Nothing ever Changes

25

"Hey!" I grin, sliding into the booth.

Ace looks up and smiles at me. "Hey."

I thought about what DJ said yesterday, and decided he might be a little right. But, I don't need to cry to show emotion. Maybe.

I made plans to see Ace today for lunch, and I just got to the diner.

"How are you?" I ask him.

He lifts a shoulder. "Okay, I guess. I've been going to visit Jackson. Do you think he can hear me?"

"Maybe. What do you think?"

"I hope so." He says quietly. He seems to be deep in thought, and kind of sad, so I change the subject.

"What have you been doing?" I ask.

"Well...not much really."

He looks like he's going to say something else, but a waitress comes to the table for our orders. We get fries to share since I always take his, and milkshakes. Since it's not very busy, the food arrives quickly.

"Have you found a job yet?" Ace asks me.

I shake my head, dipping a fry in my milkshake. "No. I've got two more interviews today. I don't know why no one will take me."

"Are you guys okay staying with DJ?"

He doesn't usually ask about DJ. "Yeah, I think so. Jake likes it there. Why?"

"Do you like him more than me?" He asks quietly.

I frown. "No. Why do you think that?"

"I mean...you moved in with him, and you've been seeing him more..."

"To be fair, you didn't ask me to move in with you. And I've only been seeing him more because I'm living with him, and I've been busy. That's why I made time to come see you today."

"Oh..."

I reach across the table and lace my fingers through his. "I promise, I like you both the same."

"Okay." He says quietly. He seems sad again, so I change the subject.

"Alright, so we did a background check, and you seem very qualified for this."

I try not to grin. "Really?"

I'm at an interview for a job as an assistant for Central Business. I'm not entirely sure what they do, but if I really might get this job, I don't care.

I'm in a small office, sitting across from a blond man in a suit named Jason. There are several files that he's been looking through, and he looks over a piece of paper at me.

"Yes. And you can start next week if you'd like."

"Seriously? That'd be-"

I get cut off by my phone ringing. It's DJ. I ignore it. We're almost done, anyway.

"Sorry." I tell Jason.

He smiles. "It's alright. You just need to sign a few things, and you're good to go."

He hands me a file, and I open it. There are two pages to read, then a page to fill out information and signing to agree to their terms.

"Take your time," He tells me, standing. "I'll be outside."

I nod, and start reading. When I'm about halfway through, my phone rings again. I sigh, and answer.

"Hey," I say. "You know I'm in an interview, right?"