A/N: Songs used in this chapter are Now Hiring at Freddy's by JTMusic and In Your Eyes by the Weeknd! Now enjoy!
Working at the pizzeria had its benefits, Jodi believed. For one, it took her mind off a certain family member never being around and secondly, she wasn't bored out of her mind at home. Granted, Jodi adored Sophie and all but occasionally, she needed a moment to herself. The teen sighed as she stood up from her station and moved to go get some party supplies from the storage room in the back of the pizzeria. The sound of ticking lightly echoed down the hall, alerting Jodi what time it was. With Ripley at her feet leading her, she felt him stop short. He had found the storage room door. Smiling, she stroked his fur before reaching out and opening the door. She stepped inside and almost immediately caught a whiff of mildew from… plick, plick, plick. Ah yes, the leaking ceiling.
Was anyone going to fix that? Probably not. Her pale hand brushed against a shelf and she grabbed some cups, hats, and bacteria cleaner. As she turned to leave, her hip slammed against another shelf. Jodi grimaced in pain, nearly dropping all the supplies in her arms. "Ow!" she said and cursed under her breath. Suddenly, the sound of something metal or plastic hitting the floor caused her to jump. Ripley barked and sniffed whatever it was. The girl tilted her head and slowly put the supplies down on the floor. Jodi reached out, feeling something small and smooth by her right foot. She picked it up. "Shush, Ripley." she commanded and the German Shepherd quieted down. Taking whatever it was in her hands, she used her thumbs to examine it. It felt rectangular in size and metal. Raised buttons caught her attention. "A portable cassette player?" she realized. What was this doing in here?
Jodi felt around the cassette player, wanting to know if there was a pair of headphones attached. Sure enough, there was a pair dangling from the headphone input. Sitting down in the storage room, the teenager put on the headphones and found the play button. She wondered if there was a tape even in the player to begin with. The player turned on and a few seconds later, a male voice crackled through.
"Hey, there pal! Looking for work?
But sick of being pushed around by lousy bosses?
How would you like to run and manage your own business?
Well, all we need from you is a little bit of paper work
And your soul!"
The more the song progressed, the more demented the words sounded. She quickly turned the cassette player off and sat there quietly, her hands shaking slightly. Who would leave something like this just out and about? It didn't sound like her dad's voice. It seemed older, like someone who worked at the pizzeria longer. She didn't know much of anyone else though. Part of her wanted to know who made it and why but then again…."Hi Jo!" a young familiar voice perked up to Jodi's right, making the teen jump an inch in the air. Jodi's hands jerked and fumbled to catch the cassette player. The redhead whipped her head towards the voice and narrowed her grey eyes, managing to catch it. Pocketing the item, she frowned. "Sophie, I swear to god, if you do that again-" She began. What is she doing here? Sophie frowned and answered "Sorry. I got bored at home and Dad's still sleeping." The younger girl stated, her sneakers squeaking as she rocked on her feet. "So you walked here?" Her sister asked.
"Yeah, it's just down the street and you do it all the time." Sophie answered.
"Soph, I have Ripley and you're 11."
There was silence before a quiet huff, followed by a "I'm old enough." Jodi sighed and reached out before finding hair, ruffling it. Standing up straight, she clicked for Ripley to lead her out of the storage room. Sophie followed. "Sooo can I go see Rocky? Pleeease?" She asked, clasping her hands together. Hearing the pleading tone in Sophie's voice, Jodi let out a soft moan. "Ffffine. Just be careful. His hook still needs to get looked at." she relented. "Thanks, Jo! I will!" The blind girl heard her sister's retreating footsteps, leaving her in the empty hallway. Sophie had grown attached to Rockstar Foxy lately but Jodi didn't seem to have an issue with it. As long as she was happy, the older girl was fine with the idea. Digging a hand back into her pants pocket, her ivory hands were met with smooth cool metal.
She would figure more out about it later. Right now, she had to go back to work. Making her way back to the front desk, Jodi couldn't shake the feeling that she was being watched. Probably Dustin making sure I'm not dilly dallying. Jodi thought to herself. A soft patting noise reached Jodi's fine tuned ears. "I'm working, Dustin. Not slacking off." She said aloud. "Geez, how do you do that every time?" The older boy asked surprised as he put some files down and stared at her wide eyed. Jodi merely smirked.
"Because I'm a ninja, unlike you." She replied matter-of-factly. She raised a two-fingered hand to her forehead and added "Unagi."
"..."
"..."
"Did you just make a F.R.I.E.N.D.S. reference?" he asked.
"...let me have my sit-com, please."
The obnoxious ticking of the clock that hung on the wall made Jodi want to punch it senseless. Ticking, whispering, squeaking, shouting…She heard everything, everywhere. It was a curse rather than a gift. Squeezing Ripley's harness, her teeth grinded against each other in her mouth. Suddenly standing up, Jodi ushered Ripley to lead her to the front door. "Dustin, I'm taking a break!" She called. "Sure thing!"
Hitting the automatic door button, Jodi stepped outside and almost immediately felt a weight lift off her chest. Ripley barked and nudged his owner's thigh. He softly whined in concern. Said owner let out a breath and found a bench by the entrance to sit down on. As she did, the world around her quieted down. It seemed like paradise. Jodi gently took off her sunglasses that she had been wearing and rested it on top of her head. Grey eyes stared into space, void of life and filled with sleep deprivation.
In your eyes
I see there's something burning inside you
Oh, inside you
In your eyes
I know it hurts to smile, but you try to
A mask isn't always permanent. Sometimes, one's true colors can be seen.