Curves | ONC 2020 Shortlist

4. Juliana, Totally Not a Stalker

Juliana was at one of the gym's computer terminals, finishing up a new membership, when Tasha came into the office and plopped down into a chair next to her.

Juliana shot her a wry glance. "You know, you don't have to report to me every time Curves comes in."

"She's not here. That's not why I came in."

"She's not? Oh. I wonder why she's late today?" Juliana mused more to herself than to her friend.

Tasha made a judgmental sound. "You know her schedule? And you say you're not a stalker."

"Well, it's been a month, and she seems like a clockwork kind of girl. It's not like I went through her day planner or anything." She tossed her brown ponytail to one side. "And why do I have to explain myself to you anyway?"

Tasha raised her hands. "Hey, no need to get defensive. It was merely an observation."

Juliana sighed and went back to processing the new memberships.

"Oh, there she is!"

Juliana's head snapped up to peer through the office window.

"Ha! Made you look. You are so obsessed," her friend teased.

"Gah! Was there an actual reason why you came in here, or is torturing me part of your job description?"

"I'm pretty sure it's a clause in my contract somewhere." Tasha could see her friend was not amused. "Okay, I'll wait. Go ahead and finish processing that thing."

"I'm not going to work with you staring over my shoulder."

"Oh. Well in that case, look over there, by the hip adductor machine. There are just some people that should not come in here."

Juliana didn't bother looking. "Tasha, people come here to improve their fitness, not get judged."

"Okay, let me rephrase. Customers should not come in here with enough makeup for three people. Someone needs to tell that lady about moderation."

A hand clamped on Tasha's shoulder, causing her to jump.

"Hmm, moderation." It was Natalie. "And you think you know something about that?"

Tasha slipped away from her supervisor's hand, standing and crossing her arms as she faced her. "Maybe."

Natalie folded her arms, too, tipping her chin up in challenge. "That so?" While she was shorter than Tasha, Natalie's stocky build still had a way of filling a room.

Not again. Juliana rolled her eyes and watched the face-off.

Tasha stared hard, her jaw set with determination.

Natalie remained aloof, her gaze unwavering.

Juliana sighed and considered ignoring these two so she could finish her paperwork.

At last, Tasha exhaled noisily and dropped her arms. "I don't have time for this. I'm clocking out. Hot date tonight."

Natalie's posture eased as she watched the other woman flounce out of the office.

"She almost had you, didn't she?" Juliana whispered.

Nat glanced at the office door before grinning. "Yeah, she's getting better at that." She shook her head. "If she would work as much as she talked, she'd be running this place."

Juliana laughed. "I think she's more interested in running her mouth than running this place."

"Insert dirty joke here. Tasha would be the first one to tell you where her mouth has been."

"No kidding. Hey, how's the supervisor thing going, Nat? I know it's only been a month."

"Other than Tasha not respecting my authority? Not bad."

"She'll come around."

Natalie nodded. "Hey, thanks for processing these." She tapped a finger on the folder by Juliana's elbow. "Helps me a lot. They never told me how much fun these quarterly reports are. I gotta get back to it."

Juliana saluted her friend's departure, then leaned back in her chair. Her gaze drifted to the front doors again, absently hoping Curves was okay.

Where is Curves anyway? Let's send her some good vibes and votes!