I tossed the metal scoop back into the popcorn maker and hurried to the other end of the concession counter." Did you notice who Hinata Hyuga just walked into the movies with?" I whisperd to my best friend konan. "Kisame Hoshigaki!"
"you're kidding!" konan stopped wiping the glass-topped counter and stared in surprise. " I thought they broke up!"
"They did," i replied." But i just saw them laughing and holding hands and everything. They're obviously back together"
"that's their fourth breakup and make-up this year," konan remarked. she began wiping the counter again. " Let's see-this April, right? They'll probably break up and get back together at least two more times before school's 're definitely going to set a record."
I snickered and began to refill a napkin dispenser. The best part about my job at the Cineplex in the Division street mall was that konan worked there too. the two of us had been best friends since sixth grade, but we hadn't been hanging out together much lately.
probably because i've been seeing so much of hidan, I thought.
hidan, my new boyfriend, was not one of konan's favorite people. konan hadn't come right out and said anything, but i could friend's hazel eyes would practically ice over whenever hidan was around.
konan just needs a chance to get to know hidan better, I thought. I pushed a strand of dark, curly hair off my forehead.
"hidan's coming to my house later to study for Wednesday's history test. why don't you come, too?" I suggested."we could pick up a pizza."
Konan shook her head." i'd better not. i want to talk to the manager when he comes in if i can get an extra shift here."
I stared at her. " more work? konan, you already work three evenings a week, plus weekends!"
"Believe me, I know how much i work," Konan said, rolling her eyes. she sighed." But i have to do something to earn more money, things are getting really bad."
"what do you mean?"
"it's my mom." Konan explained, tucking her long blueish purple hair behind her ears." she hurt her knee when she was younger. and it never really healed right. the doctor says she really needs an operation."
I frowned in sympathy. Konan's mother worked as a waitress in the shadyside Diner. She was on her feet from four to midnight six days a week.
"you mean the diner won't pay her for the time she's out for the operation?" I asked. " is that why you need extra money?"
Konan snorted "the diner won't pay her for the time she's out. and they're going to fire her if she doesn't get her knee fixed soon. they say the customers are starting to complain because she's so slow."
" that's rotten!" I declared.
"tell me about it ." Konan sighed again. "plus, we don't have any insurance, so we have to pay for the operation ourselves. and we can't unless i find a way to make more money!"
Before I could reply, a man with four little kids rushed up to the counter. As me and Konan scooped popcorn into the tubes and filled soda cups, I kept glancing over at my friend.
Konan look so worried, I thought. she's desperate. and no wonder!
Image if my own mother needed an operation and couldn't pay for it.
I shook my head,I couldn't imagine it. Not Really.
Even though me and konan were best friends, we were very different. Konan was tall and purple blueish. I was short, with dark-brown hair and eyes.
I was a bundle of nerves, while konan usually stayed calm and cool about things.
But we also came from totally different worlds. My parents had been happily married for twenty years. Konan's parents were divorced, and almost never saw each other.
Konan lived in a tiny, run-down house in the old village.
my sprawling mansion sat on five acres of land in North Hills, where everybody had plenty of money.
Konan works because she has to, I thought. I work because mom and dad don't want me to be spoiled. they want me to learn responsiility .
not that I minded. I thought it was a good idea. and i liked my job. but i knew i could walk away from it without worrying about how to pay for food or cloths. or operations.
A loud shriek interrupted My thoughts.
one of the little kids I just served had tripped and dropped his giant tub of he was standing in front of the ticket taker, crying and complaining and blocking everybody's way.
grabbing the broom and dustpan, I sped out from behind the counter while Konan served the coustomers waiting in the time I finished cleaning up the mountain of popcorn. the concession line was three people deep. me and Konan barely had a chance to breathe until our counter shift was over.
Finally, at five o'clock, we were free. well, almost we have to empty the trash barrels.
struggling with three bulging plastic bags. I followed Konan out a side exit to an alley behind the mall.
"this alley gives me the creeps," i declared with a shudder. we walked toward the big metal garbage bins." it's always so dark"
"yeah, and the dumpsters stink," Konan complained. she heaved her trash bags into one of them.
i swung my arms and tossed my bags up toward the top of the bin. two of them fell in. the third one caught on the edge.
as i reached up to push it over, my silver charm bracelet snagged on the bin's sharp corner. i tugged it gently. but not gently enough.
the clasp broke. the bracelet began to slide off my wrist. i made a frantic grab for it. missed.
the bracelet skittered over the edge of the bin and dropped inside.
gasping, i stuck my hand over the top of the bin and reached down. all i felt was the smooth plastoc of the trash bags.
"what are you doing?" Konan demanded.
"my charm bracelet fell in!" i cried
"oh, no! the sterling silver one?" Konan asked
i nodded." it's been in our family forever. my grandmother gave it to me"
I glanced around the shadowy alley and spotted a stack of cinder blocks against the back wall." help me carry some of those over here, would you?"
Konan wrinkled her nose. "You're not going to dig through the garbage, are you?"
"i have to," I told her." I absolutely have to get that bracelet back! it's my favorite thing in the world!"
with Konan's help, I stacked two of the rough cinder blocks next to the rusting Dumpster then I climbed up to peer inside.
"see it?" Konan asked.
I shook my head."it probably slid under the bags we just threw in." I grabbed one of the bags and carefully moved it aside. underneath it lay another bag, split open and spilling out a mound of ripe, smelly garbage.
"gross." I held my breath and reached for a corner of the second bag.
The bag rustled and shifted.
And then it suddenly was heaved into the air as if it had been punched from below.
"something's in here!" I screamed."something alive!"
