Author's Note: Aren't I impressive? Two chapters in less than 24 hours. Granted, they are horribly short and just also horrible in general, plus this also suggests I lack a social life. Which I do. However, it's time for you to meet a couple of new characters.
I woke up the next day with images of Seth, face immersed in the moonlight, stuck in my head. Even his scent, woodsy and deep, lingered around. I rubbed my forehead, eyes closed against the light. I had my first shift at work today, which I was definitely not ecstatic about.
The frozen yogurt store had given me quite possibly the largest shirt size they owned, as I presume they think I am morbidly obese. It was a bright blue and yellow button up that I shrugged over an old pleated skirt, and thick, wooly tights. I left my hair, which had gone frizzy overnight, typically, hanging down past my shoulders, and my face free of make up, seeing as I wasn't going anywhere that was particularly impressive.
By the time I had gotten three solid cups of tea into me, I was running quite late. I had considered calling Magus but, presumably, he would not be awake until noon. I wanted to discuss last night with someone who was not prepubescent or close to death, like Molly or Gran. I jumped into my car, which was likely to be as old as Gran, and sped to the store. Obviously I morally object to things such as speeding and dangerous driving, but only really when the chief of police isn't on the road. Police tend to be quite lenient in small towns, as long as you smile and ask questions about their families, they'll usually forget why they pulled you over.
The car park was virtually empty, so naturally I took up two spaces because I don't have the ability to park properly. I'm not usually one to get nervous, particularly when frozen yogurt is involved, but I felt slightly apprehensive while approaching the shop door. I wondered what my co-workers would be like? Hopefully not attractive and gay. I do clearly have a type.
The shop was deserted apart from two people behind the counter. One, a man, stood with a perplexed expression on his bearded face as he talked on the phone. He was stocky, with broad shoulders and thick arms, his hair, brown fading to grey, was cut jaggedly and fell just above his shoulders. He glanced at me briefly and waved me in. The second was a girl who was seemingly close to my age. Her hair, dyed black, was layered and cut into a bob. Her eyes were thickly coated with eyeliner, and her slight, slender frame stood leaning over a book.
"What do you want?" She asked uninterestedly, not raising her eyes from her book, as I approached her.
"I'm Ginger." I said hesitantly, standing a couple of feet from the counter. "I'm meant to work here."
"Oh," She said, standing up straight. "I thought you were a customer."
"Are we allowed to treat customers like that?" I asked hopefully.
She shrugged and raised herself onto the counter in a sitting position. She sat cross-legged, facing me. Up close I could tell her eyeliner had most likely been applied sloppily a few days ago, making her appear permanently tired.
"I assumed you'd have red hair." She said, ignoring my question. "Seeing as your name is Ginger, and all."
"My parents are both blind." I told her seriously.
"I'm Jude." She said, ignoring me once again. "Welcome to our humble shop, we like to pride ourselves on our poor customer service and terrible product."
"Why did you decide to work here?" I asked her curiously.
"I have a college degree and nothing else." She told me with a sigh. "After college I couldn't afford to live anywhere else except with my parents."
"I didn't even get into college." I said, slightly relieved that someone with a college degree was in the same position I was.
"Are all your friends going away?" She asked with mild curiosity, leaning back on her elbows.
"Just the one." I mumbled, looking down at my unlaced shoes.
"I think it's time for a cigarette break." She told me, jumping down from the counter.
I followed her to the front of the shop, where she turned the sign on the door to 'closed.' I glanced back at the bearded man over my shoulder, wondering if he even worked here.
"Can't he look after the shop?" I asked her quietly as I followed her out the door.
"You mean Barry?" She said, glancing at him through the window. "No, he's quite useless. Only really knows how to use the phone, and he just calls his girlfriend most of the time."
I watched her lean back on the window and light a cigarette, before she offered me the pack.
"Er, no thanks." I said stupidly. "I'm trying to quit."
"I'm not trying to use the power of peer pressure or anything." She told me, a smile breaking over her face for the first time. She placed the pack into her shirt pocket and patted it fondly. "It's probably a good thing you don't smoke. Not for health reasons or anything like that, just because Barry always steals mine and I can hardly scrape up enough cash to buy more."
She exhaled a puff of smoke as a man approached the store; I noticed she was eyeing him suspiciously. As though she was hoping he wasn't a customer.
"Excuse me," He asked politely. "Are you open?"
"Get lost." She told him quite abruptly, before I could say anything.
"How does the store make any money?" I asked, a little curiously, as the man walked away, sending Jude furious glances over his shoulder.
"I have no idea, I sincerely hope the business goes under so I don't have to work here anymore." She said, clearly uninterested in the subject. "Tell me more about you, though. I know you don't smoke, have blonde hair, and possibly work here. Do you have a boyfriend or anything like that?"
"Why, are you interested?" I asked her jokingly, until I saw her monotonous expression continue to be blank. "I went on a date last night, I suppose."
"You suppose you went on a date?" She asked doubtfully, inhaling.
"I did go on a date last night." I corrected myself. "However, I am also convinced I am in love with my gay best friend."
"Tough." She said genuinely, before making a face. "Who did you go on a date with?"
"His name is Seth." I attempted to say nonchalantly.
"Seth Clearwater?" She asked in surprise. I looked at her curiously, only to be met with a calculating look. "He's huge, gangly, and smiles a lot, right?"
I nodded, watching as Jude brought the cigarette up to her lips and inhaled. She had a perplexed, knowing look on her face, which made me a little curious. When she noticed me watching, she stubbed her cigarette out under her foot and turned to me.
"I'm good friends with his sister," She said, before correcting herself. "I suppose I'm a family friend too."
"You know Seth's sister?" I asked. "I thought she left town."
"Luckily there are these things called telephones and the Internet, however outdated it might be in this town." She said, giving me what I assumed to be a characteristic roll of the eye. "Seth is a good guy though."
"I know." I mumbled as I followed her into the store, flipping the sign to 'open.'