You've Been Playing At A Game
This may be the strangest thing I've ever written... in a style I've never really tried. Under the cut is my entry for the third round of brigits_flame. This week the theme was "Happiness Is..." Y'all know that input of any sort is appreciated always.
A Perfect Strawberry
They're talking about their plans for the night again, those pretty girls who were just as popular in high school as I was unnoticed. We're co-workers, sure, and we chat while we're working and get along, but once we punch out it's all out the window and we go our separate ways. Not that it matters - I'm happier with my empty stretch of beach and bottle of lemon water. Not that I'll do that tonight... No, tonight I'll put on that top that always gets compliments and go to the bar for ladies night.
"Hey, Lisa, you love strawberries right?"
What, she's talking to me? I blink at her and nod, the millions of words that are always swirling in my head vanishing. Nikki, she's the prettiest one even in her sweaty work uniform, grins and points a perfectly manicured fingernail - how does she keep them looking that good when she does work like the rest of us? - in my direction.
"We're going berry picking tonight, and tomorrow I'll bring you the best strawberry that you've ever seen! Since, you know, you can't come with us ever."
I grin and pop off some smart remark that gets everyone to laugh as they walk out the door on their way to their happy, eventful little lives. I can't even remember what it was that I said, it'd probably come in handy later. As I turn on the security cameras and settle in for a long shift of doing absolutely nothing I try to forget what it was that Nikki promised. It was probably just a joke, something they can laugh about while they're out in the field evening their tans. I can practically hear Samantha:
"Bet Lisa thought you were serious - did you see the way she smiled?! Pure genius, Nikki."
I most certainly did not smile! I'd tell them that, but Carrie's already weighing in with her two cents:
"It'll be even better tomorrow when she walks into work and you don't say anything about it."
Well, I'll show them, won't I? When I come into work tomorrow I'll just do what I always do and ignore them all. Samantha and Carrie don't deserve acknowledgment anyhow - I'm pretty sure that Carrie hasn't even graduated high school yet, and Samantha had to drop out because she got knocked up. Nikki's starting college in the fall, but she'll be on academic probation. That's what being pretty and popular gets you. I'll take being the quiet, smart girl every single time if it means that I'm the one getting my degree while they're out being drunken sluts. Yeah, it doesn't matter at all if they laugh at me and make fun of me because I don't have as many friends as them, I've got a brain! ...if only being smart and being happy went hand in hand.
Oh who am I kidding? Of course they do! I'm happier than those girls could ever be. Really...
Now remember, walk in and act like nothings different today than yesterday. Nikki never said she'd bring you anything and those snickers you hear as they walk out aren't directed at you. They're meant for that guy with the limp who talks to his broom whenever he's sweeping the stairs. Yep, that's exactly it, doesn't even matter that he won't be anywhere nearby when they leave. Just ignore it - they'll be stapling pockets to jeans when you're sitting in a nice corner office telling their bosses boss what to do!
Sure enough, there's Nikki and her crew standing right by the door, and they're all grinning. Just ignore it, ignore it, damnit! They'll ignore you if you ignore them - it always worked in school.
But Nikki is stepping up and holding up her palm. In it is a large, deep red strawberry that looks like it came right out of an ad for Breyer's Strawberry ice cream, minus the square-shaped hole. She's smiling and it seems to me that the smile is different than it's always been, more human. She's actually looking at me and I can see a person there instead of a pretty, popular girl who wouldn't give me a glass of water if I was dying of thirst. For a moment I think that maybe the berry is poisoned - that'd be a twist - but something in Nikki's face tells me that there's nothing wrong with it at all. I've never seen her look like that before.
"Well go on, Lisa, take it! Picked it just for you and you've got to tell me if it's as sweet as it looks."
My fingers are not shaking as I take the strawberry from her and bite into it. Sticky sweetness explodes in my mouth and somewhere else I feel the strangest sort of warmth. The smile that I give Nikki has no sarcasm to it for once, it's genuine, and I say something to her with a purpose other than getting a laugh:
"It's the most delicious thing I've ever tasted... thanks for keeping it for me."
"Anything for my big sister."
A Perfect Strawberry
They're talking about their plans for the night again, those pretty girls who were just as popular in high school as I was unnoticed. We're co-workers, sure, and we chat while we're working and get along, but once we punch out it's all out the window and we go our separate ways. Not that it matters - I'm happier with my empty stretch of beach and bottle of lemon water. Not that I'll do that tonight... No, tonight I'll put on that top that always gets compliments and go to the bar for ladies night.
"Hey, Lisa, you love strawberries right?"
What, she's talking to me? I blink at her and nod, the millions of words that are always swirling in my head vanishing. Nikki, she's the prettiest one even in her sweaty work uniform, grins and points a perfectly manicured fingernail - how does she keep them looking that good when she does work like the rest of us? - in my direction.
"We're going berry picking tonight, and tomorrow I'll bring you the best strawberry that you've ever seen! Since, you know, you can't come with us ever."
I grin and pop off some smart remark that gets everyone to laugh as they walk out the door on their way to their happy, eventful little lives. I can't even remember what it was that I said, it'd probably come in handy later. As I turn on the security cameras and settle in for a long shift of doing absolutely nothing I try to forget what it was that Nikki promised. It was probably just a joke, something they can laugh about while they're out in the field evening their tans. I can practically hear Samantha:
"Bet Lisa thought you were serious - did you see the way she smiled?! Pure genius, Nikki."
I most certainly did not smile! I'd tell them that, but Carrie's already weighing in with her two cents:
"It'll be even better tomorrow when she walks into work and you don't say anything about it."
Well, I'll show them, won't I? When I come into work tomorrow I'll just do what I always do and ignore them all. Samantha and Carrie don't deserve acknowledgment anyhow - I'm pretty sure that Carrie hasn't even graduated high school yet, and Samantha had to drop out because she got knocked up. Nikki's starting college in the fall, but she'll be on academic probation. That's what being pretty and popular gets you. I'll take being the quiet, smart girl every single time if it means that I'm the one getting my degree while they're out being drunken sluts. Yeah, it doesn't matter at all if they laugh at me and make fun of me because I don't have as many friends as them, I've got a brain! ...if only being smart and being happy went hand in hand.
Oh who am I kidding? Of course they do! I'm happier than those girls could ever be. Really...
Now remember, walk in and act like nothings different today than yesterday. Nikki never said she'd bring you anything and those snickers you hear as they walk out aren't directed at you. They're meant for that guy with the limp who talks to his broom whenever he's sweeping the stairs. Yep, that's exactly it, doesn't even matter that he won't be anywhere nearby when they leave. Just ignore it - they'll be stapling pockets to jeans when you're sitting in a nice corner office telling their bosses boss what to do!
Sure enough, there's Nikki and her crew standing right by the door, and they're all grinning. Just ignore it, ignore it, damnit! They'll ignore you if you ignore them - it always worked in school.
But Nikki is stepping up and holding up her palm. In it is a large, deep red strawberry that looks like it came right out of an ad for Breyer's Strawberry ice cream, minus the square-shaped hole. She's smiling and it seems to me that the smile is different than it's always been, more human. She's actually looking at me and I can see a person there instead of a pretty, popular girl who wouldn't give me a glass of water if I was dying of thirst. For a moment I think that maybe the berry is poisoned - that'd be a twist - but something in Nikki's face tells me that there's nothing wrong with it at all. I've never seen her look like that before.
"Well go on, Lisa, take it! Picked it just for you and you've got to tell me if it's as sweet as it looks."
My fingers are not shaking as I take the strawberry from her and bite into it. Sticky sweetness explodes in my mouth and somewhere else I feel the strangest sort of warmth. The smile that I give Nikki has no sarcasm to it for once, it's genuine, and I say something to her with a purpose other than getting a laugh:
"It's the most delicious thing I've ever tasted... thanks for keeping it for me."
"Anything for my big sister."