{ Chapter Eleven: Biting the Tongue Before Your Fist Draws Blood }
JANICE WAS SILENT ON HER RIDE. It was a sharp contrast to the earlier enthusiasm that she'd been suffering, but this-- this was ridiculous. She wanted to put on a brave face and refill her anticipation, but her aunt's serious, ugly reaction happened to be a freaking large mood killer.
Karlo picked up on her moodiness, but refused to initiate something about it too soon, a little terrified to agitate the girl beside him, who was glowering at the window like she wanted to break it. Janice was so annoyed, she probably would've. And that was twenty bucks he was so not paying.
After the radio went into a drawled intermission and they'd stopped at a red light, he couldn't take it anymore. "Okay, enough. What's eating you up?"
"Nothing."
"Yeah, even bull's have crap more legitimate than that."
"It's nothing," Janice replied, her words coming out more harsher than she wanted. Still facing her passenger window, she rolls it a down a little so she could cool the heat in her cheeks, careful to keep her hair in place.
"Janice, I can tell something's wrong. Is it about the hangout? Are you still scared?"
"No."
"Goddamn, Janice, will you stop acting like a ch--"
Janice was already walking on a tightrope with her emotions, but she felt as if Karlo's pushing made her misstep somewhere. "A child? Why? Sick of hanging around them all the time suddenly? Tough luck."
"Alright, what the hell?" Karlo asked, sending her a frustrated look.
Janice sighed, exasperated. "Karlo, look. It's nothing. Aunt Maria was being a jerk. And I guess she's not the only one. Sorry."
"What did she do?" Karlo asked softly, hoping not to antagonize Janice any further.
His sister fiddled with her necklace, and with a short side glance to the side, Karlo noticed that her hostile mood had melted away to nerves. "Alejandro let me borrow mom's necklace." At the stunned silence, she barreled through with, "and Aunt Maria saw it and told me to take it off and that I didn't deserve to wear it and I don't know, I guess it isn't fair for me to wear someone's necklace that isn't even related to me but I loved it and Alejandro seemed like it was a good idea and--"
Karlo interrupted Janice's rambling with a raspy, "she was your mom. Of course you're allowed to wear it. Aunt Maria can't tell you otherwise."
"I-I." Janice stopped herself, not knowing how those couple sentences eased her mind considerably. She settled for a heart-felt, "thanks."
"Now if you're over with that, I hope you know you don't look like you walked out of a dumpster anymore, so props to you."
And that is how Karlo Diablo complimented people. "Actually, Alejandro kind of designed this, ha," Janice said, and laughed as Karlo's eyes bugged out.
He pretended to look contemplative at the road in front of him. "I always knew there was something wrong with that kid."
Janice just shoved her brother, and although the car tilted to the side and a honk burst the air, she still glared at him playfully. "There is nothing wrong with a boy knowing how to look smart. Especially if it somehow benefits their fashion blind sister."
"I don't know, is he going to work at Victoria, too? Bet he'd be a fabulous mannequin, you know? He won't even need those spray on tans; he already resembles a Doritos," said Karlo with a cheeky smile.
Janice held her stomach, the knots unloosening with her feverish laughter. They talked a little bit more about little stuff (imagine Aunt Maria bald; dad with pink heart swim trunks; Aàron getting clothing advice from his twin), and it succeeded in giving her something she'd been so desperate for the entire day. It gave her confidence. Because she wasn't a damsel in distress or a girl who needed someone's approval for what she did.
She is her own freaking hero, and she damn well knows it.
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AS JANICE WALKED UP TO THE OHIO MALL she'd been seeing so frequently this past week, her confidence remained intact. It seemed as if the only approval she'd learned was the one for herself, and because of this, her steps were steady and gorgeous, her strapped shoes silently hitting the pavement as she pushed open the glass doors.
Of course, her mouth felt a little dry and her neck a little clammy, but otherwise, she felt like she could handle anything. Even a petty (tedious, completely teeny-tiny) thing as disliking (gossiping, teasing) from people she really (really, really) wanted to get along with couldn't stop her.
Confidence. Sure does get you through places.
Weirdly enough, it was the familiar sign of neon store name that brought a wash of calm over her, and she reminisces, amused, at the time where she had absolutely despised these very letters. While she's still not 50% comfortable with the questions that her job brings (do you think this makes me look fat? do you think my ex will go out with me again? you free this Friday night?), she's still found herself getting so used to the environment -- doesn't know if that's a good thing -- that she can't see herself anywhere else, even if it's still hard to wrap around her head sometimes.
Breathing in with a shaky breath, Janice chides herself not to act like such a sissy and catches sight of Brielle, who she is a little proud to call more than just a normal co-worker, especially since they talked a lot through work and spent breaks afterwards a couple times.
Brielle caught sight of Janice's bizarre hair and excused herself from the customer she was with, her mouth running a mile a minute before Janice could even speak. "Hey, was wondering whe-- oh, my god, you look amazing! I love your top!" Brielle gushed, and Janice looked down at the wooden floor, a burning heat rushing up to stain her cheeks, almost matching the hue of her hair.
"Did you get this from H&M? Wow, I love the design on the front, and it goes so well with your complexion. You can't just spring up on me with this brilliance when you've been showing up here frazzled in jeans and button ups!" Brielle smacked Janice's arm lightly with the coupon package she'd been handing out before she'd rushed over.
"Thanks, Bri," Janice said.
"No problem! But, as much as I love, and I do mean, love, this outfit, I still think you rock your casual clothes just as much." Brielle winked, and even though it shouldn't have felt like the greatest thing someone could say to her, Janice sure felt like it did. "Now, get back to your station or else we'll get fired. You're coming to the get together after this at seven? It won't be long."
"Yeah, I am," Janice said, "kind of nervous, to be honest. Do you usually get new arrivals?"
"Actually, not really," Brielle said. "It's not like half the people that apply are seriously interested in anything more than looking at hot bodies or want free stuff. I wasn't even kidding when I told you that the first time you asked to take the position. I think one of the reasons I wanted you to be here so much was because you looked so uncomfortable."
"Didn't realize that for me to get a job was too look like I opened my brother's laundry hamper," Janice said, remembering how completely awkward she felt looking at the half naked models surrounding the walls she'd looked at.
"You're a keeper," Brielle smirked, "though it did help that James liked you. God, the tension between you two when he asked you those questions made everyone hot and bothered and we're in a goddamn sex-based store for crying out loud."
Looking into Brielle's smoky eye make-up, Janice tries to bite the smile on her lips as she stares into her eyes, trying to keep a straight-faced. "Really? Pretty sure I got the job because I saw you." With a cheesy wink to go along with it, she pretended to blow Brielle a kiss.
Brielle played along, mimicking catching it in a palm and pocketing it. "Everyone should be falling to my feet because of my hotness. Can't wait to make James jealous."
"Shut up," Janice said, rolling her eyes, but couldn't stop the smile that always appeared when they had their conversations. "Now get back to work. Such laziness. How did you even get hired?"
"My hotness, 'nuff said." Brielle stuck out her tongue, but got back to her job.
From then on, their colloquies were scarce after business started to get busy, especially since the darker shades of blue started to stream in through the sky window they kept. Getting hit on a couple times by some inebriated guys (she made her point by kicking them out right after) and getting asked a thousand questions about the perfume's she kept restocking after one brat kept messing up the order, they finally caught their break.
"Hey, Bri, who's going to be on staff, anyways?" Janice asked, both of them standing in the back and rearranging some of the (partial/barely/hardly enough fabric to be classified as) clothes. "I mean, what are they like?"
"I was wondering when you'd ask," Brielle said. "They're a good bunch, I'll give them that. Other than Tiffany. God, she's a grade A bitch. Totally just here to get into James' pants. But all the others are awesome. My favorite's Moira, though she doesn't really work here. She does most of the juggling with the money, kind of like like our personal treasurer. Then there's Reneé. She has the most gorgeous ebony skin, ever. Super jealous. She's also a favorite. Talia, Kira and Anha are the greatest, too; they're the funniest people I've probably ever met."
Brielle sported a wistful smile, the affection for her friends palpable. "Think that's most of them. I won't lie, though, there's these two guys that work at Abercrombie and Calvin on the third floor that usually come by. They're pretty chummy with James, which I guess shouldn't be a surprise. James is smoking."
Janice shrugged, though she didn't disagree. Like, yeah, his cheekbones were carved out of rock and his hair was molten lava and his skin was whipped cream, but so what?
"But, yeah, the group's pretty excited to meet you. I probably made you seem cooler than you are, but eh." Brielle said.
Janice scoffed, pretending to flip her hair. "I am cool. I'm so cool, Antarctica is jealous. Elvis Presley rolls in his grave. James Bond does his jig in honor."
"You mean James Ruth gives slow claps in your honor. But we all know he'd love to do more than that with his hands."
Janice threw a hanger at Brielle's sexual innuendo, who squeals. "What? Seriously, you should see the way that guy talks about you. He gushes, Janice. Gushes."
"Oh, would you put a panty in it," Janice said, turning her head to hide the whimsical grin erupting to break on her face.
"I'm not into that type of kink, sweetheart."
"You're-- I don't even know, but I can't even with you." Janice said, shaking her head.
Brielle puts a hand on her hip, which was clad in a gorgeous lace dress. "I'm not dirty minded. I have a sexy imagination. Kind of comes with the job, love."
"Let's keep that sexy stuff locked up in your head, yeah?" Janice said.
"I am a queen, alright? It's meant to be shown! Appreciated! Worshipped! This sex appeal has girls changing genders, married couples lingering glances, guys on their knees-- hey! I don't mean literally! Okay, lies, but a girl can dream. I can't keep it hidden!"
"What's not supposed to be hidden?" Janice catches her breath in her throat, which she convinces herself is because she's trying to cough her laughter at Brielle's widened eyes and pursed lips, not because James just walked around the corner with a raised eyebrow. "Is it my employee's? Because I've found them, and they need to get back inside before someone trips a bottle or something."
"Roger that," Janice salutes, losing the battle to stop the giggles escaping her lips, running off to her station the second she hears Brielle stammering a, "y-yeah, bye!", who's scampering off to the customer in her section, a blush brighter than the red, er, suit in her hands.
"What was that about?" James whispers to Janice.
Janice just gives him a mysterious, "trust me, you'll only want to know in your dreams."
"I have a bad feeling I won't be able to get some sleep tonight," James said drily, making Janice face palm herself humorously. "Hey, excited to finally meet the rest of our... well, people we're going to have to work with even though we do 95% of their work?"
"Honestly," Janice told him, "if they're anything like Brielle? I don't think I've ever been more excited."
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A/N: Hopefully you all laughed as much as I did writing this chapter XD Oh, Brielle. Man, I love these characters. Also, if you did catch it, I ended up using some familiar names from my good friends, because the support from them is what made this story possible! Thank you to everyone who votes and comments; I noticed each and every single one of you. Special thank you to my TV Shows, that always somehow spark inspiration to edit these chapters.
Stay beautiful; regards, Sarena x