Eye for an Eye

Chapter 9

A,

Arielle closes her mouth and clears her throat, looking down at the papers on her desk. you gotta be kidding me. she shuffled through the papers again and shakes her head, trying to get her thoughts back together. she looks up, forcing a smile and meets valeria's gaze. this is the first time she really took a look at her and now, she feels like she seen her before but can't put her finger on it.

"Hi, Skylar, s-sorry about it that. how are you?" she says.

"i'm good, a little nervous but i'm good" she says, pushing her hair behind her ears and laughing. she's always laughing, what the fuck is so funny??

"don't be nervous, it'll be a quick interview." she says with a grin, preparing to ask her the hardest questions. she starts by asking her to tell arielle about herself and her past experiences.

"my name is skylar, obviously" she says, laughing yet again. ugh. "i'm 22 years old, originally from the bronx and I just graduated from new york university with my bachelor's degree in business and minor in art because I love drawing, it's actually one of my main hobbies. while I was in college, I worked at a retail store as a closing manager and I was in charge of the sales, marketing, etc. I also volunteer at the soup kitchen on the weekends when I have the time, I love giving back to the people who's shoes I was once in." she adds with a smile, her teeth on full display. oh god, she's perfect.

"well we already have a closing manager, we're looking for a manager for the home decor department. is that something you're interested in?" arielle replies, disregarding everything else she said. please say no, please say no.

"of course! i'm open to any position you have available. fuck. she shuffled through her papers and starts asking skylar questions about the job, why does she want to work here, what can she bring to the table, etc, etc. she answers every question with a perfect response and arielle is fuming. she clears her throat and gets up from her chair, walking over to valeria.

"well, give me a few days and i'll be in touch, thank you." she says through gritted teeth, extending her hand out towards her. valeria shakes her hand and smiles, getting up from the chair.

"thank you, I appreciate your time."

"not likewise" arielle mumbles with a frown on her face.

"huh?" skylar asks and arielle waves her off.

"oh nothing" she says, opening the door for her and skylar begins to walk out but turns around towards arielle.

"do you know the manager here, simba?" she asks. arielle raises her eyebrows, putting her lips in a tight line.

"y-yeah I know him, why?"

"can you tell him to meet me by his car? I forgot something in there and I don't want to go home without it." she says, innocently. he drove her here? arielle nods her head sharply, trying not to show any emotion.

"uh yeah, i'll let him know. have a good day"

"thank you, you have a better one" she walks out and arielle slams the door shut, leaning against it.

"you have a better one" she mimics, making a face. I feel like i've seen her before. she peels herself off the door and goes to her desk to find her phone. she dials simba's number and waits for him to answer, when he does, she doesn't say hi first and begins speaking.

"hey ari, wh-" he says but arielle cuts him off.

"skylar said to meet her by your car." she said flatly.

"well hello to you too. what does she need?"

"I don't know"

"alright, i'll meet he-" arielle hangs up the phone without letting him finish and throws it down on her desk. why does it matter that this perfect girl is hanging out with my friend? he can have other friends as well. she shakes her head and begins look at the notes on the interview papers. she knew skylar was a good fit for the position but she didn't wanna hire her based on the simple fact that she was possibly involved with simba, and that's the problem. she cherishes their friendship and she doesn't want nobody to come in between them, not even Skylar. arielle groans, putting the papers into a folder and puts them in her drawer. she goes back to her laptop and looks at the cameras, pulling up the camera for outside. she see's simba and skylar at his car, chatting. a couple seconds goes by and simba kisses both of skylar's cheeks and hugs her. arielle breath catches in her throat and she closes the camera, keeping the rest of them up. that's his girlfriend. suddenly there's a familiar knock at the door and the person opens it, walks in and closes it back.