I've had a great turnout for reviews so far, it makes me very, very happy; a special thank-you to ScribbleDribble, who was my first review and to Dharke, who's reviews were funny...and sweet. And, of course, to everyone else to dropped in to tell me what they thought so far. Sorry for the wait but I've been sick and bogged down with homework (ever had to memorize "The Canterbury Tales"? It sucks) and I lost one of my text books...not that anyone cares but anyway. Here's another chapter, please review and enjoy.
~~~~~~
We took our chance out on the street
Then I missed my chance
And chances are it won't be coming back to me
Why can't I ignore it?
Chapter Three
Stroke of Luck
After school, Clear decided to head directly to the Green Igloo, which she vaguely remembered seeing somewhere in the middle of town; she hadn't gotten much of a chance to memorize Mount Abraham's topography but she figured it wouldn't be too hard to find the place once she was in the area. It wasn't a long walk from the high school toward the area the locals referred to as "downtown", which wasn't far from the area that Clear assumed would have to be "uptown"; in a small town like Mt. Abraham, everything was close together.
Just as Alex had said, the Green Igloo was indeed hiring, which was evident from the orange sign advertising such a thing plastered on the glass windows. Even from her spot on the sidewalk, Clear could see that the "cafe" wasn't exactly that at all, but more of a restaurant with two overly-plush red couches pressed off the right side of the abode. The couches were set around a round coffee table cluttered with magazines, the furniture situated in front of a fake fireplace. Everything else about the decorum and aura of the area screamed restaurant, with booths and tables taking up the rest of the area directly in Clear's vision, with a host podium set right by the entrance.
"Here goes nothing." Clear muttered to herself as she slipped into the restaurant, mentally crossing her fingers. A cheery hostess, who also appeared to double as a waitress by the name-tag she wore and the notepad she had tucked in her waistband, grinned at her the second she entered.
"Hello, welcome to the Green Igloo." She chirped helpfully, words obviously practiced and mandatory to such a job.
Clear gave herself another moment to study the landscape of the restaurant before returning her gaze to the hostess, whose nametag read Bree Scott, who appeared to be waiting expectantly. "Hi, I'm actually here about the open job position." She explained, motioning to the sign on the window behind her.
Bree Scott smiled, a genuine smile it appeared this time and looked almost relieved. "Thank God someone came about that; the manger has been running the two waitress he does have ragged since the other employees quit. I'm sure you'll get hired right away, you look promising." She explained, herding Clear away from the entrance and toward the back of the restaurant, where the kitchen and manager's office dwelled.
"Thanks." Clear managed to mumble, surprised by her hasty welcome into the restaurant. It seemed to be opposite of the luck that she was used to that the restaurant wasn't just hiring but was actually short on help, which hopefully guaranteed her a spot on the staff and, thus, money she could use to take care of her new pet.
Bree ushered the brunette past the hot and sweaty kitchen and through an already open door that led into a small office that was degrees cooler then the rest of the hallway; a short, balding man sat at a desk, surrounded by papers and garbage. Clear's escort didn't even miss a beat as she shut the door behind them, getting the man's attention and guaranteeing it for at least the next minute or two. "Mr. Stricken, I think I have an answer to our short staff problem." Bree promised, flashing a suave smile as she spoke.
Mr. Stricken, whom Clear assumed was the manager of the Green Igloo, looked at his employee before casting his gaze over to Clear, who attempted to smile as charmingly as possible. "Hello, my name is Clear and I was interested in applying for a waitress position here." She explained, hoping that she sounded promising and trust-worthy.
"Do you have any other experience in working at a restaurant?" Stricken questioned, giving his the brunette the once-over, as though he could figure out if she was waitress-material by such a examination.
Clear shook her head but forced the smile to remain on her face. "No, sir, but I'm a quick learner." She promised, which wasn't entirely the complete truth because she still hadn't mastered the talent of saying "hello my name is," in French, though it was the second week. However, working as a waitress seemed to be much easier then learning the basics of such a cruel foreign language.
"C'mon Mr. S, she looks like she'd be a very good employee and how can you say no when you only have two people working." Bree questioned, surprising the girl beside her with her helpful inputs but they seemed to work the manager just the right way.
Stricken nodded once, shifting his weight slightly. "All right, fine, I'll hire you on a trial basis. Oh, and if you could start tomorrow, that would be great." His tone suggested that his latest words weren't a request at all, simply the first orders that Clear had received from her first boss.
Clear beamed, unable to believe the luck she was having; good things almost never happened to her but here she was, hired without even a formal interview and resume. "Thank you sir, you won't be disappointed." She promised him, for those words seemed like the right thing to say at the moment.
Stricken only grunted, a signal to let Clear and Bree know that their presence in his office was no longer required. Both girls exited the office without a single word and Bree shut the door behind her once again. Clear turned to the face the girl, a slight smile upon her face. "Thanks for all that, you helped get me hired." She said, hoping that her gratitude showed through her words.
Bree smiled and made a dismissive hand motion. "Don't worry about it, you seem like a nice girl and we really need the extra help, there's only one other waitress aside from myself. Plus, she's not the easiest person to get along with, if you get my drift." She mumbled, winking and tucking a lock of her mahogany hair behind her ear.
Clear smiled, bid goodbye to Bree and then slipped out of the restaurant.
* * *
Alex tapped his pencil against the kitchen table, staring down at his Algebra book, which seemed slightly more interesting then what his girlfriend, Adrienne Grant, was babbling on about. He was supposed to be listening with great deal to what the blonde was saying, but he didn't think she'd notice if he wasn't exactly the most attentive of audiences. He was attempting to pay attention to his extensive math homework and shut Adrienne out completely (remembering to nod at what seemed like the appropriate times) but he found himself only able to do the latter. Alex's thoughts continued to drift into places outside the realm of x=y and, surprisingly, he found himself thinking about Clear Rivers, who was the last person he had expected to think about during homework.
Ever since he had seen Clear and Tod together at the movies, he had seemed unable to get her off of his mind, which surprised him. He had, after all, made it perfectly to Tod, himself and Clear that he had no interest in her but now he was thinking about her more then his own girlfriend. Alex decided that it was nothing more then the old saying, "you always want what you can't have" proving how true it really was.
Alex looked up when he heard the back door open and his mother walk in and he decided that he had never been more relieved to see the women in his life, more then happy for the distraction, hoping that Adrienne would finally shut up for more then a second. "Hi Mom, how was your day?" He questioned, causing Adrienne to stop in her trivial anecdote to see just why she had been interrupted.
"Hey honey." Barbara Browning greeting, smiling at Adrienne, who smiled back with her practiced cheerleader smile. "Alex, the Mr. and Mrs. Johnson, from next door, are going out of town and wanted to know if you could walk their dog? They're leaving tonight." She told her son, turning to face him.
Alex nodded, knowing that he could use the money that he would get for walking his neighbors' Golden Retriever for a few days. "Sure, Mom, I'll go after dinner." He agreed, sighing and turning his attention back to Adrienne, who took that as a sign to continue her story.
Alex went back to ignoring the blonde and, consequently, thinking about Clear.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
"Desperately" belongs to Michelle Branch. I know the chapter title is kinda lame but I couldn't think of anything else and "Stroke of Luck" is my favorite song by the band Garbage. Anyway, please review.
~~~~~~
We took our chance out on the street
Then I missed my chance
And chances are it won't be coming back to me
Why can't I ignore it?
Chapter Three
Stroke of Luck
After school, Clear decided to head directly to the Green Igloo, which she vaguely remembered seeing somewhere in the middle of town; she hadn't gotten much of a chance to memorize Mount Abraham's topography but she figured it wouldn't be too hard to find the place once she was in the area. It wasn't a long walk from the high school toward the area the locals referred to as "downtown", which wasn't far from the area that Clear assumed would have to be "uptown"; in a small town like Mt. Abraham, everything was close together.
Just as Alex had said, the Green Igloo was indeed hiring, which was evident from the orange sign advertising such a thing plastered on the glass windows. Even from her spot on the sidewalk, Clear could see that the "cafe" wasn't exactly that at all, but more of a restaurant with two overly-plush red couches pressed off the right side of the abode. The couches were set around a round coffee table cluttered with magazines, the furniture situated in front of a fake fireplace. Everything else about the decorum and aura of the area screamed restaurant, with booths and tables taking up the rest of the area directly in Clear's vision, with a host podium set right by the entrance.
"Here goes nothing." Clear muttered to herself as she slipped into the restaurant, mentally crossing her fingers. A cheery hostess, who also appeared to double as a waitress by the name-tag she wore and the notepad she had tucked in her waistband, grinned at her the second she entered.
"Hello, welcome to the Green Igloo." She chirped helpfully, words obviously practiced and mandatory to such a job.
Clear gave herself another moment to study the landscape of the restaurant before returning her gaze to the hostess, whose nametag read Bree Scott, who appeared to be waiting expectantly. "Hi, I'm actually here about the open job position." She explained, motioning to the sign on the window behind her.
Bree Scott smiled, a genuine smile it appeared this time and looked almost relieved. "Thank God someone came about that; the manger has been running the two waitress he does have ragged since the other employees quit. I'm sure you'll get hired right away, you look promising." She explained, herding Clear away from the entrance and toward the back of the restaurant, where the kitchen and manager's office dwelled.
"Thanks." Clear managed to mumble, surprised by her hasty welcome into the restaurant. It seemed to be opposite of the luck that she was used to that the restaurant wasn't just hiring but was actually short on help, which hopefully guaranteed her a spot on the staff and, thus, money she could use to take care of her new pet.
Bree ushered the brunette past the hot and sweaty kitchen and through an already open door that led into a small office that was degrees cooler then the rest of the hallway; a short, balding man sat at a desk, surrounded by papers and garbage. Clear's escort didn't even miss a beat as she shut the door behind them, getting the man's attention and guaranteeing it for at least the next minute or two. "Mr. Stricken, I think I have an answer to our short staff problem." Bree promised, flashing a suave smile as she spoke.
Mr. Stricken, whom Clear assumed was the manager of the Green Igloo, looked at his employee before casting his gaze over to Clear, who attempted to smile as charmingly as possible. "Hello, my name is Clear and I was interested in applying for a waitress position here." She explained, hoping that she sounded promising and trust-worthy.
"Do you have any other experience in working at a restaurant?" Stricken questioned, giving his the brunette the once-over, as though he could figure out if she was waitress-material by such a examination.
Clear shook her head but forced the smile to remain on her face. "No, sir, but I'm a quick learner." She promised, which wasn't entirely the complete truth because she still hadn't mastered the talent of saying "hello my name is," in French, though it was the second week. However, working as a waitress seemed to be much easier then learning the basics of such a cruel foreign language.
"C'mon Mr. S, she looks like she'd be a very good employee and how can you say no when you only have two people working." Bree questioned, surprising the girl beside her with her helpful inputs but they seemed to work the manager just the right way.
Stricken nodded once, shifting his weight slightly. "All right, fine, I'll hire you on a trial basis. Oh, and if you could start tomorrow, that would be great." His tone suggested that his latest words weren't a request at all, simply the first orders that Clear had received from her first boss.
Clear beamed, unable to believe the luck she was having; good things almost never happened to her but here she was, hired without even a formal interview and resume. "Thank you sir, you won't be disappointed." She promised him, for those words seemed like the right thing to say at the moment.
Stricken only grunted, a signal to let Clear and Bree know that their presence in his office was no longer required. Both girls exited the office without a single word and Bree shut the door behind her once again. Clear turned to the face the girl, a slight smile upon her face. "Thanks for all that, you helped get me hired." She said, hoping that her gratitude showed through her words.
Bree smiled and made a dismissive hand motion. "Don't worry about it, you seem like a nice girl and we really need the extra help, there's only one other waitress aside from myself. Plus, she's not the easiest person to get along with, if you get my drift." She mumbled, winking and tucking a lock of her mahogany hair behind her ear.
Clear smiled, bid goodbye to Bree and then slipped out of the restaurant.
* * *
Alex tapped his pencil against the kitchen table, staring down at his Algebra book, which seemed slightly more interesting then what his girlfriend, Adrienne Grant, was babbling on about. He was supposed to be listening with great deal to what the blonde was saying, but he didn't think she'd notice if he wasn't exactly the most attentive of audiences. He was attempting to pay attention to his extensive math homework and shut Adrienne out completely (remembering to nod at what seemed like the appropriate times) but he found himself only able to do the latter. Alex's thoughts continued to drift into places outside the realm of x=y and, surprisingly, he found himself thinking about Clear Rivers, who was the last person he had expected to think about during homework.
Ever since he had seen Clear and Tod together at the movies, he had seemed unable to get her off of his mind, which surprised him. He had, after all, made it perfectly to Tod, himself and Clear that he had no interest in her but now he was thinking about her more then his own girlfriend. Alex decided that it was nothing more then the old saying, "you always want what you can't have" proving how true it really was.
Alex looked up when he heard the back door open and his mother walk in and he decided that he had never been more relieved to see the women in his life, more then happy for the distraction, hoping that Adrienne would finally shut up for more then a second. "Hi Mom, how was your day?" He questioned, causing Adrienne to stop in her trivial anecdote to see just why she had been interrupted.
"Hey honey." Barbara Browning greeting, smiling at Adrienne, who smiled back with her practiced cheerleader smile. "Alex, the Mr. and Mrs. Johnson, from next door, are going out of town and wanted to know if you could walk their dog? They're leaving tonight." She told her son, turning to face him.
Alex nodded, knowing that he could use the money that he would get for walking his neighbors' Golden Retriever for a few days. "Sure, Mom, I'll go after dinner." He agreed, sighing and turning his attention back to Adrienne, who took that as a sign to continue her story.
Alex went back to ignoring the blonde and, consequently, thinking about Clear.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
"Desperately" belongs to Michelle Branch. I know the chapter title is kinda lame but I couldn't think of anything else and "Stroke of Luck" is my favorite song by the band Garbage. Anyway, please review.