Shorts

Part 1

"I'm bored!" Jordan whined from the counter.

"Do something to entertain yourself."

"I've been trying, but everything is so boring."

"Are you saying I'm boring?" I raised a brow.

"Duh!" I rolled my eyes at my sister. "Why am I stuck here?!" Jordan whined.

"Because you made a big deal about going to aftercare, so you're stuck with me and I have a job... go put a song on or something." I dismissed her.

I worked at Amoeba Music, the premier Vinny record shop in LA if I may say so myself. I was forced to work here for extra money after my step-dad died. Well, it was more like I had to also drop out of college to come home and help my mom. She didn't ask, but I volunteered. I couldn't let her go through the grief and financial struggles by herself. Plus, we both had to look out for my little sister or Satan's spawn.

I groaned when I heard the beginning of a familiar record. Jordan legit plays the same record over and over again. Actually, she plays the same artist, but a different vinyl everyday.

"Do you not know any other artist?"

"She's the best!" Jordan retorted.

"Jeweled Diamond is-"

"She's known as JD and actual name is Jules, but after her second album titled Jeweled Diamond... people began referring to her with that name." Jordan confidently smiled at her knowledge. "And she's the best! She honestly rivals Ariana Grande and that's saying something."

"She makes teen bops... are you sure her songs aren't on Kidz Bops?" I smirked while Jordan glared.

Jordan sat in the corner to do her school work while she hummed along to the music. I rolled my eyes and tried to tune the song out. Last thing I need is for it to be stuck in my head. I was scrolling through Pinterest when Danny entered the shop. My eyes then looked at the time, causing me to smile.

"Come along, Jordan. Time to leave." I gave Danny a smile before walking out the store. "I'm taking you home-"

"What? Why?"

"Because it's my first day at Def Jam!" I squealed.

"That's the music label for Justin Bieber, Rihanna, and most importantly... JD is assigned to! You have to take me!"

"Ya, you can't come with me, so I need to take you home." I crushed her hopes and dreams.

"Why can't I just hang at the mall until you finish?"

"Finish at 8?" I raised a brow while my sister groaned. "That'd be a perfect day for a kidnapper."

Jordan reluctantly followed me to my Civic. It was my fault for trying to battle this traffic. Jordan taunted that waiting at the mall would've been a better option since I'm gonna be late. I told the 10 year old to shut the hell up. Jordan smirked and began blasting JD songs through the speakers. My eye twitched from anxiety and the fucking music that was giving me a headache!

I ended up dropping my sister 2 miles from our house. Jordan complained, but I told her she needed the exercise. Jordan flipped me off, making me gasp in offense. She then began her journey home. I rolled my eyes and used the backroads to Def Jam. I was 30 minutes late, which wasn't good for a first impression.

I quickly entered and approached the secretary. I had to do a double take since she was gorgeous. She offered her signature smile, but I knew it was a fake one.

"Sorry. I'm late and today is my first day-"

"You must be Reilly." She bit back a scoff and handed me a badge. "I'll just say Tyrian wasn't the happiest." She smirked and pointed in the direction.

I gulped and badged myself inside. I walked down the fluorescent halls and approached the door that said Tyrian. I was about to knock, but heard shouting on the other side. I didn't know how long to wait, so I ended up knocking. He shouted for me to enter. I slowly opened the door to see an irritated middle aged man. I can tell that he eats well.

"Who are you?" He barked.

"Re-Reilly." I stuttered.

"You're an hour late!" He stood. "I should fire you on the spot."

"Please don't." I ran a hand through my hair. "I had to make sure my baby sister got home safe-"

"I don't care about your personal life. Leave that at home." He walked past me. I thought I fucked up, but he barked at me to follow him. "This is your desk." He pointed at one of two desks. "I'll give you assignments everyday and I expect them to be completed. Understand?"

"Yes."

"Good. Now as you can see, you've got a lot to do." He snapped and walked off.

I rolled my eyes and placed my bag down. I was busy organizing the stack of papers that I didn't realize someone else approached me. I turned to see a fake redhead smirking at me. Oh, what now? She leaned against her desk and observed me.

"Uh... hello?"

"Crystal." She smacked her lips. "Newbie." She smirked. "Get used to it." She sat down and began working.

I ignored her and sat in my seat. I cracked my knuckles and began working. It was mainly grunt work, so not hard. I was basically finished by 4, which meant that I'd be bored for another 4 hours. Crystal's brows were knit together as she concentrated on finishing her assignments. They really aren't that hard to be honest.

It was close to 5 when footsteps were heard in the halls. I thought it was Tyrian, but definitely wasn't based on the audible gasp Crystal released. I looked up to see Big Sean and Jhené Aiko talking to each other. Crystal sat up straighter and pretended like she wasn't sneaking peeks at them. I furrowed my brows in confusion at her behavior.

"Hey." Sean and Jhené greeted Crystal, who nearly died in her seat. They awkwardly smiled and then addressed me.

"Hi." I smiled and went back to scrolling through Pinterest.

The two continued down the hall. When they were gone, Crystal did several breathing exercises to calm herself. I was curious, so I addressed her.

"How long have you worked here?"

"Longer than you." She snarked, making me roll my eyes. "Like 3 months before you started. Tyrian has a fast turn around."

"Gotcha."

"How were you not starstruck?!"

"I think of them as regular people and nothing special." I shrugged and continued scrolling.

"Amazing." Crystal snarked and went back to her work.

X

I arrived home late. Traffic was terrible, meaning I arrived after 10pm. I was exhausted and really, really hungry. I was warming the leftovers when Jordan rushed into the room. She gave me a quick hug before running to bed. I smiled as my mom entered. She softly smiled and waved goodnight to my sister. She then brought me into a hug.

"How are you?" Mom was still in her scrubs.

"Tired, but that's to be expected."

"And the job?"

"My brain cells die every hour." I joked, earning a slap on my arm. "It's easy. Just grunt work and the added pay helps." I pointed out.

"I feel so guilty-"

"Let's not go there, mom." I cut her off and noticed her sigh. "Hey, I wouldn't change it for the world. You know I missed you guys when I left-"

"For Juilliard." Mom cut me off.

"Who needs a fancy title behind my name?" I took my food out when the microwave beeped. "I didn't learn anything that YouTube hadn't taught me."

"Because you were there for less than a month." Mom covered her face with her hands. "And then the world went to shit." She whispered.

"And I saved you so much money." I teased and hugged her.

"You got a full ride." Mom muttered into my shoulder.

"I don't regret it. I promise." I hugged her tight. "I love you."

"Love you too." She hugged me back.