a fight?”

“More like a casual chick brawl after she ruined the deck again right after I finally finished spending hours cleaning it.”

He placed Band-Aids over the cuts and stood up to look me in the eyes. “They weren’t as bad as I thought, so that’s good, but they will still sting in the saltwater. I have an extra wet suit you can put on if you still want to go…” He trailed off. “I can understand if you don’t.”

“Are you kidding me? After the last few hours I’ve had, snorkeling with you is exactly what I need. I could use some relaxing and fun time.” I looked around at the mess I still had to clean all over again and cringed when I thought about all the tiny shards of glass I would need to find. “But maybe tomorrow, because I still need to get this all cleaned up first.”

To my surprise, Larsen grabbed the mop that was leaning against the railing and dipped it into the bucket of water. “Alright, then let’s get started.”

A stupid grin lit up my face. I didn’t know how to react to that. Someone was prolonging doing something fun to help me clean up someone else’s mess, just because they wanted me to participate in the fun activity. I was pretty sure that hadn’t happened before. Everyone else in my life was always focused on themselves, me included. This just might help restore some of my faith in humanity.

I ran downstairs to grab a dustpan, trash bag, and a second mop, then juggled them all as I jogged back up to the deck. We worked together as a team and had the deck spotless once again in no time.

“It looks great,” Larsen commented, and I nodded in agreement. “Let’s get this stuff put away and head out.”

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