Shiny Celebrity Skin

I couldn't help myself. Everytime I looked at Shannon while I was at work, I was glaring. I didn't care if she noticed; I was furious with her. I knew that I should have been just as angry at Matt, but I wasn't. I had myself so convinced that he was just lonely that I couldn't be mad that he was spending time with someone else.

But I could be mad at Shannon. In fact, I had no problem being mad at her. The only downside to my rage was that I was beyond the stage of planning childish pranks to bother her. I was now to the point where I wanted her out of the picture entirely. Getting her fired didn't seem harsh enough. I had to find a way to make Matt forget that she existed.

"Becky, can I talk to you?" Leilani's tone cut through me.

I spun around to face her, feeling slightly threatened. She had never sounded upset with me before. I was always her favourite employee. I cowered a bit.

"Of course. What's up?"

"In my office, please."

I followed behind her, my shoulders slumping. I felt like a child that was being sent to the principal's office. As soon as I closed the door behind me, she rounded on me.

"Whatever your problem with Shannon is, it ends as soon as you clock in. I don't care if you tear each other's hair out when you're not here, but as far as customers are concerned, the two of you are best friends inside these walls. Got it?"

I nodded. "Sorry. I didn't realize that I looked so unprofessional about the whole thing."

"Well you do. You snarl at her everytime you cross paths. What the hell is up with you today?" Her voice had lightened considerably. It felt like I was talking to a friend again.

"I just found out last night that she's been sneaking around with Matt behind my back. I really didn't mean for it to interfere with my work, but I can't stand to look at her."

"So," she paused, thinking over what I'd said. "How are things with you and Matt?"

"A little tense," I admitted. "But overall, they're not bad."

"So why are you so prepared to tear Shannon's throat out, yet Matt doesn't get any repercussions?"

I frowned. Leilani was even more logical than Markie. I hated that they always seemed to ask the questions that I didn't want to answer.

"Because Matt has been alone for awhile. And he's chosen me over jealous girlfriends for way too long. I can't be the one to force him to make that choice now."

Leilani stared at me with critical eyes. After a pause, her expression relaxed. "Becky, I understand that you don't want to hurt Matt. But doesn't he realize how much this is bothering you? It seems to me that he wouldn't want to hurt you like this, either."

"He didn't want me to find out," I sighed, dropping down into a nearby chair. "I asked him last night where he's been going lately, and he told me. He didn't want to keep any secrets from me, I guess. But I wasn't expecting the answer that I got. He wanted to talk about it, but I kind of left him hanging. I didn't want to get mad at him, you know? Really, he didn't do anything wrong. Just because I disagree with him, it doesn't mean that I want him to be unhappy over it."

Leilani perched herself on her chair behind the desk. "So what are you going to do about it? The way I see it, you've got a couple of options. You can talk to Matt about how much it upsets you, you can try and talk to Shannon, or you can leave it alone and hope that they break it off themselves."

"I don't want to bring it up with Matt again; I don't want to make him feel any worse about it than he already does. And I can't bring it up with Shannon, because I just might kill her. So I guess I've got to let it be." I hunched over in my chair. I felt defeated.

"That's your call, Becky. If you need to talk, my door is always open. But seriously, you've got to lose the attitude. I can't pretend that I don't see it, and soon enough she's going to come crying to me. She might not be your favourite person in the world, but she's a good waitress. I don't want to lose any staff right now."

I nodded. "Yeah, I get it. Listen, I know it hasn't been all that long since I took time off to go to Mexico with Josh, but I've been thinking-"

"Take all the time you need."

"You didn't even hear what I had to say!"

"Let me guess," she folded her hands together on the desk top and smiled at me. "You've been thinking that you need a break to adjust to this new knowledge. If you take some time off and talk to Josh and Ian and Mike and whoever else you might know, you might be able to get a different perspective and come to terms with it. Am I right? Just do me a favor and finish your shifts this week first, alright? That will give me enough time to rework the schedule and cover you. And let me know as soon as you know when you're going to be coming back."

I blinked a few times, shocked that she had read me so easily. Usually only Matt could do that. "I'll need a few days to get ready, anyways. I think I want to go visit my parents. I haven't seen them in almost six months."

Leilani nodded. "That sounds like a good idea. Maybe you should take Josh with you. By the sounds of it, he's been spending every spare moment in the studio. I think it's time for a vacation, even if it's only to Edmonton for a little while. Are you planning on staying there for New Years? Or just for Christmas?"

I shrugged. "I hadn't really thought about it. I'll let you know as soon as I do." As I considered her question, I realized that I could use Christmas as the perfect excuse for my spontaneous trip.

"Great. Now go back to work, and try not to murder any coworkers, please."

I laughed appreciatively. "I'll try. Thanks, Leilani."

I spent the rest of my shift avoiding Shannon. I knew that if I was trapped in close quarters with her, I wouldn't be able to contain myself. Despite my best efforts, however, she caught up to me in the kitchen as I waited impatiently for a lasagna to be passed out.

"Becky," she sounded timid as she approached me. "Are you mad at me?"

"No," I lied, clenching my jaw.

Her eyes shifted to the side, avoiding my intense stare. "It sure seems like you are. Did I do something wrong?"

"Nope," I reached excitedly for the order I was waiting for as it appeared. "Everything is perfectly fine, Shannon. I've got to go."

I stepped past her quickly, balancing my tray on my fingertips and rushing out of the kitchen. I let out a heavy breath as I left, feeling relieved to be out of the room. I had never been the best at holding my tongue. In the end, I really didn't want to hurt Shannon. I was too nice for that. But I didn't want her around anymore. In fact, it probably wouldn't bother me if I never saw her face again.

"Hey, Josh?" I spoke into my cell phone as soon as I was safely in my car.

"What's up, Becky? You sound stressed."

"I was just wondering if you were free for awhile after this week," I pulled out of the parking lot, pinning the phone between my ear and my shoulder.

"I guess I can be. What are you planning?"

"I think I need some time away. Want to come to Edmonton for awhile? I'll understand if you can't make it; Christmas is coming and you'll probably want to be with your family."

"Now that you mention it, I had something to ask you about Christmas. I was wondering if maybe we could spend it together this year."

I frowned. "We were together last year. We went to your parents house, remember?"

"Right, but I meant just us."

"So," I stopped at a red light and took the phone in my hand again. "You don't want to go to Edmonton, then? You want to stay here?"

"It doesn't really matter where we go, Becky. I just want to spend the day with you."

I chewed on my bottom lip thoughtfully. "Well are you okay with going there for awhile? I just feel like it might be good for me to see my parents for awhile. I haven't been there in a long time, and even when I was there it was only for a day."

"Of course. That's totally reasonable. I'll go with you."

I smiled. "Perfect. I'm going to book the flights as soon as I get home."

I didn't know what I would accomplish by going back to Edmonton. I just knew that I couldn't stay at work much longer while Shannon was there. Maybe if I had some time to think it over without being involved in the situation, I might feel better about it.

It wasn't likely, but it was possible.

"Hey, Matt!" I yelled as I walked into my apartment.

"Yeah?"

"I think Josh and I are going to go to Edmonton to spend Christmas with my parents this year. You won't be too lonesome here all by yourself, will you?"

He popped his head out of the kitchen. "Well, believe it or not, I do have a family to spend the holidays with. I think I'll survive. But I bet you'll have fun. Your mom will be really happy to have you around."

I laughed. "She'll be pretty disappointed that you're not there with me."

"Yeah, Josh is a pretty terrible replacement. Anyways, I ordered us a pizza for supper tonight. Want to watch the game with me?" His voice was almost pleading, as if he were using pizza and hockey to make things right with me.

"You bet your ass I do. But only if there's beer, too."

He chuckled. "Isn't there always beer around here?"

I smiled. Even if I had been mad at Matt, I wouldn't have been able to stay that way for long.