Unconventional

Chapter 6: D-Day

Over 4,000 views and counting!! So blessed and thankful for you all for continuing to support me!! Thank you for all the likes and comments, and remember to keep leaving more of them, lol! Now, enjoy Chapter 6!!!!

Year: Early 2014

     
Trying not to appear bored, when you're suffering from the most severe case of tediousness, can be extremely hard. Especially if your every emotion plays across your face, and you just so happen to work in the retail industry, where people have unrealistic expectations that you'll look pleasant 24/7. Yeah, that was a definite negative on my end. Glancing up from the basic lavender t-shirt I spent the last 10 minutes, folding and unraveling continuously in an attempt to look busy, I scanned the customer-less store for any glimpses of my quirky manager. When I didn't see her amongst a few of my coworkers who were spread throughout the floor, I quickly pulled out my phone to check the time, excited to see I had less than five minutes until my shift was over. Pocketing my mobile device, I folded up the dumb shirt one last time, before walking to the door besides the row of registers that lead to the employee breakroom.

    
     As I pushed open the door, I instinctively moved towards the computer in the corner of the room, all too ready to clock out, but I realized I could quickly use the bathroom to kill the time I still had left. Briskly, I walked down the hallway to the unisex bathroom, relieving myself and washing my hands in a matter of a couple of minutes. Once I exited, drying my hands off with a paper towel, I made a final stop at the water fountain to quench my thirst, before finally making my way to my source of freedom. Logging in with my employee id, I clicked the "clock out" button besides my name with joy, and was greeted with instantaneous relief. Without wasting anymore time, I practically sprinted out the breakroom, speed walking anxiously towards the entrance of the store. On the way, I spotted my annoying manager, (who for some reason couldn't dress even though she worked at a store dedicated to clothes), walking aimlessly in the men's section, smiling at me when she noticed my hastily moving figure.

      
      "See you later, Artemis!" Her fake-friendly tone didn't fool me, neither did the wave she gave to accompany it, but regardless I threw a hand up in her direction. "See you!" The moment she turned away, her attention now on another coworker, I rolled my eyes heavily, and pushed open the door, greeting the outside world once more. The chilling temperature, courtesy of a Tallahassee winter, hit me immediately, and I pulled my black cardigan closer together across my chest, pocketed my hands, and walked down the stone steps leading to the sidewalk. Glancing back, I took in the illuminated neon blue Urban Outfitters sign, and rolled my eyes again. When I first heard of my favorite clothing store coming to my college town, I was beyond thrilled, and knew I had to find a way to get hired for the discount. Even though I was working at Forever 21 at the time, I was slowly getting fed up with the bullshit from my incompetent managers, and knew a change was needed. So I bided my time, and put up with unnecessary mess, until "Now Hiring" signs were posted on the building that was almost complete. A month, and a successful interview later, the job was mine. Turning in my resignation letter to my managers gave me a tremendous high, and I reveled in it for a few weeks. Unfortunately, that happiness didn't last, as I soon found out after working at Urban for a couple of weeks, the grass was not greener on the other side.

     
      Unlike Forever, there was little to no business on the weekdays, making it extremely boring. While the music we played in the store was decent enough, it still didn't help the fact my coworkers and the environment in general wasn't for me. I was stuck at this point though, so I knew I had to put up with it for the time being. Vigorously walking around the building, I crossed over into the muddy area that was still being developed into a proper parking lot, and quickly pulled my phone out on the way to my car, trying to keep my hands from getting too cold. Maneuvering to my "Favorites" in my phonebook, I clicked on the name underneath my Mama's, and put the phone to ear, waiting as it began to ring. In the middle of the third one, the line connected, and I heard an intake of breath on the other end. "Hello." Smiling at the slight animation in his deep voice, I moved the phone to the crook of my neck, while I took my keys out my pocket. "Hey, I just got off these people's job. You home?" Now a couple of feet from my vehicle, I pressed the button on the fob to unlock it, while a chuckle from my phone's speaker tickled my ear. "I don't know why you always say "these people's job", but yeah, I'm home."