Two Steps Forward, One Step Backward Chapter 3: Catching Up

The brown haired, brown eyed, dressed in black chipmunk that had just approached Jeanette did seem familar, somehow, but Jeanette couldn't quite place her.

"You do seem familar..." Jeanette said, "but, I'm afraid the name is escaping me at the moment."

"Oh, I'm Roberta," the chipmunk told her, "remember? I transferred to your highschool during our freshman year."

Jeanette had only known Roberta for a matter of days, so she didn't quite remember her. "Oh, that's right... you were the one who studied with me in reading class, right?"

Roberta nodded, with a smile, "that was me, alright!"

"And didn't my friend, Alvin, try coming onto you?" Jeanette asked.

Roberta smirked, "probably... so many guys are always hitting on me... I just don't get why they do that."

"It's probaby because you seem 'dark and mysterious'," Jeanette pointed out, "what with your dark hair, and dark clothing."

"Really? What makes you think that?" Roberta asked.

Jeanette shook it off. She couldn't believe she just said that. Even when she's not trying, parts of her past still resurface in her subconscience.

"Never mind." Jeanette said.

"Oh." Roberta said. "So, you're working here now?"

"Yeah." Jeanette said, looking at Roberta's apron and name tag, "I take it you work here too?"

"Oh yeah, I've been unloading books, and stocking shelves for a couple of years now," Roberta said, "my kinda place, y'know? Nice and quiet, lots of books everywhere."

Jeanette laughed. "I feel the exact same way, that's why I got work here."

"Oh my god, I remember hearing all about that ordeal your sisters and your friends got involved with with those drug dealers!" Roberta said.

"Ugh, don't remind me." Jeanette moaned.

"But, you did turn up missing," Roberta reminded her, "what happened to you for all these years?"

Jeanette winced her eyes closed, and sighed through her nose. Meanwhile, back home, Brittany flipped through the paper again, taking Jeanette's suggestion seriously. Finally, after Brittany looked through the want-ads, and the classifieds for a short period of time, she was convinced that she hit on a stroke of good luck:

"Awesome!" Brittany exclaimed, "Belk's got a position open! I could go for that!"

Shortly afterwards, Brittany walked into the den, where Miss Miller was trying to remember where she placed a certain book in the bookcase.

"Miss Miller?" Brittany spoke up. "You're going to get your life-long wish!"

"What's that, dear?" Miss Miller asked.

"I'm gonna go out and get myself a life, so you won't be bothered by me hangin' around here no more!" Brittany said, smacking the rolled up newspaper like a riding crop across her thigh.

"What did you say to me?" Miss Miller asked.

"I said I'm gonna go out and get myself a life, so you won't be bothered by me hangin' around here no more!" Brittany repeated.

"I don't care for you smart-alecky attitude, Brittany," Miss Miller said, "but I'm so glad that you've finally decided to grow up and do something with yourself, what are you going to do?"

"I'm gonna apply for this job opening they got down at Belk..." Brittany said, unrolling the paper, "it was all Jeanette's idea... she said I could put my talent of fashion and coordination to good use in a job like this!"

"Sounds like a good idea to me." Miss Miller said.

"I'm heading down there first thing tomorrow, and show them I'm exactly what they're looking for!" Brittany said, as she snatched the paper back, and pranced back upstairs to her room.

"It might be a good idea to call them first, and set up an appointment..." Miss Miller said, despite knowing that Brittany ignored her.

Later still, as Roberta followed Jeanette to the lockers in the employees' breakroom, where the two hung up their aprons for the evening, Roberta grew increasingly apologetic.

"I'm sorry, Jeanette," Roberta said, "I'm really sorry..."

"Don't worry about it." Jeanette said, hanging up her apron in her locker.

"I was just curious, y'know?" Roberta said. "I mean, all this time, nobody knew what happened to you..."

"I just don't want to talk about it, okay?" Jeanette said, closing her locker, "I'm trying to forget all about it, and any form of a reminder just isn't helping."

"I'm sorry." Roberta said.

"Just forget it." Jeanette said.

"So... I guess, I'll see you tomorrow then, huh?" Roberta asked.

"Oh yeah," Jeanette said, "Monday through Friday from three o'clock to eleven o'clock".

"Alright, see you later." Roberta said, as she left the breakroom.

Jeanette left the breakroom herself, while back her and Simon's apartment, the phone rang, just as Simon was gathering his text for his night courses.

"Hello?" Simon answered.

"What's up, bro?" Alvin asked, over the phone.

"What's going on, Alvin?" Simon asked.

"Simon... how would you like to have yourself a good time?" Alvin asked.

"Already established a collegiate harem for yourself, huh Alvin?" Simon asked.

"Aw shut up!" Alvin barked. "Listen, you happen to be talking to the star player who has led his team to victory."

"Congratulations, Alvin," Simon said, "you could very well have a promising future with the NBA."

"That's the idea!" Alvin said. "But, getting back to the point, me and the guys are having a big victory party this weekend, wanna come? I'm asking Theodore too... it'd be awesome for all of us to get together again for some fun!"

Simon chuckled. "That does sound like a fun idea, Alvin... I wouldn't mind coming down... not sure about Jeanette though, but I'll ask her."

"What about Jeanette?" Alvin asked.

"Well, I wouldn't want to hurt her feelings." Simon said.

"How would she know?" Alvin asked. "Isn't she at like some prestigious university out of town?"

"She dropped out, and is living with me right now." Simon said.

Alvin stiffled an outburst of laughter. "You and Jeanette livin' together, huh? Does Dave know?"

"I haven't had a chance to speak with Dave as of late." Simon said.

"I think he'll have a heart attack if he knows you're living with a girl." Alvin laughed.

"It's not like that, Alvin." Simon said.

"Sure it isn't," Alvin said, playfully, "yeah, sure, bring her along... I wouldn't mind seeing Brittany again either."

Just then, in a speak-of-the-devil moment, Jeanette stepped through the front door.

"I've got to go, I'll talk to you later." Simon said, before hanging up with Alvin. "Alvin's invited us to a little party this weekend, seems he's led his team to another victory, so they're going to celebrate."

"Oh, how nice." Jeanette said, with a yawn, and a stretch.

"Long day?" Simon asked.

"Not too bad, but kind of interesting..." Jeanette said.

"How so?" Simon asked.

"Turns out one of my coworkers is that Roberta girl who transferred to our school." Jeanette said.

"Oh yeah, she was really upset about you going missing." Simon said.

"She was?" Jeanette asked, with a sigh.

"Yes, she talked about how quickly the two of you became friends." Simon said.

Jeanette shrugged. "She was a nice girl... a little... nosy... but nice... and she seemed so lost and lonely... everybody needs a friend."

"Well, I'm going to be late," Simon said, as he finished gathering his text, "I've got to run, I'll try to be as quiet as I can when I come home."

"Okay." Jeanette said, as Simon left for night school.

The next morning, Brittany arrived bright and early at the Belk at the local mall. She then walked up to the customer service desk.

"Hi there, I'm Brittany Miller!" Brittany said.

"Hello, Brittany Miller," the customer service representative responded, "how can I help you."

"I wanna see the manager." Brittany said.

"Is it an exchange, a return, a refund, a complaint, or anything of that nature?" The rep asked.

"No, I wanna talk to the manager about the job listed in the paper." Brittany said.

"Do you have an appointment?" The rep asked.

"No." Brittany said.

"Well... let me see what I can do..." The rep said.

Shortly later, Brittany was being given a similar interview, like her little sister had nearly a week earlier.

"So what kind of work have you had in the past?" The manager asked.

"I was the lead singer of the Chipettes," Brittany said, "surely you've heard of us."

"Hmm," the manager said, "anything else?"

"Well, I've been trying to do a solo act for a long time now, but none of the record companies want me without my sisters." Brittany said.

"Have you done anything that involves any form of manual labor?" The manager asked.

"Nope. I might break a nail, so I try to avoid manual labor as much as I can." Brittany said.

"Do you have any form of work ethic under your belt at all?" The manager asked.

"No, just my underwear." Brittany said.

The manager rubbed his temple. "Do you have any special skills, other than singing?"

"Oh, let's see..." Brittany began, but about a half an hour later, the manager was losing his interest, "... and I can do wonders with hair, why just before my youngest sister left for college, I gave her the most fabulous makeover, and..."

"Yeah, seeing that you're the only applicant so far, and since we need additional staff as soon as possible, you're hired." The manager said.

"Great! Thanks!" Brittany said.

Brittany's accomplishment would turn out to be a bitter one, for by that afternoon, she had found herself assisting in unloading new shipments, placing new items of clothing in their respective places in the store, and picking up the messes that little kids had made when they grab clothes off hangers, and toss them everywhere.

"This is not what I had in mind!" Brittany mumbled.