Smoke and Mirrors (Smoke #1)

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Trailing my eyes anxiously onto the table, I avoided contact with waitress. I knew I was already in over my head about expecting anymore than the job I had right now. My eyes stayed in position, the young waitress with bright red hair let out a smile before making her way back to the front of the store, a sigh of defeat slipped from my lips.

Gemma, who was busily engaged with her cinnamon cupcake sat opposite of me as she continued about some film she saw on the weekend. The young, blonde spent most of her time as a trainee nurse at a local hospital near her hometown in Williamstown and has practically been my best friend since childhood. For as long as I could remember, Gemma has been by my side and I was thankful since she was almost like a sister to me in many ways.

The young woman looked over at me, her vibrant blue eyes glowed back at me as she let out a smile. Looking outside the cafe window, my mind became filled with my almost pointless dreams as I let out yet another sigh, this time coming out as raspy whisper. I could feel her concerned glare upon me as I tried as best as I could to avoid her questions. The clatter of her bracelet banging across her plate was enough to tell me that she was going to ask me about my current attitude.

"Okay Scarlett, spill the beans!"

"What?" I asked, quickly turning to face her with narrow eyes as I pretended that as she would presume, had no beans to spill.

"C'mon Scarlett, I know that look, the one where you just want to have nothing to do with anyone. You haven't even touched your coffee and usually you wouldn't say no to a cup of coffee."

"Maybe I'm not that hungry Gem. Look, I'm fine. It was just a long day at work and very tiring." I said, watching her roll her eyes and slightly push away the plate that sat the half eaten cupcake.

"You can cut the bullshit, it's obvious that you're not fine Scarlett. C'mon, you know you can tell me if there's something bothering you. And it isn't helpful to see you in a moody mode anyway." She slyly finished her sentence, taking a sip of her cup. Guess it was now my turn to roll my eyes at her.

"Alright." I mumbled to myself before proceeding to give her what she wanted My colleague Kyle was being a massive douche, I accidentally made body contact with my boss and oh yeah, I don't think I'm ever going to get a chance to break it big in the journalism industry." I said as Gemma puffed her lips and began to cough as I shot upwards quickly. I began to freak out, worrying if something was happening, before my mood turned immediately into annoyance the moment she burst out into laughter.

"Seriously Gemma, I thought you were choking! What the hell was that for?" I angrily blurted out as obviously, she continued to laugh.

"What did you just say Scarlett?"

"That I don't think I'm going to get a chance to -"

"No, I heard that but I mean the part about you and your boss." She said with a stupid smug, suddenly rolling my eyes again for about the hundredth time again today. Ever since that afternoon when the young nurse had came to pick me up from work and noticed me talking with Derrick, she's created this fantasy about the most inappropriate idea of me hooking up with my boss. Not only was that hugely inappropriate because -well he's my boss, but it is also unreasonable seeing as our schedules very much clash with one another.

"I guess I was being a complete idiot and must have bumped into Derrick."

"Ooh girl, do tell me more as, how do you say, the suspense is killing me."