Lucky Ones

Chapter One

Joanne shoved open the backdoor of the restaurant with her shoulder as she twisted the handle with her hand, pushing her way into the kitchen and out of the damp Philadelphia air, thick with cigarette smoke and the humidity of a looming storm.  She breathed in deeply, welcoming the hot, clean air of the bustling kitchen.  Pinning up her hair as she charged through the all too small space, Joanne dodged waiters carrying prepared dishes and chefs holding scalding hot pans until she pushed through the double swinging doors, moist with sweat and steam, and exited the kitchen.

Taking a sharp right, she then found herself in front of the employee lockers, facing the one in the furthest top right corner, which she instinctively began to unlock.  Swinging the door open, she shoved her belongings into the small space, forcing her bag inside with an aggressive push.  Her head nearly slammed against the locker directly below hers as the bag suddenly sunk into its place.

With a sharp sigh, she stole a glance at the microscopic mirror haphazardly placed on the interior door of her locker.  Surrounded by half-peeled Hello Kitty stickers and the gray-brown color of the locker's interior, the chipping mirror seemed perfectly in place.  She shoved down vague happy memories of her childhood as she took particular notice of the sticker depicting the all too happy kitten and her mother.  Slamming the door shut without taking a proper look at herself, she turned to face the main stretch of hallway.

The small hallway only encased two rooms, both of which sat on the right wall.  The room closest to her was the employee break room, a small, particularly dingy space that she avoided except when clocking in and out and on the occasion that the restaurant was giving out free food.  A few feet down from the room sat her bitch of a boss's office.  She had only been in that room once, and she only planned to go there once more: the day she could finally quit.

She decided long ago that her departure from this shithole would be glorious.  Littered with "fuck you"s and a "tell the devil I said 'hi' when you get back home," her farewell would be so spectacular that her boss would finally wipe that smug smile off her face.  She grinned at the thought.

Joanne would've left a long time ago if she didn't need the money... and she supposed that one of her coworkers wasn't so bad.  Maybe she stayed for her too, but she wouldn't let herself believe that.  "Jo?" a voice chirped as if it had read her mind.  She heard her giggle before she saw her.

In a meager attempt to appear aloof, Joanne focused her stare on the two large bulletin boards on the left side of the hallway as she leaned nonchalantly against the lockers.  She crossed her arms and legs and struggled to keep her balance as her coworker came to face her.  "Yes, Liv?" Joanne returned with a smirk.

Joanne attempted to keep her cool as Olivia casually tucked in her wrinkled white dress shirt, never taking her eyes off of Joanne.  She continued to ready herself for her shift, tying her straw blonde hair back into a low bun that fit tightly against her head.  Joanne reached her hand out towards the girl's face to fluff out her bangs and to gently pull out a few strands of hair to frame her face, just the way she knew Olivia liked.

She smiled in return and grabbed Joanne's hand before she could pull it away.  "Come clock in with me?" she asked.  The question so simple and casual it shouldn't have made Joanne's cheeks burn.  But as she nodded and Olivia dragged her towards the break room, she couldn't help the red from spreading across her face.  Taking a glance down both sides of the hall, the pair ducked into the empty room before locking the door shut behind them.

Joanne barely had a chance to flick the lights off before Olivia's mouth was on hers, and she was smiling into the kiss.  "Missed me that much, huh?" Joanne teased as she began to unbutton her coworker's top, pulling it out from her pants as she worked her way down.  Olivia only laughed in response as her lips met Joanne's neck.