Caught in the Middle (Alpha vs Beta)

Party Planning

Another chapter up! A huge thanks to Werewolf_Mad for the banner! If anyone's interested in doing a banner, I'll dedicate a chapter to you ;D Hope you like the chapter :D

Chapter 4

Party Planning

I was washing the dishes, humming along to the radio when Elle came through the door. She was an only child and lived with parent who were always working and Elle was the kind of person who always needed to be around to talk to someone, so she came over almost everyday. I put the last plate back in the cupboard after I dried it with a cloth and dried my hands.

"Hey Elle, how are you?" She threw her black bag onto my couch and huffed as she took a seat at the dining table.

"Hey and I'm fine but enough about me! How'd your date with Sean go?!" She asked enthusiastically all of a sudden.

"It was great."

"Great? You were gone for hours and all you have to say is 'great'? She asked, making hand gestures at the word 'great'.

"It was really great then. Happy now?"

"You're hilarious, Ash." Elle retorted as she rolled her eyes. I walked over to the table too and unpacked the last box of knick-knacks I had left and threw the empty cardboard box in the corner. Elle looked worriedly at me and grabbed my hand.

"You okay?" She asked, looking me straight in the eyes to make sure I wouldn't lie.

"I'm fine. I'm just stressed out because I haven't found a job yet and the bills are already rolling up."

"I'm sure you'll figure it out, Ash. You always do and if you ever need anything, I'm always here."

"Yeah, I know. Thanks, it's just all new to me. The fact that I have to provide for myself all of a sudden and I don't want to have to depend on other people. Plus I didn't even get to finish college, so finding a job is just going to get harder!"

"Well, let's start then." She said, grabbing the newspaper off the kitchen counter and sitting on the couch. I smiled at her and grabbed two glasses of water as I sat down too.

"Hm...So....Drug test subject?"

"Um...No!"

"Okay,okay! Ooh, spa receptionist? There are a few other ones which you wouldn't be interested in...Babysitter....art model...."

"Art model?"

"Yeah, says here that persons seeking the job don't need any qualifications. Basically, you just show up and a couple of art students draw you." She replied, flipping through the pages.

"That sound pretty easy." I smiled.

"Yeah, it...oh..."

"Oh what?" I asked.

"The said person must model in the nude..."

"Okay! Next..."

"This one seems promising. There's an opening for a new bartender down at Marlo's." Elle looked excited about this one. She probably thought I'd give her free drinks while I was on duty.

"I don't know how to bar-tend. I know nothing about mixology!"

"Geez, calm down. Says here that the bartender can be a beginner. You're smart, Ash. You'll learn on the way plus I can help you practice, my dad's got a killer bar."

"Okay, so far we've got Spa Receptionist and Bartender. What do you think?" I asked.

"I'd go for spa receptionist maybe they'd throw in some free supplies but for you, I'd choose bartender. The hours are surprisingly better and so is the pay. You know how to talk to people that way you can make some more friends here and you're a good listener, so sorrow filled people can drown away their sorrows easier when you're around and your endless supply of alcohol.