Status: For my twin, Jessica. No more frowny faces.
No More Frowns
-2-
Jessica couldn’t stop looking at her phone the rest of the day. It attracted her eye and distracted her mind every time she went to start her boss’ daily reports. Finally, at 12 minutes to 12, she shoved the phone into the bottom drawer of her desk as not to distract her anymore.
“Jess, could you fax these to Malcolm in IT and this stack to Jacob?” her boss, a greasy, greedy, fat man with eyes set too close together in his head asked. She nodded and took the stacks from him. He slunk away, not before eying her creepily, something she’d grown used to in the year and a half she’d been his secretary. She walked to the copy room where the office’s fax machine was located. The copy room was empty and allowed Jess to take her time. She never hurried when her boss sent her on an errand. There was no need. He didn’t care if work got done quickly, as long as it got done. Maybe that’s why Jess kept this job, even though she hated the way he looked at her, and she hated all of the slow, monotonous work she had to do for him each day. Maybe it was because she could go at her own pace and no one cared.
When she returned to her desk, it was time to go to lunch. She grabbed her phone and purse out of the bottom drawer of her desk and headed down to the cafeteria. She set her stuff down at her usual corner two-seat table and headed back up. She smiled at Michael, an older gentleman who always came down to lunch at right around the same time. He was nice, and always let her have the last cookies.
She paid for her lunch and headed back to her table where her phone waited, staring at her. She pushed her phone underneath her purse and went about fixing her salad precisely the way she always ate it. Halfway through her lunch, her eyes drifted back to her phone, peeking out from underneath her purse. She reached for it and without thinking, had opened Cassadee’s contact; her finger hovered over the call option.
Half of her screamed to press it, to change her life and get out of this funk she was in. The other half chided her for wanting more than what she already has, because she’s comfortable and nothing was wrong with that. Except, the first half was louder and she knew she wanted this, she was just too afraid to admit it.
She pressed the button and let out a shaky breath, raising the phone to her ear. It rang once and then again before Cassadee answered.
“Hello?”
Jess sat frozen, the words dying in her throat.
“Jessica?” Cassadee asked after Jess didn’t respond for a few seconds.
“Yeah, it’s me,” she finally croaked out. She put her head in her hands, cursing herself.
“I thought you might change your mind. What’s up?”
“I. I was kinda wondering. I mean, only if you want to. It’s perfectly okay if you don’t. It’s understandable. But I mean, if you wanted to, I wanted to ask.”
“Jess, just ask me. I’m not gonna bite you if I don’t like the question.”
“Do you want to go to dinner, with me?”
“I would love to.”
“Jess, could you fax these to Malcolm in IT and this stack to Jacob?” her boss, a greasy, greedy, fat man with eyes set too close together in his head asked. She nodded and took the stacks from him. He slunk away, not before eying her creepily, something she’d grown used to in the year and a half she’d been his secretary. She walked to the copy room where the office’s fax machine was located. The copy room was empty and allowed Jess to take her time. She never hurried when her boss sent her on an errand. There was no need. He didn’t care if work got done quickly, as long as it got done. Maybe that’s why Jess kept this job, even though she hated the way he looked at her, and she hated all of the slow, monotonous work she had to do for him each day. Maybe it was because she could go at her own pace and no one cared.
When she returned to her desk, it was time to go to lunch. She grabbed her phone and purse out of the bottom drawer of her desk and headed down to the cafeteria. She set her stuff down at her usual corner two-seat table and headed back up. She smiled at Michael, an older gentleman who always came down to lunch at right around the same time. He was nice, and always let her have the last cookies.
She paid for her lunch and headed back to her table where her phone waited, staring at her. She pushed her phone underneath her purse and went about fixing her salad precisely the way she always ate it. Halfway through her lunch, her eyes drifted back to her phone, peeking out from underneath her purse. She reached for it and without thinking, had opened Cassadee’s contact; her finger hovered over the call option.
Half of her screamed to press it, to change her life and get out of this funk she was in. The other half chided her for wanting more than what she already has, because she’s comfortable and nothing was wrong with that. Except, the first half was louder and she knew she wanted this, she was just too afraid to admit it.
She pressed the button and let out a shaky breath, raising the phone to her ear. It rang once and then again before Cassadee answered.
“Hello?”
Jess sat frozen, the words dying in her throat.
“Jessica?” Cassadee asked after Jess didn’t respond for a few seconds.
“Yeah, it’s me,” she finally croaked out. She put her head in her hands, cursing herself.
“I thought you might change your mind. What’s up?”
“I. I was kinda wondering. I mean, only if you want to. It’s perfectly okay if you don’t. It’s understandable. But I mean, if you wanted to, I wanted to ask.”
“Jess, just ask me. I’m not gonna bite you if I don’t like the question.”
“Do you want to go to dinner, with me?”
“I would love to.”
♠ ♠ ♠
I stopped being a lazy bitch and wrote some more of this.I mean, I had practically the whole chapter written before THE CRASH! And then, I didn't have any ambition to rewrite it.
Here it is.
:)
Enjoy!
DFTBA,
Rory The Roman