Throwaway

Chapter One 

It was the kind of gray day that made Jessie glad she didn't have a regular nine-to-five job. She took one look at the overcast St. Louis sky and crawled back into bed. There was no power on earth that could make her grateful for the job she had, but she could be glad for what it wasn't.

She had nearly dozed off again when there was a knock at the door. She reminded herself the roommate she'd been assigned was little more than a scared kid. That fact alone kept her from throwing something heavy at the door. 

"Give me five minutes and I'll meet you downstairs," Jessie called to the willowy brunette on the other side before pulling herself out of bed with an exaggerated sigh. She stretched and padded barefoot to her bathroom, cringing a little at the sight of the rat's nest in her platinum blonde hair. She gingerly worked a brush through it, trying to remember the color it had been. Before. 

Just like she did every morning, Jessie stared intently at her face in the mirror, searching for any signs of a wrinkle. Her baby doll face and large blue eyes made her look quite a bit younger than thirty-two, but the day when she couldn't mask her age was creeping ever closer. 

That was a day she didn't want to think about. Somehow she doubted Spence would put her out to pasture. That sounded much too pleasant. 

"Jess, are you ready? I'll walk down with you," Harmony called. 

"Sorry. Give me one more minute." Jessie quickly changed for her daily workout. She knew Spence well enough to know that as long as he desired her, he'd keep her around. Her lithesome, leggy body was one card in her favor-even if she was ancient by street standards. 

"I made you a smoothie." Harmony was waiting at the front door, holding a glass out. 

"Thanks." Jessie took the offering with a smile. "How was class this morning?" 

"Fascinating." Harmony lit up and instantly dove into a dissertation on the merits of studying quantum physics over just plain old mechanics. Jessie didn't even try to keep up; she just smiled and nodded. 

Harmony was different than the rest of the girls. Even Spence saw that. She was there to pay for school, and she'd move on when the time was right. For some reason, Spence would let her. Jessie believed him when he said he would. 

Not Jessie. She was a lifer. He'd made that much clear since the day he took her under his wing nearly fifteen years before. She pushed memories of before from her mind, gulping down the rest of her smoothie so she could beat an old lady to the last bicycle.  

Jessie pretended not to notice the dirty look she got in return. She'd made the mistake of deferring to age once, and the woman had stayed on the bike for a full forty-five minutes. Not this time. 

Other than dodging the hate glares from the old lady, Jessie enjoyed her workout. There was something very cathartic about stretching her muscles to their very limits. The sweat, the pain, the test of endurance... they felt good. They cleared her mind. 

That evening, as she carefully applied her mascara before work, Harmony settled in on the countertop beside Jessie's makeup bag. 

"Do you ever wish you'd gotten married and had kids?" 

"Not really," Jessie answered without thinking. "What brought this on?" 

"I don't know. I guess I just wonder sometimes if I'll ever get to do those things." Harmony seemed embarrassed by the admission. 

"I don't think we're missing much." 

"Really?" 

"The way I see it, we have a husband. Sometimes we even have several husbands in the same night."