October 23rd 2014
At the mall with Andre, Cat, Paige and Violet
"are you Cat Valentine" asks Serena Sikowitz as Paige steps forward
"why do you want to know" asks Paige
"my mom died recently, leaving me with my little sister….. Wait Paigie, is that you….. anyway mom left everything to me, every penny but Andrea has qclothing sensitivity issues, Mossie's Mountain had to shut down in the USA because Soft Samantha's took over demand, she depends on sensitivity oriented clothes, without them she breaks out in hives, there isn't much left after everything mom owed and the last pair of good quality Mossie's got eaten by the washer last night, because of my age the apartment super is kicking us out, the chief is making sure we can get all our stuff out but we have nowhere to go, all she needs is a few sets of clothing and she will be happy" says Serena
"Cat what do you think" asks Paige looking back to Cat
"Family is family Paige, legally speaking I shouldn't hand out clothes, not just to one person, I'm already doing a Christmas giveaway, you have money, if you want to buy your sisters stuff you can" says Cat
"I thought that you had to authorize my purchases" asks Paige
"only if you plan on spending the money we share as a couple as most of that is company money, however the money you make as an employee as my PR person is free game as long as you don't spend more money than you make in any given month" says Cat
"in basic please, you've really become the business lingo person" says Paige
"don't exceed your monthly income number, she's using my words, we came to the mall to inspect the store we took over from Mossie's, last week we lost some product, she looks the part, she's trying to speak like she knows what she's saying" says Violet
"then let's talk to Breeza" says Paige as she motions for Serena to follow them
5 minutes later at the mall's Soft Samantha outlet
"I'm not loosing my job am Miss Valentine, I swear I locked the gate when I left that night" says Breeza
"you're a loyal employee, your former boss made that much clear, she said you've saved the store from death a few times, unless the police investigation comes up with a really good reason to let you go I have no plans to do anything like that" says Cat
"then why are you asking me questions like this, I feel like I'm being interrogated as if you suspect I stole the product" asks Breeza as Cat backs away nervously
"Breeza calm down, she's never had to do this herself before, the subcontractor that she'd hired to keep track of stolen products backed out over race issues but the company lawyer still wants all product loss documented as detailed as possible, Cat's not good with legal wording" says Violet
"so Miss Sikowitz picking out and buying clothes for the girl I assume is her sister, that's not some sort of plan to see if we offer customers discounts without authorization" asks Breeza
"Paige isn't the type to ask for discounts anyway, in fact she's likely to tip if employees are nice to her, let's just say she hasn't seen her sister or her little sister in years, family issues kept them apart since Paige was ten, Paige has two sisters, both younger than her, the youngest is who Paige is buying for, she has big issues with most clothing fabric, apparently breaking out in hives in reaction to cotton blends, their mother died recently and they're getting evicted as Paige's sister isn't old enough to rent, fourteen and nine, the youngest also has downs syndrome, she could only wear Mossie's Mountain but Soft Samantha's growing in popularity and distribution shut them down" says Violet
"this store was the only Mossie's in this part of LA, the owners were surprised yet glad you offered to transition all the employees to Soft Samantha employees, they said very few companies are caring enough to do such a thing, it is a shame though, Mossie's was made of natural fibers and sustainable fabric production" says Breeza
"Mossie's isn't going away, at least in California, I offered to partner with them at select stores in California, they can sell their current lineup and in return they use their production methods to pad certain product lines, it's going to be called 'soft Samantha a partner of Mossie Mountain', the only sustainable material I have in my current lineup is silk, the best hypoallergenic silk available, mulberry silk I think it's called, also Ahimsa silk" says Cat as Paige and Serena head to the cashier
"ok so us employees have been wondering how the Christmas giveaway is going to work, the email said it's from mid November to mid January, isn't that a long period of time, also can employees be part of the giveaway, by that I mean can us employees get some sweet product, the new girl has sensitivities when it comes to panties, regular underwear makes her itch, it's been very off putting for the customers, we've lost a lot of customers because of it" says Breeza
"if she's pushed customers away, why keep her employed" asks Andre
"because this is her first job, she's been going to job interviews since she was sixteen, she's twenty-one now, she constantly looks over her shoulder thinking the mall people are going to make me fire her" says Breeza
"what kept people from hiring her, was it the itchy thing or was it something else" asks Cat
"no, she's autistic, her mom's sick, had cancer three times and barely beat the last one, the moment the person doing the interview learns she's autistic they disregard everything, she has an eye for style, she's picked out styles for every customer that gives her a chance, all from eye color and hair style and she's been spot on ever since, also she keeps tabs on everything, she keeps a list of how many items are on display and how many are in the back room, she's the one that found out that we were missing product to start with, I've worked for a few stores Miss Valentine, most employers chock missing items up to clerical errors on inventory, I've been guilty of such assumptions myself, but I've seen Ali work, she's ten times as thorough as the last ten of my employers combined, she is the best employee in this damn mall" says Breeza
"you like her don't you" asks Cat pointing out that Breeza went a little heavy on the compliments
"what does that matter Miss Valentine, I'm her boss, even if I did have feelings for her, her and I would get fired, that's how it was under Mossie's, no employee could date the store manager, besides I'm three years older than her, I have major stress wrinkles making me look like I'm in my late thirties, in what world would someone like Ali find me attractive" says Breeza
"she's the girl at the counter ringing up Paige's order isn't she" asks Violet
"yeah, what's your point, it's only her and I today, the other employees were taken by the police, we're extremely short staffed, we had a massive line all morning, it cleared up just before you arrived, any boy would be lucky to have her as a friend" says Breeza as Ali sneaks a glance at her for the tenth time
"if you're implying that she's straight you're way off base there Bre, she's been sneaking glances at your butt since you started talking to us and glancing at your lips every time you talk, a girl like her, with that perfect model type body, employers would jump at the chance to hire her, autistic or not, a hot store employee is a hot employee Bre, yes that's how most male employers think, a hot employee means more sales, especially in a clothing store" says Violet
"so you're saying she's capable of lying" asks Breeza
"more like omitting rather than lying, her mom called me, begged me to consider her for a job here, Ali thinks that if you knew why she never got a job for her resume that you'd think less of her" says Cat as Carly walks into the store immediately flirting with Ali as Paige and Serena walk out of the store
"why would she think I'd think less of her" asks Breeza as Ali more or less freezes Zoey out while giving her advice on purchases
"every store manager wanted her to show some skin on the job, they felt that because she's autistic that they could successfully manipulate her, thankfully she knows her rights and filed reports with the LAPD, all but one went free on the condition that they no longer work in retail, as a result she doesn't have very high self esteem, though clearly you have an effect on her, my advice, if you really don't have feelings for her then wear less form fitting jeans, she doesn't understand the difference between someone wearing form fitting clothes because they're comfortable and someone intentionally wearing form fitting clothes to show off their body to someone they have feelings for, you are the only two employees in the store right now and she knows you don't flirt with customers" says Cat
"you really think someone like her actually likes me, I never thought it was possible, my face has always had issues, from acne to extreme dryness to these stupid stress wrinkles, most jobs I've had were because the management was required to hire someone and I took every chance to pad my resume, from volunteering at soup kitchens to part time janitorial work at this mall, Mossie's hired me because I'm good with people, the manager barely looked at my resume, nobody has ever shown any interest in me, when I showed someone I had feelings for me they often said 'I'd rather pay my medical debt than kiss you' or something to that effect, Ali is beyond hot, she's WAY WAY out of my league, besides you also have that no dating co-workers rule, I'd rather she get to keep her job" says Breeza
"I really need to have my lawyer clarify that, what it means is no pushing a co-worker to go out on a date with them, if the feelings are mutual then why would I stop co-workers from dating, though in your situation as her boss rules would need to be adjusted, Ali would have more free rein, you wouldn't be able to give her a preferential raise or promotion" says Cat
"she already has tons of free rein, she's what my old boss would call a serial multi-tasker, she can ring in products, multiply four digit numbers in her head, add tax to prices and talk to the customer all at the same time, she's only ever been wrong once when adding up totals in her head and only because LA had recently changed the sales tax for items like clothes and lingerie like items, once informed of the current sales tax number she corrected the number, I'm lucky to remember my left from my right when it gets busy, if you want an accurate accounting of all product missing, talk to Ali, please don't tell her I like her, I've been rejected by cute boys and girls way too many times especially recently, people look at my face and immediately turn me down, I'd rather not be embarrassed, as you said she's the only other employee in this store right now and will be until the end of that investigation, the officer told me not to hire any new employees until they could guarantee that more product won't be stolen, it would be really awkward working with her if she doesn't like me back" says Breeza
"if she brings you up in a flirty way can we mention it then, if she doesn't I promise we won't say anything, it's just she needs someone to talk to about things, her moms in the hospital again, dislocated her hip, it's not looking good for her mom walking any time soon, at least three pinched nerves" says Violet
"only if you're absolutely certain she's not doing it in a jokey way, she can be sarcastic when she feels nervous or cornered, the first thing she told me is that anything she says sarcastically is not what she means to say" says Breeza
"we promise" says Andre nodding to Breeza as they leave her to talk to Ali
"hey Ali, Bre said you have information about the missing product, my lawyer needs it" says Cat
"yeah here it is…. B's been avoiding me since it happened, I'll be talking to a customer about sizing or texture of the product and if B sees me she bolts around me, I make her nervous don't I, I've been staring a lot lately, I feel like she wants to fire me" says Ali handing Cat the list of things stolen and possible suspects
"do you like her" asks Violet
"I shouldn't, people say it's wrong to like girls, besides she's older than me by at least three years, I'm scared about what people might think" says Ali
"she wasn't aware you were staring at her, she's scared, about many things, how she looks among them" says Cat
"people don't realize that looks don't matter, even if I drift off thinking about kissing her, my mom always told me that no guy would understand me and she's right, the guys I've dealt with trying to get a job, they treated me like a sexual play toy, and most of them got away with it, sometimes I wish I wasn't autistic, before I got this job everyone told me that I'd never hold a job, that I'm a waste of flesh, time and money, that girls like me are only good for one thing, my mom was the only one that knew that I liked girls, she accepted me for me, I finally find a girl that cares and I'm too scared to talk to her about anything other than work, every day that goes by working here I feel less and less like a girl can love someone, I'm paralyzed by her beauty, whenever she walks by its like time stops, my mom is in major medical debt, that's why I even tried looking for jobs at sixteen, this morning I found out she might lose part of her leg if the medication doesn't work, medication that she only got because of the generous wage I get here, almost every penny I make goes to make sure she gets her medication, my half hour breaks are spent thinking about B, about how my mom would love her, about how happy I'd be, all for nothing because I might lose this job" says Ali as Andre looks over the list
"she's more open to it than you realize Ali, may I ask why you suspect the mall cop" says Andre
"because he's the father of the boyfriend of one of the girls that work here and he'd been creepy around me, it stopped the day after I reported that product went missing, he called me a stupid girl that probably miscounted the inventory and that I probably flunked out of high school, every day before that he was hinting at wanting to have sex with me, all of that stopped the day I reported the massive amount of missing product, at least ten grand worth of product Miss Valentine, as if I'd miscalculate that much of missing product" says Ali
"but you did drop out of high school didn't you" asks Carly standing off to the side
"because my mom had been diagnosed with a rare form of cancer, she's the only person that has ever understood me, that's why I dropped out, she was an only child, her parents died years ago and my dad left the year before that, she had nobody to help her through it, I didn't know if she'd live, every doctor said she had a one in ten thousand chance of beating the cancer, she was there for me when I broke my leg trying to impress a girl by doing skateboarding tricks, I had to be there for her, I'd registered for an online school so I could be there with her, I had no friends, I wasn't missing out on anything, now please either buy something or leave" says Ali getting agitated
"Shay buy something or leave her alone, I doubt your boyfriend would like to see you attempting to cheat on him" says Breeza scolding Carly as Carly takes one look at Cat and does as she's told
"d-did she just defend me, she hasn't done that in days" asks Ali clearly shaken up and emotionally paralyzed by the encounter
"Carly's been in a mood lately Ali, I assure you she didn't mean anything by her comment, she's in a polyamorous relationship, her girlfriend had a seizure last week and the hospital won't let Carly see her girlfriend, she isn't allowed any visitors while they figure out the problem, Carly snips when she's nervous" says Andre
"Breeza, Ali, I'm closing the store down early, we need to talk, two hours left and the store is closed for the day" says Violet
"about what" asks Ali and Breeza simultaneously
"stuff, besides Cat's lawyer will want to hear about the mall cop thing" says Violet
Later that day at home
"well we're here, what was so urgent that you had to close the store down early" asks Breeza as Ali stops in her tracks, extremely fearful that she's being fired
"Bre, look Ali in the eye and explain your feelings, you need to get this off your chest" says Violet
"Ali, I have feelings for you, I've been dodgy lately because I'm in constant awe of you, not only are you gorgeous but you're extremely smart, having it be only me and you in the store as employees of Soft Samantha freaked me out because I was afraid, I've been rejected an absolute freak ton in my life, I was afraid that admitting how I felt would make working with you at work extremely awkward, especially if you didn't like me back" says Breeza feeling slightly calmer as Ali doesn't react the way Breeza expected
"I had the opposite problem, people constantly hit on me, except for that girl I broke my leg trying to impress when I was eleven I've never felt attracted to anyone, talking to you is a distraction for me because I didn't know if you would accept me hitting on you, I can be quite awkward, I spend my breaks daydreaming about a future with you that I thought was absolutely impossible because you don't flirt, not even jokingly, I have trouble understanding facial expressions as it is, I didn't want to say anything and not understand your reaction, my mom always said that every gifted individual has stumbling blocks that humble them, mine is talking to girls I like, that's why I've only ever talked to you about work, anything else and I was afraid I'd alienate you or say something completely insensitive" says Ali beginning to try and mentally prepare to be fired
"I'm not firing you Ali, I don't think Cat would let me even if I wanted to, so you don't find my stress wrinkles revolting, most people can't seem to stand them" says Breeza
"your wrinkles do not bother me, they aren't even that bad, my mom has more wrinkles than you and she used to be a model, my mom taught me to never judge a person by how they look, that how they treat people is more important, watching you every day at work, you talk to people openly and honestly, you assure nervous customers that the lingerie section is the only lingerie in the store, no matter how awkward or stupid the questions, you treat them like people and you answer in a way that calms them down, I've never had a customer tell me you were rude to them, more often then not they say a boss like you is rarer than finding a diamond in a coal mine…" says Ali realizing she said something likely very stupid and impossible in reality
"would you go on a date with me after work one day" asks Breeza
"only if Cat's lawyer says it's ok" says Ali clearly nervous and unwilling to say what she really wants to say
"well Joel, what do you think, is it mutual love or one sided, we need to clarify that rule so people understand it better" says Cat
"I'm definitely seeing mutual love, however for the first year or so I'd recommend that you host the dates here, for Ali's safety, Breeza looks older than she is, we don't need people at restaurants calling the cops on them, also I wrote that rule as you worded it, you didn't want even remotely legal wording in the code of conduct because you didn't know if people would understand it because you have trouble understanding legal wording, I'll change the wording to reflect the rule the way you intended it to be written" says Joel as Ali gingerly walks over to hug Breeza
"is there any chance we could stay here after work and have some privacy in a room or something, we can pay rent or something like that, I live with my mom and she's always having friends over, some of which are homophobic" asks Breeza
"yeah and I live with my mom but she's in and out of the hospital, when I'm not visiting her I'm home alone, it's a really old house not far from here but it freaks me out and I don't feel comfortable there alone and I don't want B to see me absolutely nuts in that house, I think it's haunted or something" says Ali
"you're more than welcome to stay, all I require is that you replace any food you eat or buy your own food outright" says Jade as Cat nods in agreement
"ok I want to visit my mom, introduce B to her and get a few things then we'll be back" says Ali
"absolutely, here's my phone number, if you need anything text me" says Jade handing Ali her number as Ali and Breeza walk out Ali clearly calmer than she's been in years
"well Joel, what do you think about the suspicions Ali has about the mall cop being the thief, you've read the notes" asks Violet
"I think it's definitely possible, though you should get security video footage from the store providing evidence of his creepiness before I can inform Alexander that we have a suspect" says Joel Burnaby as Violet hands him several usb drives
"I pulled the videos, knowing you'd want proof, believe me he's a real creep, he kept asking Ali to model lingerie IN THE STORE while she was on the clock so he could see what his son's girlfriend might like as gifts, once he even grabbed her arm and forcibly took her to the changing room, threatened to taze her if she didn't try one set on, if you ask me he was looking to rape her in unsold product, Ali's autistic Joel, based on the video she left for her break half an hour later absolutely shaking, the changing room camera is password protected and while I know the password I didn't want to access that camera unless you absolutely need footage, we pride ourselves on the privacy those changing rooms provide" says Violet
"did her behaviour that day significantly change after coming back from her break" asks Joel
"I didn't pull that footage from the server but I did look, before he threatened to taze her she was confident and looking people in the eye as she spoke to them, after returning from her break she never looked a customer in the eye, only briefly looking Breeza in the eye while clocking back in, the day after that the product was missing" says Violet
"ok that's definitely not a coincidence, when she gets back ask her if she will talk to you about that day, ask Breeza if she heard anything, I'm going to talk to Alexander Harris right now" says Joel as he leaves
2 hours later as Ali and Breeza return
"Ali, did that mall cop do anything to you after threatening to taze you if you didn't model that lingerie" asks Violet as Ali freezes, staring at the floor not saying a word
"Bre, did you hear anything that day, did Ali scream" asks Cat
"it was a busy day, it was hard to hear anything, I heard someone scream but it was so loud that day I couldn't identify the voice, it might have been Ali but I can't be certain, girls scream all the time in that store when they find we do indeed have their size in stock, apparently most of your stores have trouble keeping stock of certain sizes, I do know that Kiki was rather bothered by that particular scream but she didn't say anything to me, in fact she seemed to shrink away from talking to customers to stay at cash, which I found odd but like I said it was a rather busy day" says Breeza as Ali mutters to herself in a very quiet tone
"Ali we need to know if he hurt you, did he rape you that day" asks Andre as Ali suddenly looks up showing that she's been crying
"Breeza, when did she start crying, is her mom ok" asks Cat clearly concerned
"sort of, she's out of the hospital but likely won't be walking around for a long time, Ali whisper to me, what's wrong" says Breeza as Ali whispers to her and Breeza's face turns ash white
"what is it Bre" asks Violet
"yes to rape, she didn't think anyone would believe her or care because the mall cop has connections" says Breeza trying to remain calm as Ali buries herself into Breeza's neck, avoiding all eye contact
"my lawyer has put many high profile people in jail Ali, Andre text your dad, he has a new investigation to open" says Cat as Andre texts his dad
"he's not going to ask Ali for every detail is he, she's clearly very traumatized" asks Breeza
"my dad's smarter than that Bre, he may ask for details but he can get quite a bit of information from her reaction without having to have her answer with words, all you have to do is tell him she is extremely terrified and very traumatized by what happened and he will only ask questions Ali tells you are ok, you can even have her tell you instead of her telling him directly, believe me he's very careful" says Andre
"ok I have to admit something, I knew about the rape" says Violet as Cat glares at her
"excuse me, this isn't something you keep secret VV" says Cat as Ali seems shocked
"how did you know the rrrr happened…. Nobody knew" asks Ali confused
"because Kiki's 'boyfriend' isn't her boyfriend, hasn't been for over a year, creepo mall cop has been raping her since her and her boyfriend broke up, on Mall cop's terms, apparently he thought Kiki would be a great p**n star and wanted to show her what it was like to be one, she called me from the hospital that day after her shift, explained everything to me, she said that he had plans for Ali to join them, by force, that he had some plan to fund kidnapping Ali to hide it, however she had no idea how he planned to fund it" says Violet
"so where is Kiki, I asked the police officer and he said she was moved somewhere after being questioned but that he couldn't tell me, Kiki, Ali and I were quite close before that day" says Breeza
"she tried to taze herself to death when the police officer asked if she was willing to testify in court against mall cop dude, she's in the hospital in the psych ward on complete lockdown, she's tried to kill herself several times, they put her in a medical coma in an attempt to stabilize her as she'd rip out her iv's whenever they asked about that day when Ali screamed, I can take you two to her tomorrow if you want to see her" says Violet
"would she be awake" asks Ali
"it would be unlikely but as with coma patients, Kiki should be able to hear you, why" says Violet
"I only want to visit her if she's awake, tomorrow's my one day off this week and I told mom I'd spend some time with her but Kiki is important to me" says Ali
"why is she important to you" asks Jade
"because she was the girl I broke my leg for trying to impress at eleven years old, she was the skateboarding QUEEN of my neighbourhood, everyone wanted to be her friend, she completely shunned guys, when I was in the hospital she visited me, she said if I hadn't broken my leg I'd have been the skateboarding princess then she kissed me on the lips, she spent seven hours by my side that day then I saw her again when we were fifteen and she barely remembered me, at least that's what she said, I could see the love in her eyes but because she kept denying it I spent the next four years telling myself that I obviously didn't see what I thought I saw" says Ali
"would you rather be with her than Bre" asks Violet
"all due respect, she was my gay awakening Vi, you don't just get a second chance with that kind of thing, she's denied kissing me ever since that day anyway but I know what happened, I liked it and she didn't, besides I don't know if a polyamorous relationship agrees with me, my mom would never approve anyway, I'll have to settle for the girl I got" says Ali
"I don't think Kiki Tyler protests the kiss for the reason you think Alice Rose, I've talked to her about it, she brought it up in confidence but that I absolutely couldn't tell her family that it did actually happen, turns out her family is as homophobic as they come, they went so far as to choose her boyfriend so that she couldn't 'be brainwashed' into getting a girlfriend, they're absolute loons Ali" says Violet
"if what you say is true than maybe I should avoid her, we may not have been close but we were friends, we told each other when we had our first period, if she didn't want to tell me why she didn't want to talk about it then I don't want to talk to her" says Ali
"wait doesn't that mean you were friends before that whole breaking your leg thing" asks Breeza
"no not really, we were tall for our age and we are both autistic, teachers often paired us up because we both had similar interests, it was more a friendship of necessity rather than because we wanted to be friends, we had similar interests, them being fashion and skateboarding so yeah we confided in one another but not like real naturally made friends, we only talked about the big stuff in our lives, we did not talk about girls or boys, we never got there, we drifted apart after I had to drop out to be with my mom while she was going through chemo and whatever else they had to put her on to get her into remission" says Ali
"here's the thing Ali, her family isn't in the picture anymore, she wasn't suicidal because she was expected to testify, she was suicidal because she didn't believe you'd understand or believe her, she told Doctor Brown that 'Alice Rose will never believe me, out of fear I pushed her away, I gave her away to Breeza, mind you she's a wonderful person but I wish it was me, Alice will never believe I pushed her away out of fear my parents would find out I was deeply in love with her, she rarely understands fear, unfortunately without her at the very least there to be by my side as a live in friend I can never be trusted to leave here, she doesn't realize that I told her mom about the job opening or that the reason she's been getting free meals at the food court is because I know what she loves to eat and I would pay during my break, before she got the job at Soft Samantha and Mossie's, I was a complete mess, almost ending my life several times because I felt so monstrously incomplete', that speech was why they put her in a medical coma, mainly because she was so racked with guilt she wanted them to just end her life, she helped you get the job so you could be protected, instead she feels like her ex's dad raping you is her fault" says Jade as Ali's jaw drops at having heard Kiki call her Alice Rose
"did something about what I said freak you out Ali" asks Jade
"Alice Rose Harrison is my name, Kiki was the only person that knew my full name besides my mom, I've insisted that I be called Ali for so long most people forget its not my actual name, Kiki herself rarely used it, the last time she used to describe me to someone was in that hospital when I was eleven, when she uses my real name she's speaking from the heart… I don't know if I can wait till tomorrow to see her now, I can't leave her in that hospital, she must be free" says Ali
"you went from wanting to see her to wanting to avoid her to wanting to see her again, may I ask why, you stated you don't believe Polyamory likely isn't for you but your tone suggests your considering it" says Tori calling Ali out
"polyamory ruined my moms modelling career Victoria, I may desire to have it as an option but I will always be aware of the risks, I had a two mom's and a dad for my entire childhood only for them to be accused of grooming me and I haven't seen them since, mom and I think they're dead, just because i may want something doesn't mean I'm wiling to risk them both, as I just said I had two moms and a dad, they WERE arrested for supposedly grooming me into being polyamorous, think for a second about how me dating two girls would look, I know my mom would be targeted for supposedly grooming me further than my extra mom and my actual dad supposedly did, it may be news but they actually tried to prevent me from seeing it as a first option for love" says Ali
"may I ask what you do see polyamory as because a significant amount of the people in this house are involved in polyamorous relationships of one form or another" asks Cat
"it's a form of open love, similar to open relationships except everyone can choose to live at a single house or not, my mom doesn't regret being in a very loving and supportive polyamorous relationship, she also doesn't regret trying to turn me away from it, the thing is my support needs as a child would never have been met in a socially acceptable two person relationship, my mom was almost always at photo shoots and absolutely made the most money, however being watched by my dad alone would never have been enough I used to get into everything, from matches and lighters, the drawer under the stove and once even an opening that led between the main floor and the basement, I happened to love small spaces, my dad wasn't creative enough to think about all the small places I could hide in, if it were left to him he'd have called the cops almost daily thinking I'd been kidnapped, even when he did find me he would treat me like a very fragile cup, Angelina, my second mom, she was autistic too, she knew I liked small spaces, without her my parents would have been arrested for neglect, without three parents I'd have been left with one, the thing is Kiki isn't her real name, its her middle name, her first name is Kitty, yes it may be fine with us but she hated it, she hated that the term is more often than not used to describe the thing between a girls legs that isn't the butt, usually by lesbians, she absolutely went nuts when she found that out, she was horrified that her parents would name her kitty" says Ali
"my name is Cat, short for Catarina, in this house we call that place our kitten because that's what I call it, calling it what it's actually called freaks me out, it absolutely scares me, from what you know about her would she freak out if she heard us calling it that, because that's what we do here" asks Cat
"you'd have to be up front with her about that, you'd have to explain it or she'll think you're making fun of her, that's why she loved being the skateboarding queen in my neighbourhood, only one or two people ever questioned her or made fun of her because she could outskate them in a heartbeat" says Ali
"rent will be required if you're staying here, also anything that happens within this house stays in this house, meaning if you want you can date Kiki and Breeza and as long as she's ok appearing as just a friend outside the house you can do whatever you girls want in your room, be it cuddling, making out or even sex, this is a safe space, though sex will not be permitted outside your girls room for obvious reasons" says Jade
"what would the rent be" asks Breeza
"a percentage of your combined monthly income, likely about six or seven hundred dollars, though if you manage to convince the hospital to release Kiki their condition will likely be that she would have to live with you, as long as she's stable enough to work the rent would be split three ways, evenly between the three of you, as such the burden wouldn't be as bad, I have no intention of allowing Jade to make your rent as outlandish as some of LA's rent is" says Cat
"I agree it's insane, Cat will set the rent based on your combined income, here's the deal, if you spend money for a group dinner that you've told us is planned that expense will be deducted from your rent, however don't use it as a way to ensure lower rent" says Jade
"wait just so I know I understand, if B and Kiki were open to it, I could date them both, living here and you wouldn't tell anyone I'm in a polyamorous relationship" asks Ali
"the doctor looking after Kiki is living here, his daughter only recently became aware that he was her father, it's a complicated story, anyway I know he'd only let Kiki leave the hospital if her living situation was agreed upon before letting her go, usually that would mean she'd be living with you two, Kiki would be considered a suicide risk so she wouldn't just be allowed to leave the hospital on her own, something you don't know is that Kiki and I are good friends, she was mostly there to watch me than anything else but man, you aren't kidding when you said she was the skateboarding queen, she's an amazing person, all she ever did was talk about you, she called you the fashion empress, as in she ruled the skateboarding neighbourhood but you ruled the fashion in multiple neighbourhoods, she said you were the best person in the world, anyway Rosie will take you to your room, Kiki can only have visitors by appointment, I'll make sure he wakes her up for tomorrow morning" says Jade
"is Rosie trans" asks Breeza as Rosie smiles
"post transition yes, may I ask why you want to know" asks Tori
"I hate accidentally misgendering people, I wanted to know so I could use the right gender terms, I know what it feels like when people assume one thing or another and it's not how someone identifies, I myself am gender fluid, some times I feel like a guy, though most of the time I definitely feel girlish, it took a long time for me to realize that I am not a freak, I want people to know that the mall store is inclusive, accidentally misgendering someone can hurt self esteem and depression in some" says Breeza
"I go by she/her, also thanks for being so considerate, I can see you take things seriously, if I were Cat I'd make you the regional manager for all LA and LA county stores, there are some managers that don't take the job seriously, several open and close based simply on a given day's customer load, meaning before and after the morning and evening rush they're closed and a skeleton crew is set up to reopen the stores if needed, which is not how you run a business and it gives Soft Samantha a bad name, anyway we'll let you know when dinner is ready, follow me" says Rosie as Ali and Breeza follow him to their room