Big Kahuna
**********
"Tobs pull over..."
"What??"
I look to my right and see a wide eyed Moe imploring I do as she says.
Without hesitating I pull into an empty parking lot. Before I can even ask what's up, I see Kelley dart out into the rain with Moe following at a slower pace.
Kelley runs straight to the trash can, stuffs her head inside the container, and begins to vomit.
***FLASHBACK***
It's early Freshman year. Kelley walks up to a house just off campus looking for her new friends. She makes her way inside, paying 5 dollars at the door for a cup. Walking inside she instantly sees Tobin downstairs laughing and talking to a group of guys.
"Hey Tobin!"
Tobin doesn't react.
"TOBIN WHATS UP!!" Kelley yells over the music
Tobin whips her head around, showing a huge teeth filled smile.
"KELLEY!!! Guys this is my new buddy Kelley!! She's a freshmen too but she's totally cool!" Tobin yells emphatically as she pulls Kelley in for a bone crushing hug.
"Woah! Haha smells like you got quite the head start on me!" Kelley's says motioning to Tobin's cup.
"Yeah dude we got here like hours ago!!!!" Tobin yells over the music.
"Yeah...where's your little roomie at??" Kelley asks as she looks around.
Tobin shrugs her shoulders.
One of the guys next to Tobin points towards the stairs. "I think she went upstairs a little while ago"
Kelley makes her way upstairs, unsure why she has a bad feeling.
She pops her head in a few bedrooms, not finding anyone upstairs until she hears a noise coming from what she assumes is the bathroom.
She knocks hesitantly. "Hey, Moe are you in there? It's me Kelley"
The door knob clicks unlocked and Kelley slowly opens the door.
Moe is kneeling on the bathroom floor, vomit inside the toilet and all over her white t-shirt. With dried tear stains running down her cheeks she turns to Kelley.
"Can you help me please?!"
"Oh my god dude are you ok?"
Moe nods her head. "I drank too many beers"
Kelley holds down her chuckle. "Yeah I figured that. Here take off that shirt and put this on.
Kelley hands over her old high school soccer sweatshirt.
"What do I do with this?"
Kelley raises an eyebrow at the girl holding up a puke stained t shirt.
"I mean, do you really want that anymore??"
"No!" Moe giggles
"Thank god!" She chuckles with Moe.
"Just roll it up and we can dump it in the trash outside."
"Hey, pinky swear you won't tell anyone! I don't wanna be known as the little freshie who can't drink a few beers without puking"
Kelley smiles and chuckles at her new friend. "Dude I think you drank more than a few! But fine, I pinky swear I won't tell anyone if you pinky swear you won't tell anyone I gave you my sweatshirt...I don't need any of the ladies thinking I'm taken or something. I plan on doing quite well in that department over the next 4 years." Kelley finishes with a wink.
Moe shakes her head and looks down at the shirt with a wide smile.
"Deal!"
***End Flashback***
"BBLUUUHHHHHH!!!!"
*COUGH* *COUGH*
"You're ok Sweetie" Moe says, while rubbing Kelley's back, trying her best to comfort her.
After a few more violet heaves Kelley finally pulls her head from the trash can. The vomit episode resulting in very pink, tear-filled eyes.
"Uuuuuhhhh!! I'm so stooopid!! The second day here and I'm already throwing up in random parking lots!!"
"Well we'll just have to proclaim this as 'Kelley's puke lot'. That way it's not just a random parking lot"
Kelley looks away, unamused with watery eyes.
Moe puts her hands on top of Kelley's shoulders and looks into her hazel eyes with sincerity.
"...Kells, you're not stupid."
Kelley breaks eye contact again, still pouting slightly.
"...I mean not smart by any means..." Moe's lips curl up when she sees Kelley's finally do the same.
"Shut up loser!" Kelley pushes Moe away and points at her.
"And don't ever call me sweetie like that again, ya creep!"
"There see!...2 gallons of vomit later and you're totally back to your normal self"
Kelley and Moe get a kick out of each other's sass.
I'm watching my 2 best friends laugh at each other standing in the rain. Meanwhile, from my nice dry suv, I notice the time in the car radio.
"Hey! Hurry up guys!" I honk the horn. "We gotta get goin if we're gonna get Kell some mouthwash and still make it to work on time!"
Kelley brings her hand up to her mouth to check her breath and winces.
"Probably a good idea!!!" Moe shouts back, unable to contain her laughter, or avoid Kelley's narrowed glare.
**********
"GGGAAARRRRRGGHHH PTUI!"
Kelley spits her mouthwash onto the already wet, puddle-filled parking lot and checks her breath again.
"Mmmm! Minty fresh" she smiles to herself
The 3 of us walk toward the park's entrance and see a large congregation of people under neath a roofed area.
Up front there's a group of employees already wearing their dark blue and red Noah's Ark polos. Closer to the parking lot is a swarm of fellow newcomers without any uniforms.
All in all the majority of trainees there seem to be around their age. Some a few years older and others most likely high school aged students from nearby towns. The mass of people looks to made up of more girls than guys.
"Hey neighbors!!" Kling walks up to them with Emily and Lindsey in tow.
Moe smiles and gives a short wave.
"Sup guys!"
"Hey make sure you guys sign in!" Emily points to the employees upfront.
"Oh thanks!" I say and we make our way to a table with 2 older women sat behind it.
"Morning ladies! I'm Jill and this is Dawn. We're park managers. Can I get your names to check you off the list?"
"Tobin Heath"...
"Morgan Brian"...
"Kelley O'hara" ...
Dawn flips her page of names and finds us.
"Oh there you are! We have you three grouped together as you requested. I assume you girls will be ok with that?"
"Yes" we all smile back in unison
"Great then you can head back to the group, we should be getting started soon."
We make our way back and talk to our camp neighbors for a little.
**********
"Yeah, we should definitely chill again tonight!" Kling asserts
"Totally!" I reply without haste, smiling back at her.
I'm really glad we made some friends out of fellow co-workers so fast.
"Ok folks, I need your attention up here"
The crowd turns toward the 2 managers they had just signed in with.
"We are going to get started now. All lifeguards have already passed the mandatory Red Cross training and are certified. Therefore I don't see the rain as a problem. After today we will still have a couple of days to go over CPR procedure. We will also train you all at each lifeguard station throughout the park, making sure all the new lifeguards are equipped to handle every situation, and the weather looks clear to do that."
"Today, we will assign you to your non-lifeguard work stations. Your supervisors will go over some brief training today and hand out your uniforms. When you hear your name called please follow your supervisors."
The Supervisors, some solo but most paired with another supervisor, step forward when it's their turn to call out their trainees.
Kelley leans into me and whispers.
"Pleasee Pleasseeee give us cool bosses!"
Pair by pair supervisors take their group into the Waterpark to their new jobs.
Half of the trainees are gone when a pair of girls who appear maybe just a few years older than me step forward.
One of the girls, sporting a short light blonde hairdo and holding a clipboard, speaks first.
"Mallory Pug" ...
I see a younger girl with a shy smile walk toward the 2 supervisors.
"Umm Pugh"...
The group of trainees snicker while the other supervisor takes the clipboard away.
"Gosh Pinoe"
"It's too early to read"
The other supervisor rolls her eyes and continues on.
"Kelley O'hara"
Kelley turns to Moe and I with an excited grin.
Moe and I are called up quickly after.
We waste no time and start following our new bosses into the waterpark.
I notice the younger girl glancing over in my direction.
"Hi I'm Mal" she says quietly giving me a shy wave.
"Hey, I'm Tobin, this is Moe and that's Kelley"
"Hey"
"Sup"
I take in our surroundings as we walk in front of the already filled "Big Kahuna" wave pool when we approach a large entrance.
The arch above the large opening reads "Big Kahuna Gift Shop".
We walk into the gift shop passing by an endless amount of t-shirts, hats, bathing suits, towels, aquasox, sunscreen, goggles, stuffed animals and souvenir cups, all displayed throughout the store and up the walls. Boxes are littered throughout the store, indicating there is still some more work in setting up to be completed before Saturday. I'm glad we didn't get assigned to a restaurant area or place that sells ice cream or snacks, knowing Kelley would most likely be fired for eating the food.
"Ok ladies and no gentlemen. Here we are, The Big Kahuna Gift Shop."
She drops the clipboard on the counter and pivots back to us.
"I'm Heather but please just call me Hao"
"And I'm Megan but for the love of Pete call me Pinoe"
"You four are our new staff, congratulations! We have three other gals from last year who will be working here as well. They said they'd stop by today to grab their uniforms and meet you guys, but knowing them it seems about right that they'd be late."
The 4 of us laugh at Hao's quip.
She looks over her shoulder at the clipboard.
"I see that Heath, O'hara, and Brian requested to work together. That's all fine and dandy. I plan on having you three grouped together on days the other three are on lifeguard duty and in vise versa. Mallory here is stuck with us full time. However, especially knowing those three, there will be days where girls have off, or call in sick, yada yada yada. So, somedays you may be split apart to make sure they have enough lifeguards out there."
Hao sees us nod in understanding and continues.
"Ok, working in a gift shop requires a lot of social communication with park guests. We have to make sure we are as positive and helpful as we can be. If you haven't worked in retail before, don't worry, we have plenty of fun training exercises to go over to make sure you guys are comfortable by opening day. Let's get started"
**********
A few hours later I'm crouched behind a clothes rack while unpacking a box of bathing suits, when a girl comes out of nowhere and knocks me on my butt.
"Shit I'm sorry! I didn't see you!"
The girl pulls me to my feet.
"It's cool"
"You must be one of the new girls! I'm Syd"
I grab her outstretched hand.
"Tobin, nice running into you"
Before either of us can say anything else we hear Pinoe scream from across the shop.
"BOO BOOS!!!"
"AHHH!!"
"I missed you kid! Where are the other gals?"
"They're seriously still sleeping...I figured I'd come and get everyone's shirts on my own."
"Jeez...Hey new girls! This is Syd! She worked here last year."
Moe, Kelley, and Mal all come to the front of the store and introduce themselves to Sydney.
"Alright kid let's head back to the office and I'll hook you and your lazy friends up with some new shirts."
**********
Sydney drives underneath the wooden sign marked "Oakwood Campground".
Slowly driving along the river, she comes to a stop at her friends' mobile trailer.
Inside she finds her friends sitting at the table, engaged in a heated game of Monopoly Deal.
"I'm glad to see you guys aren't actually dead"
"We wanted to go but you took my car and it's raining outside." Alex responds without taking her eyes off the game.
"For real Syd you could have tried harder to wake us up...hey wait! Did you meet the newbies?!?" Allie questions, picking her head up from the card game.
"Why yes I did. Why do you ask?" Sydney grows a devilish grin.
"Oh come on Leroux! Some of us are smart enough to be single going into summer! Were any of them cute?!"
Sydney can't help but laugh at her friend's curiosity.
"Yeah, all four were super cute. I'm pretty sure the freckled face one was trying to hit on me."
Sydney drops the pile of shirts on the table and starts walking away.
"...Too bad they're all girls though."
"What?!"
"HaHa! Sucks to be you Long!"