Free Aftershocks by Monica Alexander

help. That day my ‘beachy’ look was jeans, a yelow boyfriend tank and brown leather flip-flops. It was more of a loose term since Larry couldn’t have been more laid back.
    Besides, he was rarely in the shop anyway. He lived twenty minutes away on the beach and usualy hit the waves during the day, in between shaping boards for his own line of surfboards. So far he just sold them in the shop but was hoping to branch out across New England.
    “Sorry,” Luke said. “I’ve been here for an hour and no one’s been in. I was hoping you were a hot girl who I could help pick out a bikini.”
    “Charming,” I said, taking a seat on a stool beside him as he continued to flip through his magazine that I realized was actualy a colege brochure.
    I noticed he had a stack of them spread out on the counter next to him. I picked up the one closest to me for the University of Connecticut and started flipping through the pages of students in UConn sweatshirts walking across campus, working in labs, and studying under trees.
    “It’s just been sort of boring here now that school’s back in session and the weather’s turning,” Luke complained, as he stopped to read about a graphic design program at Northeastern. From our long hours behind the counter together, I knew he aspired to be a graphic designer. He’d actualy created a line screen-printed t-shirts that Larry let him sel in the store. He was talented.
    I shrugged. “It’s fal, in New England. I’m not sure we should be surprised that a surf shop doesn’t do much business in the winter months. It’l pick up soon, what with the expansion and al.”
    South Shore had its busy months from Spring Break to Labor Day where we were steady from open to close. After that we pretty much relied on sales from clothing to stay afloat. Larry had expanded the year before to seling skateboards and their accessories, but the sales hadn’t been enough. This summer, he’d finaly decided to take a leap and branch out into winter sports. When the hobby shop next door had gone out of business, he’d secured the location and started construction on the expansion.
    We’d al had to endure a summer of banging and noise from jackhammers as the construction was underway. We were about two months away from being open for business in the ski and snowboard industries. They just had to tear down the adjoining wal, which was happening in a few weeks and paint. Then we’d get to unpack the boxes upon boxes that were stacked in the backroom and set up the store.
    Luke complained now, but in a while I knew we’d be busy. We’d open just in time ski season. It would bring in a lot of business, which would make Larry happy, and hopefuly give us something to do during our shifts.
    Luke, who’d been promoted to Assistant Manager over the summer, would also be charged with hiring some extra associates in time for the grand opening. He’d already told me I’d be helping him with that.
    “This is true. I guess we’l be busier then,” he said, stil sounding bored.
    Surf’s Up!
    Luke and I both looked up as the door to the shop opened. “Welcome to South Shore,” we both said in unison as Sophia Weiss walked in.
    She was one of those girls that grabbed attention wherever she went. She was petite with long dark brown hair, brown eyes and olive skin. She was usualy a quiet girl until you put a few drinks in her, and then her wild side came out. She was friends with Alexis and the footbal jerks, and we’d had a few classes together, but we didn’t know each other al that wel.
    I’d actualy learned more about her from Luke who’d dated her for a year before they abruptly broke up in January. It had been messy, and I was pretty sure she’d cheated on him. He’d cursed her up and down for months and avoided her like the plague whenever she came into the shop. Then he’d proceed to talk about her for several hours after she left. He said he hated her, but I knew better. He wasn’t over