PAINTED LOVE

TWENTY-ONE

sebastian hayes

. . . . . .

Summer has been shit.

The first week just ended and I'm wishing for the new college year to commence already. It was planned that the first three weeks of summer break, I would be working at my dad's business. He owns a technological car production company. Basically, his company produces any sort of technological parts, of a car. For example, a motor or an engine.

It fucking sucks working here. First of all, they don't allow me to do the fun stuff in here, like putting every small part together into the bigger piece. Instead, I have to count the amount of individual products we still have in stock. So all I'm doing, is counting the smallest things ever, for every package. For hours, day after day.

Secondly, the people here are rude fucks. They don't grant you anything as a young worker, especially not since they know I'm the boss's son. They think I'm some kind of nepo baby, if you can call it that. Jokes on them, I wouldn't even wanna work here, even if I'd get a fucking million a day. My co-workers allow me 20 minutes of lunch time, in which I don't even eat, most of the time. It's just 20 minutes for me, when I don't have to be fucking counting. After that break, some old guy comes to call me to return to work and then I'm back onto it for 5 more hours.

I haven't been out of the stocking shack since I started my first day here. I haven't made one fucking friend, since it's impossible around all these old, rude fucks in here. None of them are even interested in talking to me, but neither am I.

So yeah, working here is like hell.

But what's even worse, is the fact that I'm staying at my old home, together with my dad. Even though he's the CEO of this company, his drunk ass never shows up. When I go to bed, he's playing the TV so fucking loud that I almost can't sleep. He always drinks, too. So when I wake up, he's hung-over and still sleeping. I always find the evidence; a bottle of scotch and some beers per evening, at least. Most of the time, it's way more than that.

That's why this company is doomed for bankruptcy. The managers are trying their best to hold everything together and make it seem like everything's going great, but everyone knows what is really happening.

Luckily, I've only got two more weeks of working here left. After that, I have another full month of time to relax and hang out with my friends. I'm planning on returning to New York earlier than usual, since there's not really anywhere else where I can stay.

As I'm counting bolts in a package, I hear footsteps drift by. I don't mind to look behind, until I hear the person trip over. Everything they were holding drops to the floor. I turn around, and see a girl, who must be my age, scrambling everything together.

Her dark hair covers most of her face, but I see her flushed cheeks as she's embarrassed for dropping the boxes in front of me. I kneel down next to her and help her gather the two boxes left. She staples them onto each other and tries to lift them back up.

"Thank you", she mumbles quietly. She reminds me of Loïse, I realise. She looks a lot like her, also in the way she behaves. She seems quite shy and reserved.

"No problem", I say, stepping away. She starts walking away, before I call out: "Hey, what's your name? I haven't seen you around here?"

"Uh, it's Izzie. Well, Isobel actually but no one really calls me that", she replies as her gaze is focused on the ground.

I nod my head. Izzie used to be Loïse's favorite character on Grey's Anatomy, before she left the show.

God, why does everything remind me of her?!