An afternoon of summer

Jeremy was having the time of his life with the two blonde girls. The first stop was of course for him to buy a ticket while the two of them ran off to get their summer passes updated. Getting a ticket was quick for him and he had to wait around for the two to finish. He could see them getting their photos taken and considered getting himself his own summer pass to have more time with the two of them. Candi had made it clear the previous night this was just platonic, but even so hanging out with two hot blondes for the summer was an amazing way to spend his time. He thought about how if he was a good friend to them that maybe feelings would develop, but the conversation on the way here surprised him. “So Bailey and I have decided you are way too cute to be single.” Candi had said while driving to the water park, the statement bringing a bright blush to his cheeks. “I’m not…” Candi reached behind the seat and attempted to slap his knee. “None of that talk, Bailey and I are the experts on cute boys and we say you are cute. Right sis?” Jeremy couldn’t help himself to do anything other than smile as Bailey smiled at him in the back seat. Both of the girls seemed to almost always be smiling, and he could just get lost in their green eyes. He knew they weren’t really related, but no one looking at them would be able to tell and it just fed more into one of his fantasies of both of them crawling into bed with him. A dream he was sure almost every teen boy had, and while it could never come true, at least they both considered him a friend.

They had asked him a bunch of questions like if he liked girls shorter then him, taller or if it mattered, how did he like girls to dress, if it mattered if they liked video games or not and then started on questions about him. If he was religious, if he was a virgin. That one had surprised him and was incredibly embarrassing to admit to. If it wasn’t him the question was directed at it would have been commercial with how Bailey was paying more attention to her lips on her camera then the conversation and when Candi called her out for being a ditz and needing to pay attention she blurted that one out. At least she looked nearly as embarrassed as him. He tried to answer the questions as best he could, but couldn’t help but answer some thinking about what kind of girl his Mom would want him to bring home. With his luck he would get the hottest girl to be his girlfriend and his Mom would say he couldn’t be with her because she didn’t have the right values. He didn’t actually think the girls could get someone to be interested in him, but it felt really nice that they were going to try. Jeremy was pulled from his thoughts about the car ride when the girls came back, Candi laughing while Bailey looked ready to cry. “Show Jeremy, he will love it.” He watched as Bailey pursed her lips and held over her park pass, it had a new photo of her in her green two piece bathing suit. “The photo looks wonderful, you look beautiful Bailey.” Candi smiled and looked at Bailey before pointing to the words on the side of the pass. “It is a lovely photo, but miss grumpy pants is upset because it still say minor, and she needs to have an adult with her at all times.”

“I thought you both were eighteen?” Candi laughed again and went to answer his question before bursting into laughter again enough that she had to rest her hands on her knees. “I am… but the stupid DMV made a mistake on my ID.” Bailey said holding out the ID card he assumed she had just gotten this morning. He was surprised she didn’t have a license and was even more shocked to see the date had her listed as being seventeen. “My…” Candi stopped to take a breath. “My little sister here isn’t having a great day. Do you think you could maybe buy her an ice cream, Jeremy?” Jeremy nodded his head, he had no problem buying them a snack and doubly so if it cheered Bailey up. “Why would you the DMV put you at seventeen?” He asked, hoping the question wouldn’t upset her more. Bailey shrugged before glancing down at the two pieces of plastic in her hands. “I better let Mommy know though…”

Bailey: Something went wrong, like bad!

Mommy: Are you okay? Is Candi okay?

Bailey: Yeah

Bailey: But like worse, the stupid DMV made me a year younger!

Mommy: Hold on

Bailey: We need to go and fix it!!!!!

Mommy: I said hold on

Looking up Bailey watched Jeremy rush off to the ice cream stand. “Where is he going?” Candi glanced behind her then gave Bailey a large smile. “He is getting you some chocolate ice cream, just the thing to help cheer you up.” Bailey rolled his eyes, he didn’t want ice cream he wanted the stupid ID to say he was eightteen.

Mommy: Okay I am looking at your birth certificate now that I gave to the dmv

Bailey: OMG tell me it doesn’t say I’m seventeen!!!!

Mommy: No honey it says you are eighteen, they just made a mistake.

Bailey: Arrrg!

Mommy: Acting like a child certainly will not help

Mommy: Now go online and see if you can get another appointment

Mommy: The two of you can swing by the office to pick up your papers and get it sorted out.

Bailey: … we are kinda at the water park with Jeremy

Mommy: Priorities sweetheart, but if you are already there just try and make an appointment for later this week. This would not have happened if you looked at your ID before we left.

Bailey: K…

Mommy: I love you pumpkin, and I am sorry

Bailey: Love you too

“What did she say?” Bailey thumbed the phone screen off and met his friend's eye, he knew she had read the same texts as him. “That its like my fault for not double checking it before we left.” Candi put her arm around Bailey’s shoulder and started walking her toward Jeremy. “That is so like unfair, true… but totally unfair.” The waffle cone was larger than he expected and was super happy to see the two girls share the frozen treat while he drank a bottle of water he had got. “So where to first? Maybe that one?” He said pointing off to a tall slide that could be seen over some of the palm trees. “Ahh no thanks, I did it once and that was enough for me.” Candi said glancing to where Jeremy was pointing. “Bailey might though, she met a cute lifeguard the last time she went down it.” Crossing his arms over his chest Bailey made an X while he shook his head. “No way I have had my fill of cute life guards.” Jeremy glanced between the two, they both seemed empathic about their no. “If she says that he couldn’t have been that cute.” Jeremy said thinking about how they both called him cute earlier. “Jeremy, Oh my god he was Hot with a capital H… but we ahh you don’t need to hear us talk about that sorta thing . Maybe we can swing by and if there is a cute girl there you can ride it and pretend to drown so she will give you mouth to mouth?” He had seen a few of the life guards walking around in their red bathing suits and definitely wouldn’t mind some mouth to mouth, but the thought of that and then the call to his Mom about how he almost drowned did not go well together. “How about the wave pool then?”

At the Mega Corp office Amanda walked into her own office to see her assistant April sitting in her seat with her heeled boots up on the desk. “I go to lunch for twenty minutes and made yourself comfortable I see.” She saw the smile curl up on her friend’s face as she sat up in her chair and removed her feet from the desk. “More like fifteen, but yes I was comfortable and imagining what it would be like to be a department manager. I would imagine I will hear about your role soon to be mine with the management seminar happening next week in California.” Amanda put down her mostly empty bottle of water on her desk. “I had not heard of the seminar, are you sure it is next week?” April looked puzzled for a moment and scrolled through her messages on her work phone. “Yeah, I just assumed you were waiting to spring the good news on me that you got the district manager role when you found out about me. Oh no.. Amanda, umm maybe they want to send you to the next seminar in New York.” Amanda felt like just was punched in the gutt, she had worked so hard to show everyone what she was capable of and had recently gone through so much, and put Bailey through an ordeal and the hire ups picked someone else. Her first instinct was to fume about this, but at the same time it did not make sense. If someone else was picked for the role she should have been told. “Yeah, maybe. If I was not selected, we should have heard who was selected, if the seminar is next week.”April got up from the borrowed seat, feeling bad about playing around like that if Amanda didn’t get the job. “I will see if I can find something out for you, but maybe this is something Mr Connors could tell you about?

Immediately Amanda opened her purse and pulled out her phone and pulled up Derrick’s contact. She hesitated, her finger wavering between calling and texting him or if she should even bother him with this. Surely if she was rejected for the position she would have at least gotten an email about it and he did say he was going to stay out of it so she could earn the position with her own merits. Her thumb pressed down on the text option, she would rather call him and hear his voice to assure her. If he was in a meeting though and had not turned off his ring tone it could reflect badly on him and if it was bad news she wasn’t sure if it would be better or worse coming from him.

Amanda: Hey, April, my assistant was telling me about a manager seminar at the Cali office next week and that the district manager role that was to be filled here would be attending.

Derrick: Hey yourself!

Derrick: I know who April Gates is, a remarkable woman. Someone I am fond of had a hand in

helping guide her. I don’t know about the conference or seminar, but I can find out.

Derrick: Far as I know the role hasn’t been filled yet. Would you like me to check to see if they have a preliminary decision?

Amanda: Yes… and no.

Derrick: I think I understand. Are you worried?

Amanda: Always, it is my super power

Derrick: I thought it was being you being so amazing you earned your last name through sheer skill and ****.

Amanda: Stop

Derrick: If you like, but why?

Amanda: I’m not in the mood to blush

Derrick: Ah i see.

Derrick: Well I will check in about that role soon as I’m able, but I don’t think you have anything to worry about.

Derrick: On another topic and about worry, have you talked to Bailey or Candi since the DMV?

Amanda: Yeah, she told me about her ID being wrong. She should have checked to make sure things were right before we left.

Derrick: Does all the fault with that go to Bailey?

Amanda: Stop, I am not in the mood to also be wrong

Derrick: Fair enough, but from what I understand she isn’t doing great.

Derrick: I think her failing the test and that mistake made her miss her dad.

Amanda: Why do you say that? Did she talk to you?

Derrick: No, but apparently she took one of my shirts from my suitcase and was wearing it.

Amanda: She did not!

Derrick: It is okay, it is sweet actually. I often find one of my sweaters in her room after one of my work trips.

Amanda: She should not be going into your things.

Derrick: Well the girls let me know, but after they ripped my shirt. So if you see it in the trash or her wearing one of my shirts and it is ripped, I already know.

Amanda: I am so sorry Derrick

Derrick: Listen, she didn’t mean any harm and it is just a shirt. If I am honest with Mandy, it is incredibly flattering that she would do that.

Amanda: If it does not bother you I will leave it alone

Derrick: Losing my blue checkered shirt, but gaining the knowledge that someone sees you as a source of stability and comfort is well worth the trade.

Derrick: Listen, I have to get going. I will look into things for you, but remember a few things. 1 you are amazing, end of list.

Amanda: I told you to stop that

Derrick: Knowing I make you blush is almost as good as seeing it, request denied.

Putting her phone down on her desk, Amanda put one of her hands to her cheek, feeling the warmth brought by his words. “That man is dangerous.” She said with a small smile forming on her face thinking about how he hadn’t given her any answers and yet she felt calmer about everything with work. The news of Bailey going through his things bothered her, but she could see how it was endearing to the man. Bailey had been emotional lately, letting her emotions show instead of bottling them up. It was a nice change to see Bailey being honest with herself and it made sense in a way that Bailey would take his shirt. Bailey’s real father often wore those button up checkered shirts, the two did seem to have a type of bond and with him finding that horse, she bet in Bailey’s mind Derrick was the closest thing to having her father back.

Despite himself Bailey found the water park fun even if Jeremy started to talk about the dorky British tv show Dr Who when he saw a flashing blue light over a lifeguard station. He obviously was a fanboy and another reason Bailey was sure he would remain a virgin, but at least he was nice and wasn’t trying to feel him up or kiss him. “Did you see how happy she looked?” Candi said as they drove off from dropping Jeremy back at home. “Yeah I like remember at the shoe store, his Mom looked like the type to wipe his mouth with a napkin in public and then blame him for not trying to make friends at school.” Candi nodded, there were more than a few helicopter parents at her school that doted on their child and didn’t understand why they weren’t popular. “We should totally swing by the mall sometime when we know Jeremy isn’t there just to ask her if he is around. I bet if she thought he was like doing better she might lay off and he really would do better.” Looking to his side at Candi as she drove, Bailey gave her a little smile. The little dork was lucky to have met Candi, but with how she acted toward everyone he thought that might be true for everyone that spent time with the girl, even if she was pushy. “So are you going to ask your Mom to sign your application so you can work at the water park?” Bailey crossed his arms over his chest, looking out over the overnoon traffic. “I told you I like don’t want to work there and I like shouldn’t have to get her to sign anything, I’m not a minor.” Candi giggled at the memory of Bailey telling the clerc that she was eighteen and how the DMV made a mistake and how they just weren’t buying it. “Well you can’t like blame them for not believing you and unless you get your ID fixed I doubt they would hire you anyways. No one wants to hire a liar.”

“Argg!! I’m like not a liar, I am not seventeen!” Candi smiled, her Daddy wanted her to help cheer Bailey up, but she loved getting her riled up and besides she could tell her friend was in a better mood now then before, even if she was still being moody. “That isn’t what the state of Nevada thinks little sister.” Bailey glared at her, hating that what she said was the truth. Yesterday he attended a birthday party that declared he was eighteen, he had a birth certificate that said he was an eighteen year old girl and yet the stupid worker put in the wrong date making him even younger. Bailey shivered a little thinking about the prospect of Aunt Megan bringing him to the DMV in those overalls and making him even younger. “I don’t like want to talk to you anymore.” Candi gave a small shrug seeing Bailey sulk more about the ID. “Well that is no way to treat the person who is going to drive you to the DMV tomorrow to get it fixed, heck I was even thinking about letting you win when we play Marvel vs Capcon tonight.” Memory of how handily she beat him before flashed in his mind, but he was used to his long nails now, he was sure he could beat her with Captain America. “I can totally beat you!” The outburst made Candi laugh at how quickly the silence had lasted. “So much for you not talking to me.” Bailey stuck his tongue out at her as they pulled into the drop off area for Mega Corp.