HARD PLASTIC

Chapter One

I shoved the box full of men's' clothes across the floor with my foot, annoyed that my co-worker, Lauren, had taken it upon herself to take an hour lunch. This meant I had to undress the mannequins and style them myself. Though not grueling work, the only step stool had recently become unusable. My other co-worker, the good one, had not yet recovered from the fall. I sighed, beginning to tug off the mannequin's shirt.

"Well, Bella, I had no idea you got so fresh at work," came a boisterous voice behind me. I turned and saw Alice standing at the side entrance of the store. She was both a friend and a roommate. Her work had her travelling quite a bit, however, and this was the first time I had seen her in three weeks.

"Alice! I didn't think you where coming back for another couple of days," I said, smiling widely and flinging the shirt on the ground so I could run to my friend.

We pulled apart from our hug and she began to tell me about her trip while I resumed dressing the mannequin. About thirty minutes later I had finished awkwardly buttoning the mannequin together, trying to focus on Alice's story while making sure everything was on correctly.

Alice was disappointed I couldn't join her for lunch because apparently she had big news today. "BIG!" she reiterated to me as she walked out the door, throwing her hands in the air.

Alice always had big news that wasn't ever that big, partly caused by her flair for exaggeration and partly because she loved the attention it brought her. Most people would probably be overwhelmed by her exuberance, but I found it endearing and it balanced out the quiet attributes I contributed to our friendship. I promised her that I would meet her at a piano bar downtown at eight sharp and with plans made I got back to work.

I finally made it back to mine and Alice's apartment and noted how odd it was that she wasn't there. I ignored that, however, and showered before slipping into a flowy black silk dress. Though working at the shop was tedious at times and the customers had no qualms against making complaints about the most minute things, I got to dress myself in clothes that were a lot nicer than what I would normally dress myself in.

I left the apartment at seven thirty and arrived about ten minutes early, which was fine because Alice was normally there fifteen minutes before me. I quirked my eyebrow when I saw that the dining room area of the bar was empty of any Alice and headed to wait at the bar right as a tall blonde man stood up with a giant smile and waved me over. I hesitated, as I didn't know this man from anywhere and slowly started walking over. I had only taken a few steps towards the man's table when suddenly the woman he was with turned around and I recognized her to be Alice. "Bella! I'm sorry I haven't checked my phone. I'd like you to meet Jasper!" She smiled at me as the man stuck his hand out towards me.

"It's nice to finally meet you, Bella, you're all Alice talks about," he smiled at me and it seemed sincere.

I smiled, though my smile wasn't as broad as his because of the surprise, and grasped his hand in return. "It's certainly nice to meet you and hear about you, as well," I said and we all laughed, even if mine was a bit less outgoing.

With me, Alice was forthcoming with all details of her dating life, going so far as to document all the little things that happened with guys she wasn't even romantically involved with. So meeting Jasper without hearing a thing about him was a complete shock to me. However, Alice seemed completely enamored with him and wouldn't let go of his hand, even during the greetings.

I settled into my seat, "So, I guess this is the news you had to tell me, Alice," I smiled at her, trying to take read her expression and comprehend her feelings toward Jasper.

Alice bounced in her seat, "Not quite! There's just a teensy, okay, HUGE, other part of my news." She smiled at Jasper and gripped his hand even tighter before continuing. "We're ENGAGED!"

I coughed on my sparkling water and felt my eyes grow wide. "Engaged? Engaged! Oh, Alice, that's amazing. Um, when? How?"

Alice laughed cheerfully, obviously pleased at my reaction. "Well, as you know, I flew down to Houston for my latest trip and Jasper was my tour guide. We decided to meet up outside the itinerary and it was perfect. He's perfect!" I heard Jasper chuckle quietly and saw him duck his head, obviously similar to me where compliments were concerned.

I couldn't help but smile widely now; Alice was brilliant and always thinking and I knew there was no way she wouldn't make this sort of decision without being one hundred percent sure. "That's certainly some news, Alice. I can't wait to hear all the details and plans I know you've already made."

Alice's smiled faltered, "Well…that's not entirely all the news. There's one more thing I haven't said. Even though it's more so a request…" Alice trailed off, which caught my attention because Alice wasn't one to trail off of anything.

"Request away, Al." I tried to reassure her.

"Well, Bella, this is all happening quite fast, but we know this is what we want. It is very difficult, however, to find an apartment so fast and so I was wondering if Jasper could stay with us…?" She widened her eyes and clasped her hands together, silently pleading.

I swallowed hard and took another sip of my water. I looked at the two who looked back at me so hopefully. "Of course, Alice. I would love to have Jasper stay with us." They both broke into huge smiles and we finished our meal happily, all while Alice spurted out the details of their three week old relationship.

After dinner, I told them I was going to take a walk before heading home and they were politely pleased that they would have a bit of time to settle in just the two of them. Jasper tried to get me to go back with them or at least give me cab money but I insisted I would be fine. Alice and I hugged again and I headed down the street.

I walked without thinking, trying to let my emotions really sink in. I was happy, of course; Alice was such a friend to me I considered her to be a sister. But there was so much change going on around me and I was suddenly almost too aware of how stagnant my own life had been lately.

I was a psychology student in graduate school; I had a job and a wonderful apartment. I had an active social life, though it was almost completely free of romance. I was content, if not complacent at times. I enjoyed going out, though it was mainly for the atmosphere than anything else. I had a secret penchant for books about magic and science, which is admittedly a niche genre, but it made me happy. However, I felt lackluster. I needed spontaneity and surprise and magic in my real life.

I found myself walking towards the neighborhood that the shop was in and rolled my eyes at myself. Biting my lip, I stepped into the seedy little drug store down the block from the store and found myself buying a pack of cigarettes and one of those cool Zippos. I never smoked and awkwardly puffed on one as I continued my walk. I couldn't resist the pull the store seemed to have on me and soon found myself inside. I had a key since the manager was unreliable and the storeowner felt she could trust me.

Once inside, I organized the stacks of clothing that my co-worked overlooked and sat down on one of the overstuffed cushions, feeling comforted by the fabric surrounding me. I looked over to the mannequin displays and frowned when I saw that Lauren must have changed the outfit of the mannequin I had struggled to dress earlier in the day. Getting up from the comfortable chair, I walked over and decided to change him back.

I walked around the store and pieced together an outfit more unusual than what I normally would. Once I dressed him, I smiled to myself, pleased with his outfit. He needed something, though, and I stuck one of my cigarettes in between his hands. Now he was James Dean cool and I felt proud. What did that say about the state of my life?

After locking up, I sat outside of the store and tried another cigarette. It was becoming a bit easier to breathe, but I decided against the smoker lifestyle. The smoking fit my mood and the atmosphere, as the sky was foggy and electric. There was thunder, but no lightning and it was a strange kind og beautiful night. The wind seemed to be charged with a strange energy that both vitalized me and made me feel vulnerable.

Feeling tired all of a sudden, I decided to head home, wishing I had taken up Jasper on the cab money. I had just enough energy in me to walk home but decided against the walk when the rain came down hard. I hailed a cab and realized I was down to my last few dollars until my next paycheck but I got home safe. The puppy Alice and I had picked out a few months ago, named Royal, ran to my feet and I reached down to pet his head. He scurried back to his bed and I walked down the hall to my room.

I changed into my sleep t-shirt and shorts and tucked under my covers after I opened my blinds. I was drawn to watching the storm for some inexplicable reason. The lightning finally crackled through the sky and it was brighter than I had ever seen. As I smiled, I felt my eyes droop and I slowly fell asleep. Maybe I wished I had someone to watch the storm with. And maybe one day I would have someone and we could sit in the car as the rain poured over us. But for now I only had the storm and that was enough for the time being.