Page 2 of Overachiever
Serena waves a hand at him and turns back to me. “What do you know about building houses?”
“Not a thing. Experience isn’t necessary. Hammering nails all summer isn’t my idea of fun either, but I need it for my resume. I’ll miss you guys, but I’ll be back in August.” My response is much more flippant than my actual feelings about missing out on the summer with my friends.
“When do you leave?”
“In a few days.”
Graham, always the quiet one, smiles and speaks up. “It sounds like a good opportunity.”
Owen sits up and leans forward. “Hello? I said I’m going too! Isn’t anyone going to miss me?”
Kelly reaches over to pat his leg. “Of course we will.” Her diplomatic tone of voice sends laughter around the circle. As much as everyone here likes to give each other a hard time, you don’t get much closer than our little group.
“That’s fine. Remee and I will be spending our summer in Florida, hitting the beaches and partying while you’re stuck here on the circle. Maybe you’ll get lucky and they’ll open the fire hydrant again this year.”
“Okay, enough about us leaving.” Draining my beer, I reach for a second and turn to Serena. “Back to the food fetish guy. What happened?”
Serena shakes her head. “I’m the last to kink shame, but lying still as he licks salt and ranch dressing off of me while I roleplay as a french fry was too weird even for me.”
“Where do you find these guys?”
“I attract weirdos. It’s a curse.”
My mood lightens as the evening erases the afternoon. It’s been a while since I had any amount of time without some responsibility breathing down my neck. I’m not going to spend the next few days dreading my upcoming job. I’ll have a friend with me. Maybe it won’t be so bad.
The next day, I receive an email from Building Hope informing me of travel options—the bus—and laying out how the room and board situation will work. They’ve arranged a motel right around the corner from the project we’ll be working on. Continental breakfast is available at the motel, lunch will be provided at the job site on work days, and we’ll have a meal allowance to cover the rest.
Dread fills me at the sight of the paragraph explaining how we’ll be sharing a room, until I read down the room assignment list and realize I have a room assigned only to me. A second scan of the list helps me realize why. I’m the only woman. Our crew, as the email describes us, is made up of eight men and me.
“That’s it. I’m quitting my job and coming with you,” Serena says when I tell her the situation.
“Only you would think being stuck in a cheap motel and working out in the sun all day would be a good time.”
“You aren’t seeing the big picture here, girl. You’re going to be in a different city, near the beach, with college guys for the whole summer. It’s like spring break on steroids. Do you have condoms? You need a king sized box of condoms.” Serena starts digging through my half packed suitcase, and I slap her hand away with a laugh.
“No, I didn’t pack condoms.” Although, it’s not a bad idea. I haven’t been laid in a while and since I’m not searching for any kind of relationship that might get in the way of my goals, a summer fling might not be a bad idea. It’s destined to be temporary.
Serena strides out of the room and returns, dropping an unopened box of condoms on the bed.
“Just had those handy, huh?”
“A girl has to be prepared. You can’t count on guys. I also have a box of colored and flavored ones, but I didn’t think they’d be your thing.”
“These are good, thanks.” Laughing, I sit on the bed, and Serena sprawls beside me.
“Seriously, I hate that you’ll be gone all summer, but I think this could be good for you if you let it. You work so hard, and I know the only reason you’re doing this is because of your resume, but you could make it more, Remee. You’re going to Florida for the summer. Live it up. We both know you can party when you want to. You aren’t being graded or judged for this. Take the opportunity to have some fun.”
“I will. We only work four days a week. There will be plenty of time for the beach.” I survey my clothes with a frown. “I really need a few things though. A swimsuit, for one.”
A smile leaps across Serena’s face. “Shopping! Let’s go!” Before I can respond, she’s headed out of the room and calling out to Zara to join us.
I’m not exactly drowning in funds—clearly, from my living situation, but I’m more fortunate than most of the people around me. My father, or sperm donor as I often refer to him, may not care enough to want a relationship with me, but he did dump money into an education fund over the years. It pays my tuition and enough is deposited into my personal account each semester to cover my rent and expenses as long as I follow his rules. I’m not supposed to work unless it’s school related or do anything that might cause my academic standing to falter. Between my tendency to be thrifty and how much less I pay in rent with three roommates, I have a pretty good amount in my savings account. I can afford a little splurging shopping trip.
Despite my reservations over this job, the girls’ enthusiasm and excitement rub off on me as we make sure I have everything I need for the summer. New swimsuits, a couple of cute beach towels, a few new outfits.
It dawns on me how much I’ll miss them. “I wish you were coming with me,” I groan while I sort through my new purchases back at home. I need to start a list to make sure I don’t forget to pack anything.
“Not as much as I do,” Serena says, flopping back on the bed and closing her eyes. “I’d kill to spend the summer lying on the beach.”
