Water falls from the sky in chaotic droplets, bouncing off the pavement and sliding down drain pipes in constant torrents. Converse-clad feet shuffle against the damp concrete, the once white colour now coated in brown sludge and fallen leaves. A shiver makes its way down Nailea Cameron's spine, the cool wind creeping under her russet skin. Her dark cinnamon coloured eyes darting to the wooden door of Clean Cuts.
Nailea had been working at the establishment since her fifteenth birthday. Her brother had dropped her on the side of the road at 8 AM with a pile of her resumes in hand before driving off with a promise to pick her up by 2 PM.
He hadn't returned until 3 PM but by then Nailea had gained the courage to walk in and out of all the establishments within a two-block radius. She, unfortunately, had no luck. Just as she was giving up, the freshly painted door of a hair salon caught her eye. The door was painted a neon pink on the bottom half and the top half painted a sunshine yellow – an odd combination indeed.
A help wanted sign was pinned to the window, the barely comprehendible font was scrawled in pink sharpie and stuck to the glass by blue-tack. However, it was the small butterfly sticker in the corner of the page that brought a smile to the young girl's face. Muffling up the remainder of her self-esteem, Nailea plastered a bright smile on her face, flattened down her sweater and pushed open the door with a shaky sigh.
Immediately, the smell of bleach and coffee beans assaulted her senses and a bell sounded overhead. Eyes darker then hers connect with her own and Nailea feels almost as if she were intruding. She had apologised and informed the crouching lady that she was here to apply for a job. The lady didn't respond, only watched Nailea from behind the counter. Despite a small voice telling her to leave and apply elsewhere, Nailea stood her ground, smile unfazed.
The lady had jumped up, her tall and lean figure, surprising the teenager as the lady skipped around the counter without a second thought and firmly held the teenage by her shoulders. A Bulgarian accent requested a resume and after a glance down at the single-sided paper, a grin formed on the lady's face. The hands left her shoulders and Nailea was given the job. She was confused as she had barely spoken ten words to the woman. Not to mention she hadn't sat down for an interview and the older woman hadn't called either of her two referees - her mum and her English teacher, Mrs Conway.
A piercing whistle rang through the air causing both individuals to wince. The woman's eyes widened comically as she rushed behind the counter and disappeared into a back room where the clanking of ceramic cups was heard. Nailea was beckoned into the back room with her and the smell of roasted coffee means causes Nailea's mouth to water involuntarily and her nose to tilt up inhaling.
With her hands busy pouring the coffee into two floral mugs, the woman introduced herself as Celia Zafer, the owner but she preferred for Nailea to call her Celia instead of the boss or Ms Zafer. She was single after her ex-girlfriend left her for a travelling saleswoman (Nailea could still very much sense the bitterness despite Celia reassuring her that she was over the whole affair). Celia was left to handle the salon on her own and had decided to rename the establishment a few months prior.
She had two young nephews, Thomas and Arthur, aged four and six. It turns out they were the two masterminds behind the colour scheme of the door, Thomas wanting yellow and Arthur pink- in the end, Celia used both to avoid arguments. Celia's beauty was mesmerising to the young girl, but her stories were too amusing and interesting for Nailea to be distracted by her appearance. Sure, Nailea realised that woman had a few strange mannerisms but who didn't?
When her brother drove up in their mum's old Corolla, Nailea was waiting on the curb, a smile on her face and a uniform in hand. She was to start her first shift the next day after school. The past two hours she had spent getting trained in the art of baking and the expectations Celia had. It was all very exciting.
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LUST IN A FOOL, paul lahote.
FanfictionLUST IN A FOOL. ❝ Nailea's life was nothing out of the ordinary in her opinion; she had a job at a small salon in La Push and a close friend whom she occupies her days off with. That was until she sleeps with the town's hothead whom of which sudden...
