Maybe Then...

Chapter 5: when normal behavior occurs

When normal teenage behavior occurs,

and normal plans happen,

Maybe then, I'll finally do something productive.

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"What can I get for you?" the girl behind the counter asked, her eyebrows raised up in a perky fashion.

"One small cone of rocky road, please," I said, grabbing my wallet from my purse.

I looked around the pale parlor as I waited for her to get my ice cream. I inhaled the cold, shallow air. The frozeness of the shop felt great in my lungs after having to breathe in the outside heat for so long.

A tall boy walked out of a door with an EMPLOYEES ONLY sign in a rushed pace.

"Sorry, Rebecca, I just realized I forgot to put the sign up this morning," he muttered as he ran to the door.

I took my ice cream cone from the server and took a seat near the door. When the boy was done plastering it to the glass door, I focused my eyes on the lettering on the paper that was visible from the sun light shining on it. I squinted my eyes at the backwards letters that read HELP WANTED. 

I finished up my ice cream cone and looked at the reflection on my phone to check for any chocolate smudges on my face. Once I thought I was clear, I strode up to the counter with forced confidence and asked for an application. I went to a clean table, got out a pen from my purse, and went to work on it. 

By the time I was finished filling it out, another server was at the counter with the woman. He was an older man, round glasses perched on his nose. I trotted up to the counter and handed the application to him.

"Ah, applying for the job, are ya?" he scanned his eyes over the pages.

"Yes sir," I smiled halfheartedly.

"When are you available for an interview?"

"Unless something comes up, any day, probably."

"How about right now?"

My eyebrows shot up in surprise. "Now?"

"Now," he echoed. "I mean, the store isn't busy, and I run the ropes here. You're the first application and frankly, I would much rather have you be the only application I have to deal with. So you can go ahead and sit down and I'll ask for some contact info, simple facts about yourself, and a bunch of random questions. Otherwise you can enjoy the agony of awaiting a phone call to see if you get an interview. Your choice; whatever works best for you."

I averted my eyes for a moment in thought. Hesitantly, I agreed.

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"So he just skimmed through the application, sat down and gave you an interview, got your contact info, and hired you?" Uncle Jason recapped. 

"Yeah, basically," I said before stuffing a fork full of mashed potatoes in my mouth. 

"I wish things were that easy for me when I got my first job," aunt Ruby commented. 

"It's because it's a family owned business," grandpa explained. "I know the guy who owns the place, Robert. He and I knew each other in our youth. He lived around my neighborhood, though we didn't hang out much since, well, let's just say that he was a senior when I was a freshman, and that wasn't exactly cool."

Did Robert only hire me because of my last name? Did he just see "Ingridson" on the application and give me the interview because of it? "Are you two friends now?"

"Yeah, I see him around from time to time, and we usually strike up a conversation."

I nodded. From the likes of it, grandpa might have told him about me. It wasn't unlikely that he hired me mostly because he knew my family.

I know it seems wrong, but if that was the case, then I didn't really mind.

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Hey guys! Sorry this was a pretty short chapter, but I've really been struggling with where I want to go with certain scenarios I was planning on having, and how they would affect the characters later on. As a writer, I like to challenge myself to break down boundaries by addressing topics and issues that are not often spoken abut openly. I'm trying to make things realistic and relate-able, all the while avoiding unrealistic cliches. 

So what do you think about the book thus far? 

How do you think she's gonna do on first day at her new job?

Do you think Daniel will be willing to invite her to hang out with him and his friends again, or at least teach her some more stuff on the bass?