Page 49 of Searching for Nova

“I know,” she says. “I’m horrible, but the man treats like you shit. He can’t have that much time left, can he?”

“He’s only 70. He could go for another 20 years.”

“You can’t stay with him that long. You gotta move out.”

“I know. I’m already planning on it. I want to leave after graduation, but he takes my money so I can’t save anything.” I get up. “I’m sure it’ll work out.” I grab my bag of food. “Thanks for lunch. And dinner.”

She smiles as she stands up. “We should do this again sometime.”

“Yeah, definitely.”

On my way out, I pass another guy who looks like Easton. Actually, none of the guys I keep seeing look that similar to Easton, but I keep thinking they do because I want to see him. It’s like my mind is imagining him every time I pass a guy who’s tall and close to my age.

Why can’t I stop thinking about him? Maybe I just need more time. Maybe in a month I’ll forget all about him, and that kiss we shared will just be a distant memory that I bury deep in my brain, never to be thought of again.

Yeah, that’s not happening. I’ll never forget that kiss. But I’m still going to try to forget about Easton.

14

Nova

“And that’s about it,”Rod says. “Any questions?”

It’s Sunday afternoon and Rod just finished giving me a tour of the skating rink. I didn’t even know it was here. It’s only a couple blocks from my school, but it’s on a road that leads to a dead end so I’ve never driven down it. If I had, I would’ve assumed it was some kind of warehouse. It doesn’t look like much on the outside, just a long rectangular building, and the sign is so faded it’s hard to read.

The inside of the place looks a little better. Rod said he renovated it last year. He said it used to be a training rink for hockey teams, which explains the locker rooms. He didn’t update those, but the check-in desk and snack stand are new, and he put new flooring in. He also added colored lights above the rink for parties. It sounds like the place is mostly used for kid parties and lessons. They only have open skating a few hours a week.

“I think I got everything,” I tell him. “You wanted me to start with the locker rooms?”

“Yeah. Start with the men’s. There’s nobody in there. I’ve got a lesson scheduled from two to three and then a group lesson with some kids after that. You can work until six, right?”

“Um, yeah, sure.” I didn’t think I’d be here that late. I’ll have to text Ted to let him know his dinner will be late. He likes to eat around six and then drink until he falls asleep.

“I’ll be in the office if you need me,” Rod says as he leaves.

I go to the cleaning closet and load my supplies into the cart. I should’ve asked Rod if I could listen to music. It’s too quiet in here.

Before going in the men’s locker room, I knock a few times to make sure it’s empty. “Anyone here?” I yell.

There’s no response so I prop open the door and go in with my cart.

Cleaning bathrooms is what I hate most so I start there to get it over with. Surprisingly, it’s not that dirty, but it’s still gross. Next, I do the floor. I don’t mind mopping, but the silence is driving me crazy. I get out my phone and find some music to play, keeping the volume down.

A half hour later, I’m done with the floor and am about to start wiping down lockers when I hear Rod’s voice.

“Nova?”

I find him by the door. “Yeah?”

“Come out here. I want you to meet someone.”

I set my rag down and follow him down the hall to the front desk. There’s an older man standing there, wearing jeans and a red coat. His face is tan and wrinkly and he’s got thick white hair.

Rod smiles at me. “Bet you didn’t think you’d meet a celebrity your first day on the job.”

Celebrity?What is he talking about? The old guy’s a celebrity?

“Good to meet you,” the guy says, smiling at me.

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