Happy World (13 page)

Darren made a face. “I don’t hold to all that cliquey shit around here. I’ve already been through high school once. I used to be engaged to a girl who worked the ice cream cart over in Wild West Land. Nobody gave me grief about it.”

“Huh, cool.” Rory nodded. “So, how come Charlie was looking for Kyle, then? Going to propose to him or something?”

A forkful of pasta almost landed on Darren’s shirt as he laughed. “Hey, funny. I don’t know, man. I think they’re going out. Caught them making out in the break room a few days ago.”

“They what?” The words came out much louder than Rory had intended.

“Okay, maybe not making out.” Darren rolled his eyes. “But they were kissing. Least, that’s what I saw on my way out the door. Charlie wasn’t shy about it, either.”

The rage that instantly boiled up in Rory made it hard for him to think. “You saw Charlie and Kyle kissing? Was anyone else in there?” Maybe Darren had it wrong. Maybe it only looked like they were kissing, when in fact Kyle was actually punching Charlie. Or something.

“I dunno, man. It was a couple of days ago. There could’ve been someone else in there.” Darren shrugged. “I don’t get involved in other people’s business.”

Great. This whole Park is a hotbed of gossip and I find the one guy who doesn’t get involved.

“Oh right, sure.” Rory nodded vigorously. “Me either. Mostly.” His gaze drifted to the clock on the wall. Fifteen minutes left in his break. Seemed like just enough time to find Kyle and ask him about his new boyfriend. “I gotta go. Take it easy, Darren.”

Rory barely heard Darren’s goodbye as he barreled out of the break room and up the stairs to the stage door. His common sense was telling him that it was a horrible time to confront Kyle about this, that they both could get in trouble or even fired if they made a scene where guests could see, but Rory kept on going anyway.

Fairy Tale Land was as crowded as always. On any given day, it was the most populated land in the Park. None of the rides had height or age restrictions and all of them were suitable for very young children. Rory always had to laugh when he saw the fathers uncomfortably squeezed into the tiny cars on the Red Riding Hood or Three Little Pigs ride.

It wasn’t a big area, but the narrow walkways and heavy crowds made it nearly impossible for Rory to easily spot the white costume of the Groundskeepers. Not to mention the fact that he was wearing one too, thereby making himself a target for questions from guests. “I’m on my break,” was not a sufficient answer. If he was in costume and onstage, he was expected to answer guest questions.

He finally broke free of the most congested area -- why they put the Three Bears walk-through house and the Hansel and Gretel ride in one tiny corner was beyond Rory’s realm of thought -- and climbed up onto a bench that was in the shade of Candy Mountain. It allowed him a bit of a vantage point, although he knew that employees were strictly forbidden from standing on the benches and tables.

Rory stood on his tiptoes and craned his neck. The only white costume he saw belonged to Tiffany Meyer, the other Groundskeeper scheduled on Kyle’s shift. Maybe she’d know where Kyle was.

He was just about to hop down and make his way through the crowd again to Tiffany when the flash of another white costume caught Rory’s eye. Bingo. Kyle was sweeping up what looked like the remains of a dropped ice cream cone.

The line for Rumpelstiltskin’s Gold snaked out into the walkway. Rory thought about telling the ride operators up front that they needed to open up the queue, but his urgency to get to Kyle won out. Besides, he was still on his break for another nine minutes.

He squeezed through the mob of tired, sweaty people who were standing in line until he reached the area where Kyle was doing his sweeping.

“Hey!” Kyle looked up and gave Rory the kind of smile that Rory was fast coming to recognize as one that was for him alone. Any other time, Rory would have smiled back and tried to think of a way to get Kyle somewhere private.

“Hey.” Rory wrapped his fingers around Kyle’s bicep and pulled him around the corner of the Rumpelstiltskin tower. There was a small alcove that housed a drinking fountain there, but most guests seemed to bypass it in favor of the one next to the restroom. At this moment in time, it was relatively deserted.

“Rory!” Kyle hissed, but he was still smiling. “Not here, are you crazy? And you only have a few more minutes of your break. Meet me tonight after I clock out; I’ll wait for you outside Wardrobe.”

It would have been easy to let the whole thing go, especially in the face of Kyle’s invitation, but then Rory remembered the stomach-turning nausea he’d felt when Darren had mentioned Charlie and Kyle kissing. “What the hell are you doing with Charlie Taylor?” Rory demanded, his hand still gripping Kyle’s arm.

The flash of guilt that crossed Kyle’s face was exactly the opposite of what Rory was hoping for. “Wh… what do you mean? I’m not doing anything with him.” Kyle glanced around uneasily.

“That’s not what I heard. I heard you’ve been doing a lot with him.”

“What? From who?” Kyle wrenched his arm out of Rory’s grasp and gave another nervous look at the crowd around them. Rory knew this public showdown had to be killing him.

“Darren Hayes saw you guys messing around in the break room. You couldn’t even do me the favor of finding somewhere no one would see you? I know we’re not, like, exclusive or anything, but Jesus Christ, Kyle.” Rory didn’t realize just how hurt he was until the words came out.

Kyle raised his eyes and finally met Rory’s gaze. “Messing around? Are you freaking kidding me?!”

A little girl was approaching the drinking fountain next to where Rory stood, but upon hearing Kyle raise his voice, she turned on her heel and skedaddled back to her parents.

“No,” Rory said calmly. “I’m definitely not kidding. Darren said he saw you and Charlie making out a few days ago. Why the hell would he lie?”

Kyle rolled his eyes. “Darren told you he saw us. Did he tell you that Charlie was forcing it on me? Did he tell you I said no and pushed him and then turned him down for a date again? Did he hear that part? Or how about where I had to get up and leave the room to make Charlie leave me alone? Did Darren tell you all that, too?”

Rory blinked at him. “Um… no. He didn’t.”

“Course he didn’t. He and Charlie work together, so why the hell would he believe me over him? Charlie probably bragged to Darren after I left.” Kyle’s eyes were flashing and there were two spots of color high in his cheeks.

“You didn’t tell me Charlie was harassing you,” Rory said in a low voice. “Did he really do that? Force himself on you?”

Kyle huffed out a frustrated sound. “Yes. I don’t know why. He found out you and I went to Martinique and was pissed, I guess.” Kyle snapped his grabby claw a couple of times and glared at the ground.

“We need to report him.” Rory was ready to do it now, too. Fuck his shift. He’d go right now with Kyle to Human Resources and get Charlie fired. Sexual harassment was against the law.

Kyle looked alarmed. “Rory, no! God, this is why I didn’t tell you! It wasn’t really a big deal, okay? I told him to stop and I’m not going out with him. He’ll find someone else to bother and forget all about me. It’ll go back to normal.”

Rory had some serious doubts about that, but the fear on Kyle’s face was enough to make Rory take a deep, calming breath. “You can’t ignore it,” he warned. “Charlie won’t forget about you. He wants to get back at me, and he knows the best way to do it is through you.”

“Rory, please,” Kyle implored him. “We’ve already gotten in enough trouble here. They know my name now. I have a file.” He looked horrified at the thought and Rory had to struggle not to laugh. “Please. Please let it go, okay? I promise I won’t let Charlie corner me like that anymore.”

If Charlie wanted to get at Kyle, Rory knew he could do it. But Kyle seemed upset enough about the situation, so Rory didn’t want to add fuel to the fire. “Fine,” he sighed. “But you listen to me good, Kyle. If that guy ever makes another douchebag move, he’s done. I’ll make sure his ass is fired.”

He didn’t bother saying that he’d also beat the ever-loving shit out of Charlie, but Kyle could probably guess what Rory meant. Rory hoped he could, anyway.

“Okay.” Kyle nodded. “I hear. It won’t happen. Don’t worry.”

I do worry, Rory thought to himself as he looked into Kyle’s worried eyes. I worry a lot.

“Sure,” Rory agreed. “I won’t worry.”

“Good.” Kyle slid past Rory, back into the bright sunlight. “Do you still want to meet up after work?” He looked as if he doubted Rory would want to.

Rory nodded and offered Kyle a smile. “Definitely. You’re here until eight?”

Clearly relieved, Kyle smiled back. “Yeah. Meet me for cheeseburgers?”

“With extra pickles. I’ll see you tonight.” Rory winked and made sure Kyle saw him give a slow look up and down. Sure enough, there was the blush.

“Rory, jeeze,” Kyle mumbled, cheeks pink. He turned away, but not before Rory saw the small smile on his face.

As Rory headed back down to the break room to collect his broom and dustpan -- whoops, already four minutes late -- he debated with himself over whether or not he could actually let the situation go, as he’d told Kyle he would. On one hand, Charlie deserved to be fired for what he’d done. On the other hand, Rory had promised Kyle he wouldn’t go to Human Resources with the issue.

But had Rory said anything about not doling out a little vigilante justice on his own? He didn’t think he had.

Charlie Taylor had better learn how to look over his shoulder, if he was smart.

Chapter Thirteen

Kyle tried to concentrate on work. He really did, but his upsetting conversation with Rory kept replaying in his head. Rory wasn’t going to let the situation with Charlie rest. The fury flashing in Rory’s eyes when Rory cornered him at the water fountain under Rumpelstiltskin’s tower startled Kyle. It was exactly why Kyle hadn’t told Rory about the incident. He knew Rory would want blood from Charlie over it, and while Kyle was flattered over Rory’s reaction, it also terrified him.

Rory’s angry reaction told Kyle that Rory had feelings for him, although he couldn’t be sure how deep they went or how solid they were, which was the only bright point in the entire situation. Maybe Rory was so angry because he and Kyle were friends, but Kyle had the niggling suspicion that Rory’s feelings were of a different stripe than mere friendship. He smiled to himself, thinking he sort of liked the idea of Rory acting all possessive over him. He’d never had anyone who wanted him so badly. It was heady stuff.

At the same time, the very idea of going to Human Resources and filing a formal complaint about Charlie made Kyle’s blood run cold. He knew how things worked at Happy World. Human Resources would take the complaint, and by law, they’d have to follow through with it if for no other reason than to avoid a huge lawsuit. There’d be statements taken, and hearings held, the union would get involved, and maybe Charlie would be fired as a result.

It wouldn’t be a total victory for Kyle, though. Although Happy World couldn’t legally do anything to Kyle because he filed a sexual harassment complaint, there were other, more subtle ways to retaliate.

People would gossip, for one. Some people might understand, but others would say Kyle asked for it, was flirting with Charlie, that the harassment was somehow Kyle’s fault.

His bosses would label Kyle a troublemaker. Not on paper, of course, but the managers would talk, and the word would get out. He’d seen it happen before, to others. They would watch Kyle constantly, write him up for the tiniest infractions, and give him the least desirable shifts and duties. Maybe there would be a sudden overabundance of trainers in Groundskeeping, and he’d lose his place on the training team. He would never get a decent raise, never get his pick of shifts, never be in the running for any of the employee awards like Groundskeeper of the Month, or Happy World’s highest honor, Actor Extraordinaire. There would be no reduction in his salary or benefits, of course, nothing that Kyle could use to prove they were harassing him, but he’d be miserable just the same. The goal would be to force Kyle to quit without having to risk firing him, and he admitted they might very well succeed.

Either Rory didn’t understand how the system worked, or else his strong feelings blinded him to the possible ramifications of Kyle filing charges against Charlie.

Kyle wasn’t so naïve. He loved his job too much; there was no way he could allow Rory to talk him into filing charges. No way.

Plus, there was an open audition for characters coming up the following week. Kyle had been practicing for months, hoping it would be his chance to get out of Groundskeeping and into Entertainment, and finally realize his dream. Not that he thought for a minute he’d have a chance at a face character, but he would be thrilled they selected him to play any of the suited furry characters. He’d spent hours in front of a mirror in his apartment practicing pantomime. You had to be able to convey feelings and emotions without speaking if you were in a fur suit. The big, oversized character heads precluded anyone from seeing your facial expressions, too. Everything had to be conveyed through expressive, bigger-than-life body language.

He’d practiced dancing, too, in case he could snag a part as a chorus boy in the shows. He’d nearly worn groove in his living room carpet doing his jazz routines, and there were permanent pockmarks in the kitchen linoleum from his taps.

Rory was going to try out, too. They’d made plans to go together, and talked about how great it would be if they both won spots in Entertainment.

It would never happen if Kyle filed charges. Never, not if he worked at Happy World for a million years, would he ever get out of Groundskeeping. Kyle would be blacklisted forever.

He began cleaning up a recent protein spill at the Hansel and Gretel ride. Whoever thought it was a good idea to put a turkey leg stand right next to a spinning and bumping attraction never had to pour Voban, a mixture that strongly resembled cat litter, on regurgitated turkey bits. So many kids got sick after riding it that instead of “Hansel and Gretel’s Breadcrumb Trail,” Kyle thought they should have named the ride “Hansel and Gretel’s Lost Lunch.”