Chapter Two
936 Words
CHAPTER TWO
The next day Colton spoke to Dave about the trainer position. Dave was the owner of the small gym he worked out at. It had been there since the sixties, nestled between other local family-run businesses. It was one of the few places that, even after the big chains filled up the area, had stood the test of time.
“We filled that a few days ago.”
Colton sighed and nodded as he shifted his backpack on his shoulder. “Damn.”
“Sorry. Wish I would’ve known,” Dave said with a sympathetic smile. “I would’ve given it to you instead.”
“Nah, don’t worry about it. Thanks anyways.” He needed a job. There were no ifs, ands, or buts about that fact, but he couldn’t force Dave to fire someone just to put him on the payroll.
Dave noticed his disappointment and tried to offer a solution. “I could let you clean a few days a week if it’ll help you out.”
“Let me see what I can find first. If I can’t get a full-time job in the next couple of days I might take you up on that offer.”
“All right. Let me know if you want it.” Dave nodded at him, then returned to his paperwork as Colton left his office.
The entire time Colton lifted weights he was haunted by what Mason had said the day before. He had to do something before their rent was due. He couldn’t expect Mason to pay for everything. His roommate had already been chipping in a lot of extra cash because he just didn’t have it right now. Colton had a little bit stashed away, but it wasn’t anything he could pay all of his bills with.
After his workout Colton showered quickly, then got dressed in the slacks and button-down he had packed into his gym bag. He knew he had to get busy looking for a job. This was New York City. Making money wasn’t hard to do, but you had to look for the opportunities. They wouldn’t come to you.
He took the subway from Brooklyn to Manhattan, then got off and headed to a cafe to grab some food and a newspaper. He had already looked through all the online job boards, so the good old fashion help wanted ads were his last resort.
As Colton browsed through the classifieds he marked anything of interest. When he noticed the slim pickings he went back through and highlighted anything he was qualified for. Right now he couldn’t be picky. He quickly mapped out the best route to and from each place, knowing he would have a better chance of hitting everything if he lessened the travel time between locations. If he did that he could get in a few more applications before the day was over.
Just as he was about to put the paper down his eyes fell on the ad Mason had suggested to him the day before. He laughed and read it for himself for the first time.
Wanted – Fuckboy. Full-time hours, daily pay, 60/40 cut, you keep all tips. Must be appealing to the eye, have a body to die for, and be open minded to new adventures. Call 555-f**k to get started today!
“Open minded to new adventures?” Colton laughed out loud as he read that line again. What the f**k were they talking about? He could just imagine what kind of “adventures” a fuckboy would take part in. Crazy people, he thought to himself as he folded up the paper and stuck his pen in his backpack before getting up to go.
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After five hours of filling out applications and doing a few on-the-spot job interviews, Colton decided enough was enough and started home. He was exhausted, hungry, and frustrated with how the day had turned out.
At each stop there was always an obstacle in the way. A few of them weren’t hiring right away because they were waiting for an entire training class to be filled. He, of course, couldn’t put his bills on hold while they looked for more applicants. Some of them looked promising, but when he found out they held the first two paychecks back he had to pass. Although that was a normal practice, he couldn’t afford to wait for it. More often than not he was told that he was overqualified for the job. People looked at his resume and assumed he thought he was better than working in the mail room or answering phones. At this point he needed a job. He didn’t care what he had to do.
He didn’t care what he had to do with the exception of being a fuckboy. He had standards, even if they were wearing thin right now.
Colton shook his head and thought about that for a few moments as he waited for the train. Who would have thought having experience would keep a person from getting a job? Maybe he should have lied about his work history, he thought to himself. Nah, there was no use lying about it. He would eventually find something that fit his needs. He just had to dig a little deeper to find it.
Tomorrow he would get up and do it all over again because he knew time was running out. He had to get a job within the next few days so he could make money by next week or have a paycheck by the time his rent was due. He wasn’t stressed out yet, but he knew he was pushing the limit. Colton didn’t want to run himself to the edge because he hated having little to no choices left.
For today, he’d throw in the towel. Maybe tomorrow he’d have better luck.
- Writer
