Roommate Arrangement

Jobs for the Jobless

A/N: I'm an idiot and apparently posted the following chapter before this one, so if you wondered why Jade suddenly has a job, here's an explanation. So here, this chapter was supposed to follow the one called 'Mine' and come before 'Dancing shoes' 🙄

Jade

My living situation is ironed out for the time being, which is good because I was about to go into panic mode with Perrie coming home soon. I really wish time would slow down.

"Okay. So you have a place to live for now. That's good." Leigh sounds reassured.

I nod, although I'm not sure I can call the situation good.

Perrie is going to let me stay in her apartment until I can find a new place. It's highly preferable to the alternative. Until now I've been relatively positive about things, but the closer we get to Perrie's return, the more worried I become about having to return to England to work with the whore-mother.

Beyond that, the excessive flirting and banter with Perrie felt more acceptable when there was an end date to my stay at her condo. When I was just her temporary pet sitter it seemed harmless to engage. Now that I'm going to be her roommate for a while, I'm not sure how acceptable it is anymore. It could get messy, especially if things don't work out and I'm still living there.

"And you're on top of the job thing. You have an audition tomorrow, right? Everything is working out just fine." Now Leigh sounds like me.

"And I have a couple of interviews for regular jobs." I'm glad one of us is optimistic.

She sips her cleansing tea. She's on some sort of healthy-eating program. It sounds a lot like a diet. Which is absolutely ridiculous. Leigh's body is beautiful. She's never had to work to be that way, she's just naturally built like a model. She's never been worried about her weight. Until recently. I'm attributing it to Armstrong's constant, unnecessary commentary. I'm liking him less and less the more I get to know him. 

"What kind of interviews do you have?"

"One is at a restaurant, the other is a café. I just need some quick money to help get me by." I've avoided nightclubs so far. I don't want to end up dealing with the same situation as I did in the last place.

"Oh." Leigh makes a face that looks disapproving. "What if I talk to Armstrong about getting you something temporary?"

"Thanks, but I'd rather you not." If I take a job from Armstrong, it'll get back to my father. I don't want that.

"Come on, Jade. It would just be until you get the role you deserve."

I sip my coffee. I need all the liquid energy I can get. After this I'm back to handing out résumés and filling out applications. To places I should've worked when I was in college, not after it.

"What happens when Perrie comes back? I know I can stay for a little while longer, but eventually I'm going to have to find a place to live that isn't her spare bedroom." Like her actual bedroom.

"You'll have a place to live."

I'm not so sure that's true, but I don't want to put this on Leigh. It's my fault I'm in this predicament. She's done enough by getting me a place to stay while I try to sort out my life. It'd be great if I could actually make some headway on that front.

"Do you smell that?" Leigh's nose wrinkles as I pull my phone out of my purse.

I sniff and get a whiff of something disgustingly rancid. I put my hand over my mouth to stop from breathing it in again. "What is that?" I look around the café, curious to whether there's a garbage truck nearby.