Disclaimer: This chapter contains mentions of sexual assault and stalking.
Summer was the busiest seasons at Howe's. Everyone and their mothers were out buying new grills, gardening supplies, paints, etc. It also meant painfully long hours in the hot summer heat. The workers inside were lucky, they had air conditioning, but Jane was dying. Could corporate at least be kind enough to give them new uniforms? Black was fine in the winter, but in August you're soaking in the UV rays. Maybe she'd write a very long, detailed email about it to them along with other grievances.
Of course, if Troy had actually kept his damn promise, she would have been enjoying the AC and not outside. Fucking asshole, she should've gotten a promotion just having to look at his dick. If she could hold on until she graduated school, she'd at least have a chance to get out and far away from him and her family as possible. Perhaps, she'd move back to Baltimore or D.C. She had lived the first ten years of her life there before her old man got a new job offer in Atlanta. The Coca-Cola Company pays their financial analysts nicely.
After the years of nice vacations, extravagant gifts, and a large, luxury house in a quiet residential neighborhood, being on her own sucked. It was jarring. Jane was thrown to the wolves- metaphorically, of course- and she had no choice but to survive on her own. Her apartment was shit, her job was shit, and she was excommunicated from her family. Her asshole landlord raised the rent, again, so she had no choice but to get a temporary job working part-time as a lifeguard at a swim club to pay the bills.
Things would be a lot easier without Troy, though.
He was a lot of things: an asshole, creep, a human form of shit, the list went on and on. If you opened the dictionary and looked up the word sex offender, he would be the picture you see next to the description, which only consists of his name. The first thing she'd do when she got out of Howe's was to put him on that 'special' list; her mom used to use one when she was a kid every time someone moved into the neighborhood. Lately, he had gotten even more creepy, which Jane didn't honestly think was possible. He called her in on days she was off, offered to take her out to dinner, and seemed to become convinced that they were in some kind of relationship. Nope, she wouldn't love him even if he was the last person on Earth. She tossed the flowers he got her in the dumpster the second her shift was over.
Imagining his downfall was the only thing getting her through the past year. At least, she use could this time outside to plan revenge; the heat only just facilitated her rage.
God, she needed to get high. Perhaps a joint with Eddie and Wyatt would sooth her nerves a bit.
She's inspecting some tomato plants when someone taps her shoulder. Jane half expects it to be Troy, and almost gives an eye roll, until she sees the elderly woman staring up at her hesitantly. "Excuse me, I need some help." the customer says.
"Sure, what do you need?"
"I was wondering," the old woman begins as she pulls out insect killer from her basket. "My garden has been attacked for these past few weeks by these horrible bugs-"
"Yeah, they've been pretty bad this year." Bad was an understatement. Howe's lost a ton of plants throughout the summer, which led to fits from both Troy and their manager.
"Well, I like to keep my garden organic. Do you carry spray that doesn't contain any pesticides?"
Oh God, here we go. Few people have the patience and understanding to work in retail, and Jane was not one of them. Surprisingly, you eventually become numb to stupidity, but sometimes the dumb-ass questions she received through her in for a loop.
Her brows furrow. "I don't understand the question."
"I need a killer that doesn't contain any pesticides so I can keep my plants organic," the woman repeated again, somewhat irritated.
"Well, I'm sure there are tutorials online for all natural repellant, but the very definition of the term pesticide is 'a substance that kills insects'." That was from the official Howe's manual, which she got on her first day of the job. It, like the flowers she had received, was also tossed in the dumpster.
The woman's eyes narrow. "I think you're wrong."
"How am I wrong? That's the literal definition of pesticide."
"Oh, you think you're sneaky, but I know you're lying." She wags her finger at the young woman, looking more like a jackass with every passing second. God, it was too hot to deal with this. "Maybe I should take my money to Home Depot or Lowe's," she says, thinking her empty threat will make Jane cave in.
Sorry, lady, your money means jack shit to large corporations.
"You can do that, but they're probably going to tell you the same thing I said."
"No, they won't."
Jane threw her hands up. "Well, then go! No one is stopping you!" she cried. If the customer complained to Troy about this outburst, she'd never hear the end of it, but Jane couldn't honestly care anymore. She was sick of having to bend over backwards for self-righteous assholes.
The old woman huffs, turns her nose in the air, and storms off back into the main store. While her back is turned, and after making sure no one else is around, Jane throws up the finger.
Bitch.
Her attitude doesn't last long when she hears a snicker. She whips her head around to see two boys, presumably brothers, gawking at her by the fountains. The younger one, who looks no older than seven, blinks, unsure of what she did, but his teenage brother is getting a kick out of it.
Lucky for her, the boys weren't offended as most other customers would, so she wasn't too concerned of a complaint against her. Middle-aged people and young mothers were the worst when it came to that stuff. Still, she motioned for them to zip their lips; the older boy nodded, winked, and then led his brother away, who was still confused over what happened.
Seeing them brought back memories of her and Jaime when they were kids. Maybe, she'd give her a call after her shift was done. Her parents didn't approve, claiming she was a 'bad influence,' but it had been a month since they last spoke. Perhaps, if she saved up her money, she'd be able to take her younger sister to Six Flags. It was a shame it was so expensive because going there was a tradition for the family. They went there every summer after they moved down to Georgia.
God, that place was fun.
As she went back to organizing the plants, her mind wandered back to happier times. Like the time she pressured Jaime into going on the Goliath, or how they used to drive around town on Saturday nights and look for new ice cream shops to stop at. They'd sit on the curb because Jaime was afraid of the moths that crowded around the fluorescent lights of the shop. They laughed, joked, and just talked while they ate their ice cream. Sometimes, they discussed their day and school, but usually, it devolved into everything and anything. Did aliens exist? What would they be doing in ten years? Jaime wanted to be a doctor, but back then Jane had no clue what she wanted to do. She still didn't know, honestly.
Perhaps, once she got her degree, she'd become a writer for the paper or the local news station. Jane didn't have the charisma nor the looks to be on camera as a reporter, but she liked to write, and being behind the scenes didn't seem so bad. Better than Howe's that's for damn sure.
The intercom turns on and it's nothing but static for a second until she can hear her manager. "Jane Johnson, please report to my office immediately, thank you." they say before promptly turning it back off.
Jane's eyes narrowed. Her heart dropped to her stomach. In the year she had been working here, she had never been called upstairs to the manager's office before. With Troy around, she probably wasn't getting a raise.
Oh God, she wasn't leaving today with a job.
Clementine hadn't been in an elevator in years. There had been a small one in Howe's leading up to the main office but no one used it. After not being managed in how many years, it was practically a death trap. Now that she thought about it, elevators really were just death traps, though. You're stuck in a tiny space with tons of people and if the cables give out everyone's fucked. All the time in the wide open made her claustrophobic. Why couldn't they have just taken the escalator?
None of her other friends share her concern- Duck's leaning on the rail and watching the mall through the glass windows, Gabe's tapping his foot as a Katy Perry song plays over the speakers, Sarah's singing to said song, and Becca's on her phone. Of course, this elevator had to be made out of glass. Nothing was more terrifying than actually seeing yourself go higher and higher. She was much more comfortable on the ground, thank you.
Now, she didn't know if this was true or not, but Clementine had heard from somewhere that if you jump while riding the elevator, you'll be fine when it crashes. Apparently, when you're in the air, you're avoiding the pressure of the elevator hitting the ground or something. She's going to look ridiculous, but she's done worse, and so she begins to hop in place.
Gabe's the first one to notice. He's standing right next to her when he turns his head to see her jumping. "Uh, are you okay?" he asked.
Clementine nodded. "I'm preventing a crash."
"The fuck?" Duck murmured.
"If you jump, we won't crash."
"Clementine, this elevator isn't going to crash." Sarah nervously glanced around the room. "Is it?"
Becca rolled her eyes. "Sarah, come on. You know how many people a day go on this thing? A lot of fucking people. It hasn't crashed for them."
"It could for us, though!" Duck's eyes are like saucers. "Oh my God!"
"This isn't Final Destination."
Sarah turned away. "Stop! You're freaking me out now!"
"Jesus, look at what you two caused!" Becca glared at Duck and Clementine. "Now, everyone thinks we're going to die!" She paused and put a hand on her chin. "Going out in an elevator is a pretty hardcore way to go, though."
"We're fine!" Gabe cried. "Everybody's fine!"
Duck knocked on the wooden railing. "Stop, bro! Now, you just jinxed us!"
"We're taking the escalators next time!"
"I heard this story about a girl with her shoelaces undone and she died because the escalator sucked up her shoelace and ate her."
"I did not need to hear this."
It must have been awkward for whoever was waiting for the elevator doors to open to see five teenagers jumping around like sardines. Clementine was relieved; by convincing everyone else to join her, they were saved. Finally, she could save the people she cared about and all was well with the world.
The walk upstairs to the manager's office was agonizing. Jane's feet felt heavier with every step. She passed by some of her co-workers and tried to ignore their gawking. Their faces were grim. They knew what was coming.
The door was wide open, so unfortunately for her, she had no time to collect herself and calm down. Her manager spotted her peeking in the doorway and waved her over.
"Come here and sit down, Jane," they said, pointing to the chair across from their desk.
Hesitantly, she slowly sat down; her eyes never left her employer. "Is something wrong, sir?"
"Jane, you've been working here for quite a long time, am I correct?"
She nodded. "Over a year."
"We treasure our employees here, Jane. You've been a member of the Howe's family for a year and we appreciate all the hard work you do."
Her brows raised. Perhaps, everything was fine after all. She was worrying over nothing. What if she was getting a raise? Jane bit her lip in excitement at the mere thought of it. "Thank you, sir. I'm glad to be here."
"This is why it pains me to do this."
Time seemed to stop.
No.
No, please.
"As you know, we've been having some financial troubles lately," her manager continued. "Competitors like Lowe's and Home Depot are beating us in the garden department and Ace's Hardware's got us in home improvement. Corporate has already closed down fifteen stores in the past month."
"I don't understand, what does this mean for me?" Jane asked though she knew full well where this was going.
Her manager folded their hands and leaned forward. "Corporate wants us to let people go so we can focus on running the store and not people's pay. It sucks, I know, but there's nothing I can do."
"Why me?" It came out as a whisper.
"I talked it over with Troy. He said it would be good for you in the end- it would allow you to move on to brighter opportunities." They sighed. "Don't think we're targeting you, other people are being laid off as well. Troy and I discussed this for hours."
She bolted out of her chair, running a hand frantically through her hair. "You don't understand, I need this job!" she cried.
"I'm sure you'll find another place of employment. I'm sorry, Jane, but there's nothing I can do. Other people are losing their jobs as well, but I'm not bending the rules for them, so imagine the fallout if I did it for you. Corporate would have my head."
"I won't be able to pay the bills!"
"Not my problem, Jane."
"Troy targeted me for a reason. Just let me explain what happened-"
"Get out of my office, Jane."
"Please," she pleaded. "Please, you have to listen to me!"
"If you don't leave I'm calling the police."
She glared at them and threw off her apron, leaving it a crumpled heap on the ground. Then, she threw off her name tag, chucking it in the trash. Her now former boss scowled.
"Can you pick those up?"
"Sorry, you can't tell me to do shit. I don't work here anymore, remember?" she hissed. "You fired me."
"Troy was right. I should have fired you months ago."
"You know what?" She flipped him off as she slowly stepped back into the hallway. "Fuck you and fuck him, too! Glad I can say that now! You can't do shit, motherfucker!"
"I swear to God, if you don't get out of my office I'll call the cops."
Jane slammed the door shut so hard the posts on the board on the walls shook. Fuck that guy. She always did hate him. In fact, she hated this whole fucking place and everyone in it! No more sweating her ass off in ninety-degree weather. She was out of here, fuckers! No wonder they were going bankrupt, their staff was made up of spineless, unorganized ass-hats!
She stormed to the front doors. Some of the workers gasped and put hand to their mouths in terror. Others, on the other hand, smirked. Douchebags. Little did they know they probably were about to lose their jobs. She wished she could see those smiles wiped off their faces.
Troy, who had been lurking around the checkout aisles, attempted to reach and comfort her in a pathetic attempt to be a hero. "Don't fucking touch me," she growled, swatting his arm away. He was the reason she was out of a job in the first place- he did this on purpose.
"Oh, Mary-Jane, what's the matter, darling?" He smiled as she gave him the finger. God, his rat face made her sick. "I think you're being irrational here. In the end, this will be better for you. You'll see."
"Fuck off, dick."
Before he can respond, she's outside. The confidence she had for a moment dissipates as thoughts about her future begin to flood her mind. How will she pay the bills? Where can she get another job? What will happen when school starts? What if her family finds out?
There are no walls, but it feels like everything's closing in on her. She's got to get to her car. She's got to get away from gawkers, this fucking store, and this plaza. She needs to go home. She sprints across the parking lot to her old, beat up 1999 Toyota Camry. Her eyes begin to blur and well up, she didn't even realize she was crying until she managed to get into the driver's seat.
"Fuck!" she bawled, slamming her fist down on the horn, causing several people walking by to jump. She hated crying. Now, here she was snotting all over her car and herself. It just made her even more upset.
Would Spencer's hire her? God, how desperate was she to have to hope Spencer's would pick her up? She rested her head down on the wheel and sobbed.
Her phone vibrates. Jane reached over to grab it, her blood boiled when she read the message.
Troy: hey now you have all the time in the world to be with me.
A/N: God, Jane's story arc is so dark and I promise it won't be for much longer. I can't wait to get rid of Troy. Originally, Troy's relationship with Jane was supposed to be a lot darker in the game to the point where he harasses her, so her shooting him in the dick is probably left over from that. Shit's personal. Given the now apparent downward spiral of Troy , history could very well repeat itself... It's all downhill for him, folks.
I was originally going to add more with Clementine and Co. In fact, they were originally going up the elevator to go to Spencer's and meet Eddie and Wyatt. I feel like given what's going on with Jane, it would be too jarring and out of place, so we'll get that another time.