The morning of my interview, I leapt from my bed, vibrating with excitement and nerves. Bounding over to my ancient dresser, I pulled clothes from my drawers in a panic, trying to find something semi-appropriate for an interview. I ultimately decided on the dress that Taylor had bought me. Pulling it on over my head, I smoothed it out and turned around a few times in my mirror, looking at myself with a giddy smile. I pulled the brush through my hair before pulling my auburn locks into a ponytail, secured with a scrunchie. I threw on my dollar store mascara and some eyeliner that I'd had for ages.
Turning to the bin in the corner, I tossed through the various mismatched shoes I'd gotten as hand-me-downs from Kris, trying to find a pair of something semi-matching my outfit. Pulling out a well-used pair of black and silver ballet flats, I slid them on my feet.
Stepping out of my room, I took in the aging trailer, bustling with excitement. Dylan came out of the bedroom across from mine that he shared with Matt and darted down the hall and out the door, probably late for school as usual.
The outdated kitchen was welcoming with it's pastel blue walls, geese with bows around their necks decorated the wallpaper that ran around the kitchen. I sorted through the peeling white cabinets trying to find something that resembled breakfast food, noticing Kris making eggs on the stove. She looked tired and there were bags beneath her chocolate eyes. She diverted her gaze from me to the pan and sighed. "What's your rush?"
I hesitated a moment before replying, picking at the chipped laminate with my foot. "Um... I have a job interview this morning." I dared to look at the thin ginger to my left, dreading her response.
Kris tried to hold back her reaction, trying to hold on to her annoyance. If there was one thing that Kristina Wooding was good at, it was holding a grudge. However, despite her anger, her peach-toned lips turned up into a small smile. "That's great. You want me to take you?"
I was thunderstruck and it must have showed on my face, she chuckled softly. "Look, I'm still upset, but I'm still your best friend. I don't want to miss this." Some of my nerves started to slip away knowing that I had Kris by my side once more. While I had been avoiding her recently, I was thankful our conflict seemed to be coming to an end.
The giddiness bubbled back into my system and I dragged her into a hug, nearly knocking the pan of eggs off the stove. "Thank you! Thank you, thank you, thank you!"
"Woah! Don't ruin my eggs, dammit!" Reluctantly, she hugged me back, before moving the cooked food to a cool burner, pulling down dishes for us to eat on. "I love you, Luna. Even when I don't like you very much." She plated the eggs and set them down on the table with some toast that I hadn't noticed was in the toaster.
As soon as we had finished our breakfast, I was already out the rusting screen door, buzzing with excitement and nerves. I quickly ran down the steps and through the chain-link gate, coming to stand in the driveway by the passenger door of Kris' aging minivan.
It took what seemed like an eternity for Kris to emerge, smoothing her mane of fiery curls into a loose ponytail and picking at her windbreaker as she made her way to the car. Finally, she unlocked the doors and we got in. She had to try her key a few times before the old van roared to life.
When we pulled out of the driveway and onto our street, I could see something was on her mind. Her strawberry blonde brows here knitted together in thought and she chewed on her bottom lip.
"Kris, I..I'm sorry." I started, hoping to avoid another confrontation now that we were alone.
Her face softened and she spared a brief look at me before glancing back at the road. "I'm sorry, too." She paused, collecting her thoughts.
"I was being a dick last week. It's been you and me against the world for so long I guess I just felt like you were replacing me for Taylor. After all the shit she's put Kayce through, I didn't want to see her do the same shit to you."
I glanced over at the ginger beside me, her mouth was set in a hard line. "I get that you're concerned about her, but Taylor has been nothing but nice to me. She has never been inappropriate or made me feel like she just wanted to hit on me. That being said, you're my best friend, not her. I've known you since we were in diapers. I don't plan on replacing you for anyone, Kris."
We drove over a hill and around a long curve, buildings starting to crop up ahead as the outskirts of Deleon came into view. Kris let out a wry chuckle, squinting as the morning sun hit her eyes. "Yeah... I know that, deep down. I just got a little jealous. When was the last time you and I hung out until dark?"
I winced, it had been a very long time. The Wooding family had much less time since I came to live with them. Both Kris and Matt had been picking up extra shifts to cover the cost of an extra person.
I stared at my lap, picking at the lace of my dress. "To be fair, you work a lot and I'm trying to be more independent. I don't like feeling like a burden on your family. I know you don't see it that way, but Matt does. I'm trying to get a job, trying to get into college and I've even been talking to Dr. Morgan during our sessions. Turns out she's not all that bitchy, I was just kind of ignoring her help."
Kris' face softened as we pulled into the parking lot of the burger place. "I don't ever want you to feel like a burden. We took you in because we love you." I decided to leave that subject alone. While Kris insisted that I wasn't a burden or extra responsibility, I noticed how much less food was available in the cabinets. How Matt and Kris talked in hushed voices about the electricity bill going up, the gas. I'd heard them argue a number of times about which bills they should pay and which ones should wait for the next month. Regardless of how much she tried to comfort me, the simple truth was that I was not pulling my weight. Hopefully today would change that.
I gave her a sheepish look, trying to change the subject. "I'm sorry that I put you through all that worrying, too. I know it can't be easy, worried that your best friend is going to off herself every week."
As we came to a stop in the parking space, Kris turned to me, putting a hand on my shoulder. "It's going to be okay and we will figure this all out. I love you, you'll do great."
I nodded, opening the van door, which creaked in protest. "Wish me luck!" I gave her a confident smile that didn't quite meet my eyes and walked to the front door of the restaurant. My anxiety was on the rise with every step and I couldn't exactly bring anyone on to hold my hand through the process.
I stepped inside the burger joint, making my way to the front counter and greeting the cashier, who regarded me with a look of aloof distain. "Having a great day here at BurgerByte! How can I serve you today?" Her voice was chipper, but her face showed she wished she was anywhere but here.
"Um, I'm actually here for an interview?" My words sounded shaky but I steeled myself, calming the nerves surging in my belly.
The blonde turned on her heel and shouted into the chaos behind her. "HEY BOSS! INTERVIEW!" She motioned to the table in the corner, her voice dropping to a deadpan. "Go wait there, you are holding up my line."
"Oh, okay, sorry." I turned and went to go sit at the high-top table, perching myself on a barstool, drumming my fingers on the checkered tabletop.
The restaurant was retro-futuristic in design; The clash of 50's diner and large flat screen tvs was a bit jarring as oldies hits drifted lazily from the speakers. It was a sharp contrast from the hustle and bustle of the kitchen area. I could hear the workers shouting orders, dishes clattering and the drive thru speaker echoing through the kitchen, people running back and forth with bags of food, milkshakes and the like. It ran like a well-oiled machine and I felt admittedly out of place.
"You must be Faith!" My dead name snapped me out of my reverie, seeing a short, portly woman of middle age looking at a clipboard. "Let's make this fast kid, it's almost lunch rush and I still have to pull prep from the back."
She pushed her glasses up her nose as she mulled over what I assumed to be my application. A lock of graying brunette hair was hanging out of her hairnet and she looked rather frazzled. "Oh, sorry, says here you prefer Luna. So, this your first ever job? You got any relevant experience?"
I looked down at my hands and fidgeted a moment before replying. "Um, well, I used to help my mom set up for the church potluck when I was a kid. And she taught me how to cook?" I felt incredibly out of my depth here, but I offered my meager experience anyways.
Tracy, according to her nametag, gave me a hard look. I suddenly felt like a child being scolded. "Are you asking me or telling me, kid? Look, I got a lot on my plate, I need someone who can get up to speed quick, listen to directions and will actually show up to work. If you can do that, the job is yours." Her dull green eyes lingered on me as she waited for my reply.
I perked up at that. "Oh yes, I can do that. I'm always on time, every time. A-and I'm a quick learner!"
She held up a hand to stop my rambling. "That'll do, kid. Training starts at 3 on Wednesday. You need khaki pants and a black shirt and non-slip shoes. Congratulations." With that, she turned on her heel and stormed back into the kitchen.
I stood there, blinking in shock for a few minutes before it sunk in. A huge burst of excitement washed over my body and I bolted out the door to tell Kris, running around the van to the drivers' window. It was only partly rolled down when I couldn't take it any longer and shouted the good news through the window.
My excitement was contagious and Kris' face split into a wide smile. "That's great, Luna! Congratulations."
"Now, I just have to get khaki pants and some non-slip shoes. I start Wednesday!" I had a few plain black shirts at home, thankfully.
Kris' smile faded a bit and she ran a hand through her hair to smooth her frizz. "Fuck, those are expensive. Why don't we hit up Goodwill and try to find you some pants? I think I have some old nonslips from when I worked in the kitchen at Rusty's."
I felt a pang of guilt at costing them more money, but my excitement couldn't be dampened. "Okay! Do we have time before you have work?"
Kris looked at the cracked dashboard of the van, wincing at the time. "Sorry, babe. My shift starts in an hour and a half, I'm working a double."
I couldn't help the disappointment. Even though Kris and I were -mostly- good now.. we couldn't afford for her to miss a shift at work, especially a double. Doubles meant some of the more pressing repairs to the house and cars started getting fixed. The soft spot in the hallway floor desperately needed attention, so I wiped the downcast look off my face.
Kris deliberated for a few minutes before pulling out of the parking lot. Approaching the stop sign for the turn onto the main highway, she looked at me, then the clock. "Fuck it. You know, they'll just have to deal with a few minutes later. We gotta make it fast though." We shared the first genuine smile in a while as Kris turned the opposite way from home and set us on the path towards our local thrift store.
----
It was about an hour later when Kris dropped me back at the house. The 'shopping trip' had been rewarding and fun. It reminded me of us as kids perusing the church yard sales for toys. Kris was a haggler and a deal hunter, whilst my polite nature and good-girl status made the two of us a force to be reckoned with.
Today though, we did mostly window-shopping at the various knickknacks before finding a pair of pants that mostly fit. They were a bit too baggy in the legs and tight around my waist, but they would work for now. Feeling successful, we made our way home and stopped at the convenience store for off-brand slushies. It had been the most fun we had had together in months.
I retreated to my room and laid down on my bed, daydreaming about what Wednesday would bring.
ns 15.158.61.23da2
