Her Secret

Operation Trinine

Tris slowly starts to lean towards Jeanine. Then the door opens and they jump away from each other. The girl walks in and doesn't seem to notice as the two awkwardly try to clean up what they were working on. Tris sighs and Jeanine clears her throat as if asking for the papers Tris had collected. She hands them over, and Jeanine puts them in her messenger bag. The two walk into the hallway, which luckily was deserted.
     "Will I see you tomorrow, Beatrice?" Jeanine asks her quietly. Tris stares at her as Jeanine studies her face.
     "Yeah. Probably," she says with a smile. Tris awkwardly holds out an arm. "Um, can I?"
     Jeanine hesitates before nodding. Jeanine is tense as Tris gives her a hug, but soon relaxes. Tris nearly shivers as Jeanine whispers "Have a nice day," directly into her ear. She then pulls away and starts to walk away.
     "You too!" Tris calls after her.
     Jeanine stops by her office and grabs a few things before heading to her apartment. When she gets there, her office chair is in the middle of the living room. She frowns as she knows that she had left it pushed in under the desk. A girl spins around in the office chair. "You. Tris. Spill. Now," she says with a smirk.
     "Joanna! What the hell have I told you about breaking and entering? Most importantly, why are you here? I thought you realized I was mad at you?"
     "I did. But after stalking you two in the lab back there, it makes me want to ask questions. First of all, are you sorry for yelling at me for being with Elise?" She asks with a smirk.
     "What are you talking about?" Jeanine asks, pretending to be confused.
     "First are you sorry?" Joanna asks sharply. "Would you like to try being reasonable about it? You know, maybe before you go all hypocritical on me," she says suggestively.
     Jeanine sighs. "Fine. I was wrong to judge."
     "And?" Joanna asks expectantly.
     "And I shouldn't have yelled at you for it."
     "I meant the Tris thing," Joanna says. Joanna was practically Jeanine's version of Audrey. The two were both excessively involved in other people's relationships.
     "What Tris thing? There is no Tris thing," Jeanine retorts.
     "So my disguise did work?" Joanna asks. Jeanine looks at her, clearly confused. "I went into the lab with blonde hair, insanely large glasses, and fake tattoo and walked in on you two about to kiss each other. Don't deny it,"
     "What's your reason for letting you get involved?" Jeanine asks.
     Joanna chuckles. "I have none other than the fact that it's payback for getting too involved in my relationship," she says with a smirk. "Please Jean?" She practically whines. "We haven't had girl chat in like forever!"
     "Fine, kiddo. I'll spill." Jeanine says with a small smile. Joanna perks up, seeming excited as Jeanine perches herself in the egg chair.
     "I want to know all of the details!" Joanna says excitedly. Jeanine rolls her eyes.
     "I kissed her while I was drunk. There's not much more to it," Jeanine says awkwardly.
     "That's it? Disappointing," Joanna jokes.
     "What we're you expecting me to say? We slept together?" Jeanine asks with an eye roll.
     "You what?" Joanna asks.
     "I was being sarcastic," Jeanine mutters.
     "I know," She mumbles. "I was kidding."
     Jeanine chews on her thumbnail slightly. "So, uh, how are you and Elise after practically wrecked your relationship?" She mutters.
     "You didn't wreck anything," Joanna says. "You merely voiced your dissent of me being gay," she says with an eye roll.
     "How hypocritical of me," Jeanine mutters. "I turned around and practically did the same thing."
     "Jean, can I just give you a piece of advice?" Joanna asks. Jeanine nods. "Just make sure that you're with her cause you want to be. Not because you feel obligated after doing something while drunk."
     Jeanine let's put a small chuckle. "You do realize I have thirty years of experience on you, right?"
     "Well, I've actually dated more people than you so . . . Which wasn't too hard. Wait. Have you ever had a boyfriend?"
     "I- yes. No. Maybe," Jeanine mumbles.
     "That's a no," Joanna says with a smirk.
     Jeanine rolls her eyes. "Aren't you too young to be in a relationship?" She asks, trying to change the subject.
     Joanna starts hysterically laughing. "Jean, you realize your little girlfriend is my age, right?"
     Jeanine freezes. "Could I really have been that dumb to not notice this before? I'm quite older than her! Jo, I'm gonna die and leave her heartbroken!"
     "Talk to her about it. See if it's a risk she's willing to take," Joanna says with a shrug. Jeanine seems to calm down as she gives her advice.
     "Yeah. I suppose I could do that," Jeanine whispers, no longer freaking out. She stares at the clock. "Nice chat, but lunch is in ten minutes," she mumbles. "You've got to go and I should attend too." Joanna nods as Jeanine slides her heels back on. "You're right. We probably should have them more often. It's refreshing to get advice from someone other than Ellie."
     "Ugh. Ellie. Sorry, but I'd like to point out how much I hate your secretary."
     "You're just prejudiced," Jeanine mumbles as she walks out. Joanna follows her, and the two slip into the dining hall together. They split and find their seats, quickly eating. Tris had come late, for she had been distracted. Tris smiles when her eyes meet Jeanine's. Jeanine returns the smile, and Joanna creepily watches them with a smirk on her face.
     "Look at me shipping ships before it was cool," she jokes out loud to herself.
     A girl slides over next to Joanna on the bench. "Tris and Jeanine, eh?"
     "Ah yes, Audrey. They'd make a lovely couple."
     Audrey smirks and whispers something in Joanna's ear. "Yeah, I think it would be possible to set them up on a date," Joanna says. A small smirk slowly spreads across her face. "Operation Trinine is a go."