My eyes were fighting the brink of opening, when I heard a faint, "Allie?" Leo whispered, lightly nudging me. I opened them slowly to see Leo crouching down at my bed, wearing a half-smirk that I haven't seen too often. His hand rested on the edge of my bed, just inches from my shoulder.
"Cynthia loved you. You're starting today."
I pulled myself up instantly, widening my eyes. Adrenaline began to swim through my veins, and I was instantly awake. Leo had gained my full attention at this point.
"Really?!" I screamed, as I wrapped my arms around Leo's waist before he could even answer. "Thank you, thank you, thank you!" I had to refrain from jumping up and down like a kid in a candy store. He chuckled silently, hugging me back.
"Wear all black," he said as he pulled away. He grazed my cheek with his thumb before leaving my room, closing the door with hardly a sound.
I gazed at the window. The sun was still asleep, but the sky was ever so slightly lightened. My phone glowed the numbers 5:46. Why the hell is he telling me this at five in the morning? I laid back down under the covers and knocked back out.
~
"Okay, now I'm gonna show you how to start a tab," Roxy said excitedly, practically hopping with joy. "I'm so psyched that you're working here now."
"Was the last person that bad?" I joked.
"No, dink, I just think you're that cool. Leo's always telling me stuff about you. Our machine is a little tricky sometimes, specifically this button," Roxy rambled, lightly tapping her finger on a button on the side of the computer monitor. She continued to show me all the shortcuts and tricks to navigate the faulty parts, but I didn't quite register it because I couldn't help but think, Leo's always telling her things about me?
I shook it off so I could focus on training. Roxy was showing me all of the basics in the back area while Leo tended bar. It had been a slow night so far, with only three guests in the bar. Cynthia was due to arrive sometime within the hour so that Roxy could go home. For the time being, Roxy insisted on taking the lead in training me. I'm honestly relieved that she did, too, because her attitude and enthusiasm made the first few hours very encouraging. I feared that if Leo had taken the lead, I would be a distracted, flustered, confused mess.
"Do you have any questions so far?" Roxy asked.
"Hmm... I don't think so." I shook my head.
"Wanna go out for a cigarette break?" she followed. I reached into my bag to grab my cigarettes. Roxy and I started walking out, and she informs Leo that we're taking a smoke break in passing.
As we begin walking outside, we're met with Cynthia making her way in. "Hi girls!" she waved. "Oh, I'll join you two once I clock in," she chuckled.
"So how are you enjoying Citrus Village?" asked Roxy. "Leo tells me you've never been here before you moved."
I quietly chuckled through my grin. "How'd he even know that? I think I only told Bonnie."
wow words wow
"Keep an eye out for Vivian though," she said.
Hm. Vivian did seem as though she doesn't entirely get along with everybody. I remembered the tension between the two during the bonfire party. "What do you mean by that?" I asked, tilting my head.
"Well," she started. "I don't mean it in a vindictive way or anything. But, y'know, she definitely has a temper. And she's impressionable." Roxy nervously chuckled. "She hates my guts because I'm Leo's best friend. We've never been attracted to each other, never dated, never kissed, nothing. But for some reason, without fail, she gets insanely jealous whenever Leo and I would hang out."
"It's because you're a girl," I responded, perhaps a bit too bluntly. Roxy sighed and agreed with slight disappointment in her voice. Cynthia then appeared from around the corner with her own smoke in hand. She greeted us kindly before she lit up.
"Roxy, doll, you're welcome to head home now if you'd like." Cynthia said as she stepped up to the sidewalk. Roxy crushed her half-smoked cigarette and threw it back into the cigarette box. She thanked Cynthia and trotted inside to gather her belongings
"How are you, sweetheart?" Cynthia asked, giving me a warm smile as she leaned her elbow against the fence.
"Pretty good; Roxy's been showing me the works." I told her.
"Oh good!" Cynthia had such a comforting aura. I instantly relaxed when she became present. Her smile was wide, so much so that her smile lines had become natural carvings in her face, along with the subtle crow's feet, but it was nowhere near obnoxious. In fact, her wrinkles contributed to her soft energy. The nicknames she would call people--"doll," "sweetheart," felt absolutely wholesome and effortlessly kind. If I heard someone call me "sweetheart" or anything to that effect, especially from someone whom I'd only met once, I'd surely cringe. However, the way Cynthia spoke was soothing.
"I hear you're new to the area." Cynthia claimed, to which I nodded. "Where are you from?"
"I'm from Festival in Starcat City!" I answered with excitement, because everyone knows of Starcat City. "I was born and raised there. Know it like the back of my hand." I grinned.
"How lovely!" she exclaimed, mirroring my excitement. "I traveled to Festival for the Happy Hippie Fest Events back when I was your age. Did you go to a lot of events there?"
"Oh, tons. My mom lives right behind the tent field, actually."
omg more words
"Well what brings you all the way out to Citrus Village?" she asked curiously. I didn't want to seem suspiciously vague to my boss on my very first day, as that would certainly be a pretty weird look on my part. I didn't quite know how else to put it, so, I sucked it up and told her the truth.
"I just got out of a relationship, and uh, we were living together. My name wasn't on the lease though, so I had to move out." I said, trying to maintain eye contact, but my nerves kept causing me to look away.
"Aw, honey, you know what? This is definitely a blessing in disguise. He has to stay there because he signed some papers, but you got the freedom to go wherever you want! It's a new chapter, and you have the pen. You can write just about anything you please.
"But remember--it's a pen, not a pencil. You cannot erase your actions of the past."
I couldn't help but to smile. She's right; I have a higher advantage in the situation than I had perceived. Cynthia granted me a sense of reassurance. In fact, I was so moved by her response that I had completely forgotten to correct her pronouns.
