Straighter than Parallel Parking

≈ f i v e ≈

A/N: Hey, guys! I finished my nano on June 10th! Yes, wrote 50K words in ten days. LET'S HEAR SOME NOISE (in amazing comments and votes, ooooooh)!

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{ Chapter Five: They Were a Far Call From Trouble }

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JANICE DECIDES TO USE THE PAY-PHONE ON THE SECOND FLOOR once she walks out of the store she's now an employee of. It didn't seem like she had much of an alternative when James ended up giving her his number on a slip of paper (strictly work related, of course), and she got outside only to realize there wasn't a lick of battery juice left in her phone.

"Stupid Nokia," she sighs to herself, catching the nearest escalator. "I bet the reasons dinosaurs became extinct was because some random person dropped the first ever Nokia on their civilization or something."

She's fingering the extra change in the pocket of her sweater, stroking the roundness of the coins absentmindedly as she contemplates over everything that's happened.

She'd gotten a job.

At a lingerie store.

Her mind just hurt thinking about all of it. She cringes once she envisages her brothers hearing about it. Would they be outraged? Protective? Ready to get a kidney transplant from laughing too hard? So many questions, so little answers. Sighing for about the millionth time that day, she finds herself on the second floor of the place, waiting in line behind a couple people to get the phone.

Once it get's to her, she pushes in a couple quarters and dials her brother. It rings for a couple seconds before she hears his voice ring through the phone. "Hello?"

"Hey, Karlo, it's Janice. I was wondering if you could pick me up around now?"

"Janice? Your caller ID didn't appear on my ph--" there was a pregnant pause as Janice hangs her head. "You're calling from a pay-phone, aren't you?"

"Are you going to pick me up or not?"

"You are!" his laugh almost makes her hang up on him. She would've if she wasn't so dependent on his transportation. "Oh, my god, this is gold. Why doesn't dad let you get a new phone, anyways?"

"The day I get through a month without one detention he said he would," she said, "so in other words, possibly until I pay for it myself, never."

"Sweet. Wait, did you get a job?"

"I did."

"Really? Didn't think you could've pulled that off!" then he asks the dreaded, "where is it?"

"A shop," Janice deadpans. "Listen, there aren't enough minutes on this thing, can you come pick me up now?"

"Tell me where you're working, than maybe."

"A clothing store, you won't know it," Janice doesn't think a little white lie would hurt him for now. Even if his disbelief would. "I know, out of character, blah, blah, blah. Are you coming or not? This is the twentieth time I've asked."

"Fourth, actually." Janice let's her shoulder droop from his smart-aleck comments. "And, yeah, meet me at the--"

"Wait, where? Karlo. Hello? Hello?"

"If you would like to continue this phone call, please give--"

With a growl, Janice slams the phone on it's header. Even pay-phones found pleasure in hanging up on her.

There were seven entrances inside the mall, and she'd been to every single one, on every single level, and every single crap she gave was slowly flying out of her every single miss. (For those who're mathematically challenged, just so you know, it's seven misses).