A/N: Hey! This is my first fic for the oitnb fandom so I'm a little nervous but I'm excited about this story :) This chapter is a little short but I have some more written so I may update again in the next few days. Enjoy :)
"Oh my god, do you think so? I mean, I don't know, maybe. I guess he's cute?"
Alex couldn't help but roll her eyes at the inane giggling that echoed through the store. She was nearly at the end of her shift, and also her patience. The boss's daughter had never been her favourite person in all of the four years she'd worked there, but god, she had been getting on her nerves recently. Sure, Tuesdays weren't exactly busy- they were never 'busy' by normal standards- the independent bookstore business wasn't exactly booming. She had, however, seen at least two customers trying to check out a book and frowning at the blonde sprawled across the sofa, obviously put off by her projectile word-vomit.
Alex sighed inwardly as she began re-shelving the erotica section. It was truly worrying how disorganised it became each day, especially considering that the majority of their customers were little old ladies.
"No way! Are you serious? He said that? About me? Polly! How could you not have told me this?!"
"Jesus fuck," Alex muttered through gritted teeth, tossing the book in her hand carelessly behind her as she moved towards the source of the squealing.
"Piper!"
The blonde visibly jumped at the sound, almost dropped the phone she clutched so tightly.
"Can you just... shut up?"
Piper gaped at the girl standing in front of her. Alex had worked in her dad's store since they were both about thirteen, and they'd barely spoken two words to each other before.
"Uh, what?"
Alex rolled her eyes.
"Your yelling about whats-his-face being super cute is scaring off the customers. I'm sure that he's freaking adorable, but please, go scream about it somewhere else."
Piper's eyes widened, and she wasn't sure whether to feel indignant or amused. She seemed to land somewhere in the middle.
"I'm really sorry for scaring off the hoards of customers in here with my conversation. Sue me."
Alex almost laughed, shaking her head. It was painful how spoilt she was.
"Look, the state of your family's business doesn't affect me too much. I could get another job. But if you send the few loyal customers that we do have away, this place is gonna get swallowed so much more quickly. I think that might give daddy some trouble paying your precious phone bills."
She stood her ground, leaning against a shelving unit with her arms folded as Piper seemed to square her up.
"Ugh," She sighed, gathering her things, which Alex hadn't even noticed scattered across the floor around her. Probably distracted by the Uggs. God, she hated Uggs.
"Polly, I'll call you back." Her voice lowered to a whisper. "Yes, it's her. Shut up."
Alex didn't even attempt to stifle a laugh as she watched Piper leave, her cheeks almost as pink as her nail polish.
"Maybe you were a little harsh,"
"Wait, what?"
Alex almost choked on her dinner at her mother's reaction to her run-in with Piper. She'd talked about it for the entirety of the half an hour it took them to make dinner, even though the altercation itself took perhaps five minutes.
"You don't know why she didn't wanna go home! Maybe her mom's a bitch."
"Maybe she's the bitch. Her mom buys her two-hundred-dollar shoes."
"Rich don't mean nice, baby. You know that."
Alex sighed as she looked around the apartment. It was a mess; neither she or her mom had been home for long enough recently to make it look decent. It didn't really take much to mess up the place, though- it was small enough that a few days worth of cups left around or clothes thrown over the back of the sofa made it look like an earthquake had hit. Luckily, they weren't exactly the type of family that entertained.
"Alright. The shoes are ugly anyway."
"She's probably intimidated."
Alex accidentally sent a piece of pasta flying across the room as she burst into laughter.
"By me? What?"
"C'mon, honey," Her mom began as she stood up to start tidying the place up.
"She's little and blonde and harmless and you're all black hair and eyeliner and ripped band shirts from the eighties. If you're a little edgy, she's a fuckin' circle."
Alex frowned a little before gathering up the plates and following her mother out to the kitchen.
"Those shirts are fine. They're also yours."
Alex headed straight from school to the store the following day, hurrying to relieve Piper's mother from the post. They were an exceptionally tiny business, staffed by Piper's parents, her brother, Alex and another part-time guy called John. Alex rarely ran into him; there was so little staff that it was rare to cross paths for more than a few minutes at a time, with the exception of Christmas. John was out sick today, though, and Mrs Chapman had to work a double shift. Alex couldn't help but feel bad for her- she'd led a privileged life, and was a little clueless about business ventures. She seemed to have gotten in over her head marrying a man who was already married to a failing business. She'd improved over the years, of course, but Alex could tell she still often became overwhelmed. They were cut from completely different cloths, Alex and the Chapman family, but she'd grown attached. Well, to most of them.
She was a good two hours into her shift before Piper turned up again, who was a little quieter this time.
"I'm just here to study," The blonde assured her, raising the textbook in her hands as proof. "I'll shut it."
"Yeah, knock yourself out, kid."
Alex smiled as she caught sight of the little eye roll Piper gave as she walked away.
The key to keeping a store like Chapman Classics alive was knowing your public. Places like this had a niche audience, and they were loyal, creatures of habit. They grew attached, and tended to keep coming back and making purchases to keep the business afoot. Incidentally, they also grew attached to Alex, which is what led her to discover her uncanny ability to charm old ladies. She wasn't too sure if it was a skill that would translate well outside of this work setting, but it was certainly working for her there.
"That was kind of amazing," The comment came from somewhere behind Alex as she was seeing a regular, Mrs Jones, out of the store.
"What?"
Alex turned to see Piper sitting on the counter.
"She came in for one thing and you talked her into buying, what, six books?"
"Hey," Alex raised her hands to indicate her innocence.
"That lady has a problem. She can't stop buying our books. I'm just an enabler."
Piper grinned, her eyes dropping to her hands.
"I'm glad I didn't scare her away, then."
Alex sighed a little, walking forward to lean against the other end of the counter.
"Yeah, sorry about that," she played absently with her glasses as she spoke.
"I was a little harsh, I guess. I just don't really speak your language."
"That's clearly because I'm not a seventy-year-old vintage book fanatic."
Alex smiled, a little unsure what to make of the conversation. Piper was being friendly, and forward about it, but it seemed almost like she was trying too hard. She'd sat upon the counter as though she belonged there, but something in her words carried a hint of discomfort. It was as though the air around her was full, and she was having some trouble pushing through it.
"I was thinking of picking up some shifts here," Piper says eventually. It comes out rushed, like the way someone might confess to an affair.
"Yeah? That's great. It'd help your parents out."
"Mmmhm," She hummed, uninterested in the transparent comment.
"Yeah, I'm looking to develop my skills in manipulating frail old people."
Alex can't hold back a laugh, and Piper lights up.
"I guess you're in the right place, then."
