Audrey, Wait! by Robin Benway

Author:Robin Benway
Language: eng
Format: mobi, epub
Tags: Romance, Young Adult, Music, Contemporary, Humour
ISBN: 1595141928
Publisher: Razorbill
Published: 2008-04-09T18:30:00+00:00

18 “So if you’re lonely, you know I’m here waiting for you. …”

—Franz Ferdinand, “Take Me Out”

THE SCOOPER DOOPER hadn’t seen this much action since there was a power outage last summer and we had to get rid of all the ice cream in the freezer. (Normal people + free ice cream = anarchy. I almost had to put on riot gear.) Now, even though we were going into December, the crowds were getting bigger and steadier.

And they brought their cameras with them.

In the first hour of work, I had my picture taken with two babies, someone’s rat terrier, four ten-year-old girls with braces, three guys who were dared by someone’s older brother, and at least five girls around my age and their mothers. “We drove two hours to come here!” one mother said as she fanned herself with a copy of the magazine. “She”—she pointed to her daughter—“read on the Internet that you worked here and she was so excited to meet you! This is her birthday present!”

I looked to the girl, who was blushing. “Mom! Shut up!”

“Can we get a picture?”

“Um, sure, of course.” I stood shoulder-to-shoulder next to the girl and smiled so wide that my face hurt.

We were both shaking from nerves when the flash went off.

And if that wasn’t enough, these girls brought me gifts. Like, actual gifts. Arm huggies, stuffed animals, jingly balls for Bendomolena—someone must have leaked Bendomolena’s name on a website or message board or something—nail polish, homemade vegan cookies, etc. One girl even brought in a picture she drew of me in her art class and it was actually good. “My mom,” I told her, “is going to love this.” (And she did. She ended up having it matted and framed and now it hangs in her office at work.)

James was in the background in probably half of the shots, his hair falling over his face as he scooped and wiped down the counters and generally did all the work. In between photo ops, I crouched behind the counter and restocked the napkin holders, desperate to avoid all the people who kept walking past and staring. “So what happened?” James asked as I crammed a wad of napkins into a holder.

“With what?”

“Outside the principal’s office.”

“Oh, that.”

“Are you suspend—oh, crap.” He dropped a scoop of Root Beer Barrel on the floor and I passed him some napkins. “Thanks. Are you suspended?”

“No. But get this. I have to do all my schoolwork in the office. I’m not allowed in class anymore.”

“Really?” James knelt down and tried to sop up the mess. “Is it like solitary confinement?”

“I don’t know. I guess I’m disrupting everyone’s learning process, or they’re disturbing mine. Whatever.”

“That’s pretty stupid.”

“Thank you!” For once, someone was on my side. “They might as well just start sewing scarlet letter A’s on all my shirts.”

James smiled. His eyes got all crinkly in the corners when he really smiled. When he was doing his fake-customer smile, only his mouth moved. Like I said, I’m an observant person.

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