Author's Note: A couple of good questions were raised by a reviewer (Ana) on the last two chapters, and I thought I'd take the time to answer them to help everyone understand. (1) Was the cliff diving relevant? I'd like to think so. I tried to incorporate a bit of symbolism; water is symbolic of purity and renewal. By cliff diving with Seth, Ginger is essentially attempting to 'cleanse' her feelings for Magus and take the risk of falling in love with someone else. (2) Shouldn't Ginger's first day at work be more eventful? Yes, which is why this chapter continues where the last chapter left off. Jude is an important part of the plot, which was why the last chapter revolved around her and how she knows Seth and Leah. However, I'm thinking about not including a lot of chapters involving Ginger's work because how exciting can a frozen yogurt shop be? And finally, (3) Short chapter length? I do apologize for this, which was why I updated two chapters in a short amount of time – hopefully this chapter is a bit longer. Thanks for asking questions because I can't really go discuss the symbolism and plot within the story, so I really appreciate feedback such as what Ana has asked. As for this chapter, I'm afraid nothing really important happens, just character development and all that bothersome stuff.
"Essentially," Jude said, returning to her sitting position on the counter, still smelling of cigarette smoke. "There are a few things you need to know about this job."
"Like work ethic?" I asked sarcastically, which caused a rare smile from Jude.
"Firstly," She began. "Cheerfulness is discouraged, particularly if you do not wish to be as disliked as Barry is."
At the mention of his name, bearded Barry glanced up from his phone call and gave Jude a hearty wave. She turned to me with an expression of disgust, as if to prove her point.
"Additionally, rudeness towards customers is encouraged, in hopes of them never returning." She said with an almost pleased expression. "Then we don't have to deal with them again."
She paused briefly to take a small flask out of her pocket, unwinding the top. She took a swig, grimacing slightly at the taste, before offering the flask to Barry, who accepted it without question. Previously, I had assumed I was the most immoral person on the entire planet, until I watched Jude take a second swig.
"Finally," She said. "Day drinking, nudity, and shenanigans are all tolerable."
I raised my eyebrows, wondering if drinking, nudity, and shenanigans were consistent occurrences. By Jude's third sip from the flask, I assumed they were. I speculated that I might actually enjoy working at the frozen yogurt shop; despite the product I was meant to sell.
Barry, who I had not properly met yet, hung up the phone and let out a resigned sigh. Jude and I both ignored him, which caused him to sigh louder, as though expecting us to ask him what was wrong. I awkwardly looked at my shoes while Jude pointedly looked anywhere but Barry.
"Aren't you going to ask me what's wrong?" He said sadly.
"Definitely not." Jude told him, going back to her book.
He sighed again, and placed his head on the counter. I eyed Barry uneasily, before looking at Jude. She shook her head as a warning sign, so I said nothing.
"It's just so hard!" He exclaimed without prompting.
"What is, Barry?" Jude asked in a flat, resigned voice.
"Relationships." He told her. "I wouldn't expect you to know, Jude, seeing as you resist human interaction."
"I suppose you were on the phone to your girlfriend?" She said, seemingly unoffended by his remark.
"She doesn't want me living with her and her mother anymore." He said, looking glum. "It's so unfair, isn't it?"
"How old are you?" I asked, surprised that he was living with someone's mother.
"Thirty-five." Jude told me, smirking.
I glanced worriedly at Barry, expecting a grim look into my future, just without having a beard, hopefully. Thirty-five, living with his girlfriend and her mother, and working at a frozen yogurt shop, which, essentially, is probably just as bad as being unemployed. The difference between Barry and I, however, is that it is highly unlikely someone will want to be in a relationship with me when I am in my thirties.
"And thoroughly depressed." Barry finished, still face down on a counter that had probably not been cleaned in weeks.
"Is that hygienic?" I asked curiously, eyeing the counter.
"No, he's not." Jude told me. "I don't think he's showered in a couple of weeks."
"How can I shower when I have a broken heart?" He asked pathetically.
"Quite easily." I tell him kindly. "You just turn on a tap or two."
Jude sighed, giving up on her book to give Barry a few sympathetic slaps on the back. She passed him her flask and doesn't look too concerned when he chugs a majority of it. He pulled a face so vile; I assumed he was about to spray vomit everywhere. When I gave Jude and alarmed look she just smirked and tapped her nose.
"He'll pass out soon, thankfully." She whispered to me.
The bell above the shop door twinkled and Jude shot a very displeased look over my shoulder. She lowered herself from the counter and stared blankly at whoever was behind me. I turned curiously to see a young couple eyeing me.
"Are you in line?" The woman asked kindly.
"No," I told her flatly. "I'm meant to work here."
Her smile faltered a little and she gave the man next to her a nervous look. "Can we order?"
"Right." I said, suddenly realizing that I was getting paid for things like this. "What would you like?"
"I'll have a Chocolate," She said, pausing briefly to shoot a look at the man next to her. "And he'll have a Strawberry."
"Two Chocolates please, Jude." I said.
"No." The man said worriedly. "A Strawberry and a Chocolate."
"What he said, Jude." I told her cheerfully.
Jude let out a resigned sigh and busied herself behind the counter. I attempted to observe her, just in case I actually had to do any work at some point, but found myself more occupied with Barry. He was staring blankly at the couple and swaying side to side slightly. I watched in wonder as his legs gave way and he fell to the floor, apparently passed out. Jude, who was presumably accustomed to things like this, did not react to Barry's sudden unconsciousness. She instead passed the man and the woman two cups of frozen yogurt with a smile.
"Two Chocolates." She said.
Unsurprisingly, they paid quickly and left without saying a word. Jude, looking relieved, gave Barry, who was still unconscious, a sympathetic look.
"I suppose we better move him before somebody assumes we killed him." She said with a resigned sigh. "Although, why wouldn't we?"
Jude and I managed to drag Barry into the storeroom, despite his seemingly inhuman weight. Jude made sure to bump his head into many inanimate objects along the way. We dropped his arms and Jude kicked his feet out of the doorway so we could shut it behind him. Jude, seeming exhausted by the task, raised a cigarette up to her mouth and lit it.
"Are you meant to smoke inside?" I asked curiously.
"Technically, for health and safety reasons, no." She said, flicking a bit of ash onto the floor. "However, Barry is currently passed out in the storeroom so it doesn't really matter. Yet, speaking of why Barry doesn't matter, I have an excellent idea."
"What is it?" I asked apprehensively, as I saw the manic glint in her eyes.
"Human Bowling." She said.
"Human Bowling?" I repeated, disbelievingly.
Jude, however, failed to answer me. She had already made her way to the storeroom, carefully tripping over Barry as she did so, and returned carrying a mop and bucket. She handed them to me, ordering me to make the floor as wet as possible. She then jumped behind the counter to retrieve a large quantity of cups that were used to serve frozen yogurt.
"Basically," She told me, inhaling from her cigarette and beginning to stack the cups on the floor. "All you have to do is mop the floor until it's slippery, and then you have to transform into a human bowling ball and knock over as many cups as you can."
"Right." I said. "I'm not entirely sure what a human bowling ball is though."
She silently handed her cigarette to me, which I held as far away from my face as possible. I watched her contemplate the wet floor before making a mad dash at the empty yogurt cups. This, however, resulted in her losing her balance and toppling over just before she reached them.
"Almost." She said triumphantly.
"What are you doing?" An alarmed voice asked from behind us.
I spun around, feeling a little sheepish to be caught doing something so ridiculously dangerous, especially seeing as I was the only sober one in the store. Technically I should know better, but lacked the mental cognition to do so. I was surprised, however, to see Seth standing at the door, doing that thing with his eyebrows that makes them recede into his hairline.
"Bowling." Jude said simply from the floor, as though it were the most obvious thing in the world.
I stood up straight, and narrowed my eyes at him. I wasn't entirely sure if he had taken to climbing into the back of my car to accompany me everywhere, but I knew I hadn't told him where I worked. I turned to give Jude a quizzical look, but, after she had picked herself off the floor, she held up her mobile at me innocently. It seems that I wasn't the only one with Seth's number.
"Are you following me again?" I asked, trying to sound irritated, despite how pleased I was to see him.
"Honestly, I'm only here to buy – what is it you sell again?" Seth asked, grinning.
"Frozen yogurt." Jude said dully.
"Oh." He said, nose wrinkling up in disgust. "No thanks."
"You could join in the bowling fun?" Jude suggested.
"That seems less appealing than frozen yogurt, which is saying a lot." He said. "I was wondering what time you finished, actually?"
Obviously, because I am hormonal and possibly superficial, I couldn't help but recognize how attractive Seth looked. He was wearing those cut-off jeans that he seemed to almost live in, not like I was complaining about that though, and a loose white shirt. His hair was a little wet from the rain, but he was smiling regardless.
"Whenever we want, I suppose." Jude said thoughtfully. "Barry is meant to be supervising, but he, however, is currently passed out in the storeroom."
"That seems highly irresponsible." Seth said, although he didn't look too bothered about it.
"Do we have to clean this up?" I asked, gesturing towards the floor.
Jude gave me an unimpressed look, before shaking her head and moving off to collect her belongings. Seth took the opportunity to move closer to me and bump his shoulder against mine. Despite the rain outside, he radiated heat.
"That's physical assault." I told him, but couldn't help but smile.
"Did you have a good first day?" He asked kindly.
"I've learned a lot about disrespecting customers." I said thoughtfully.
"That seems valuable." He said, giving me a goofy grin. "Do you want to come back to mine? Jude will probably come too, seeing as she's a family friend."
I gave Seth an enthusiastic nod as Jude joined us by the door, store keys in hand. She flipped the sign to 'closed' and locked the door behind us. As we made our way into the car park, Jude lit a cigarette to celebrate getting through another workday.
"Should we leave Barry in the storeroom?" I asked Jude in alarm, realizing our co-worker was still out cold and locked inside the store.
"Well," She shrugged, looking unconcerned. "It's not like he has anywhere else to stay."