"Yeah, it's pretty bad." Amy coughed into the phone, stifling talk that was shared between you and Emma as she cupped her hand around her phone to muffle the sound.
It wasn't as though she'd chosen the quietist place to make the call; the four of you stood outside of the movie theatre and waiting for your showing of Lego Batman to begin, bustling crowds moving quickly around you. You tucked yourself deeper under Marcus's arm as the wind blew, a scarf wrapped tightly around you and his jacket adorned on your shoulders.
Thankfully, he had taken your word to heed and took it home with him; it disappeared from your possession when you woke up the next morning and found him - and the jacket - gone, a note left in his place. He'd thanked you for the evening prior and apologised for having to rush off without saying goodbye, promising he'd make it up to you. And when Amy had asked if you wanted to come and see the Lego Batman with her and Emma, you knew the exact way he could make it up to you.
So, you had dragged Marcus with you, and were now trying to prevent him and Emma from engaging in embarrassing storytelling, all while keeping quiet to make a believable case for Glenn and Dina. Glenn, you knew, would be easy to win over, but Dina? You knew the fact Amy wasn't in in the first place was enough to raise her suspicions.
Besides, you were planning on making him pay for your popcorn as part of his repayment for him calling you a bitch.
"Uh-huh. Hey, Ames, can you hold on a sec?" Dina put on the sweetest voice you'd ever heard her muster up, before quickly snapping back into her normal self, and presumably yelling at Glenn. "Yeah, she's faking."
"No, she is not!" Glenn replied with a whine, and never before had you such appreciated his naivety to the world.
"Glenn, I love Amy like a sister, and she is a liar and a fraud, like my sister." It was almost sweet to hear Dina's compliment towards Amy, though, like expected, it was quickly turned around and painted Amy out to be a 'liar and a fraud.'
"I'm still on, by the way." Amy's cough was quickly lost as she spat her words down the phone, Dina's disbelieving voice having come out of the other end.
"Hey, sweetie!"
"You ignore her. You just get well soon, okay? Thank you." Glenn quickly hung up the phone and Amy tucked it into her pocket, pulling up two hands and high-fiving Emma at the success of her efforts.
"I told you Dina would know!" You hid your words behind a cough, your face red and bitten by the cold and the weather bad enough that a cold would still be believable - not with Amy's bad acting and Dina's sixth sense, however.
"So can I pretend to be sick to miss school Monday?" Emma asked, hands tucked back into the warmth of her pockets now Amy had celebrated her victory.
"No, dipshit." You ruffled her hat messing up her hair, hand leaving the warmth of your jacket pocket while the other stayed wrapped around Marcus's waist. His own arm was thrown across your shoulder, pulling you into his side while the other rested in his coat pocket; mirror images of each other. "Your mom doesn't need to go to work, you however, need to go to school."
"Don't call her a dipshit, angel, the kids sweet." Marcus chided from above you. Turning your head to him, you rested your chin against his chest, peering up at him with a weak glare, jutting out your lower lip in a pout.
"You don't know her, Marcus. She's the devil incarnate."
"Didn't you drop out of school, shithead?" Emma retorted, your point being proven almost immediately by the vulgar - yet, somehow, still endearing - term that slipped past her lips.
Your quirked your eyebrows at Marcus, the look of 'I told you so' written across your face that drew a smile onto his a face and a laugh from his lips. It was different to see you interact with Emma; he'd hung out with her a few times now, but it still amazed him at the relationship that two of you shared. If he didn't know better, he'd have thought you were twins ten years apart.
"No, now that is, this is different." Amy defended, though shot you a warning look. You couldn't help that Emma would return the exact same energy you gave her, however, you could help the language you used around her.
"How?" Emma scolded folding her arms across her chest as Amy reached out and tugged her hat down, smoothing out the hair that stuck up outside of the knitted confines.
"It just is. It's an adult thing. You'll understand someday. Come on." Amy grabbed Emma by he hand and left her towards the ticket booth to buy your tickets for Lego Batman. You and Marcus hung back, standing beside the doors into the theatre. Moving out from under his arm, you wrapped both arms around him, hugging into his chest.
"Told you she's the devil." You chastised smooshing your face against the soft fabric of his jumper that peaked out between the unzipped lapels of his coat.
"She's not that bad." Marcus argued, pressing a kiss to the top of your head and wrapping both his arms around your shoulders, keeping you close to him and offering you what warmth he could provide.
"You didn't live with her." You sighed, a chuckle elicited from Marcus as your determination to prove her to be evil. Though you didn't really think that: Emma was the sweetest kid you knew, and she was constantly proving that to you. "But you are right. She's not that bad."
"Did you guys see that?" Amy asked with urgency, four movie tickets in her hand and her face paled.
"See what?" The simple comment seemed enough for Amy to brush if off for now, ushering the three of you into the theatre ahead of her; Amy looked around before closing the door behind her.
She shook off your concerned look, a smile curling on her lips as she held up the four tickets. "Who's ready for Lego Batman?"
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"I mean, I'm just saying, we're friends, so if you did play hooky yesterday, you can totally tell me." Dina probed, leaning against the countertop and dividing you and Amy as she made the two of you cups of coffee.
"I wasn't." She confirmed, a half-asses cough forced past her lips as she talked with Dina, hoping to convey how she was still struggling with her 'sickness.'
"Are you sure you should be drinking coffee?" Dina chided as Amy passed your mug too you, 3/4 filled with black coffee that you could adjust to your own taste, and took a sip of her own. "Caffeine mixed with cold medication can have the same effects as meth."
"Really? I've never heard that." Amy held the mug a hair length away from her lips, seemingly going to ignore Dina's comment, but changing her mind at her unwavering glare, moving the mug above the sink and beginning to pour it out.
"Oh, it's true." Amy continued to empty the mug of steaming liquid down the drain, meeting Dina's eyes as it became half way empty in hopes she would leave and she could continue to drink it. "Yeah, all of it."
As Dina became satisfied with the torment cause to Amy in an effort to get her to 'admit,' she turned to you, a sickly sweet smile curling onto her lips. "Y/n! You live with Amy right?"
Finishing making your coffee, you turned to Dina with a tight lipped smile, cupping the mug between two two hands and holding it inches from you lips. "No I don't, I haven't for months Dina."
"Well, surely then, you'd go and visit your sick mother." Dina's voice raised with each word, as though accentuating them would get you to change your story.
"No I didn't. I had stuff to do, it was my day off Dee." You took a sip of your coffee, keeping her on edge as you mirrored her position leaning against the counter in the break room. "Besides, I didn't want to risk it incase it was contagious."
"Likely story." She scoffed, folding her arms across her chest as her gaze flickered between the two of you, hoping that one of you would crack under her unnerving gaze. "I'll catch you out. Sooner or later."
"Hey, Sandra. How's it going?" Amy asked as she approached the counter top in an effort to change the topic of discussion, Sandra reaching over you to grab something from the counter.
"Pretty good. Someone stole my cat again." Squeezing her arm affectionately, you offered her your sympathies, knowing it wouldn't be long till it was returned, like last time, anyway.
"Excuse me, I'm having a conversation with Amy and y/n." Dina yelled, stepping in front of you and barricading you behind her arm as she yelled at Sandra to get away from your conversation.
"I think we were all caught up." Amy disagreed, her dismissal having Dina back down and return to her position against the countertop. Taking a sip from your hot coffee, you peered over the edge at Amy; confused by her sudden interest in Sandra and her life that she'd never seemed to show before. Though you wouldn't be surprised to find she just wanted an escape from Dina. "How are things, Sandra. How's Jeff?"
"Great. He might take me to Paris." A weary, tight-lipped smile formed on her face, unsure of the words that slipped off her tongue; though Amy seemed to accept the information with a wide smile.
"Aww, Paris? That sounds so serious." Even with Amy's gushing, Dina found something to be bitter about; scoffing before turning to Sandra with a scowl.
"I hate Paris. That place is just one giant gay ashtray."
Oh, you just loved mornings in the break room. And while that was usually true, the remark turned bitter at the thought of spending it like this: sandwiched between an agitated Dina and a terrified Sandra. With a wince, you pushed yourself away from the mess of a discussion, leaving the break room in search of better company.
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"Attention, Cloud 9 shoppers, today is Cloud 9's Wellness Fair, where we're offering vision tests, blood pressure screenings, and tips on living your best, healthiest life. Why go to a doctor when you can get medical advice from the same place you get dish soap?"
Garrett's announcements always brought a smile to your face, his witty remarks making them bright despite their dull nature. Crossing your legs tightly onto the seat, you squeezed yourself into the chair Cheyenne was resting her feet against, her having stole your usual seat on the countertop. Picking her legs up by her calf's, you moved them to rest in your lap, giving the pair of you each more space.
"I love medicine. I watch all those shows. ""I need 10ccs, stat." "Prep the incubation tray." "I can't have sex with you. I'm an intern."" Her impressions were good, for what you were assuming were about a Greys Anatomy episode, and elicited a chuckle from you. However, Garrett just shook his head, hiding his smile as he looked briefly towards his lap.
"Yeah, that all sounds pretty medically accurate."
"Hey, guys, if you knew that a friend's boyfriend was cheating on her with another one of your friends, would you say something?" Amy asked, interrupting the conversation the three of you were having as she leant against the customer service counter, eyes darting frantically between the three of you.
"Hmm, that's a tough one." Cheyenne began, hair swooshing over her shoulder as she turned away from you to look at Amy. "Is it Kylie or Emily?"
"Okay, look, I wasn't actually home sick yesterday." Amy rolled her eyes, letting out a huff of annoyance at the fact she was sharing the secret she tried so hard to keep incase word got to Dina - however, this was more important. "I went to the movies, and I saw Jeff with Mateo. Kissing each other."
Though the three of you grimaced at her awkward hand actions to mimic what she saw, you quickly dissolved into looks of shock and surprise.
"Wow!"
"Wait? That's what you saw yesterday?" You asked as Cheyenne muttered something about the weirdness of it, Amy frantically nodding in confirmation at your question.
"Whoa."
"That is so crazy."
"Hmm."
"Seriously? This is your reaction?" Amy all but screeched, smacking her hands down against the countertop in what you thought was appal. "Jeff is cheating on Sandra with Mateo. What do I do? Do I, do I, do I talk to her? Do I confront him?"
"Okay, here's what you do." Garrett began, Amy leaning in and listening intensely for the amazing advice Garrett seemed to hold. "Nothing."
Amazing advice it was.
"What? Come on." Amy couldn't grasp the relaxed disposition from the three of you at the secret she had just revealed - surly, she'd thought, you'd have been concerned for your friends terrible affair.
"I agree with him, Ames." You admitted, not missing the way Amy's face fell at the admission or how a frown began to form on her lips. "Don't stick your head where it doesn't belong and things will work themselves out."
"Look, you don't know the situation. This is like "Jurassic Park." You start messing around with something you don't know anything about, and before you know it, you're getting bit in half while you're sitting on a toilet." Garrett explained, hoping Amy would understand the sentiment and why is was so important she butt out of it without revealing Mateo's secret.
"It's true, Amy. That's what happens." Cheyenne nodded solemnly, staring down the short-haired brunette until she pushed away from the counter in frustration.
"Okay. Thanks, guys. This was great." With a sigh she left you three to your discussion, going off to probably confront Sandra - or Mateo - about what she saw despite the advice you'd just given to her.
"Should we just tell her that Mateo's the one who's been dating Jeff all along?" Cheyenne asked, head titled, her gaze flickering between you and Garrett.
"Nah, it's better just to stay out of it. People don't need to know who's boning who." Of course Garrett would say that.
You harden forgotten about Dina's drunken admission to their casual affair - and each day Garrett didn't bring it up to you, your hurt grew. You knew it wasn't your business, and if Garrett didn't want to, he didn't have to tell you; or anyone for that matter. But something about the fact you'd heard it from Dina - and not him - was really getting to you.
"My 'surprised reaction' was shockingly bad too. I'm surprised she hasn't put two and two together yet." You added, looking at her form as she retreated back into the depths of the store, in search of God knows what, or who, rather.
"Yeah. Do you wanna hear my lawyer?" At a nod of confirmation from you, and a hum from Garrett, Cheyenne began her second performance, acting out what she'd seen on the tv. ""Objection, your honour, he's harassing the witness!" "Oh, that's not a judge, that's a bomb.""
Crunching your face in confusion, you looked up at the pink highlighted curls and Cheyenne's face, filled with genuine curiosity. "What tv shows do you watch, Chey?"
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Once again, in the midst of your conversation, Amy came storming over to the customer service desk, eyebrows crunched in frustration. "So neither one of you thought it was worth mentioning that Sandra's been making it up the whole time?"
"She has?" You gasped, looking between Amy, Garrett and Cheyenne as if to convince her that it was news to you too. "That's crazy."
"So, you knew?" Amy flat out asked, now being able to see through your over the top and outright fake surprise.
"What? No. Never!" You gasped, a hand over your heart in feigned hurt at the accusation. Though you quickly dropped the act at a pointed, sharp look from Amy - she knew you knew, it was easier to just admit it now. "Yeah, I've known since Valentine's Day."
"Maybe it'll be good for everyone to know." Cheyenne rushed out, looking between the three of your for reassurance that you didn't have to give her. "Maybe Sandra will be happy."
"Yeah, 'cause that's usually why people with low self-esteem commit to elaborate lies for weeks, 'cause they just want the truth to come out." You smacked your hand against Garrett's bicep, now, in Cheyenne's worry, not being the time to make jokes.
"Okay, I can fix this. I just need to gather everybody who knows, and then tell them..."
"Why aren't you listening to me?" Garrett whined, leaning closer to Amy and making unavoidable eye contact with her. "Just do nothing. It is the easiest advice to take. I do it, and I am thriving."
"Gare, that is so true." You mused, rubbing a hand up and down his bicep as you looked fondly at him. He wasn't wrong, Garrett, for as long as you'd known him, was killing it. "He's killing it."
"Killing it."
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"So she just invented the entire relationship?"
You'd made your way to the break room for your lunch break, sharing a table with Garrett, Cheyenne and Amy and splitting lunch with the latter. As Amy stuck her fork into her fruit salad, you stole one half of her sandwich, biting in and chewing it down quickly. Amy always made the best lunches, and it was one of the things you missed the most after moving out.
Placing the sand which temporarily back in its container, you opened your water and took a sip, listening idly to the conversation going on across from you.
"She's a maniac."
"Ew, I just realized that pair of Jeff's underwear that she showed me probably weren't even Jeff's. That's so gross." It suddenly dawned on you that word of Sandra and Jeff's fake relationship must have spread around the store - how, you didn't know - but you knew gossip like that was sure to spread like wildfire.
Chocking on your mouthful of water, you quickly gargled it down, placing your bottle down against the table and brining a hand to your mouth to wipe away the spilled liquid. "Hold on. She showed you Jeff's underwear?"
"Uh, yes? I needed proof." Marcus answered, as if it should've been the most obvious thing in the world.
"She's definitely out of wine club." Myrtle scoffed, digging a fork into her food with a look of disgust crossing her face. Was Sandra making up a relationship really so bad?
Amy, suddenly interested in the discussion, dropped her fork and turned in her seat. "Wait, you guys have a wine club?"
"Yeah, we're trying to keep it small." Marcus quickly dismissed her comment, not wanting to get into a confrontation about why certain people weren't included in wine club and others were.
"Wine club?" You perked up, looking at Marcus who was already looking at you.
"Well, you're always welcome to join us, y/n." The words slipped past his lips before he could stop himself, his eyes leaving yours as he looked at the two women he sat with for confirmation.
"I'd love you to join, girl!" Justine being Justine was something you felt you could consume in limited amounts - and wine club once a week seemed like a good opportunity to do that. "We could have our own little ladies lunch, like, every week!"
"Look, this really is none of your business, you know. You you don't even know the whole story." Garrett was already shaking his head at Amy before the words could leave her mouth, knowing that she wasn't going to say nothing even when you'd all advised her to. "If you knew the whole story, you wouldn't think she was a maniac."
"What's the whole story?" Marcus leaned forward in his seat towards Amy, curiosity crossing his features as his forehead tensed.
Despite whispered warnings from you and Garrett through gritted teeth, Amy shook her head and continued with an explanation she didn't need to give. She was ultimately digging a hole she wouldn't be able to get out of. "The whole story is that she did date Jeff. It was very intense, and then they broke up."
"Yup, they broke up. It happened on a Tuesday." Cheyenne confirmed, somehow forgetting your earlier conversation to not add to - and even deescalate - the situation.
"So she got dumped, but then lied and told everyone they were still dating? Why would she do that?" Marcus couldn't wrap his head around the elaborate breakup story, and you doubted you would've been able to either if you weren't in on the know.
"'Cause she's a maniac." Myrtle reaffirmed, shaking her head at the notion of Sandra's dramatic love life.
"No. That is a good question, and we asked her that question, and what she said made a lot of sense. She told us that..." Amy fumbled for a satisfying enough conclusion to the story she had made up, hoping that there would be something not too serious or out there that would-
"She's pregnant."
Garrett's head fell into his hands as a sigh escaped his lips. Faces all around the break room fell open, gasps elicited and wide eyed expressions of surprise shared. "And the raptors have breached the fence."
"She's pregnant?" Justine gasped, Amy reluctantly confirming the question with a short nod. She'd dug too deep this time.
"Who's pregnant?" Glenn asked, suddenly entering the break room at what could've been the worst possible time to ever do so. It was now far too late to do any backtracking with Glenn on the scene, things were sure to spiral out of pre-portion.
"Nobody."
"The maniac."
"Sandra."
"Sandra? That is wonderful." Glenn's cheery disposition never faulted at the news, an even wider smile then he'd had growing on his face. He was always happy to have his cloud 9 family expand - even when it wasn't real - not that he knew that.
"I knew it." Marcus gasped, a proud smile on his face as his arms stretched out in nonchalant victory. "You can tell by the glow. I always know."
"Always, huh?" You queried, knowing that, in actuality, Sandra was not pregnant and there was no glow for Marcus to see. Still, his wide smile and confident stance amused you, brining a smile to your own lips.
"I'm gonna go congratulate her." Glenn said with a smile, already turning on his heel to leave the break room. Amy had got herself in this mess, and for once, you weren't willing to help get her out; you didn't want to get tangled in the web of lies that was Sandra and Jeff's relationship more then you already were.
"No, no, Glenn, uh, she doesn't want anybody to know yet, so we can't mention it to her." Amy's lacklustre attempt to cover her tracks on what she'd said wasn't enough to stop an over the moon Glenn.
"Oh! We could plan a baby shower. And what if the theme was babies? Or manufacturing?" As people put forward more and more suggestions to what the theme should be, Amy's frustration and unease only seemed to grow, fidgeting with her hands.
"Okay, no baby shower, guys." She began, wringing at the flesh of her hands as she avoided the eyes of the break room. "You're making a big deal out of this, and she doesn't even know if she's gonna keep it."
Silence. Glenn's face fell and an almost inaudible 'what?' slipped from his lips in appal. Leaning backwards so that your whispered words would reach Garrett's ears, you asked him a very important question.
"Can the raptors double breach the fence? 'Cause I think they just did."
"Uh-huh. Yeah, she might do it on a Wednesday." Cheyenne affirmed Amy's story once more, despite now not being the best time for it, Glenn's face only falling further at the ounce of knowledge.
"Okay, we're good on the days." Any spat, curling into herself and leaving the rest of her lunch untouched at the chaos she had caused.
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"Maybe Glenn will just not say anything." Amy suggested, the four of you fled of the break room and now debating over the best course of action from the stores café. Cheyenne passed you the half-empty cup of store coffee, allowing you to take a sip before drinking some herself.
"I highly doubt that, Ames." Glenn knew, and if Glenn knew it was only time before everyone would know. And you hoped to any God out there that it would all go down on a day you weren't working.
"Hey, guys, did you hear?" Mateo sardonically asked as he stormed up to the table, stabbing behind Cheyenne. "Sandra's pregnant with my boyfriend's baby."
"Oh, yeah, there's a card going around." Garrett informed, filling out his part in navy blue sharpie, that you knew would smudge the second he closed the card. But with any luck, and Amy's determination to make things right, the card would never reach Sandra: or worse, Jeff.
"This is why people don't tell you things." Mateo whined, head thrown back in exasperation. Of course Amy had somehow been the one to let it slip, and then let it spiral out of all control; if only she had listened to you and Garrett.
"I'm gonna fix it." Amy wasn't one to not try. Even if it took weeks, or months, or years, she'd try until she could try no more to fix what she'd done. "Look, we could we could say that it was a phantom pregnancy. I've heard of that."
It was a shoddy idea, but an idea no less, and a step in what was hopefully the right direction to fixing her mess. "Sandra, this must be a giant surprise for you. Love, Garrett."
Taking the card and the pen from Garrett's hold, you began to fill it out yourself, writing something you thought was a mixture of heartfelt and Garrett's 'I know' sentiment. "I'm sure you and Jeff's real, strong bond will overcome this surprise. Best wishes, y/n."
"Okay, what if we say that Jeff has a twin brother, and Sandra has been dating him?" A better idea then Amy's, you would admit, but still not one you were sure could work. At this point, it felt as though the only suitable option would be for Amy to come clean. And Sandra too.
"So the Jeff that Sandra's been talking about is Jeff's twin brother, Jeff?" Garrett chastised, face scrunched in a mixture of confusion and blatant awe at how Cheyenne could come up with such an idea.
"Doesn't the bad guy from Sherlock have a twin with the same name? I'm sure that was like a whole plot point of the show. It's totally plausible." You argued, supporting Cheyenne's effort to at least try and come up with solutions. Drawing a big, blue heart at the end of your words, you closed the card and left it on the table top in front of you.
"Oh, 'cause that sounds real." Garrett's sarcastic tone and probing, joking comments still perceived despite the doom and gloom of the situation at hand, which was something you always admired of him. Even in the darkest of times he could crack a smile from you.
"Well, at least they're thinking of things." Mateo rolled his eyes, walking away from you as fast as he came, chastising your idiocy with a grunt.
Picking you the card, you stood from your seat beside Garrett, tucking it back in behind you. Walking away with the promise to return, you went to find more people to sign the card, despite the fact the baby was real in the first place, you imagined the sentiment was nice for those who didn't know.
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Having found Marcus and getting him to sign the card, you decided to follow him on his venture around the store; collecting money for Sandra's baby shower. It seemed easier to stick by his side, get people to kill two birds with one stone, and besides, you definitely didn't mind the company.
"Hey, you wanna donate to a good cause?" Marcus asked as the pair of you approached Jonah, shacking the time that had a slot cut into the top and was wrapped in pink paper.
"I already told you, I'm not paying to get you veneers." Jonah answered before turning to face Marcus, waving at the sight of you, his silent companion, who he hadn't realised was there at first.
"Nah, it's for Sandra's baby shower, assuming she keeps it." Marcus explained, once again offering the tin out to him with a shake in an effort to get him to donate.
"We have a card, also." Holding up the card, brandished with 'congratulations, and good luck on your abortion,' and the blue sharpie out to him in offering.
"Wait, Sandra's pregnant?" Jonah gasped, completely taken aback by the knowledge. How he'd managed to escape the scandalous news all day, you didn't know, and almost wished you could be in his position. Experience the drama of it all.
"You've missed so much today, J." You muttered, shaking your head at the situation as a whole. It had somehow unravelled from a rumour Jeff was cheating on Sandra to a pregnancy and potential abortion; if only Amy had done nothing.
"Yeah, Jeff knocked her up, then dumped her for Mateo." Marcus explained the short version of events, taking the burden off of your shoulders which you were thankful for. Whether it was the fact you'd heard 30 different iterations of the story today, or the fact you were beginning to feel you like you were part of the reason the rumour was spreading, you weren't sure. But the idea of explaining it again and again was beginning to get to you.
"Really?"
"Supposedly."
"Wow, I can't believe it."
"Man, I wish I had the stones to go both ways." Marcus mused, the comment surprised both you and Jonah with its suddenness and honesty. "Can you imagine? Two dudes all gas, no brakes."
Jonah, seemingly as confused as you were by the sudden admission, brushed off Marcus's remark, instead focusing on the animated conversation that was happening a few feet away between Glenn and Sandra. "Yeah, totally."
Before you could say anything else, Jonah walked past the two of you and in the direction of Glenn and Sandra, undoubtedly to intervene with their discussion about what Sandra should do with her non existent baby.
"What do you think that was about?" Marcus asked you as the pair of you looked on at the argument that was ensuing between the two men, right in the middle of the stores well-being fair.
"Not entirely sure." It was a lie, but a harmless one at that. Things had clearly gone too far and the truth was sure to emerge within hours, maybe even minutes if you were unlucky enough. "Want to go to the break room and force snacks out of the vending machine?"
Marcus slipped his hand into yours, walking the pair of you away from the scene before you and in the direction of the break room in search of snacks and probably a cup of coffee for you. Leaning into his side, you ignored the commotion behind you, knowing no doubt it would become a much bigger display then it needed to be, and that if the word 'abortion' was said slightly louder, corporate would be sending Jeff down to deal with it and the whole situation would become just so much worse.
For once, you decided to revel in the peace while it lasted.
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You and Marcus's impromptu date was quickly ended as crowds of employees flooded into the break room, with Jeff in tow. It was obvious that this would be the result of Glenn and Jonah's live action abortion debate, but you had hoped that it would've taken a while longer to reach such point.
"It was just low blood sugar. I shouldn't have tried to quit drinking juice cold turkey like that." Amy had informed you of Glenn's sudden turn for the worse after his and Jonah's argument reached its climax and how he'd stubbornly refused to take Jonah's advice on how to fix it. However, things between the two seemed to be a bit more resolved now that everyone was gathered before Jeff and Glenn had a cup of juice in his hands.
"Great, okay, uh, also, we have checked. We don't seem to have any training videos about not discussing abortion at work, because we just thought it was so obvious, but you guys managed to surprise us, so good job." Though Jeff's response was clearly sarcastic, Cheyenne let out a congratulatory 'whoop!' Which, honestly, you thought was deserved, considering your store always managed to go the extra mile to piss off corporate.
"Don't lecture us on being responsible when we all know what you did to Sandra." Glenn's words were filled with venom, and the general chatter of the break room seemed to agree with him.
Fuck. Fuck. Fuck.
You knew things would have to come to a head. But part of you had hoped you could have a confrontation without dragging the innocent Jeff into things. Confrontation with Sandra would've been a lot to clear up, but with the presence of Jeff, you worried tings would be explosive.
"Sandra who's Sandra?" Jeff's innocent enough question was met with an encore of gasps, wide eyed expressions filled with disgust and outrage and upset for Sandra.
"Just the woman who's pregnant with your bi-racial child." Glenn spat, face contorted into a look of complete and utter disappointment and displeasure. You couldn't recall a time you'd ever seen him look so angry in all your life.
"In his defence, Sandra is extremely forgettable. Remember when we left her at Dave & Buster's on her birthday?" Dina added from Jeff's left, turning in her seat to face the appalled body of the break room; people littered across seats and leaning across lockers and counters alike in an effort to cram themselves into the space.
Sandra mustered up a deep breath. In and out. Before looking at the body of the break room and admitting the game changing statement. "I'm not pregnant."
Despite her own very confused look, Glenn gasped and turned to the brunette with urgency. "Oh, God, am I too late?"
"I'm very confused." Jeff, ever with the hand gestures, talked with his hands, bringing them to clutch against his clipboard and his chest.
"Wait, so you didn't knock her up?" Marcus emphasised from behind Jonah, pointing between the two people so far involved in the chaos of the web of lies.
"No, I'm gay." The open admission received many hums of acceptance and realisation, apart from the scoff it elicited from Glenn - an odd, but not entirely unexpected, response from the older gentleman.
"Oh, yeah, right, you're gay, and I'm Lorenzo Lamas."
"Well, I am. I'm gay."
"But you're so... blah." Glenn seemed completely dumbfounded by the news, unsure what to do with himself at the reveal that not only was Jeff gay, but he seemed to have no clue as to who Sandra was - let alone that she was pregnant.
"Well, wait, then who's dating Sandra?" Dina asked, all eyes falling on the shy brunette who was, for once, not curling into herself or hiding away from the situation at hand.
"I made it up." Sandra admitted. Out of the corner of your eye you could see Jonah sitting up straighter in his seat, elbows coming to rest on his knees as he put himself deeper into the conversation. Gasps seemed to be the only thing that left most peoples mouth, secret after secret beginning to be revealed. "I haven't been dating anyone."
Glenn completely ignored Sandra's comment, eyes raking over Jeff's form as he was still completely absorbed in the new information he received. "I mean, nothing here pops at all."
"Why would you make something like that up?" Jonah leaned even further forward as he asked the question, captivated by the drama that was unfolding before you all at a rapid pace.
"At first it was a misunderstanding, and then I just started liking the attention." At least Sandra was honest, even if it was a little sad she'd made the whole thing up. "For the first time in my life, I was a star."
"I'm the one who's been dating Jeff." Queue the second round of gasps and groans at Mateo's sudden addition to the stew pot of admissions that were being made. Walking around the outside of the break room, he moved to stand by Jeff's side, linking his arm through Jeff's suit-clad one. "Okay, the whole time, me-me-me-me-me."
"Umm, we were keeping that between us." Jeff muttered, making Mateo's smile quickly drop, his arm still linked through Jeff's. He knew he didn't mean it to be mean, but he couldn't help he wanted people to know they were together.
"I just don't get it. If you can be gay, that means anyone can be gay." Glenn somehow stayed hung up on the first revelation of the evening, not caring for the drama yet caring for the shock of Jeff's coming out.
"Okay, well, you know, cat's out of the bag. Me and Jeff. Does anybody have any questions?" Though Mateo seemed rather excited for things to be out in the open, Jeff quickly shushed him down, turning and addressing the break room.
"Can we please keep this in this room? I'm not supposed to be dating anybody from one of the stores."
"But casual sex is okay, right? 'Cause I've been banging Garrett on and off for a while now." And the fences have been breached once more. You'd known, even in your non sober state, from Dina's drunken admission, but for it to be admitted openly, still without any word from Garrett stung.
Under the burning gazes of the entire population of the break room, Garrett finally stuttered out an admission; once again creating a wave of shock and surprise throughout the room. "Uh, that is correct."
"Really? And you you didn't tell us?" Jonah seemed upset enough for the both of you, as Garrett's self designated best friends, it felt like knowledge you deserved to have. In reality, Garrett didn't owe you anything; not an explanation, not a story time, nothing. That, unfortunately, didn't make it hurt any less.
"I'm sorry, it just we haven't told anybody." Garrett shrugged, defending his actions, or lack there of to the two of you.
"Dina told me." You frown, arms folding across your chest as you avoided Garrett's line of sight.
"To be fair, dove, I didn't think you'd remember after all the vodka you drank." Dina admitted, flashes of the lunch outing you'd thrown for Amy coming to mind and your stomach churning at the mention of vodka lemonade.
"Oh, I remembered due to the complete and utter betrayal I felt." You knew you couldn't be one to talk. Though you'd briefly mentioned bits and pieces of your relationship to Garrett and Jonah; you'd never confirmed it's existence, only your seemingly unrequited feelings or unusual actions from Marcus.
"It's fine, I don't, I don't care." Jonah slouched into his seat, turning to face the front of the break room and resulting to ignoring Garrett.
"What about just, like, actual dating? Is that okay? Are we allowed to date people within the store?" Marcus asked from behind you and Jonah, his hands resting on the back of your chair as he leaned forward to address the room. "Because me and y/n have been together for a while now."
You could feel the heat rush to your face as yet another round of gasps echoed around the break room, face after face turning to look at your and Marcus where you'd began to sink into your seat. Everyone who's eyes you met were filled with surprise, some confusion, some shock, some hurt.
"Oh, so when I don't tell you, it's the end of the world. But you don't have to tell me?" Garrett gasped, his jaw hung open and his arms folded tightly across his chest.
Spluttering as you sat upwards, you pointed a finger at your best friend, you other hand reaching back to hold Marcus's that had moved to your shoulder. "In my defence, I told you I thought I'd asked him on a date."
"Wait, is he who you had valentines plans with?" Jonah only seemed to come to the realisation at the admission of you two as a couple. "Marcus?
"I tried to set the two of you up when I was playing Cupid! And you said no! Was it because you were already together?" Glenn whined, finally breaking out of his shocked stupor only to fall into another one. "What has happened to this store?"
"Me. I happened. This is me. This is my fault." Amy had reached her chance for resolution. Her secret spilling had created this convoluted mess; and now she was hopefully going to fix it. "I opened the cage, or whatever. I've never seen "Jurassic Park.""
"You've never seen Jurassic Park?" Of all the things that had been admitted today, that felt like that worse. Considering you'd watched it at least 3 times in the time you lived with her, you found it an impossible feat.
"Okay, that is not what we're dealing with right now. Look, I should not have gotten involved. Sandra, I'm really sorry." Amy's apology was earnest, and genuine, and you could tell she really did feel bad for the mess she'd inadvertently created.
"No, I feel great. No more lies. No more credit card debt from buying myself flowers. I can cancel the horse-drawn carriage." Things seemed to calm down as quickly as they had riled up, people being dismissed from the break room as people began to disperse into smaller groups of conversation.
"I almost told you a couple times." Garrett admitted, as though the fleeting statement would fix the hurt Jonah still felt. Letting him know that you knew had seemed to resolve your anger at him, but Jonah hadn't had that chance.
"I said it's fine."
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"So that's why you didn't want me talking about people's love lives because you had a little secret of your own." Amy teased, a tight lipped smile on Garrett's face as he put up with the comments from Amy.
You were all wrapped up and ready to go home; Marcus's jacket, that you'd now more then claimed as your own, covered your shoulders and your scarf was wrapped tightly around your neck in an effort to keep the warmth in. Your bag was crammed full and desperate for you to actually sort through it when you got back to your apartment.
"Why don't we talk about y/n and Marcus, huh? Surely that is so much more interesting. I mean, Marcus! Marcus, really?" Garrett's attempt to change the conversation failed miserably as a devilish smile curled onto Amy's lips, her fingers drumming against the counter top.
"Oh, don't try and change the subject, Gare. Amy's known for months." You revealed, swinging your legs over the edge of the countertop that you sat against, finally getting your seat back now that Cheyenne was nowhere to be found.
"And I didn't get to know because...?"
"We haven't really put a label on it. Plus, I did tell you I asked him on a date." You didn't even need to turn to face Garrett to know he was quirking his eyebrows at you in utter disbelief. "Kind of."
"Well, you never told me it went anywhere after that!"
"Are we gonna get a destination wedding?" Amy continued, Garrett seething with every teasing comment that slipped past her lips. "Like, how many cute little Garrett-Dina babies are you gonna have? Garrett Junior?"
"Hey, Dina, Amy went to go see "Lego Batman" yesterday." Garrett left immediately after outing Amy's fake sick day affairs to Dina, a smile curling on his face at the knowledge that he'd, ultimately, won whatever little argument they had going on.
"I'm gonna have to call you back. What in the name of God is "Lego Batman"?"
"Well, that's my signal to go." Pushing from the counter top, you held onto your bag strap, pressing a kiss to Amy's cheeks before waving goodbye to both women. "See you later, Ames, Dee."
As you made your way towards the exit of the store, you had the pleasure of bumping into Marcus, reaching out for his hand and pulling him to a stop. "Hey! There you are."
"Hey, angel. How's your afternoon been?" It was beginning to get dark outside, the dregs of afternoon leaving and night-time coming swiftly along. It had only been an hour, maximum, since your relationship had been outed to the entirety of your co-workers, and already Marcus was being more touchy and flirty then he'd usually be in public. "You know, with that whole thing in the break room?"
"Oh! Umm, good, I feel. The shock didn't seem to reach outside of the break room. Everyone's been pretty chill about it, actually."
"I'm sorry." You hadn't expected an apology at all when you'd approached him, you had no idea where it had come from or why. "About just... telling everyone. I wasn't really thinking in the moment and the question just came out before I could stop myself and-"
"Hey, Marcus. It was okay. I don't mind." Reaching your other hand up to smooth against the fabric of his warehouse coveralls, his blue cloud 9 hoodie on top of it to keep him warm.
"Wait, really?"
"Well, yeah. I've never been bothered about who knew or what they knew, y'know." You we're holding both of Marcus's hands now, then hanging between the two of you as you kept eye contact in your heartfelt discussion. So much had been admitted today - why not take the chance to get things cleared up?
"Oh. I thought you wanted it to be a secret."
"Really? Oh, Marcus, sweetie. I never wanted it to be a secret. Sure, I didn't go around shouting it to the world, but I just assumed people would find out in their own time anyway."
"But you could." Marcus suggested with a sly smile, one hand coming to scratch at the back of his neck while the other squeezed yours. "Now that everyone knows anyway."
"I could...?" You prompted, looking up at the taller man and meeting his eyes.
Marcus didn't answer your question. Instead, he took a deep breath, squeezing your hand before shouting up at the ceiling of the store. "I'm dating y/n!"
His words echoed throughout the building, a hand coming to cover your mouth as nervous laughter bubbles past your lips. Pulling at the front of his coveralls, you got his to face you one again, fists clutching the fabric there and shaking his slightly. "Shush! Shush... we're in the store."
"I don't care who hears, I want the world to know I'm yours." Marcus's words were breathless but not hushed, a wide, toothy smile covering his face, dimples deep and showing and eyes crinkled with joy.
Taking in a deep breath, you look up at the ceiling, Marcus pulling at the material of your scarf gently as it began to fall over your shoulders. Closing your eyes, you shouted out. "Marcus is my boyfriend!"
Marcus's eyes met your own, his bright smile never falling as the pair of you dissolved into laughter once again. Marcus's arms wrapped around your shoulders, pulling you against his chest, your head resting against his coveralls. "Boyfriend? Shit, man, this day just keeps getting better, huh?"
Marcus ducked his head down to meet yours, pressing a kiss to your lips and then another, and then another, making yet another laugh bubble past your lips. As the two of you headed out of the store together, hand in hand, a frustrated sigh left Garrett.
"I can't believe they're together. I mean, I figured if y/n was going to date anyone, it would've been me, or you. Or even Cheyenne. But Marcus? I did not see that one coming."
"Me either, man." Jonah shook his head, arms folded and one hand to his lips, picking at the skin of his lips. "But, you know what? I should've known after the puppy thing."
"What's the puppy thing? What happened? What could I have possibly missed?" Jonah ignored Garrett's attempt at putting the pieces of your relationship together, instead focusing on the fact that he hadn't been able to do so before.
"But you? Dude, she told you she asked him on a date! How did you not know?"
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MARCHS AND Y/NS REALATIONSHIP FINALLY OUT IN THE OPEN DUNNDUN DUN
Also It took writing this chapter for me to discover that Americans don't have cordial in the same way I, in the U.K., have cordial. Apparently the closest thing they have to it is in the terms of KoolAid. So when Glenn said juice he meant like apple juice and not watered down Robinsons Fruit Squash orange. Mad stuff.
This is my longest character so far at 8.3K words!! So thank you for sticking with it and reading it all the way through. You guys support means everything to me and keeps me motivated to continue writing. <3
As always, have a lovely week!! <333