Page 57 of The Player Penalty
“Rest for a bit. I can clean this up,” I offer.
Ms. Terry stretches her arms and yawns. “I love my job, but sometimes I wish it came with a nap.”
“My day would stop if I took one.”
She watches me return the paint, markers, glue, and everything else to their respective storage bins.
“Lily, are you taking classes over the summer?”
Was I supposed to? My school counselor never mentioned it, but it’s possible I forgot. This is the sort of instruction that can be difficult to remember. “I don’t think so.”
She doesn’t pick up on my worry and calmly nods instead. “We’re running a summer camp here over the summer. It’s only five weeks, which means there’s time for you to take a vacation or work on other plans. Would you be interested?”
“I’m a little old,” I say, and she chuckles. “You mean a camp counselor?”
“There are a few part-time positions if you’re interested. We do community field trips, craft projects, that sort of thing. Would you be interested?”
“Yes, absolutely.”
I can’t wait to tell Julian.
∞∞∞
A single child psychology assignment should not be this difficult. One sentence. I can manage one sentence.
The screen blurs in front of me. Ms. Terry wants me to be a camp counselor, and the office is quiet. Julian should be in Texas by now since he’s Matteo Diaz’s spotter. He’s probably not even thinking about me.
One sentence.
I get up, pace to the far wall, and return to Julian’s desk. It doesn’t help. For once, going home won’t help either. It’s silent, giving my head even more room for random thoughts.
I have completed two paragraphs so far, which means there are still 98 to go. A giant F in red marker forms in my head.
“Lily, what are you doing here? With Julian in Texas, I figured you wouldn’t bother coming in,” Maddie says from the doorway.
Am I not supposed to be here without him? No one told me that, but I should have asked. “There are a few tasks remaining.”
It seemed a good idea. Someplace familiar, with the sound of people around, might give me the burst to write. My bedroom didn’t work, so why not here?
“Oh, that makes sense. It’s a full weekend for him. If you’ll be there, Sarah and I are getting together Saturday if you want to join us.”
I want Julian to strip off my clothes and fuck me again. “That sounds exciting. I’d love to.”
She leaves, and the school assignment once again tortures me. It shouldn’t be this difficult.
It would be inconsiderate to disturb him, and they’ll probably celebrate Matteo’s debut after. Plus, there’s the camp counselor job and my paper to write. It’s only one paper, and there’s plenty of time to work on it after making dinner and packing my bag.
One sentence.
The cursor blinks with condemnation.
I’m bored.
One sentence.
I think I’ll have cereal for dinner tonight.
Like a failure, I pick up the office phone and dial.
