JUST MY LUCK

i. coat closet coves

SEVYN.

Despite her best efforts, Sevyn Johnson still hasn't managed to shake off her lifelong habit of being unable to say no. She doesn't know if it's some sort of manifestation of unresolved childhood trauma or if it's just an innate personality trait but either way, she thought (or rather, hoped) that it would go away once she entered college but even now, at the grown age of 22, she's still struggling to say no to people.

Which is exactly how she finds herself in her bathroom, getting ready to cover for her coworker's shift even though it's supposed to be her night off.

She stares down at her phone screen on the sink in front of her and reads her most recent message with a frown.

ALLY (WORK)
Thanks for covering gurl! I owe ya 😘

It's not the first time Ally has asked for her cover her shift on such late notice and it's also not the first time that Sevyn has noticed that Ally seems to only use the term 'gurl' when she speaks to her. Sevyn should take her friend, MJ's advice and tell Ally to go fuck herself but instead, (like always) Sevyn takes the high road and sends back a polite reply.

ME
no problem!

"You are such a fucking pushover," Sevyn groans to herself as she fights the urge to slam her against the mirror in front of her in frustration. Ally had only given her an hour's notice before she asked, so Sevyn didn't even have enough time to figure out how to style her hair so the best she could do was slick the front while tying up the mess of curls with a hair tie that looked ready to snap.

Halfway through trying to tame her hair, the door to the bathroom opens without so much of a knock.

"You're working tonight?" Althea Delacruz, Sevyn's roommate, asks as she enters with a curler in her fringe and a full face of makeup. "I thought you were staying in to study this weekend." 

"Ally asked me to cover for her," Sevyn explains and makes room for Althea so she can stand in front of the mirror too. "She can't do the event because she's busy."

"Again?" Althea huffs in annoyance, no doubt recalling how just two days ago, she had asked Sevyn to swap shifts so she could go on a date with her boyfriend. "Does that bitch ever do her own goddamn shifts?"

"It's okay, I can do with the extra cash," Sevyn sighs and reaches over her to grab a brush and gel. In the process of getting them, she manages to accidentally knock over several of Althea's make up products.

Their shared bathroom sink is a mess thanks to Althea owning every single makeup product known to man and Sevyn spending whatever money she has on hair care products.

"But seriously Sev, you need to stop being such a people pleaser," Althea shakes her head and nudges her over with her shoulder so she can apply a fresh coat of lipgloss. "Next time Ally tries to get you to cover for her say no! She never says yes when you cover for her."

"Didn't you say you were staying in to study?" Sevyn raises an eyebrow at her, diverting the subject.

Althea is the only person she knows that can party every weekend, work a part time at a bar and still manage to breeze through all her classes.

"That doesn't sound like something I'd say," Althea hums despite knowing full well she had said she would be studying. "What event are you waiting for anyways?"

"I think it's a charity event," Sevyn shrugs, unfamiliar with the names that she'd read on the text that was sent in the work group chat. "It's at some fancy hotel and it's being hosted by the owners. The Lancaster Hotel or something."