The next morning came quickly. Tori got up and began her daily routine, showering and dressing warmly. Mondays weren't particularly spectacular for anyone, so a pair of jeans and a t-shirt with a short jean jacket would do the trick. She wasn't sure what the week would bring, so checking the contents of her bag sounded like a good idea. Her usual objects were present. Empty notebook, spare pen, nail kit, emergency feminine products and some chapstick. She refilled one of the pockets with floss and cotton balls, then grabbed the spare nail tools in the bottom and put them back in the case.
Next was to head down and debate on eating something. Trina was at the table with a bowl of cereal, texting away on her phone. She was totally oblivious to Tori entering the room, almost jumping out of her seat when the sound of the fridge alerted Tori's presence.
"Jesus Tori, you need make some noise or something."
"I'm not an elephant Trina. If you weren't so attached to your phone you would have heard and seen me coming."
"Ugh." Trina dumped her bowl in the sink and left it, heading for her shoes.
"You on the other hand are an animal." Tori scoffed, rinsing Trina's bowl out and putting it in the dishwasher.
"Whatever you say skinny. I'm leaving." Trina waved behind her head and walked out the door, letting it slam behind her.
Tori shook her head and exhaled slowly, wondering what she had done in a past life to deserve a sister like Trina. The house was quiet and still, no settling noises or creaks from wind. Trina had eaten the last of the Raisin Bran so Tori decided on a yogurt and banana, eating the latter in the car on the drive to school. Monday traffic was as mundane as ever, everyone yawning and looking in their mirrors slowly and bleary-eyed. She passed a guy that looked like her was literally sleeping behind the wheel at a red light, so she honked on her way by and he startled in an 'I'm up! I'm up!' fashion. It was early enough when she arrived that the parking lot wasn't full yet, allowing her to find a decent parking spot not far from the entrance.
Andre and Cat were hanging out by the steps looking at a Sky Mall magazine that Cat happened to be obsessed with, and Beck was talking to a friend by Tori's locker. Robbie and Jade weren't around yet. Tori went to her locker, passing Beck and nodding with a polite smile, not saying anything as she didn't want to interrupt his conversation. She set her bag down on the bottom of the locker and grabbed a couple dollar bills, intent on just grabbing some juice from the machine and heading to class.
On the way through the central area Jade made her entrance, causing Tori to slow and change her plans of just going straight to the R&B Vocals room. She switched directions and walked towards Jade, who looked somber and even a little upset. Tori wasn't sure what could have her upset before the first class of the day had even started, but whatever it was she would try her best to fix it. Jade smiled weakly as she walked down the stairs and Tori felt her heart drop a little. She hated seeing Jade anything but happy.
The ivory skinned woman walked silently to her locker, putting a few things in and taking a book out. She fiddled with her bag a bit and it looked to Tori like she was trying to busy herself, which told her that Jade probably didn't want to talk about it just yet. She walked over to her locker and put soft hands on Jade's waist, trying to comfort her.
"I'll be here if you want to talk about it, okay?"
Jade smiled, but it didn't reach her eyes. "I know."
Tori turned to walk away but Jade grabbed her arm, pulling her back. She leaned in and kissed her square on the lips, in front of the ten or fifteen kids in the middle of the hallway. Everyone stopped to look, but neither of them cared. Tori wrapped her arms around Jade's waist and kissed her back, feeling warm inside when she snuggled into the crook of Jade's neck. They held each other for a minute or two before Jade stepped back, smiling a little more convincingly.
"You better get to class, I don't want you to be late."
"Kay." Tori said, returning her smile. "I love you."
"I love you too."
Jade waved as she turned to head for her Playwriting class. A couple boys were still standing on the side, staring at them when Jade walked by. She yelled in their faces, startling them enough that they all looked down at the floor and walked away quickly. Tori laughed and shook her head, amazed at how fast Jade could switch gears. Jade winked at her before rounding the corner, and Tori headed off to class on a good note.
Jade woke up early for no real reason. It was still dark in her room and she was warm and comfortable under the covers, but she knew if she stayed in too long it would throw off the whole day. The normal morning routine went as it did every day, the mundane and seemingly unnecessary tasks always made her wonder what people really did thousands of years ago, and how people ever mated with each other before hygiene was a thing. She brushed her teeth quickly and grabbed her phone and keys on the way through her room, deciding on going to get coffee before she went to school.
The stand was pretty busy on Monday mornings, so Jade waited off to the side while the line died down. She didn't really mind being late to school, no one ever said anything to her about it. Hollywood Arts was the kind of place where if wanted to just sit in the library instead of go to class that was fine, since the teachers didn't really want to pander to kids who didn't want to be there and your tuition was already paid anyway. They would do anything in their power to help you succeed, but if you were late or skipped some classes it wasn't a big thing.
Jade got up to the counter and the woman smiled when she saw her. She grabbed a cup and made Jade's usual, having known it since the third time Jade visited. The cup steamed generously as the hot liquid met the crisp late September wind, spiraling into the air in big swirls until the lid was closed over the top. She slid the cup into a heat sleeve and set it on in the counter, smiling as she usually did. The woman looked pretty happy to be there Jade noticed, even though she was always there.
"Have you checked out your books?" Jade asked, looking hopeful.
"I did, I gave it some thought last night when I was having dinner with my son. He was telling me he wants to play Soccer this year, so I think having some help here would be great."
"And I need to find a job ASAP, so it's pretty nice that everything kinda fell into place."
"Yeah it is. I don't have a whole lot of room in my budget right now so I can't give you a ton of hours, and benefits are a pretty laughable subject, but I think this place would suit you pretty well."
"Sounds good to me. When do you want me to start?"
"Well I need you to fill out some paperwork first," she bent down under the counter and grabbed a few stapled pages and slid them towards Jade, "then bring them back to me. You can start today after school if you want. I'll run you through the register and all of that."
"Cool, I'll be here around three then?"
"Works for me. I can have you on three to ten today, Wednesday and Friday. Friday is the day that Soccer orientation happens, so now that I have you on I can actually take Dom and get him set up. He's gonna be so excited." She smiled wide and it made Jade feel good.
"Thanks for the opportunity, I'm glad to help. I don't even know your name."
"It's Jenae. Nice to meet you."
"I'm Jade."
"Yeah, I spoke with your ex-boyfriend a few times when he came to get your coffee." She smiled at the underlying joke of boy talk at work.
"I sent him here quite a bit, didn't I? Oh well. I gotta get to school, I'll see you later."
"Alright, have fun."
"Loads." Jade rolled her eyes with a smile as she walked back to her car.
Since she would arrive at school a bit later than everyone else and work started earlier, Jade didn't hit much traffic on the way. Still, she took her time on the way, enjoying the tranquility of the early morning after-rush. There was a strip she passed on the way to the school that attracted a lot of people on the weekends. A few bars, some fancy clubs with huge dance floors and large bouncers that weren't afraid to hurt people. Jade had remembered walking down that way with Beck one night to laugh at the drunks, which was a past time of hers, when two guys were thrown out of a club literally by the scruff of their necks. The ladies they were with stayed inside, which made the whole situation even funnier to Jade. She listened as the men swore up and down at the bouncer, saying all they wanted to do was dance with their new girlfriends and not waste their pretty dresses. All of a sudden, a few things happened at once; Jade thought of dances and dresses, flashing back to her day at the mall with Tori. She remembered Prom on Friday, and how excited Tori got about big events like that. Lastly, she remembered how she had just told her boss she would work on Friday.
Fuck.
The day had gone from solemn and tranquil to overly stressful and upsetting in three seconds flat. Jade needed the job to appease her parents and stay in Tori's life. She couldn't tell her new boss that just gave her a chance without even really knowing her that she all of a sudden couldn't work the one day she was really needed, just to go to a school dance. This was about the woman's son. Jade knew she was gonna have to break the news to Tori, and the sooner the better, but she wasn't really happy about it.
The parking lot was full which forced Jade to park way back and walk in the harsh wind. The prospect of crushing her girlfriend on the first day of the week was daunting, but she knew Tori would want to know. Maybe Tori would be able to find someone else to go with? Would she want to go with someone else? Jade didn't like the thoughts that were occurring to her at that moment, but the truth was Prom was important to a lot of girls, and she knew Tori was that kind of girl.
Jade entered the front doors intent on hitting her locker and going to class, and when the first thing she saw walking through the door was her impossibly beautiful, doe-eyed love of a girlfriend, she instantly felt chest pains. Breathing in deep and exhaling slow, Jade made her way to her locker, smiling at Tori as she passed, trying to put up a good front. Tori didn't seem to be very impressed by it, and the look on her face made her feel worse. She assorted her things and made to head for class, when Tori mentioned she would be there to talk.
Jade felt hot knives in her stomach which gave the sensation of stomach cramps during a hangover, making her feel like she was going to throw up. She answered as sweetly as possible, which wasn't very sweet at all. Tori turned to leave with a sour expression, but Jade couldn't leave it that way. The look of disappointment in her girlfriend gave her the feeling of disappointment, just on a much larger scale. Not being able to bear the feeling, Jade felt a brash move spark from brain to fingertips, and she moved on it immediately, grabbing Tori and kissing her in front of everyone watching. The feeling morphed very quickly from pain relief to heat, from guilty conscience to pure love and even heat. She broke off the kiss before it got too out of hand and told Tori to head to class, exchanging their I love yous and heading in opposite directions.
Jade felt particularly irked by the boys who were still watching, having recognized one of them from her Math class. He stared at her a lot and it made her really uncomfortable, and she could only imagine what the scene that had just played out would do for him that night. Jade shrugged, disgusted, and yelled in frustration at them as she passed. Rounding the corner with one last look at Tori, she saw the smile that Tori gained when she acted like the old Jade, winking back and disappearing with more guilt in her than she could stomach.
The first few classes of the day were slow and boring. Tori was nervous about what Jade was upset about, but she didn't want to push the issue. Jade would come to her with anything if she needed to, Tori trusted her on that. They didn't have the best communication in the beginning, but after Jade's mishap at the premiere and Tori's childish disappearance at the party they had gotten a lot better at trusting each other's judgments. Obviously, she was upset, but what could it be about? They'd just been together the night before, what could have possibly happened between the night before and that morning? Jade's parents were definitely a factor though, and Tori wondered if they had maybe changed the deal or added something to it that was bad for them, although she was sure that Jade would have come out with something like that immediately.
The pressure of trying to pay attention enough to take sufficient study notes and figure out what might be bothering Jade was giving Tori a headache. She tried to stop fussing over the situation, knowing it wouldn't do any good, but she felt tied to Jade as Jade did to her. Jade was very protective over Tori, making sure her parents knew that Tori had a name and she was part of Jade's life during their talk of the deal. Tori felt like she was hooked with Jade emotionally. What Jade felt, she felt. If Jade was upset or sad, Tori couldn't turn her empathy off and would often be just as downtrodden until they figured it out together. It was both a romantic thing and an annoying thing, depending on the day and the situation.
Tori left R&B Vocals without even saying anything to her best friend, and it was obvious Andre sensed her stress. He let her go though, on the same basis of trust. She headed straight for Pop Vocals and sat in her seat, getting out her phone. She opened up The Slap to keep herself busy, checking updates from the group. Cat was home sick for the day. She said her stomach bubbles wouldn't stop popping. Andre and Robbie both said they weren't really ready for another week of school, and Beck said he was looking forward to some "me" time to just relax and be himself for a while. Jade didn't really post much, so it was no surprise to Tori that there was nothing new under her profile.
Lunch came and everyone gathered in Sikowitz' class as usual. Beck and Andre were the only ones with food when Tori walked in. Jade was leaning back against the wall in her chair with her eyes closed and earphones in. Robbie was having a hushed conversation with Rex about vocalizing his underwear changing habits in public. He looked up when Tori walked in and read aloud from his PearPad that Cat updated her Slap page, saying she was drinking ginger ale and she felt better. Everyone nodded their acknowledgment and returned to what they were doing. Tori sat in her normal seat and faced forward, not really feeling like talking. She leaned forward and yawned, her hands covering her face. A few moments later the sound of Jade's boots made her look up, finding herself eye level with Jade's crotch about 6 inches from her face. Her eyebrows raised with a smirk and Jade laughed as she sat down.
"Tor, I got a job at the coffee stand."
"That's great, Jade." Tori smiled and squeezed Jade's knee.
"Yeah it is, but there's a problem."
Tori was nervous but tried not to show it. "Okay, what is it?"
"Well, Jenae gave me my schedule. I start today after school from three to ten, then the same hours on Wednesday and Friday."
"Okay, so what's the issue?" Tori was confused.
Jade smiled as softly as she could. "I wanted to ask you to be my date for Prom, but I can't go."
The rest of the group in the room smiled a little sadly, trying not to listen in but it was difficult in the quiet room. Jade's sentiment took them all by surprise, as her soft side didn't really come out, especially at school. They were glad she finally softened a little bit, even though she still had her times, and not being able to share the important event with Tori made them all feel bad. Tori let out a breath of relief. She was expecting something much worse. Still, the news was upsetting, but it was manageable.
"Is that all? I'm okay with that."
"You are?"
"Yeah. You got a job so we could be together without your parents causing a ton of issues, and now you have to stick with your commitment. I understand."
"I figured you'd be upset." Jade felt a little better about the situation.
"I would have liked to go, sure, but I understand the circumstances. I wouldn't want to go with anyone else but you."
Andre and Beck smiled at each other on the other side of the room, happy that their two best friends were happy together. Jade reached over and hugged Tori, glad that the weight was lifted from her shoulders. The others continued their conversations and the girls joined in, laughing about some post Trina made relating to a boy she liked and a seaweed face mask. The bell rang and everyone got up to leave, saying their temporary goodbyes before they had the last two hours of the day together. Tori crushed up against Jade again, squeezing her hard to show her appreciation. Jade stroked Tori's hair gently, impressed as ever.
"The dance is just a dance. We can have our own Prom in my room on Saturday night."
"I love you, you know."
"I promise I won't tell anyone." Tori teased, smiling wide.
Jade laughed and pecked Tori on the lips, then took her hand and led the way to Screenwriting class.
The rest of the day went pretty smoothly. Tori wasn't anxious about bad news anymore, but the fact that she'd be staying home for her junior Prom made her a little sullen. She would never tell Jade that, though, as she had already sacrificed enough for their relationship. Tori could at least put on a front help the situation along. Screenwriting seemed to blow by and Sikowitz didn't really have anything planned, letting them mostly sit around and talk. Towards the end of the class when everyone was comfortable, he jumped out from behind the curtain and demanded Beck and Andre stand up and act out scene, claiming that Beck was a young African American boy who had been freed from Slavery and Andre was his former master. They'd met in a bar years later and shared a drink.
"But uh, Sikowitz don't you think I should be-" Andre started.
"Nonsense, do it like I asked." Sikowitz interrupted, looking amused at the confused expressions on their faces.
The boys did their scene and everyone watched with attention, interests peaked at the turned tables. They had a table set up like a bar and they each sat in a chair facing the class, swirling pretend drinks. Andre looked over at Beck several times while Beck stared straight forward. Sikowitz acted as the barman and walked over to Beck waiting for him to pay his tab, and when he reached for a coin Andre stopped him.
"I'll get this one."
"I suppose you owe me one, don't ya, Mr. Anderson?" Beck downed the rest of the glass and made to get up, but Andre protested.
"I do, and to be honest I owe you more than one. Sit down, son."
They emulated an 1880's conversation with the best formulated grammar they could, trying to make the scene realistic. Tori and Jade sat hand in hand and watched. Jade leaned in to Tori's side and listened to her soft, rhythmic breathing; it was very calming.
"I could apologize to you, but I don't think you would believe it."
"Hard to believe anything from a man that treats another man like an animal."
Andre downed his drink and raised his finger signaling another round. Sikowitz poured another fake drink and slid it over to him.
"I've done some bad things, Curassa. You were at the end of a lot of them, and while you may not believe it, I'll pay the price. I'm paying it now and it'll continue every day, until I leave this place forever."
Beck looked shocked, playing to the fact that he had used his given African name instead of his new American name he received when he arrived. "God judges everyone eventually, Mr. Anderson. If you truly believe you've done wrong and try your best to correct your mistakes with the time you have left, you may not be doomed after all."
Beck got up from the table bar and headed for the door. Andre grabbed his arm and looked him square in the eye, hesitating for a moment.
"You're a better man than I'll ever be, son. I'm sorry."
"So am I." End scene.
Everyone clapped fervently and Sikowitz beamed with pride. The two boys smiled and took small bows as they headed back to their seats, the bell ringing mid-stride. The group scooped up their bags and headed for Study Hall, chatting animatedly about the scene. Andre told Beck that he did all young African-Americans proud, and everyone laughed loudly. The Study Hall room was empty when they got there, and about five minutes or so after the bell had rung the teacher hadn't shown up. There were only a few other kids in the class besides the group, and everyone just talked and went about as normal. Lane came in about ten minutes in saying their normal teacher had to leave because of a family emergency so he was going to sit in for their class.
Jade doodled on a blank piece of paper while Tori reviewed notes for her Science class. Everyone else was either sleeping with their head down or doing something on their phone. Jade watched Tori as she reviewed, smiling to herself at the way her tongue stuck out of her mouth a little when she wrote. She got lost in watching the brunette beauty, soaking in the view of her determined eyes and chiseled cheekbones. Tearing her eyes away grudgingly, Jade grabbed the application and consent forms for her new job from her bag and set them on the desk. She filled each page out one by one, restapling them when she was finished.
Before long the bell rang signaling the end of the day, which meant Jade had to go to work. Everyone put their things away and spilled into the halls, heading for their lockers. Tori put her stuff away quickly and moved over to Jade's locker. She wanted to say good luck before her first day at work. Jade put her one book back and kept her bag, pulling a brush through her hair a few times before closing the locker door.
"Well, I guess I'm gonna head home first and grab something to eat and then head in."
"You know I appreciate this, right?" Tori asked, looking very serious.
"I know. I wouldn't be doing it if I didn't want to." She smiled warmly and extended her arms.
Tori walked into them and closed her eyes, breathing her in deeply. She didn't care if people were staring. All she cared about was the girl in her arms, and that was enough. Jade broke the hug so she could go, kissing Tori lightly on the lips twice. They exchanged I love yous and Jade headed off to her car.
Her house was empty still and the silence was pressing. The windows were all shut and the air seemed stuffy, stagnant. Jade headed into the kitchen and opened the fridge, surveying the contents to find something edible on the go. She didn't see much besides Hot Pockets, and though that wasn't really what she wanted, she put one in the microwave anyway, knowing that if she went to work at a coffee shop without eating anything all day, she would regret it. The food came out piping hot and Jade laid it on the counter, grabbing some water out of the fridge. It only took about ten minutes to walk to the coffee shop so she didn't feel it necessary to drive. The wind was gone for the most part, so the walk was pretty enjoyable. Jade nibbled away at her food as she scanned the area around her, watching moms pushing kids in strollers and people walking their dogs. The sky was full of sun, which actually kind of irritated her.
She arrived at the coffee stand and threw her wrapper in the trash, walking around to the left side of the building where the door behind the counter was. It was locked, so she knocked and waited for Jenae to answer. It only took a minute and cheery redhead came out, holding the door open for her. The space behind the counter wasn't very big, since there wasn't really a lot of room needed. Some counter space for the coffee pots in the back, along with a fridge on the end and the counter space in the front for the cash register and little bits and bobs, like the newspaper, gum and sometimes pastries. Jade took in her surroundings quickly, making a mental note of where she saw certain things she knew she would need a lot, like coffee filters, cups and lids. Jenae finished with the customer at the window and turned to Jade, clapping her hands together and smiling. Jade tried to return the same smile but it just wasn't there, remembering that she was going to have to be here on Prom night and how that made Tori feel.
"Jade, glad to see you here."
"Glad to be here honestly. If I didn't get this job I was probably going to have to be a secretary at mom's office. She's a corporate accountant, bunch of stuffy rich people in suits and ties."
Jenae laughed. "Yeah, doesn't really seem like your scene."
"Definitely not. So what do you want to start with?"
"Do you have that paperwork for me?"
Jade lifted the flap on her bag and retrieved the forms, handing them over.
"Excellent." She looked through them and made sure they were all filled out. "Looks good to me. I'll file these away and we'll get started with the register."
Jade walked up and checked it out. It was an old-style register with big buttons and a small screen for totals. Next to it was a credit card machine that looked a lot newer than pretty much anything else in the store. On the opposite side were gift cards and business cards, a toothpick dispenser and a few boxes of small candies. The newspaper occupied the end cap of the counter on the right side, with a basket of saran-wrapped cheese danishes on the left side. Jenae walked over and took her spot behind the register while Jade stood a couple steps to the right.
"Okay. This register is really basic. Everything has a set price, and the prices don't really change. For cash, all you gotta do is look at what the customer has, key in the numbers for each price and then hit total. Tell them what the total is, punch in the number for how much money they give you and hit the cash out button. It'll show the return amount on the screen and push the drawer open, then you just count back the change and shut the drawer when you're done."
"Sounds easy enough. How about cards?"
"Same deal in the beginning, key in all the prices and hit total. Tell them to swipe their card and follow the instructions on the screen. When it's done it'll print a receipt, ask them if they want it, and you're done."
"Wow. I think this job and I are going to get along great."
Jenae smiled and laughed a bit. "Don't be fooled, though. There are times when you'll be so backed up that you think the line is never gonna end, and then when it does you won't have any more customers for sometimes hours, and by that time you're almost begging for people to come by and give you something to do."
"Can I have my PearPod on during those times? Or read or something."
"Absolutely, just make sure if you have earphones in that you take them out fully before you deal with a customer."
"Okay, sounds reasonable."
"Yep. Here is a list of prices, take it home with you and keep it around. It'll help you remember quicker."
"Okay, thanks." Jade stuffed the sheet in her bag. "Where should I put this?"
"There's a bathroom right over there in the back. You can't let customers use it because we aren't equipped to provide an environment that's up to state code for a public restroom, so it's just for me and you. There are hooks on the wall in there for coats and bags."
"Alright."
Jenae had known Jade enough over the past few years to know when something was bothering her, and she watched Jade go through the motions, but she knew her head was somewhere else. "What's the matter, kid? You seem upset."
Jade felt bad that she let it show. She was trying to be as complacent as possible in the workplace, especially with the issue at hand. She looked at Jenae and smiled, trying to pass it off. "It's nothing, really. Just something with one of my friends."
"Well, there's only the two of us here with this shop. We've talked a bit in the past, and I don't want me being your boss now to make that change. I hope you feel like you can trust me to talk. There's only the two of us here with this shop, so if we're gonna make the best of it it would help to be friends, yeah?" She nudged Jade softly with her elbow and Jade laughed.
"Yeah, you're right. I didn't want to say anything because it's gonna make both of us feel bad. I totally spaced when you gave me my schedule this morning and said I would work Friday, when Friday is our Prom."
"Oh man, I knew that too but I guess it slipped my mind. I can stay and-"
"No! No, it's okay. I mean, I heard how excited you sounded about your son getting to play Soccer and I don't want to take that away from either of you. It's only the junior Prom, I'll have another chance next year, but you only get to watch your son grow up once."
Jenae held a hand over her heart, looking at Jade like she was gonna tear up any second. "That's so sweet of you!"
"I told my girlfriend at school today. She was upset even though she wouldn't show it, but she said it was okay."
A customer came up to the window and Jade wanted to take the opportunity to make an impression. She asked if she could take this one, and when Jenae looked around her to see the customer, she nodded, watching from the side. The customer looked over the menu for a minute while Jade watched, standing a step back from the register as to not be intrusive. She had recognized him from seeing here a few times before but didn't know his name. When the man was ready, he looked at Jade and smiled.
"Hey, how are you today?" Jade asked, smiling back.
"I'm good, thanks. Nice that the sun is out again."
"Yeah, should put a little more pep in some people's step. And speaking of pep in your step, I assume that's why you're here?" She smiled at the caffeine joke, feeling lame on the inside.
The man laughed. "Yes ma'am, I'll take a large hazelnut, five and five."
"Good choice, that's my usual." She bent to grab a cup and set it on the counter, looking for the right sized lid.
"Well I must say you have good taste then."
Jade smiled and took the cup to the back counter, pouring coffee in from the spout. She looked at the stand next to the coffee pot with the assortment of creams, finding the blue tops marked Hazelnut. She quickly emptied 5 of them into the cup, searching for some sugar.
"There's a liquid sugar spout on the other side of the coffee pot." Jenae pointed out, and Jade moved over to it. There was a button on the front.
"Push and release it quick for one, repeat as necessary."
Jade did as such, pressing the button five times quick. Once all the ingredients were in she spotted the swizzle sticks next to the creamer, grabbing one to stir everything up on the walk back to the counter. She deposited the stick in the trash and set the coffee down on the counter, grabbing the lid.
"Oh can I get an ice cube in there please? Takes forever to cool down."
"Sure" Jade said, turning back to the fridge. Jenae was already en route to the freezer, bringing the ice cube tray up to the counter. She twisted it and broke the cubes loose, popping one up and dropping it very slowly into the hot liquid. Jade grabbed the lid again and secured it to the top, make sure it wouldn't pop off.
"Would you like a sleeve?"
"Sure."
She slid the cup into a heat sleeve and pushed it towards the man, keying the numbers into the cash register since she already knew how much they cost.
"That'll be one eighty-five."
"Here's two." The man handed over two one-dollar bills.
Jade keyed in two dot zero zero and hit cash out, reading the fifteen on the screen for change. She grabbed a dime and a nickel and handed it back to him, shutting the cash drawer.
"Thank you. You did really well for your first time."
"How did you know?"
"Jade, this is my brother Paul." They both smiled at Jade's confused look.
"I live right down the road from here so I come by every day, help my sister out, talk to her for a little bit you know."
"That's cool" Jade said, genuinely touched by the family bond they had. "I wish my family was awesome like that."
"Yeah, we're pretty lucky." Jenae said, nodding her head.
"I'm out of here sis, I gotta head uptown and hit the Secretary of State before they close."
"Good luck, traffic sucks over there right now."
"Don't I know it." He looked over at Jade. "Thanks for the coffee."
"You got it."
He waved at Jenae and walked off, and Jenae put up her hand for a high five. "I didn't plan that, by the way."
"Sure." Jade drawled out her sarcasm with a smile.
"You did really well though. All you gotta do is learn the rest of the prices and you'll be golden."
"I hope so. Hey what happens when people are scuzballs or try to rip me off? Can I yell at them or do you have a long sharp object I can use?"
Jenae laughed at what she thought was a joke, sobering up quickly when she realized Jade wasn't kidding. "Uh, we'll work on that."
Jade worked the rest of her shift with Jenae, switching places at the helm for each customer. When they got a bit of a line, five people, Jenae let Jade see how she would handle it. She did well, only having one mishap, which was putting French vanilla cream in a regular coffee, but the other four were just fine. The afternoon went on and once the rush from people getting out of work was over, the period of downtime that Jenae had described earlier set in. The two of them hung out and people watched, trading observations.
At the end of the night Jenae showed Jade how to count down the drawer and write out a bank deposit slip. She talked her through it once and let her try, surprised when Jade got it right on the first shot. They gathered up the money and put it in the bank envelope along with the deposit slip and zipped it up, grabbing their bags on the way out.
"The deposit goes to Western Trust, which is two streets over that way." She pointed off to the left.
"Yeah I've passed by it. Do I have to go in?"
"Nope, there's a drop box in the side of the building right by the door. You need this key," she popped open the register and lifted the money plate, revealing a key underneath, "and Just make sure your slip is in your pouch and drop it right in the slot, and make sure it goes down."
"Well, I think I got most of it."
"You did really well for your first day. Won't have a problem at all leaving you for the afternoon on Friday." She smiled and patted Jade on the shoulder.
Jade nodded her thanks and smiled back, cringing on the inside at the mention of Friday.
"I'll do the drop tonight since I live that way anyways, and, uh, I'll see you on Wednesday at three."
"Thanks, Jenae, I really appreciate it."
"Me too, kid. I'd love to have a day off."
They smiled and waved to each other, heading in separate directions.
Tori headed home from school and kicked her shoes off at the door, plopping down on the couch. Jade wasn't around and the rest of the group didn't really seem too keen on doing anything. Cat was still feeling icky from earlier and that left Tori out of options. She was a little sour still about the dance, having played up a big scene in her head after going dress shopping and everything. She loved the whole idea of getting really dressed up and having her hair done to look really special for Jade. The girl that meant everything to her. But of course, in life not all things come to the perfect end, and Tori accepted defeat.
There was nothing to do so Tori decided to just put in a movie she'd seen a thousand times and veg. She grabbed some carrots and ranch from the fridge and some vitamin water, setting them on the living room table. The DVD case full from front to back, but there was usually only a couple that she watched repeatedly. Her copy of Sixteen Candles was probably going to stop working soon she had seen it so many times, but it was one of her favorites. She put the DVD in and laid back with a blanket and her snack, enveloping herself in the movie experience.
After the movie it was rounding five o'clock. Tori shut off the TV and got up, stretching her arms and legs. She headed into the bathroom and when she came out the sound of the door alerted her to someone's presence. Mrs. Vega walked in and kicked her shoes off, looking exhausted and worse for wear. She laid her briefcase on the table and sat down, yawning deeply.
"Hey mom."
"Hey kid."
"You okay?"
"Yeah I'm alright, just tired."
"Hungry? I was thinking of making something."
"I can order pizza. Something cheesy sounds good." She smiled at Tori and pointed at the fridge. "Grab me the list."
Tori handed her the food number list and she scanned through it for Pizza Hut, locating the number and dialing It. She ordered pepperoni and sausage for Tori and a mushroom and onion for herself. The delivery would take about a half hour so her mom used the time to run up and take a shower, coming back down a few minutes before the doorbell rang. Tori answered and let the woman in, taking the pizza and sitting it on the counter. Mrs. Vega gave the woman two bills and told her to keep the change, wishing her a good day on the way out.
The two women ate in silence for the most part. Mrs. Vega looked stressed, like maybe she wasn't getting enough sleep. Tori was worried about her but didn't want to push the subject. They had a pretty good relationship when it came to those things so she figured it couldn't be too bad or her mom would tell her. After a while though the silence got to her, and she decided to ask what was going on.
"Anything happening at work?"
"Just business as usual. Some tough cases."
"I see. Nothing out of the ordinary though?"
Mrs. Vega laughed. Tori was always so obvious when she was fishing for something. "I'm fine baby girl, just some things I have to work out."
"Okay. I'm here though if you want to talk alright?"
"I know, I appreciate it."
They finished their meals and retired on the couch in the living room. Mrs. Vega surfed the channels a bit until they settled on a marathon of Tru Calling. Tori snuggled into her mom's side, not really watching the show even though she liked it. There was a lot on her mind, and being in a comfortable space was always the best way to try and work through it.
After the first episode Tori got up and went to the kitchen, fetching ice cream for the two of them. She grabbed the strawberry and french vanilla both and two spoons, not bothering with bowls. She sat down and handed her mom the vanilla one, digging into the strawberry she loved so much. They switched half way through the episode and had a bit of the other kind, eventually finishing what was left in each. Tori tucked back in to her mom's side and closed her eyes. Thinking of Jade, she reached for her phone and opened a text message to send a little something.
Hope work is okay and it's not too cold out there. I love you to pieces.
She sent the message and closed her eyes again, eventually falling asleep. Around nine thirty Mrs. Vega shook Tori awake gently and helped her upstairs to her bed, pulling back the sheets so Tori could fall right in. She covered her up and walked around to the side of the bed, running her fingers through her daughter's hair.
"I love you Tori, no matter what."
"I love you too mom."
Jade walked inside quietly, thinking her parents would be asleep. The lights were off except for the kitchen so she went in through the side door and headed for the fridge. She hadn't really eaten much that day and was kind of hungry, especially after learning all the new information at her new job. She opened the fridge and found a plate with tinfoil on it on the top shelf. It was ribs and mashed potatoes and corn. She smiled at the heartiness and slipped the plate into the microwave, waiting impatiently for it to cook.
She sat at the kitchen island and turned the little TV on that her dad loved so much, catching some news while she ate. A local man had saved a neighbor's house from burning down when she wasn't home by noticing smoke and calling Fire Rescue before it got too bad. A grocery store clerk was fired for spitting on a customer that yelled at her for going too slow, and the live video was her rant. Jade finished up and rinsed her plate off, putting it in the dishwasher.
She headed down to her room and stripped, changing into pajamas and getting into bed. She plugged her phone in by the bedside table and noticed she had a message. When she read it it made her smile bigger than she had all day. The perfect reply came to mind and she opened up a reply, typing it up and setting the phone on the table, drifting off with a smile on her face.
Good night or good morning, depending on when you get this. My night was fine, thanks for taking the time to check. Hope you don't freeze on the walk from your bed to your shower. ;)