Night Changes

Seven

Joanna’s POV- August 2014
I looked up when I heard the front door close. I wiped my eyes and looked at myself in the mirror. I loved Pittsburgh, it was beautiful but I hated my job. Why? Everyone there wanted me to fail.
I was the only girl working there and they treated me as if I wasn’t their boss. Yes, I was their boss. My boss had put me in charge of this office and yet I couldn’t get a simple nice response from all the guys.
In just two weeks I had lost 10 pounds. I was already self-conscious of my body; I thought I was too skinny. I was still healthy weight but if I dropped another 10 pounds I would be underweight. Most people would dream to have my body but I always hated it. I got boobs and a body at a later age, I was 16 when my period came. That was the year everything else came and I hated how guys looked at me. They looked at me as if I were a piece of meat.
That was exactly how most of the men in my job looked at me. That or with disgust, I didn’t dress revealing at all. These men had wives and girlfriends and I really didn’t want them in my office trying to start something.

There was a knock on the door making me look at the door.

“Joanna! Come to the living room! I brought some food! We could eat and chat”

“I’ll go in a bit” I called out.

Joanna had moved in already, and school would start for her soon.

“Beau is here!”

I sighed and looked at my short shorts I was wearing. I got up and switched into some long bottoms. I slipped on a hoodie and slipped on my glasses. I took a deep breath and walked to the living room. Beau looked up from his spot on the couch and smiled.

“Hey”

“Hi” I told him as I sat down on the lazy boy.

He cocked his head and looked at me. He frowned a little and concern appeared on his face.

“Were you crying?”

I laughed and shook my head. Truth was that I was crying, but he didn’t need to know that.

“No, I was reading and I forget to blink when I concentrate” I told him making him laugh.

“Yea, that and I’m exhausted” I said.

“Oh, you didn’t need to come out here then”

“I came for food” I told him as Ariadne handed me a plate of takeout.

“Did you eat today?”

I nodded at Ariadne; I really didn’t eat sometimes when I was at work because I didn’t want to see any of the people I worked with.

“Yes, I forgot my lunch in the fridge though so I had to go buy food. That Chinese place across the street is delicious” I told her making her laugh.

Beau looked at her.

“They all get in tomorrow night, breakfast the following day then?”

She nodded and they looked at me. I could see them through my peripheral vision as I eat some of my Thai food.

“Jo”

I looked up at Ariadne and she smiled.

“Would you mind if some people came over for like brunch?”

I shook my head.

“It’s your place Aria” I told her.

She frowned.

“It is also your place”

I nodded slowly.

“Yea, I don’t mind at all” I told her.

She nodded and smiled.

“I also want you to have brunch with us”

I nodded and took a bite of my food.

“Yea, can I help make brunch?” I asked her.

She nodded and smiled.

“Of course! We are going to have so much fun!”

My phone vibrated and I smiled at her.

“This food is great” I told her.

I looked at Beau to see he was studying me.

“Are you sure you’re feeling ok?”

“Yea, I had an extremely long day” I told him.

You never tell a guy you’re fine or ok, especially one who’s studying you like the way Beau was.

“What’d you do?”

“A shitload of paperwork” I said making him make a face.

“You’re the boss, why didn’t you make someone else do the job?”

“They had their own paperwork” I said.

They told me to do it myself, I’m serious and I was their superior. They spoke to me like that. My phone vibrated again and I pulled my phone out. It was a text from Sidney. It read, “Goodnight”

I locked the phone and looked at them. They were back to watch TV. I looked at the screen and I quietly finished my food. I stood up and walked to the kitchen. I washed my plate and cup and turned off the light.

“Night” I told them.

“Aren’t you going to stay up to watch?”

“I would, but I have to be up at 6am” I said making them make a face.

“Gross”

“Yea, well it’s Friday tomorrow so that means the weekend. Goodnight” I told them.

“Night!”

I walked to my room and closed my eyes as I closed the door. I let out a sniffle and walked over to my desk. I pulled out a picture and wiped my face. I was 5 years old when my mom passed away but I still craved her touch. Sure, my dad remarried and I love that mom to bits but she wasn’t my mom if that made sense.

I looked at the picture and smiled. My mom was 21 in this picture and my aunt was 17. They could honestly pass off as models in the picture but I loved it so much that I stole it from my mom’s album when she was diagnosed with Cancer. My mom was a natural blonde, as was I but my hair was just ridiculous. It was like super blonde and I used to hate it. I used to dye it all the time, but it was until last year when I began embracing it. It reminded me of my mom and my aunt Angie loved my hair color.

I unlocked my phone and looked at the text message. I wanted to call Sidney, but we were just friends. I replied to him though.

“Night! Don’t let the bed bugs bite!”

I put my phone on the bed. It began vibrating and I looked at the phone. It was Sidney.

“Hello” I said.

“Hey, I can’t sleep”

I smiled and looked at the time. It was midnight and I had to be up at 6.

“Me neither, what are you doing?” I asked him.

We talked till 2am and well it was worth it. He made me laugh and feel tingly inside. I really did like him and if I couldn’t be his girlfriend I didn’t mind being his friend. I wasn’t mad over him for keeping the fact that he was a big bad hockey player. Honestly I understood him, he actually trusted me. In a way that was enough to not be mad at him. I woke up the next morning and barely made it to work on time.

“Good morning”

I smiled at my superior and he looked at me.

“Long night?”

I looked at him and he pointed at my cup of coffee.

“You usually have tea”

I laughed and nodded.

“Yea” I said.

“You seem happy”

I smiled and nodded.

“I like you that way, whatever you’re doing or who you are talking to please continue”

I laughed and walked into my office, Robert was my superior and he was the best person ever. He would be leaving soon though, when he saw I was ready to take over. I took a seat on my desk and sighed lightly. There was a giant stack of paper work on my desk. I guess today was going to be much worse.
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I am out of class but i have literally 50 pages of reading i need to do before tomorrow. I also need to start studying for my midterm that i have next monday. So much to do this week and i am not looking forward to it at all. Bye guys!