Page 13 of Crash
Violet
When Monday morning finally rolled around, I’d worked myself up into a complete tizz.
I sat in the front passenger seat of Ash’s car, my mind like a tumble dryer. My brother sat next to me, tapping his fingers on the steering wheel to some song on the radio.
I wore a pair of black jeans tucked into a pair of fashionable black boots, a maroon tartan shirt and a slate gray blazer. Ash had said not to get too dressed up and that I could get away with neat casual, but I still wanted to make a good impression. I thought back to all the blog posts I’d read over the weekend about professional empowerment and fashion. Dress the way you want the world to see you, and take pride in your appearance. It was a ploy to make me feel confident and all adult-like. This was my first real job after all.
“Oh, c’mon!” Ash yelled as a car cut in front of him. He bashed his fist down on the horn, and I grimaced. I always hated driving with my brother. He was a road rage menace to the extreme. I guess it went with the whole fighter mentality.
“You excited about today?” he asked as we came to yet another stop. Morning traffic was killer around these parts.
I shrugged. “I’m nervous more than anything.”
“Of course you are. Who isn’t on their first day at a new job?”
I smiled, trying to calm my stomach, which was currently fluttering with an entire swarm of butterflies. “What do you want me to do exactly?”
“Well, all the officey shit. Invoices, deliveries, balancing the books, payroll.”
He’d just explained the job of at least three people, and I was just a chick who’d done an online course with no real work experience. How was I meant to cope with all of thatandmy anxiety issues? “Shit, Ash! I exclaimed. “I thought I was just doing basic admin.”
“Well, I don’t trust any random shit off the street with my baby, Vee,” he replied with a laugh. “You may as well be the head honcho. Queen of the Pulse paper-pushers.”
“I’m the only one by the sounds of it,” I said, sinking further into the passenger seat. “What a kingdom to rule over.”
“I’m paying you, you know. I don’t expect you to do this shit for free.”
“Better not.” I glanced at him out of the corner of my eye and found him grinning at me. “Watch the road,” I exclaimed. “I don’t want to die before I even get there.”
He turned his attention back as the traffic began to crawl forward again. “Worst thing about living in Toorak,” he said. “Punt Road. There’s a reason they call it c—”
“Ash,” I scolded before he could say the c-word. Yeah, the locals called this road a nasty name because it was always clogged with traffic, no matter what day it was, and since we lived where we did, it was the only way over the Yarra River and across town to Abbotsford. The only way around was to get a bloody helicopter.
“So, how much does this gig pay?” I prodded. We hadn’t exactly talked about money, but it hadn’t even crossed my mind. He paid my way in everything as it was—he’d bought the house for me and paid for the food and bills like it was nothing. He was loaded, but that was beside the point. It was about time I grew the fuck up, beall adultand began to earn my own way in the cesspool of life.
Ash shrugged. “I dunno. How much you want?”
I raised an eyebrow. “Seriously? How do you get through life with that attitude?”
“With this face and body? It ain’t hard.” He slapped a hand on the steering wheel and began laughing like a madman at his own joke.
“How am I related to you? Right now, I can’t see any similarity.”
“You love me, Vee. Hey, you’re going to do great. I just know it.”
I frowned at his change of tone. The whole conversation had put me at ease from the impending foray back into the real world, but as we neared Pulse, I had begun to fidget, my fingers worrying the hem of my shirt.
Our chat ended after that, and the traffic began to move forward. Soon enough, we were turning off Hoddle Street and venturing into Abbotsford. The gym itself was well situated, being near Collingwood train station and a couple of tram stops on Victoria Parade. The surrounding streets were full of up and coming hipster bars and cafes, along with a strong Asian community along the main street.Great food and excellent location.It wasn’t too far from Ash’s infamous illegal cage fighting spot, The Underground, and I hoped he didn’t train any of those fighters at Pulse.
“Fuckin’ a plus!” Ash exclaimed as he pulled off the street and into a spot at the back of the gym. “My spot’s finally ready.”
I gave him a quizzical look as he killed the engine.
“Off-street parking,Vee,” he explained, pointing to the sign painted on the brickwork that read, ‘Employee Parking only’. “The contractors were meant to asphalt this bit weeks ago. It was killing me with parking fines round this joint.”
“It’s a wonder you didn’t get them to pave it in gold,” I said, pulling a face.
“Smart-ass,” he said, ruffling my hair. “C’mon inside. I want to show you this place in the daylight.”
