𝓛𝓮𝓪𝓽𝓱𝓮𝓻 𝓑𝓸𝓾𝓷𝓭

𝒻𝑜𝓊𝓇𝓉𝑒𝑒𝓃

What is worse: getting bitten by a viper or stirring a cobra?

+ + + + 

When Nellie woke up the next day, the trailer was deserted. No sign of Sweet Pea except his unmade bed. It was a bit early for him to leave for school but she just assumed that he'd rather not have to talk about his confessions about Tall Boy from last night. 

After running a quick shower, Nellie made her way down to the Five Seasons as usual. She got into her uniform, running a quick eye over her schedule as she went. 

"Miss Hearst," Mr. Harrington's voice surprised her. Still tying her apron in front of her, Nellie turned around to face her boss. "Mr. Kowalski was pleased about your service yesterday. He specifically asked for me to give you this,"

Mr. Harrington held out an enveloppe. As Nellie was about to tear it open, Mr. Harrington came closer and whispered so only she could hear "Keep that away from prying eyes, Miss Hearst. Rumors spread quickly,"

Confused, Nellie looked up noticing several housemaids keeping a close eye on her interaction with Mr. Harrington. She nodded in comprehension. As Mr. Harrington left, she quickly tucked the closed envelope in the pocket of her apron and grabbed the key to the first room that required cleaning. 

Once she left the busy laundry room behind her, Nellie halted in the empty corridor. Her fingers fiddled with the envelope. Curiosity got the better hand as she shredded it open. Her eyes grew wider and she audibly gasped when she caught sight of the money. A hundred dollar. 

"Well, well..." an unknown voice called out from the dark. "Looks like our silent nun isn't so innocent after all," 

Nellie's head snapped back to locate the voice. It belonged to one of the housemaids she had seen in the laundry room previously. Her blonde hair was tucked away in a tight ponytail, not a single strand out of the way. Her slender figure was leaning against a doorframe, her features barely illuminated by a flickering lightbulb. 

"Well, I guess you deserved it," the girl shrugged, throwing Nellie a disgusted look as she passed her in the cramped space.  

"I merely cleaned his room," Nellie found herself defending her own. She almost immediately wanted to slap herself. It didn't matter what these girls thought of her. She was about to be gone as soon as possible. The reputation she created here, wouldn't follow her anywhere. 

"Sure, and I am the tooth fairy," the girl bit back over her shoulder, swaying her ponytail obnoxiously behind her. 

Nellie rolled her eyes. She wanted this conversation to be over with anyways. But the girl wasn't finished yet. 

"If you get on your knees next time, I'm sure he'll double your profit," she taunted. 

Nellie's head snapped back up. Embarrassment flared her cheeks. "I didn't do anything," 

The girl turned around to face Nellie again. "No one would blame you if you did, darling. We're all trying to get by," and with that the blonde girl finally left. 

Nellie pushed the money deeper in the pocket of her apron and returned to her routine. In front of Mr. Kowalski's room, she hesitated. After her meeting with the man yesterday, she wasn't sure how she should react to his avances. His gift made everything even more forced. She should ignore his intentions, clean his room and get going. 

Knowing her strength, Nellie pushed open the door and walked in. Unlike the previous day, the room wasn't vacated. Seated in the corner of the room, Mr. Kowalski looked amused as Nellie froze in the doorway.