Miranda reclined in her chair and casually crossed her feet up on her desk.
That was the good thing about working in the police department. They
weren't big on office etiquette. The bad thing.you had to put up with
clowns like Trent Anderson. She reassembled the gun she was cleaning and
aimed it at his head. It was so easy but she would never get away with it.
She WAS in a police station. They would arrest her before she could reach
the door besides too many witnesses. Trent saw her aiming at his head and
laughed.
"You can stop daydreaming about shooting me Sanchez." He walked up to her and tilted the .38 away. "I know its not loaded sweetheart." With that he winked amongst the uproar form their fellow officers. They had been laughing at everything he said so far for the morning. She was just about to tell him that he wasn't even worth the thought as far as she was concerned when the phone rang.
"Precinct 57. Sanchez." She barked into the phone.
"Miranda Sanchez?" and before she could affirm. "HI! I'm from the Miss California Pageant Company." The woman said waaaaay too sunnily. Miranda had had enough of these people and their phone calls last night.
They had called her house just as she was entering the door with big congratulations. SHE had viciously told them that they had the wrong number hoping that they would never call back but she was so naïve. These people were like the freaking energizer bunny they kept calling and calling and calling until they gave up right? WRONG! They simply called Lizzie instead who put her number as the second contact number on the form. Lizzie had then called her screaming with excitement about how it was so amazing, spectacular wonderful brilliant until Miranda got tired of her exaggerated adjectives and told her that Gordo was back in town. That shut her up quickly enough.
Miranda knew that her two best friends were still in love with each other. It was as clear as ever. She also knew that Lizzie regretted the day she broke with him their senior year in high school. Lizzie had been too afraid of her strong emotions saying that she was too young to fall so deeply in love and that it would only lead to heartbreak later down the road. It broke his heart right then. It broke hers too. They didn't speak for three years after that until he transferred to UCLA his junior year. Problem. He transferred with his girlfriend. Well his ex now anyway. Lizzie had cried for days. She was positive that he had spent his time in NYU missing her just as much as she had missed him. It was only now, a year and a half out of college that she could bear to look at him. The years had taught her that she wasn't too young to fall that deeply in love and she had made up her mind when he went on this last trip. She was going to win him back.
With this successful diversion of conversation Miranda went to bed a happy woman. She woke as one too that is until she reached the station and was greeted by Trent holding the papers on a page that was headed "Meet Miss California Hopefuls". To he utmost mortification there wore pictures of all the delegates in swimwear... including herself.
Trent had spent the rest of the morning impersonating how she would act as a delegate.
"Miranda Sanchez, this is YOUR QUESTION!" He boomed in a pseudo announcer voice. "If you had one wish what would it be?" He now switched to impersonate Miranda " I would wish for the eradication of the FILTHY ANIMALS CALLED MEN who prowl the street and get me so mad. No scratch that I wish for woman domination of the earth which in turn would lead to." He dropped into pageant voice "World Peace." There is an uproar in the station as the other officers clearly appreciate his efforts. Feeling encouraged Trent continues. "Can you imagine Graceless over there acting as Gracie- Lou?" Wait a minute. How did he know that 'Miss Congeniality' pseudonym? Of course the fact that he did, didn't matter to the other guys. They were too busy laughing as he demonstrated her modeling a bikini in 5" heels and complaining about a wedgie only to realize that it was a thong.
Miranda watched all this with a detached expression on her face. Even though she had never wanted to enter the pageant she had expected support from her peers. They were a close group and the guys were especially brotherly towards the four women that were a part of the squad. Instead they laughed at her. That hurt. She didn't know if the reason it did was more because they had laughed or that the person she trusted with her life on a daily basis had instigated it. She had thought that since she paid so little attention to her appearance that they would understand that this was a delicate subject for her but they hadn't. MEN! They never realized the obvious. They were only useful to look at. And they were a good-looking bunch. Especially Trent.
Trent was 6'2" and BUILT! He was of mixed decent, his mother was Puerto Rican mixed with Caucasian and his father was black. She had to admit that he got the best of all races.. The first time she saw him she remembered a show that she was hooked on as a teen, "One on One". He looked exactly like Arnaz, the HOTTTT guy friend on the show, cornrows included. Although it wasn't a requirement to cut your hair to join the police force anymore many people were still surprised to see cornrows on an officer. That was on reason that women did a double take and followed him with their eyes wherever he went. The other was obviously his immense fineness.
"MISS SANCHEZ!" The woman on the other end of the phone yelled and Miranda was brought back to reality, embarrassed. She had just been staring at Trent. She hoped that nobody noticed as she returned her attention to the phone.
"Yeah I'm here. By the way, how did you guys get this number?"
"Your friend Miss McGuire gave it to us last night." Figures. "I was saying Miss Sanchez, that you would have to take four months off your job starting a two weeks from now. It's a standard request for all the delegates. You will be in training for the pageants during these months. We have a standard to maintain here at the Pageant Company." Miranda promptly hung up the phone. This.. This... BULLSHIT had gone on FAR too long. Take time off?!? RIDICULOUS! They were insane!
She picked up her car keys off the desk and stormed off. To hell with everybody! As soon as she left the guys stopped joking and got down to business.
"Nice going Anderson. How did you know that she would storm off if we made fun of her?" Jake Porter asked.
"If it's one woman I know guys its Sanchez." He didn't notice the smirk and knowing looks that passed through the other guys as he said this. There was an office pool on how long it would take the two to hook up.
"Ok, You know she won't be gone long guys so let's start planning her see ya later surprise!!!"
"You can stop daydreaming about shooting me Sanchez." He walked up to her and tilted the .38 away. "I know its not loaded sweetheart." With that he winked amongst the uproar form their fellow officers. They had been laughing at everything he said so far for the morning. She was just about to tell him that he wasn't even worth the thought as far as she was concerned when the phone rang.
"Precinct 57. Sanchez." She barked into the phone.
"Miranda Sanchez?" and before she could affirm. "HI! I'm from the Miss California Pageant Company." The woman said waaaaay too sunnily. Miranda had had enough of these people and their phone calls last night.
They had called her house just as she was entering the door with big congratulations. SHE had viciously told them that they had the wrong number hoping that they would never call back but she was so naïve. These people were like the freaking energizer bunny they kept calling and calling and calling until they gave up right? WRONG! They simply called Lizzie instead who put her number as the second contact number on the form. Lizzie had then called her screaming with excitement about how it was so amazing, spectacular wonderful brilliant until Miranda got tired of her exaggerated adjectives and told her that Gordo was back in town. That shut her up quickly enough.
Miranda knew that her two best friends were still in love with each other. It was as clear as ever. She also knew that Lizzie regretted the day she broke with him their senior year in high school. Lizzie had been too afraid of her strong emotions saying that she was too young to fall so deeply in love and that it would only lead to heartbreak later down the road. It broke his heart right then. It broke hers too. They didn't speak for three years after that until he transferred to UCLA his junior year. Problem. He transferred with his girlfriend. Well his ex now anyway. Lizzie had cried for days. She was positive that he had spent his time in NYU missing her just as much as she had missed him. It was only now, a year and a half out of college that she could bear to look at him. The years had taught her that she wasn't too young to fall that deeply in love and she had made up her mind when he went on this last trip. She was going to win him back.
With this successful diversion of conversation Miranda went to bed a happy woman. She woke as one too that is until she reached the station and was greeted by Trent holding the papers on a page that was headed "Meet Miss California Hopefuls". To he utmost mortification there wore pictures of all the delegates in swimwear... including herself.
Trent had spent the rest of the morning impersonating how she would act as a delegate.
"Miranda Sanchez, this is YOUR QUESTION!" He boomed in a pseudo announcer voice. "If you had one wish what would it be?" He now switched to impersonate Miranda " I would wish for the eradication of the FILTHY ANIMALS CALLED MEN who prowl the street and get me so mad. No scratch that I wish for woman domination of the earth which in turn would lead to." He dropped into pageant voice "World Peace." There is an uproar in the station as the other officers clearly appreciate his efforts. Feeling encouraged Trent continues. "Can you imagine Graceless over there acting as Gracie- Lou?" Wait a minute. How did he know that 'Miss Congeniality' pseudonym? Of course the fact that he did, didn't matter to the other guys. They were too busy laughing as he demonstrated her modeling a bikini in 5" heels and complaining about a wedgie only to realize that it was a thong.
Miranda watched all this with a detached expression on her face. Even though she had never wanted to enter the pageant she had expected support from her peers. They were a close group and the guys were especially brotherly towards the four women that were a part of the squad. Instead they laughed at her. That hurt. She didn't know if the reason it did was more because they had laughed or that the person she trusted with her life on a daily basis had instigated it. She had thought that since she paid so little attention to her appearance that they would understand that this was a delicate subject for her but they hadn't. MEN! They never realized the obvious. They were only useful to look at. And they were a good-looking bunch. Especially Trent.
Trent was 6'2" and BUILT! He was of mixed decent, his mother was Puerto Rican mixed with Caucasian and his father was black. She had to admit that he got the best of all races.. The first time she saw him she remembered a show that she was hooked on as a teen, "One on One". He looked exactly like Arnaz, the HOTTTT guy friend on the show, cornrows included. Although it wasn't a requirement to cut your hair to join the police force anymore many people were still surprised to see cornrows on an officer. That was on reason that women did a double take and followed him with their eyes wherever he went. The other was obviously his immense fineness.
"MISS SANCHEZ!" The woman on the other end of the phone yelled and Miranda was brought back to reality, embarrassed. She had just been staring at Trent. She hoped that nobody noticed as she returned her attention to the phone.
"Yeah I'm here. By the way, how did you guys get this number?"
"Your friend Miss McGuire gave it to us last night." Figures. "I was saying Miss Sanchez, that you would have to take four months off your job starting a two weeks from now. It's a standard request for all the delegates. You will be in training for the pageants during these months. We have a standard to maintain here at the Pageant Company." Miranda promptly hung up the phone. This.. This... BULLSHIT had gone on FAR too long. Take time off?!? RIDICULOUS! They were insane!
She picked up her car keys off the desk and stormed off. To hell with everybody! As soon as she left the guys stopped joking and got down to business.
"Nice going Anderson. How did you know that she would storm off if we made fun of her?" Jake Porter asked.
"If it's one woman I know guys its Sanchez." He didn't notice the smirk and knowing looks that passed through the other guys as he said this. There was an office pool on how long it would take the two to hook up.
"Ok, You know she won't be gone long guys so let's start planning her see ya later surprise!!!"