Jamais Vu
Chapter I
“Yo, I never would have guessed you’d get a job here too!” The brown haired boy laughed as he put his arm around my shoulder, a green t-shirt balled up in the other hand.
The sudden contact made me turn to my left at full speed- if this was someone from high school, my plan had inevitably failed. I tried to glance directly at him but couldn’t bring myself to do it. Who was it? No, not the guy from graphic design, no-
“Void! It’s me!” He pleaded before pulling away. “I know you only ever see me in the dark, but jeez.”
I blinked a few times before seeing the boy without his work vest and lanyard on- Cyk was his name, sketchy jobs were his game. It was too soon, but I knew we would be perfect together. Cyk was desperate for drug money and I would take whatever job called me back first.
“I was this close to working at a sandwich shop,” I responded, grabbing the shirt and throwing it on over my tank top. “Could you imagine that?”
“Nope,” Cyk half-smirked at me, putting the shirt on and checking himself out in his phone camera. “How do I look?”
“You’re one of the only people I know that can pull off the t-shirt over long sleeves look,” I teased before pulling him towards the group of people waiting in a circle near a sign that read Orientation starts at 10’clock sharp. Be there or be square.
The weather was still cool enough that I didn’t break a sweat spending the afternoon outside. Cyk looked frazzled, but I knew he was up until two working his other job considering we just met up last night. He had his sunglasses on and an energy drink in his hand that he offered to share with me despite telling him over and over that I had my own. I convinced myself now that I knew someone here, the day would go quick. Besides, how bad could some menial park cleanup be?
Soon enough the place was full of teenagers in green t-shirts and a few senior citizens with wheelbarrows full of gardening tools. I didn’t look too much older than the rest of them. I fretted being mixed in with a group of high schoolers on the cusp of getting their first job, but not quite old enough to even work part time around here.
“We’re going to be out in the sun all day?” One boy asked as if he didn’t read the job description.
“It’s not that bad,” One of the old timers looked at him. “There’s drinks and sandwiches inside if you need a break. Take it easy.”
Take it easy indeed- we found the most secluded spot in the corner of the park down a trail with a bunch of flowerbeds that needed tending to. The park was bigger than I thought, but that’s what I get for not spending more than a few minutes researching it before applying.
It was nice. No customers, no managers, no annoying people telling me that every breath I took meant I was doing something wrong. No conversations I didn’t care about, no small town drama. Besides, it was the first day and if they really wanted us to do icebreakers, we would have done it already.
Maybe this city was the place for me. I took a deep breath and gazed over at Cyk as I lost myself in my thoughts as I prettied up the flower beds in front of me.
“I can’t remember the last time I spent an entire day out in the sun,” I said.
“Me neither,” Cyk responded between throwing a pair of garden gloves my way. “Someone has to take care of these places, you know.”
People walked past us with our dogs and minded their own business. I almost felt my arm go up to wave a few times when people got too close to me. Was I supposed to say hello? Was I supposed to act like a landscaper? I looked over at Cyk who paid no mind with his headphones in.
I suppose it was a city after all. People lived for themselves. It was all too surreal. I expected everyone to be rushing, to be on their way to something bigger and better than some park. I couldn’t get the idea out of my head that even I felt out of place here. I kept glancing over my shoulder to see if I could see the other people clad in green shirts. Were they doing something more difficult? I could be over here goofing off and getting paid for it, and no one would care.
I took my gloves off to check my phone only to see Cyk glancing at me. “At least we didn’t get stuck weeding next to the street.”
“Don’t jinx yourself, Void.” Cyk paused. “This is just day one.”
It was a summer job after all, but knowing I wouldn’t be gardening every day for the rest of my life gave me hope. If I had to do one unpleasant thing, it wasn’t forever. Once the middle of August came we were done. No more toiling in the hot sun for ten dollars an hour. Maybe I’d be onto bigger and better things then just like the rest of the people around me.
I wandered inside to get something to eat and I couldn’t help but let the feeling consume me that a few of the faces around me looked a little too familiar. I knew it was my mind playing tricks on me. It just had to be, right? There couldn’t be anyone I knew here, right? Definitely. It’s been a few years since high school. People should have moved on by now. I shouldn’t know anyone here.
Not a soul.
My paranoia ate away at me as I dug through the cooler to grab a bottle of water and a sandwich on the table coincidentally catered by the place I applied for a few days earlier. A sandwich shop would have been worse- people would be regulars with complicated orders I’d inevitably get wrong. It would eat away at me as I laid in bed thinking about the foot long with exactly three tomato slices on it, extra mayo, a splash of olive oil, a sprinkle of cilantro, and extra helpings of roast beef that I ruined.
It would play in my head over and over until I broke down and left town without a cent to my name, because god forbid I saw any customers from that store ever again.
That’s why I liked Cyk- we were both mysterious about our pasts, we didn’t even know each other’s real names. He didn’t need to know that I was overly anxious.
Cyk came inside but only briefly before putting a phone to his ear and stepping out once again. I sighed as I was left by myself and couldn’t help but glance around the room nervously. I wanted to shrink when I was around so many people my own age- one of them would know, and my plan of moving out on my own to start over would fail horribly and I’d have to go back home.
It was inevitable.
The scenario replayed in my head over and over until I realized that I cut my hair and lost weight since then, so maybe I wasn’t a completely lost cause. Besides, if they roasted me for being a dork in the past they might as well be the losers now.
I felt a flick on the forehead as I looked up from my sandwich. “Murakumo called and I couldn’t leave him hanging like that.”
Murakumo. The boy I knew almost nothing about who seemed to come and go in Cyk’s life, or at least that’s the vibe I got from him. I was surprised if Cyk was working here that Murakumo wasn’t, but maybe the boy was wrapped up in his own issues. I wanted to ask, but I chewed just slowly enough that Cyk took the lead.
“Are you looking for another odd job?”
I knew once the words left his mouth I was in for a ride.
“Cyk, it’s day one of this one.” I said with a flat expression. “But if it means I don’t have to work at a sandwich shop after this ends, count me in.”
It made me wish I did things that took me to the dark side of the world instead of simply existing. I could see by the devious look in his eyes that our fates were inevitably intertwined before the words came out of his mouth.
“Good.” He took a deep breath. “Do you have an extra bed at your place?”
My eyes widened as I tried to read his through his sunglasses. “Cyk, we’re not even dating yet.”
I saw the smile I knew he’d crack at that remark- he had to turn around and pretend to take a drink even though I knew the soda he was holding was empty. “Void. Answer the question.”
“Yes?”
“Alright. Hear me out on this.” Cyk took a deep breath. “We take turns taking care of Murakumo and get paid for it.”
“I’m gonna need a little more than that. Besides, I haven’t even met this boy.”
“Murakumo can’t see very well and he needs a mentor. If we take turns hanging out with him after classes every day, we get a little something out of it.”
“So you’re saying you’re paying me to be your friend’s friend.”v
“Something like that.”
“Isn’t he our age?”
“It’s complicated.”
sat absentmindedly as I tried to picture who this boy was. I had no indication of who Cyk hung out with other than me. Was Murakumo into making music too? Was he laid back? Did he wear sunglasses indoors? Was he strange? Mysterious? A mix of all of the things?
“C’mon, it’s just helping him with homework and maybe watching a few movies. You can do that, can’t you?”
“I’m going to have to meet him first.” I took a deep breath. “If we hit it off, I’ll do it. If we don’t it’s all on you. Capiche?”