Sitting in a café, looking at her laptop screen, the assistant to Theodore Wallace reviewed her video one more time before uploading it on her blog. It was Thursday, so a blog post was due. The comments had requested her to show her face more and to consider vlogging because they loved listening to her. The previous night, rather than sleep, she recorded herself talking instead of writing. Operation Beautiful, her creative outlet that reminds her that she isn't completely wasting her time. The café was tiny and huddled between large city buildings, right in the heart of downtown Boston. It was still extremely early so the hustle and bustle of the morning, where the streets got undoubtedly crowded by people, had yet to start. With earbuds in and her black coffee in a mug waiting for her to suck it down, she pressed play and listened to herself in silence.


“Good morning, good morning! Sun beams will soon smile through. Good morning, good morning to you." Jamie sat on her bed singing one line of Singing in the Rain 'Good Morning' with her mediocre can't-hit-high-notes voice. In reality, it was almost 3 AM, but as far as her viewers were concerned it would be Thursday when the sun was out and everyone was getting breakfast sandwiches. She made herself somewhat decent for her video, which really just required her to straighten up her bed and brush her unruly hair.

“So yesterday was a long day for me. I don't think any of you guys know this about me, but I'm super accident prone. That really got to me and that evil voice, my self doubt, kept yelling, saying all you do is mess up! An example of something that happened yesterday. My boss and I went to an auction and the item he bid A LOT of money on, I... ruined. How did that happen? I didn't drop it. I didn't throw anything on it. I, uh, it's a painting. I tore it. On accident. Because I lost balance. I thought I could carry it but it was heavier than I expected. Heh."

Briefly she looked away from the camera, as her fingers absentmindedly ran through her hair, before she went back to talking. Her attention returning on what mattered. Her viewer. “Well, I still have my job! No need to worry about that, but I did get an idea for this video." She beamed her infectious smile, obviously not too bent up about the events that had transpired that day, “Lesson number 1. Self-doubt affects us all. Even the most confidant people have self doubt. I can't say I don't still fight the beast, I do, but it isn't as bad as when I was going through puberty." She giggled at the thought of her high school years. What a mess she was. Truthfully, nothing has changed that much.

“The second lesson, though? It's a myth to think certain people possess certain qualities to be confident. No. No one is innately confidant. It's a skill, not a trait. Everyone can develop self-confidence. It just takes time. I've spent many years practicing and training my mind to adjust. Life can throw some serious stuff at you. I get it."

Pulling out her Samsung Galaxy S9 Plus, she showcased it to the camera, “I have a reminder on my phone that tells me to never stop believing in myself and my abilities. That is an essential step in conquering self-doubt. I refuse to let my mistakes and that evil voice in my head hold me down. But, I still had to practice. I use to tell myself in the mirror everyday something positive. You're beautiful. You have good grades. You're not homeless. You're going to go far, kid. The key to being satisfied with your own abilities is knowing that you gave it your all. You're doing your best." With her phone no longer on screen, she pulled yellow pom poms out of no where. “Rah rah fight the powah!" The cheerleader trope really suited her.

After shaking the pom poms and rooting the audience on for a couple of seconds, she continued, deciding it was time to wrap things up, “I know what other people say can really put gray skies in your sunny day, but here me out when I say. What's important is what you think, not what he said, she said, they say. So stop being so hard on yourself and know that everyday you make someone out there smile and everyday you guys visit my blog, you make me very happy. I thank you. For being here for me and I hope this gives you the motivation you need to live your best life. Thanks for listening to me! Feel free to message me or comment down below. And as always, I have pictures for you!"

Tossing the poms poms behind her, she waved at the camera.“Bye-bye now." Her video ended with her blowing a kiss and bidding an adieu to her viewer.

Short. Simple. Straight to the point.

Jamie smiled at her laptop screen. Her coffee cup nearly empty of the black substance that would keep her going through out her day. Perfect. “I think it's ready."

Posted.

Wallace Realty.

The place that her life revolved around. Actually, rephrase that. Her life didn’t revolve around the company. It revolved around a man. “OH MY GOD, HE’S GOING TO KILL ME.” Jamie Mueller, up bright and early, as per usual, ran out of Impresso Espresso with a tray in hand, her purse dangling at her side, and a need for speed. She spent too much time on her blog post! She lost track of time! The new barista was also super cute… but that’s beside the point!

It didn’t help she had to get another set of drinks because she DROPPED it. Okay, it was more like she realized the time, this was twenty minutes ago, and she turned so fast that she got three drinks on one customer. Her life, amiright? Luckily the baristas knew her face and pitied her, and even the customer laughed about it, so they just gave her the new set for free. At least it didn’t get on her outfit! Wait, what was she thinking? She wasn’t rude. She apologized profusely to the customer and gave him cash for his ruined shirt. It was all HER FAULT. The guilt would eat at her all day.

Anyways, here she was speed walking on the sidewalk to a building she would never forget. Her car was already there, because she thought it was smart to walk. Jokes on her. If she wasn’t at his office in eight minutes with his juice, she was done. Yes juice, not coffee. The coffee was for her (it was just black coffee, nothing exciting). He had a large My Main Squeeze for now, and 50 Shades of Green for later. But none of this would matter if she wasn’t in front of him soon! How was she ever going to convince him to let her go to the festival if she was tardy?!

Rest in peace, Jamie.

Luckily (or perhaps unluckily) for Jamie, Mr. Wallace was asleep with his face on his desk, the place he had been for about… an amount of time now. Sleepless nights caught up with you eventually, and he was due a nap. Music played through the speakers of his office, with the Spotify playlist he’d left on overnight being played on repeat while he rested. Theo was dressed in a three piece suit, and was almost put together from head to toe.

It was the toe part that wasn’t put together. While someone may have been expecting him to wear black loafers or dress shoes with his current getup… Theo was wearing a pair of slippers (no socks on, of course). The nice, expensive kind, with memory foam soles and thick wool keeping his toesies warm.

In his sleepiness, Theo shifted his weight a bit, and his head dropped off of his arms and down onto the wood of the oak desk, knocking him awake. Groggily, he looked up, rubbing his eyes. He reached a hand out for a cup, and lifted it up… it was empty. He reached for the second cup. Also empty. “Jamie? I’m thirsty! Where the hell’s Jamie!?” What time was it? Why wasn’t Jamie here? She was always here! “My throat’s dry,” he croaked miserably.

Jamie’s phone started going off like crazy. SHE WAS ALMOST THERE, OKAY. Throwing the glass door open, she rushed past everyone, miraculously not tripping, past her desk, where her second camera rested, past the water machine where everyone gathered to chat, to the ‘big door’.

Stopping in front of the big door, she paused for a moment, staring at his name plate, while gaining her breath. Breathe in, breathe out. You got this. Letting herself in, she kept a wide smile on, acting like she wasn’t perfectly on time and not early. “Heyyyyyy, I got your juice.” She needed to act like she didn’t make a mistake and lose track of time. Maybe, he hadn’t noticed. Maybe, she would be forgiven. But for now, she was not at fault. She was on time. With a bounce in her step, she made her way to his desk and replaced his empty cups with the filled ones. His want for different flavors changed everyday and today these flavors were new.

Straight to business. “Your 2 o’clock had to be moved to 11 because your clients forgot they had another engagement. As for your 11 o’clock meeting, that got moved to 10. It’s for the same house, so it’ll just be back to back.” She threw away the tray, while taking out her coffee. Before giving him anymore information, she waited for him to digest her words and took a sip. Finally. Her second cup of coffee.

Theo made a noise somewhere between a hiss and a groan, running a hand through his hair and grabbing one of the cups and putting it to his lips. He took a sip of the juice and then put it back down on the table, smacking his lips. “That’s not bad.” He muttered, before he grabbed the other cup and took a sip from it, “but that’s better.” He slid back a bit in his chair, and it was like the juice had breathed fresh life into him, as he put his feet (slippers and all) up on the desk. People were rescheduling on him? Bastards. Didn’t they know that calendars were written in stone? At least Jamie was able to make sense of all this.

“Great.” Theo gave a nod of his approval as he continued to sip at the drink in his hand. With the knowledge about his daily meetings being changed (bastards) on him, there was only one thing left to do — the real business, so to speak. “I don’t suppose you have my house key? I lost it. So I’ve been here for longer than I usually am.”

“Yes! Of course. You forgot it…” She placed her cup down on his desk and rummaged through her massive purse for it. “...at my place.” She pulled it out and slid it in front of him. “I should’ve told you, but I didn’t realize until 3am.” And she was preoccupied recording herself talking in front of a camera.

There was something else she wanted to tell him, sure more work-related things, but there was something more important than that. What was it again? There was a second where Jamie stared into space as she tried to recall this important thing.

Suddenly, she snapped her fingers remembering, “Oh! Another thing.” Once again the noise of her rummaging through that endless void of a bag of her’s was heard throughout his office, before she pulled out an envelope. Her cheeks turned a faint scarlet as she laid out her hand for him to take the surprise from her. In it there were tickets to the Ball tomorrow night and tickets for the whole spring festival. She’d gauge the situation before chattering away. She learned early on talking too much could get overwhelming. And she knew she was a person who could talk for hours. There was a time and place for everything. With her boss, she always had to analyze the situation before going off on tangents.

Ah, that made sense. Forgetting things at Jamie’s place was a more common occurrence than Theo would have liked to admit, but at least she didn’t throw his crap out. Theo grabbed the house key and dropped it into its proper place, the top right drawer of his desk. When she handed him an envelope, he accepted it, but he didn’t really understand what it was. He stared at the envelope, then at her, then at the envelope again… Before finally gazing at her as he tore it open. He dumped the contents out on the desk and glanced at them, then up at her. “...is this your way of asking me for time off to do the festival thing? I’m pretty sure there’s a mandate saying I’m required to give you time off for that…”

“No! Uh. Maybe. I mean. Not quite.” Sometimes, Jamie wanted to just slap herself. What a blubbering fool she was. “I can still work, but what if… we cut things down so we both, you and me, had a little break. I can keep production going! And then we go to an event! And then we work! And then we have more fun!” The more she talked the more excited she got. This was an opportunity for her to take pictures for her blog. And eat nummy food! People would love to see Boston locals, and probably non-locals too, enjoying one of the biggest events of the year. She could take pictures of the food, the dancers, and whatever else they’ll have. Twirling a piece of hair, she looked at him with desperateness and her naughty plum coated lips went into a little pout, “Pleaseeeeeeeeeeee.”

Oh. She was asking him to the event. That was a little bit different of a situation… Theo had never been to one of SPECTRUM’s events. They only happened every five years! Theo could hardly even remember what he was doing five years ago… It was supposed to be the event of a lifetime. Hell, Theo’s parents has met there… “I guess we can take a vacation… or… several for the different festivals and events…. But only if you do that thing I like tonight.” What? Give and take. Push and pull. Theo’s feet finally came down from the desk and he smirked at her, sipping from the cup of juice before he winked at her.

There was the heat again in her cheeks. That ‘thing’ involved a little… roleplaying, but that was for her and him to know and for no one else to find out. In response to that, she simply made a cute face, put paws in front of her in a pose, and softly purred, “Meow.” How could she say no?! She wanted to go. This was all Dani’s fault! She convinced her to give in. Give in to fate. Honestly, this was a win-win situation for her. Time off, long festival, some… night stuff. Win-win.

“I can’t say no to that.” Theo’s mind was made up. They were going to the festival of the strings, enjoying the food and the show… and doing other stuff throughout the night tonight. And the next night. Theo took the final drink from his cup, and grabbed the other one, lifting it to his lips as well. “Probably just go ahead and cancel everything starting at seven tonight.” Theo suggested, nodding his head. “We can get dinner first.”

His words were like a bomb and she felt all her insides burst with anticipation. Their relationship was volcanic and his eyes, those eyes that she looked into when she first was interviewed, and those eyes she still looks into, made her feel closer to him than with any other man she’s ever met. There was nothing golden and pure about them. At night, they were two very different people and the more their relationship escalated, the more she felt captivated. Trapped in this dream where all modesty was thrown out the door. “...should I make a reservation at your favorite place?” Somehow, she was still able to muster words. Her heartbeat was echoing in her ears and she couldn’t look away from him. Always when she was alone with him, she couldn’t think straight.

“Why don’t you make them at your favorite place?” Theo suggested instead, smiling slyly at her. If they had dinner there, he was gonna have an even better night! It was a simple calculus, after all.

… Focus, Jamie. “Takeout it is.” Biting her bottom lip, she tried to get out of this daze. Think of something else. Anything else. Clothes! Outfits! For the ball! “We need to go shopping!” Avoiding looking into his bewitching gaze, she urgently reached for her coffee, only to freeze from the sound of his voice.

“Jamie.” His voice was firmer than before, as if he wanted her to focus on him.

“Hmmm…” Her eyes went up, bashfully, to look at him. Her hands getting a little closer to her coffee…

“Lock the door.”

In the office?! Her hand swiped fast at her coffee, causing it to get not only all over his desk, but on him. Ah fuck! “Ow!” He swore as the still hot coffee sloshed onto his lap. He damn near dropped his juice, but he was able to keep a hold on it — after all, it was the second tastiest thing in the room.

Covering her face, she apologized, her voice muffled with her hands, “I’ll clean that up.” And turned to retrieve cleaning products.

Before she could escape, Theo reached out and grabbed Jamie by the wrist, pulling her just a bit toward him. “Come here.” Okay, so they wouldn’t lock the door.

Her lips agape, her face like a beet, and her eyes once again deeply staring into his. Breathlessly, she answered, “Yes, Sir.”

Inspired by the after-dark entertainment of Las Vegas, the city that never sleeps, IMPULSE was one of the bigger venues in Boston, not too far from Common and Chinatown, right by Bliss Salon & Spa and across the street from The Rabbit Hole, a good old fashioned bar with a lot of history, and Genesis, an electrifying nightclub directed to the young and beautiful. The strip joint was at the corner, so it wasn’t hard to miss. What can Tate say? He liked the attention and the controversy.

There was a blue neon sign of a girl on a pole (located to the left of the door), next to the vertical words ‘OPEN’. On the other side of the door, there was a gold plate with IMPULSE engraved on it and on the privacy window near it was the words ‘BABYDOLLS’. All signs were off, which signaled it was closed. Specifically approaching 11:30 am. Lunch time.

Tate Paxton leaned in his office chair, his office located in the basement, staring at one of his workers seeking a promotion, now that the house mom had taken her leave to pursue her dreams. Her name was Lena Berry, a cute, little thing, nicknamed Strawberry, who was originally a barback. “You do know how much I’ll expect of you, Berry, right? Being a house mom isn’t easy.” He used his professional voice, not his boston slang one - which he was known for.

“I know! And I’m positively ready. I can be whatever the girls need. I’ll make sure the reality tv show that is the dressing room is kept to a minimum, and if they need a therapist, or a cheerleader, or just someone to keep them in line, I’m the girl! I know I’m nothing like Marjorie, she was definitely way more… uptight, but I have the spunk to be the leader you and Josh need. I promise I won’t fail you. Failure isn’t an option! The girls need someone that gets them and isn’t like ‘the man’. There’s some things they’ll tell me that they won’t tell you.”

“Is that so…” Strawberry was always way too enthusiastic about this scene, but hey, it showed she was passionate. Though, he never thought someone as pretty as her would actually want to make this a career. “How about the stress? You can handle that? Your priority is the entertainers, but sometimes, customers get too carried away. You don’t have to directly deal with them, but if there isn’t a bouncer or someone that can defuse the situation near by, you might have to.”

“Oh please.” The model before him sassily rolled her eyes, while crossing her legs. “I’m sure I can handle it. I’ve dealt with bar fights with your cousin. I might be cute, but I know how to put men in their place.” Hot. Lena smirked at her handsome, brown haired boss, waiting for the next question.

Glancing up from her resume and his notes to her green gaze, Tate carefully watched her in contemplative silence. His expression blank and hard to read. She didn’t seem unnerved at all. He liked that. A girl who had her emotions in check. “Tell me something you’d tell the girls. Advice and what not. You’ve primarily worked at the bar, so moving from that to entertainment, could be a challenge.”

Running her hand through her gorgeous, long strawberry blonde hair, Lena chuckled, “That’s an easy one. The obvious tip would be don’t drink because you’re bored, you might drink one too many and when it’s time to make money, you stumble and fall. That wouldn’t look good for the Paxton duo, now would it?” Tate placed his pen down, nodding and resting his chin on his palm. He wanted to hear more, so she kept going. “Another one is if you’re with a customer for ten minutes and he hasn’t gotten you a drink or paid for a dance, he’s not worth your time and effort because he just isn’t THAT into you. So, sweetie. Move on. There’s other customers that want to give you money.”

She leaned in forward, her stare deadly serious. Her skin looked soft. “Trust me, boss. I’ve been watching everyone for like two years now. I can do it. I know I can.” To think this girl was three years older than him; she was the embodiment of a ‘babydoll’.

Out of nowhere, the sound of the sliding door being brusquely opened echoed loudly across the room, the panels wobbling dangerously at the same time the conversation between Lena and Tate was effectively interrupted. Before any of them had time to even question what was going on, a short, petite young woman stormed inside, raven hair flying behind her and a glare full of such red-hot anger it could probably be compared to the flames of Hell.

“I’m so- Honestly? I’m really not sorry for interrupting. Whatever this is, it’s over. I need to speak to our charming boss here now.”

Dully, Tate gazed at Spice with nothing but ‘amusement’. By that, he simply met her eyes with frost. There was no anger, no sadness, no joy. There was nothing but a wall in between them. Distance. “Lena, we’ll continue our conversation later.”

The beautiful specimen before him, not the raging fury, the calmer one, gave him a perplexed look before saying one last thing, “...so yes, or no?” Honestly, Lena could care less about what Stephanie wanted. Her own advancement was top priority. Tate simply smiled and gave her a nod. With that, she childishly grinned happily at him. She got the job! Standing up, she turned on her heel and walked past the fiery stripper, “I’ll see you at six.” The only reply she got back from the other girl was an eye roll.

When the glass door slid closed and the two were left alone, Spice and Tate, the macho man of IMPULSE gestured for his employee to sit down, “What brings you here, Miss Spice?”

The young woman ignored his gesture to take a seat, choosing to remain standing with her hands on her hips. When she heard the way and tone of voice he was using with her, Stephanie couldn’t help but roll her eyes and scoff in disbelief. “‘Miss Spice’?” she repeated, moving her hands away from her hips long enough to use her fingers to make air quotes. “Since when the fuck am I ‘Miss Spice’ to you?!”

This is why you don’t fuck someone before you hire them. Intentionally, he decided to play this game with the young feline he was connected to by a purple thread. “Are you on your period? Do you need some chocolate? I have some.” He opened his desk drawer to take some out.

“I don’t need your fucking chocolate!” Spice shouted at the top of her lungs, stomping her way until she was close enough to the desk to violently slam the desk drawer close. She would never understand how a man who’d worked with women for so many years could be so stupid when the time came to deal with them. “All I really need to know why the hell are you still ignoring me!”

“Oh Kitten.” Tate said her nickname, but in a condescending tone. That’s what she wanted. “If I was ignoring you, would you be here right now? Would you still have access to my playground?” He’d be lying if he said he didn’t enjoy this. It was easy to get Spice’s panties in a bunch. He nonchalantly leaned back, a devilish smirk rising on his face. She denied the chocolate. That’s too bad.

“Don’t you play those stupid games with me, Tate Paxton!” she spat, now effectively stung by the way he said her pet name. “I am not in the mood, and you know exactly what I mean when I say you’ve been ignoring me! But you know what? Let me refresh that selective memory of yours. You have been-” Spice began, counting down the offenses with her fingers. “Let’s see… One, sending my calls to voicemail. Two, leaving my texts on read. Three, sending Josh to talk to me about business when it’s things that YOU usually handle.. Four, treating me just like all the other girls here when you had promised to me things wouldn’t change. And five, refusing to have the balls to fucking admit it to my face!”

Oh boy. She used your almost full name. Tate silently scoffed. “Interesting theory you have in that little head of yours.” Standing up, exceptionally taller than his lustful lover, Tate kept his brown eyes locked in on her face, “I’m a busy man, Steph.” His voice softened, but his words were as sharp as a razorblade. “I have a business to carry and with the spring festival just a day away, and IMPULSE having a business relationship with SPECTRUM. I’m trying to see if we can have one of the events here. I can’t be distracted. Like I’ve told you in the beginning, I will tell you again. I will call you. Not the other way around.” Rather than approach her and give her intimate comfort, he made his way to his door, giving her the cold shoulder, and smoothly slid it open, “Now, if you’ll excuse yourself. I have work to do.”

To say that Spice was shocked was an understatement. The pale-skinned girl remained motionless on the spot, staring at Tate with wide, sad eyes. His words and the tone he was using with her pierced her the same way broken glass would, causing her a stinging pain similar to the one Ethan made her feel. She could feel the purple string of fate that connected them start to fray in the most minuscule of ways, but enough to be noticed. It was in moments like this that Stephanie Cross wondered to herself what could she have possibly done to the Universe to always end up tangled with the same type of men: arrogant, selfish assholes who saw her as nothing more than another toy in their shelves. No matter how hard she tried or how much she gave, the result was always the same: it was never enough.

Feeling absolutely defeated, Spice took a deep breath, squared her shoulders and began her trek out of the office, not even bothering to look at Tate as she walked past him and out the door. The last thing she wanted was for him to notice the tears glazing up her brown eyes.

After the door was closed and he was left to his own devices, Tate leaned his head on the door and closed his eyes. This was harder than he thought.

In the halls of Harvard Law School, the talk of the town seemed to be the upcoming masquerade party thrown by SPECTRUM to assist in the search and possible encounters of strings. The vast majority of the young adult population seemed to be excited for the event; be it for the chance to dress up, have fun with friends, enjoy a wild night out, or even find their soulmate. But in the case of Sabrina Von Seymour, the atmosphere was completely different.

Whereas most people her age looked forward to and counted down the days to these events, Sabrina was not part of the hype train. Finding her strings had never been something that interested her, much less something she actively sought out. In Brie’s mind, she had a lot more things to worry about than strings. At the age of twenty-three, her priorities were on graduating Law School, taking some time off to travel, and coming back strong to take on the Boston courthouses

While everyone else busied themselves with last minute preparations for the masquerade, Sabrina was at her usual table in the Law library. Sheets of papers and heavy books were neatly stacked around her, giving off the vibe of a cluttered yet organized mess. Brie sat at the only available chair by the table, her Mac laptop sitting in front of her, while her dainty fingers gently tapped on the delicate keys. The faint sound of music could be heard from her earphones: her attempt to shut the rest of the world off while she worked on her thesis. With how focused she was, it wasn’t until she felt a soft tap on her shoulder that Brie removed one earphone and looked away from her laptop screen.

“Hey, Sabrina!” the sugary voice of Meena Patel greeted her enthusiastically. Meena was the student employee at the Law library, and a common occurrence in Brie’s life given the sheer amount of hours she spent at this place.

“Good morning, Meena,” Sabrina replied, offering the brunette a close-lipped smile.

“You excited about the masquerade tomorrow?” Meena asked her, softly poking the blonde’s side.

“Oh, that… Actually, I’m not going,” Brie said simply, nonchalantly shrugging her shoulders.

Meena gasped, wide-eyed at the unexpected answer she’d gotten. “No? You’re really not curious to see if you find that red string of yours?”

Sabrina shook her head. “Not really, no. I’ve spent twenty-three years of my life not knowing who this person is. I can definitely wait another few more,” she said with a small laugh.

Meena nodded, giving Brie an understanding smile. “Fair enough! But in case you change your mind, I have a cousin who can get you a last-minute ticket even though they’re supposedly sold out, so just hit me up, okay?”

Brie said nothing, opting instead to smile and nod politely, to which Meena responded with a parting wave before heading off. As soon as the brunette was out of sight, Sabrina placed her earbud back on her ear and turned her attention to her thesis once more. This was more important than a million red strings would ever be.

Entering her third cup of coffee, Scout decided that it wouldn't suffice for lunch. Considering she skipped breakfast, her stomach was begining to rumble at her - begging for some kind of nourishment. "Thank you anyways..." She removed the phone from her ear and haphazardly dropped it on the counter next to her magic bean juice that was now begining to cool. "Thanks for fucking nothing..." A follow up that couldn't be heard by the other end of her line. Scouts morning adventures dealt with calling every small local garage to see if they had what she needed or see if they'd even be gracious enough to let her work on her bike there. So far? All were duds. Northerners were a bit more brutal as well, and every attitude she had received so far was making her want to gouge her own eyes out. She truly was begining to miss the South, mainly because of its hospitality at this point. Boston had caught her attention, and it was a bit nicer and smaller than New York. Not too polluted, or clogged with other beings. But dealing with the locals was a challenge within itself.

Her air bnb she had rented out for the month was currently home, fully furnished and no bills to pay. It was a good little setup, and perfect for her unknown amount of time here. All she needed for now. What really caught her attention was it had a garage built underneath the whole complex, so she felt a bit more secure in storing her bike there. Her trusty steed was currently acting up and everywhere around here was chargining insane prices for parts and cost of labor. She knew what needed to be done, and as stated prior - all her phone calls were duds. It was making her time here less enjoyable than she wanted it to be. Of course she had already called her amazing father who was now urging her to just find a garage so he could send the parts there and she fix it there. But again, that was the challenge. Everyone wanted to do the work and get paid. Which was starting to seem like her only choice.

Her stomach gurgled again, another call for actual nutrition. Guess it was time to get some food. A hasty change into a pair of high-waisted black jeans, a white tank covered by a gray sweater and of course her favorite pieces of jewelry adorned her body. Scout placed her ID, and Credit Card into her boots along with some cash, a usual routine. Patting herself down, lacing up her boots - she gave herself one peer in the mirror before waltzing out the door and into a brisk Boston day.

It wasn't very long after that the wind had slapped her in the face that life would too. Scout had recently began to talk to the owner of the building about possibly renting out the space for another month, but he had to think on the idea of giving up an Air BnB space. "Hello? Yes...Hi Mr. Wallace....mhm...yeah...I'm free all day today. I'd love to meet up whenever you're free. Mhm, thank you. Goodbye." She stared at the phone as the call went offline, and sighed. Alright. So, perhaps a liquid lunch would be the highlight of her day. Assuming if he was willing to let her rent the place out again for the price of mortgage - he would've just said so. But a slight inkling of doubt settled into her stomach, he wouldn't want to meet if there wasn't more than just a 'yes'. Swiping to her maps, Scout looked around for entertainment in the city - of course a dozen spots popped up, but she decided to look into the ones closer to her.

Her wandering would bring her across a stripclub that was currently closed - she kept this in mind for a later time. Many rally's usually ended in the boys themselves rallying to the nearest Strip joint. She had saw no stigma's or taboo's to the business, and actually usually enjoyed herself in the joints. But for now? Hard pass. She continued scrolling and finally a place came across her radar with great reviews on food, and one comment in particular about a delicious old fashioned, was what truly caught her attention."Minotaur..." Interesting name, but the reviews made it more interesting to want to indulge in. It wasn't that far away from her current location, and well off she went down the bustling Boston streets.

Upon walking in the establishment, Scout took a seat promptly at the bar. Ordered the old fashioned. Then exhaled a refreshed sigh upon taking the first sip of her drink. It was delicious. Settling back into the chair, her eyes scanned the area. The place was fairly busy, tapping her phone it showed it was just a little after lunch time. Running alongside this thought, her stomach grumbled again. "Well, would you like something to eat ma'am?" the bartender inquired with a pleasant smile, obviously hearing her stomach. Scout chuckled and looked down to the menu, sucking in her lips and letting them go with a satisfying pop her head shook. "I'm not entirely picky, how about....today's special". She slid the menu back, and the bartender nodded his head before turning away and inputing her order into the system.

Looking around and observing the business, Scout drummed her fingers against the wood grain of the bar. Her hand found the muddled bourbon drink and reached her lips again. The large circular ice cube smacked her lip and took her by surprise, setting it down and wiping her lip she slid the glass forward. Embaressement slightly crept up on her, but maybe the drink was just that good. "Another one?" the bartender asked, holding the glass up in her direction. Looking to him, she began nodding "Yes. But. Uhm, hey...so what are the chances you guys are hiring? Front of house...back of house..? Is the owner in to speak to?" She smiled at him, knowing it probably wasn't the best way to get a job while you were already one drink down. But maybe luck would be on her side today. The bartender looked to her as he muddled another drink for her and nodded, "I'll ask and see for you...wouldn't you rather have an application?" Scout smirked, and shrugged her shoulders "Just kinda taking a chance". Living a nomadic life really made one more adventurous.

Ella was a creature of habit, as is most everyone else in this vast world. Her mornings started around 8:30am every day, woken up to her old fashion alarm clock with the bells. coffee began brewing 5 minutes prior to this alarm so entering the kitchen was always a delight. Her routine was the same this day as every other day, she spent her time making sure her face was prepared for the day at the store, outfit was always free of any unneeded creases. Her hair was a pretty simple task in the mornings, thankfully. It had a natural curl to it, but a bit of heat and taming had finally created the perfect waterfall curls. Today was of course another day selling makeup, "beating" faces, and inspiring confidence in others. She really enjoyed makeup and the way it could make anyone feel about themselves, there was some kind of electric feeling behind helping boost someone's confidence.

Of course though, routines are meant to be broken and changed up a bit. Keep a small dash of spice in life, yanno? Sitting in her car and pulling down the visor for one last lookover, she'd place the key in the ignition and boom. The engine wouldn't start. Further investigation would find that she had left the light on in the top of the car, groaning and hitting her forehead on the steering wheel she inhaled deeply. Raising her head and wiping away the foundation residue, she exhaled and looked at her clock. "Ah! Ay dios mios" Grabbing her giant designer bag full of things for work and who knows what else till she cleaned it out again, Ella found herself racing to the bus stop just outside of her apartment. Running in her cheetah print low heels, Ella could feel today may not be her day. The only thing so far that would prevent her from feeling that way, was making it to the bus stop with only a few moments to spare before it pulled up.

Hopping on board, she paid the fee and tried to hold her composure. She really just wanted to lay on the floor and die in that moment from the quick sprint. Instead she walked the aisle, looking for a seat before her eyes finally landed on a good thing. Kyle Parker. The two had met when she went into his store looking for a pair of sunglasses. She was rather picky and wanted to spend money on a pair she really liked. It was a treat yourself day as she told him in compliance with reinforcing her idea to spend the money on a pair. The two chatted briefly before eventually running into each other almost every day the outside mall they worked at. Kyle became a friendly face, and soon a good friend to her. The first friendly face outside of her own job she met, enjoying his company for lunch occasionally. The two had gotten rather close actually, she knew some of his past and he knew some of hers. It was a bond she'd hope would never break, he was like a little brother to her but from the totally opposite spectrum of her own childhood.

Strutting past the rest, she plopped down in the seat next time and huffed. "You would not believe today, it's already starting out so messy. My car wont start and....okay well actually that's it. I'm just really out of breath, and thought I wasn't gonna even make this." She pulled out a sponge from her purse, and blotted at her face before replacing it. She plopped her bag in Kyle's lap disrupting his phone flow, and adjusted her white sheer shirt tucking it back into her pants. Flipping her hair back over her shoulders, she let out one last over exaggerated breath and smiled at Kyle. "Thanks!" Taking her bag back she continued to ramble, "Today I have to go get fitted by a stylist for a dress...yanno, since Sephora came on for that ball? I got picked as one of the representatives...ambassador...whatever. You know what I mean. But I got picked out of all the Make Up Artists, pretty cool huh? They're paying money to make all the girls stand out. Are you going to it? I wonder what its gonna be like...anyways. If you go we should most definitely hang out....oh, sorry. How is your morning going?" Ella was looking forward this whole time, slightly staring off into space before recollecting herself and looking to Kyle. "Havent seen you in what...two days? Anything interesting going on? How's work?" Ella was a bit invasive at times, but her friends mattered to her. The few that she did have, at least. Ella held onto good things when they came her way, it was a bit greedy of her in her some sense. But it was the good moment in life, especially the smallest ones, that motivated her these days.