Together As Mutants (Book Six)

Chapter 13: Jobs

Annalise stands in the parking lot, staring at Best Buy. She's already wearing her blue uniform shirt and her black pants, looking primed and ready to sell people some appliances and devices. She's glad she finally got a job, but she is really hoping that it won't be the kind of soul-sucking endeavour that everyone says retail work is.

She squares her shoulders and goes inside.

Long story short, it's pretty soul-sucking.

She does well, or at least that's what the other worker who's training her says. Still, Annalise doesn't appreciate being yelled at by someone who insists that they want an Xbox One only to complain that there aren't any "different" Xbox Ones.

Turns out, they wanted a Wii U. Annalise screamed internally for a while about that.

When she gets home, she lies down on her bed and just exhales heavily for a while. You're getting paid, she reminds herself. You're getting paid.

Pepper climbs onto her bed and lies down on top of her. Annalise reaches over and scratches her ears. At least her dog is nice.

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"Do you guys have jobs?" Annalise asks one fine day at lunch.

April rubs the back of her neck. "No, actually. I could use one though."

"Nah. Casey Jones is a full-time butt-kicking vigilante of the night!" Casey says, posing his hand by his chin. He nudges Taylor with his elbow. "Huh? Huh? Am I right?"

Taylor exhales as she slowly bites down on a fry. "No one wants a Purple Dragon working for them...big surprise." She frowns more. "So...no, I don't have a job."

"Aw, come on, I'm sure you could find one," Casey encourages. "Just gotta keep looking!"

Taylor just looks at Annalise. "I'm screwed."

Casey pouts a little. "Come on, Tay, just hold out 'til you can get your tattoo covered. It'll all get better after that!"

"I know...I know..." She dips another fry into her ketchup, head on her hand. "I did this to myself anyway. Qué estupidez."

"You were an impressionable kid," April says, reaching over to pat Taylor's shoulder. "And you made it out! It's a new life, remember?"

"I guess."

Annalise purses her lips a little. Taylor, for the most part, is able to seem happy, but every now and then she has pessimistic days where the future is dead and she's got nothing going for her. It isn't the most fun to be around, but hey, they're her friends.

When Annalise really thinks about it, despite all of them having other people to talk to, the four of them always eat lunch together. Annalise has James and other kids from the photography club, but she doesn't really hang out with them outside of the club setting. April is on the school newspaper and Casey is on the hockey team, but they don't connect much there either. Taylor has her old bandmates, but something tells Annalise that they're still hesitant about being seen together.

She sighs. They share the curse of knowledge about mutants and aliens and the underground freaks of the world. That creates the thickest bond of all, it seems.