The Jealousy Game

Five - Ruby's

I have finished my second day of college, and I just know my time here is going to fly by. I'll blink and then suddenly be married with three kids! I wonder whom I'll end up with... Oh well, there is no point spending time contemplating on something that I will never be able to guess! What will be, will be.

In order to live and have some money to actually do things with my life, I am currently on the hunt for a job. I am not expecting much, but anything is better then nothing. Of course, my dream would be to be a dance teacher, but there are no vacancies in my area, and I am not fully qualified yet. I am going to have to settle for working in a café or shop for now, but I don't mind too much.

At the moment I am very lucky as my brother Kai is paying for my tuition and giving me a monthly allowance. However he has a family, mortgage and is taking his final law exams, which are all very expensive so I want to take the financial stress off him. Waverly is fortunate as she is a single child and her father is a specialist biomedical scientist, meaning he brings home the big bucks. Her parents are paying for everything, meaning she can concentrate on her studies. Daryl and Jeanine Hart are like parents to me, and their home is like my own - I've stayed around there often enough! They were the ones popping in with meals and making sure we were ok every day when we first lost our parents, and my siblings and I will always be grateful to them for their support. Very kindly, they have insisted on paying for mine and Waverly's apartment, as I am 'like daughter to them', although of course I am planning to pay them back once I have some extra cash.

Isaac and Owen have their own jobs to pay their way. At the moment Owen works Sunday's and three nights a week as a health care assistant in the local hospital, where he helps to look after patients by serving them meals and just being someone they can talk to. Isaac is insane at maths, like an actual genius, so he does tutoring (which is obviously very popular with the girls) and marks exam papers.

Roxanne suggested I apply for a job in the local café where she works, considering they have a vacancy as one of the waitresses got pregnant, and has subsequently dropped out of college and returned home for support. I am just heading in now, and I have to say it looks quite cute. There's nothing slick about it, no fancy fonts or white etching upon the glass, but there is a vibrant neon sign reading 'Ruby's'. The rest of the walls are a dull grey, with a huge glass window displaying several fresh cream cakes designed to tempt the passers-by. Hundreds of people rush by outside on the crowded street, but I am the only one heading in. The dozen customers glance up as I swing the door open, heralded by a blast of cold wind. I am immediately hit with the smell of strong coffee and sweet cakes, and it is quite noisy inside with customers chatting idly, machines whirring and an old Dean Martin song playing in the background. Unlike the outside, the interior of the café is warm and cheery, with bright lights and colourful walls. The customers return to their conversations as the door swings close behind me, and the cold breeze is forgotten about.

Awkwardly I stumble forward across the grey tiled floor, until I notice Roxanne busily scrubbing away at one of the booth tables, obviously cleaning up. I adjust my bag strap on my shoulder before making my way over to her. On the walls there are pictures of the old greats, including Elvis and Marilyn Monroe, and I notice several children with huge grins drinking diabetes-inducing milkshakes overflowing with whipped cream and chocolate sauce.

"Hey Roxanne!" I exclaim as she looks up at me with a smile.

"Ah hey Nell, I was wondering when you were going to drop in! Come with me, I have told Ruby about you." She reveals as she grabs my hand and pulls me along with her to the barista area.

The guy on the till looks at me suspiciously as Roxanne takes me through the busy kitchen area and then through a wooden door at the back, leading to a long mossy-green corridor. We stop at the first door on the right, which Roxanne knocks on rhythmically. A sharp 'come in' calls out a second later, so Roxanne opens the door revealing a messy office with papers everywhere and plant pots randomly placed around the room. Sitting at the wooden desk is a rather butch woman, with tattoos crawling up her arms, cropped red hair and thick eyeliner framing her bright blue eyes.