Opening Day

Chapter 6: Work III

Jing-a-ling!

Jonesy's eyes snapped open, cutting her off mid-snore.

"Hello?" A voice called from the other side of the bathroom door, "Are you guys open?"

"Muh," Jonesy grunted and lifted her head off the cool linoleum tiles of the wall she had fallen asleep against. This took considerable effort as her head felt like it had gained about one hundred pounds since last she moved it. She pulled her right hand out from the front of her jeans and wiped the drool from her chin. The bathroom was thick with smoke, she looked at her left hand which still held what remained of her second helping of dessert. She blinked each eye individually, it seemed they had forgotten how to work in unison. She wondered when she had fallen asleep. Jonesy giggled to herself thinking about different little crews operating her eyelids. Little purple dudes upset that their phones were out and couldn't talk to the other team working the opposite eyeball. Little purple dudes, they're so mad, She laughed to herself. Wait, her laughter dissipated, how long have I been asleep...

"Hello-OH!" the mysterious voice called again.

Jonesy took a deep breath to clear her head and focus her thoughts, unfortunately she had created a pretty dense hotbox in the single serve bathroom. Taking a deep breath didn't right the ship, it just made her more stoned out of her mind.

"Uh-oh."

The door creaked open, smoke swirled and danced, escaping into the air. A hand lunged forward, grasping the door frame. Two heavy coughs echoed from the unseen world within the bathroom. One heavy footstep, followed by another. Lurching forward, a shape that could only be described as human emerged from the aromatic fog, eyes glowing as red as a John Carpenter revenant, she shambled forth wearing the mist like a heavy cloak.

"Sorry! I was just taking a huge..." Jonesy trailed off when she finally realized who the owner of the voice had been. "... shiiiiiiiiit..."

Standing at the counter was, in fact, the one and only, Jamie Reynolds. Jamie fucking Reynolds. Just standing there, like a normal person. Like she was just your average, everyday customer, breezing into Popcorn Video to rent some movies. Not at all like she was the most breathtaking woman Jonesy had ever seen in her life. Her skin was a warm brown, the oranges and reds of autumn reflected in her complexion. Her hair in braids, draped over her shoulders in a gray duster that fell just above her beat-up pair of combat boots. Under the coat she wore an old brown and gold Beastie Boys tee, tucked into ripped and faded, high-waisted jeans. Jonesy always wished she could look as effortlessly put together as Jamie Reynolds. There was an aloof confidence not only exhibited in her style, but in the way she carried herself. It was hard to resist infatuation and Jonesy was nowhere near immune to her magnetism.

Jonesy closed her eyes tight and opened them. Yup. Okay. That's definitely really her, she thought, confirming her worst fears and fantasies, and I am definitely awake right now. She smiled at her and Jonesy almost collapsed to the floor. She steadied herself and continued her forward momentum.

"Hey, you guys are still open right?" Her voice had a smokiness to it that Jonesy would, with no hesitation, ride into certain death for.

"Abso-tootley!" Jonesy died inside, "abso-tootley" what in the absolute fuck??? When has that word ever left your mouth?? In the history of words, when has that word ever been a word that you have said to anyone??? She could feel her ears getting hot, and wondered if Jamie could see them getting red, which only made them hotter. She finally made it behind the counter, took a deep breath and attempted to integrate herself with this plane of existence.

"Your eyes are very wide." Jamie tried to hide her amusement.

"Are they??" Jonesy squinted, attempting to look normal and small. Do normal people have small eyes? Her brain tried to access the information, unfortunately that file could not be found.