Chapter Text
“Nat,” Jackie greeted plainly as she sat down next to her, the metal zippers on her bag clanging loudly against the metal bench and echoing in the small space of the locker room.
Nat may have been being a bit dramatic, but with the hangover she had been nursing, she hoped she would be allowed to be. Clearly, Jackie hadn’t picked up on that though, despite the sunglasses that Nat was sporting inside the locker room, at 5:45 in the morning when the sun wasn’t even up yet.
“What, Taylor?” Nat grouched. She didn’t feel bad. Jackie looked as happy as ever, despite the fact that it was still basically the ass crack of dawn, she wouldn’t mind if Nat was grumpy. Plus, no matter how often she would try to resist it, Nat did find that hanging out with Jackie generally made her mood go up, like, a lot. Something about the way Jackie carried herself, or was always smiling, always chatty and positive and bubbly, or whatever – something or other about how people rub off on you.
“So,” Jackie chirped, lifting her leg up and swinging it across the bench so that she was straddling it, shuffling closer and closer until her knee was touching Natalie’s. A couple years ago Natalie may have freaked, but not now – she was over her crush on Jackie, it had always just been a fleeting thing that started when she was 14 and Jackie complimented her makeup, instead of making fun of her for it like everyone else. “You know how I’ve been talking about finding a job? More money for the summer after nationals, more time away from my parents at home, looks good on college apps, the like. Remember?”
Nat did remember. Jackie had been going on and on about it for the last couple weeks, talking her and Shauna’s ears off and asking them what job they thought she would be good at, as if they were one of those bright magazines that Jackie had delivered monthly, the teenage girl ones that had quizzes in them about what season or colour or scent you were.
“Yeah,” Nat said, leaning back so she could rest against the paint chipped wall behind her – Wiskayok didn’t care to keep on top of maintenance for them, despite the fact that they were going to motherfucking Nationals. They weren’t the boys baseball team, so their locker room stayed mildewy and old and grimy. “You found one?”
“Yes!” Jackie practically yelled, her smile stretched all the way across her face, making her eyes crinkle.
Nat couldn’t help but smile either, even though the noise from Jackie and the slight movement from smiling made her head pound even worse. Her attempt at a smile may have come out more like a wince.
“Sorry,” Jackie looked apologetic, seemingly just catching on to the fact that Nat was wildly hungover.
“It’s okay,” Nat brushed her off quickly, not wanting her to feel bad. She was actually kind of curious to know what job she had gotten, too. “What job?”
“Okay,” Jackie took a deep breath, and Natalie prepared herself for whatever Jackie was going to say next – she had that look on her face that she always did when she was trying to convince Nat to do something she otherwise really did not want to. “Hear me out. Because I want you to do it with me. And Shauna, I’m gonna talk to her about this too when she gets here. Hey, actually, why are you here so early? I’m here because I’m, well, the captain, and I run Monday trainings, but you’re… you're never late, but I've never seen you here this early.”
Nat twisted her lips as she thought about what she wanted to tell Jackie about why she was at training so early – for no other reason than not really wanting to talk about it right now. She trusted Jackie, and surprisingly she was kind of one of her best friends, but she could also be too caring sometimes. It was in her nature to want to solve things for everyone as quickly as she could, but sometimes Nat just wanted to let things stew and deal with them a little slower.
Like why she was at training so early. Jackie didn’t need to know that she’d slept there overnight right this minute. She could tell her in like… a week, maybe, once the bruises from the hard benches had gone away and the ache in her chest from the words her mom spat at her dissipated.
“I’ll tell you later?” Nat said, probably just quietly enough to spike worry in Jackie, if the way her brow furrowed was any indication.
“Okay,” Jackie said simply, even though Nat could tell that she wanted to push. She had to give it to Jackie, they had come a long way from when they were eleven and she literally would not let Nat go until she told her what was wrong. She would corner her in the playground at school and even though it was all good intentioned, Natalie hated it and as they got older it almost drove a wedge between the two of them, until Nat finally told Jackie that it bothered her. Jackie had been so sad, so apologetic, for so long that Nat decided that she could meet her halfway and actually try to talk about things with her once she was ready, instead of just not talking about anything ever. She was the only one on the team that knew the extent of Nat’s home situation, and she always had the perfect amount of tact and sympathy when Nat did actually want to talk about what was going on.
“Sorry,” Nat cleared her throat, realising that there had been a pretty long pause. “I want to hear about the job.”
“Right,” Jackie smiled, softer than before, and squeezed Nat’s knee once before pulling back and starting again.
Natalie appreciated that Jackie didn’t linger, but also really appreciated that Jackie could vaguely recognise what was going on and reached out briefly.
“It’s at the after school care centre at the elementary school,” Jackie explained.
Nat felt her eyes bug out a little, there was no way that that was where Jackie wanted her to work with her.
“Hear me out!” Jackie quickly rectified, laughing a little. She must have noticed the look on Nat’s face. “The middle school is right next to it and they have a care centre too, they’re both hiring. It would be so fun! I’ll work at the elementary school, I can’t stand middle schoolers and also the little kids are so cute. And then Shauna can tutor at the middle school centre, and you can… go between both?”
“You’re not serious.”
“Come on, Nat!” Jackie protested as she stood up, as if that would make convincing Natalie to work with Jackie Taylor and Shauna Shipman at an elementary school care centre any easier. “I know you have your whole, like, brooding emo thing going on, but you’re also really nice and I’m so sure the kids would kind of dig that thing. Haven’t you ever seen what little kids are like? They’re like pets.”
That made Nat laugh. “In what way, Jackie? That you have to clean up their shit until they’re old enough to do it themselves?”
“No,” Jackie rolled her eyes, hard. “No, that it’s like… you know, when you get a cat and your dad is all grumpy about not wanting the cat but then the dad ends up being the cat’s favourite? They’re like that. They like the ones that don’t want to be around them the most, for whatever reason.”
Natalie stiffened at Jackie’s example, and she saw exactly when Jackie realised that that may not have been the best example to use, but she didn’t want Jackie to feel bad – Nat did understand what she was saying, and Jackie hadn’t meant anything by it. She was using a universal ‘you.’
So when Jackie tried to apologise, Nat forgave her before she even got half her sentence out.
“It’s fine, Jackie. Don’t worry about it,” she said, genuinely, hoping that Jackie could tell that it was as well.
Jackie twisted her lips but she didn’t say anything else on the matter, and Nat relaxed a little.
“I get what you mean,” Nat said. “I just don’t think I’m very good with kids.”
Jackie shrugged, beginning to smile again as she sat back down, knocking her shoulder against Nats.
“I’m pretty sure you’d be pretty great with them,” Jackie smiled, bending down to start to get her cleats on. “But, you don’t really have to be, either. You just have to smile a little more than usual and like… watch them colour, or whatever. Cut up fruit for snack time. Make sure they don’t die or anything.”
“I don’t know,” Nat groaned, resting her head on Jackie’s back as she was still bent down, making Jackie scoff. She stayed still though, and Nat was glad. Jackie had always been pretty comfy, and the heat radiating off of Jackie’s back suddenly made Nata aware of just how cold it was in there, just how cold she was. She shivered and then straightened back up slowly, letting Jackie sit back up as well.
“It’s $16.50 an hour. Basically $250 a week if you work three hours everyday after school,” Jackie said as she put an arm around Nat’s shoulder, rubbing up and down her arm to warm her up.
“Holy shit!” Natalie said, pulling away from Jackie a little to look at her. She was holding her bottom lip between her teeth, smile still stretched wide, and her eyes looked even larger than usual. “You’re fucking kidding.”
“Nope,” Jackie popped the p and kept smiling. “They’re hiring five people, and I’ve already had my interview. They asked if I had any friends who were interested.”
“Three hours everyday is a lot, though,” Nat felt her shoulders slump, thinking about how she wouldn’t ever be able to keep on top of her homework if she had to do that.
Jackie shook her head, confusing Nat until she spoke. “We can do our homework and everything there, too. We’re not running the place, just helping look after the kids, and apparently half the time they don’t really bother us too much. We really do kind of just need to be there for numbers, for the ratio of adults to kids or whatever.”
Nat thought about it for a minute, leaning into Jackie slightly so that she could warm up. Natalie had considered looking for work too when Jackie said half the reason she was doing it was so that she didn’t have to spend as much time at home. Natalie definitely wouldn’t complain about that, especially with what happened last night and how she’s really been starting to feel the fall weather in the afternoons at her trailer. She wouldn’t mind having somewhere warm, and insulated, to do her homework.
“…Okay,” she said slowly.
“Okay?!” Nat heard and felt Jackie’s excitement. “Really?!”
Nat nodded, actively wondering if she’ll regret her decision. She didn’t think she would, if for nothing else than the money. “I think so.”
“Yes!” Jackie practically squealed, pulling Nat up and into a tight hug, jumping a little.
Nat couldn’t help but laugh, even though she didn’t quite share Jackie’s enthusiasm.
“What’ve we walked in on?” Nat heard Taissa ask, turning her head in Jackie’s embrace to see her and Van walking in.
“I got a job!” Jackie announced happily. The whole team had heard about her job searching by now. “And, convinced Nat to work there with me!”
Taissa and Van congratulated Jackie, and then asked Nat what job it was.
Nat mumbled it quietly.
“What?” Van asked, moving closer to her.
“It’s at a childcare centre, or something, Jackie found it,” Nat said louder, still mumbling a little though, feeling the tops of her cheeks flush red.
“The elementary after school care centre,” Jackie supplied, beaming.
Van and Tai paused, looking between Jackie and Nat, before laughing. Loudly.
Jackie rushed to try and stop them. “Guys, no, please, it took me so long to convince them.”
“I’m sorry, it’s just…” Taissa started, calming down. “Nat? And kids? Little ones, at that?”
Nat blushed even harder, but also felt a little fire of indignation grow in her chest – she was allowed to think she wasn’t good with kids, but she didn’t want other people to think that. “It pays well. And I don’t mind kids.”
“Well, I’m looking forward to when you guys start,” Van laughed. “I want to hear all about it.”
Nat knew that Van was teasing too, but it was easier to not respond.
“Hear all about what?”
Shauna walked in then, and Jackie rushed over to fill her in on the news.
Nat took the opportunity to make her leave, and made her way to a bench that was out of view from the other girls, around the corner and hidden by a row of lockers. She leaned against the wall and tilted her head back, feeling her hangover start up again at the increase in noise in the room. It wasn’t all that comfortable though, the bricks in the wall jutted into her back, so she spun around on the bench and then laid down on top of it, staring up at the ceiling. It helped, made her feel less dizzy, and even though she was cold, the cool metal still felt nice.
She didn’t think that she had been laying down for that long, but all of a sudden Nat felt her eyes fly open, as if she had been asleep. The room was a lot louder than before, and Jackie and Shauna stood above her. Jackie’s hand was in her hair, scratching gently. Nat could feel Jackie starting to untangle her fingers, and got the sense that they had been trying to coax her awake for a minute.
“Goodmorning,” Jackie beamed, ruffling Nat’s hair once more before pulling away. “Again. You fell asleep.”
“Fuck…” Nat groaned.
“Pretty much everyone is here,” Shauna said this time. “Training’s about to start. You might want to take off your sunglasses before coming out, or they’re all gonna give you shit.”
Nat appreciated Shauna’s bluntness, but still groaned as she sat up. She pulled her sunglasses off, hissing at the brighter light, and pressed the heels of her hands to her eyes. She felt a hand on her shoulder, it felt like Shauna’s.
“Do you need aspirin?” Definitely Shauna.
Nat shook her head and stood up, dislodging Shauna’s hand and ignoring her and Jackie’s concerned looks. “I’m fine.”
“Nat-” Jackie started, before Nat interrupted her.
Maybe it was unfair of Natalie to assume that she knew what Jackie was going to say, but she still didn’t want to risk having Jackie ask her if she was okay. There had been enough times where Jackie had asked her that question at the perfect time to make her tear up, and she felt like this would be one of those times.
“Later, Jackie,” Nat pleaded, turning around to look at her and Shauna and hoping they would listen to her. She loved them, she did, but she didn’t want to talk about anything right then. “I just want to start training.”
Jackie looked upset, and Shauna looked like she was trying to figure something out, but they followed her out onto the field.
—
The cold air bit at Nat’s face, her chapped lips getting pulled and stinging every time she called out for the ball. She enjoyed it though, in a way – it snapped her out of her hangover. She knew what she was doing when she was out on the field, knew what was expected of her, what to expect from her teammates also. Playing soccer had let her manifest her anger physically since she was little, and the power with which she could drive through balls was eventually enough for Coach Scott and Martinez to ask her to try out for the varsity team – she had never been asked to join anything in her life before them, and she had never been more grateful for it.
The 6:30am training sessions though? She was a little less than grateful for those. It made it hard to get through the rest of the day, and it meant she was always waking up at around 5am on Monday, Tuesday, Thursday and Friday mornings so that she could make the walk to school on time.
It was a little easier to get through that day though, what with the knowledge that she had an interview for a job right after school – so did Shauna, Jackie had been able to talk her into it too. Nat still wasn’t exactly thrilled, but she was getting more and more excited about the idea of the three of them working at the same place, especially if Jackie was telling the truth about how much they’d be getting paid.
“Nat,” Shauna said, jogging up to her. “Pair up with me?”
“Sure,” Nat answered, taking the ball that Shauna passed her easily, flicking it up once and letting it rest on the top of her foot, balancing it there until Shauna elbowed her.
“Coach Martinez is gonna yell if we don’t start passing the ball,” Shauna said as she took the ball back from Nat and walked backwards with it. “But I want to ask you about the job Jackie’s applying for, so let’s go slower.”
Nat had no complaints. She liked feeling out of breath, and like she had pushed her body to the most that it could do, but she also didn’t mind taking a break.
“You’re doing it, right?” Nat asked. “Or at least considering it?”
Shauna passed the ball back to her again. “Yeah. At the middle school though. I can tutor, and it pays a bit more. Plus, it’s in the same building, just in the other half. Jackie was really able to talk you into working at the elementary school?”
Nat nodded, taking two touches before passing the ball back to Shauna again. “Money’s good. And I’m sure Jackie’s probably talking the job up, like, a lot, but it doesn’t sound all that bad. Plus Jackie would be working there too, so it wouldn’t be that bad.”
Shauna smiled. “Yeah, that’ll help.”
“Of course you’d think so,” Nat smirked, “You two can hardly keep your hands off each other most of the time.”
Shauna blushed and kicked the ball back to Nat with more force than she probably needed to. “You’re acting like you didn’t used to have a crush on her.”
Nat blushed this time. She can’t believe she told Shauna about that. To be fair, she was sixteen and wine drunk and had been over her crush on Jackie for a while. “Shut up. We were fourteen.”
The two of them settle into doing drills with each other for the rest of the training session, and before they know it they’re being let go by Coach Martinez and told to hit the showers. Nat was walking back with Shauna, and Jackie quickly found her way over to them.
“Excited for this afternoon?” Jackie asked as she ran between them and jumped to put her arms around their shoulders, Nat could hear the smile in her voice.
“Yeah, Jackie,” Shauna answered fondly.
Nat rolled her eyes. “I am a little excited.”
Jackie practically squealed. “Good! Oh, this is going to be so much fun. I promise. And, if it goes well or if it goes bad, I’ll take you guys out to a cafe or the diner on the way back home afterwards, depending on how long your interviews take.”
Nat perked up at that, as did Shauna. “You’re going to take us out, so I presume I’m driving us all there and then home?” Shauna grinned, not really too upset with that.
Jackie batted her eyelashes, and spoke in an overly sweet tone that made Nat feel sick. “I love you soooo much. Thank you, thank you, thank you.”
Nat pretended to gag and pushed herself out from underneath Jackie, putting distance between herself and the couple even when Jackie scoffed.
“Nat, come find us after school,” Shauna said as they all walked into the locker room. “I assumed I would be driving us there anyways.”
“Thanks, Shaun,” Nat nodded.
—
When Nat found Shauna’s car in the parking lot after school Jackie and Shauna were already there. They were leaning against the hood of Shauna’s car together, and Jackie’s hands were flitting around Shauna’s face. It looked like she was fixing her hair or doing her makeup or something, either way, Shauna looked borderline disgruntled at Jackie’s fussing and Nat decided to call out to announce her arrival.
“Hey,” she called out, projecting her voice.
Jackie whipped around and Shauna pushed off of the car hood quickly, both of them springing apart quickly, as if they had been caught doing something they shouldn’t.
“Nat,” Jackie laughed weakly, “You scared me a little.”
“Sorry,” Nat said, sticking her hands in her pocket, not really apologetic at all. She was barely resisting the urge to tease the two of them about whatever was just happening, but upon looking at the raring blush across Jackie’s cheeks once more, she decided against it. “Are we heading out soon?”
“Yes,” Shauna answered quickly, clearing her throat and patting herself down in search of her car keys. “Yes, let’s go.”
Nat opened the backseat door straight away, knowing better than to fight Jackie for the front seat. She sat in the middle, not bothering to put her seatbelt on as she leant forward and rested her elbows on the console in front of her.
Jackie and Shauna slid into their seats nearly in tandem, and Nat watched them get situated. It was cool, the way they moved around each other so quickly and fluidly, how they had clearly done this routine multiple times – Jackie popped out the cassette tape that was already in Shauna’s stereo system, and leaned over Shauna to pull out another one decorated with hand drawn flowers from the compartment on Shauna’s side door. Shauna groaned but managed to put her seatbelt on even as Jackie was lying across her lap, and she reversed out of the spot once Jackie had put her seatbelt on.
Shauna pulled out onto the road smoothly, and Nat rested her head in her hands as she stared at the trees that lined either side of the road, marvelling at how the leaves were already starting to turn orange – she swore there was still at least a month left of summer. She liked driving with Shauna – she was always a safe driver, avoided potholes where possible and never went more than 5 mph above the limit unless they were on an empty stretch of road out in the country.
The mixtape came on when they reached the first traffic light. Nat knew that Jackie had put in her own mixtape, and was more than ready to critique it, but it wasn’t bad. Despite Jackie being one of her best friends, she was still shocked to hear Mazzy Star play out from Shauna’s crackly stereo.
“What was your interview like, Jack?” Nat asked, breaking the comfortable silence that had settled across the girls. “Are they, like, nice? Or was it stressful.”
“Not at all!” Jackie answered, turning towards her. “Super nice, the manager is pretty young as well and was super chill the whole interview. Really, I’m so sure you guys have got the jobs – you’re both likeable and you just have to pretend you really like working with kids for like ten minutes.”
Nat and Shauna both laughed when Jackie called them likeable, and Jackie’s brow furrowed.
“You both are likeable. I like you both heaps. Also, put your seatbelt on, Nat,” Jackie said as she leant back a little so that she could put a hand on Nat’s head and push her back. “I’d like it if we all got there in one piece.”
Nat grumbled but leant back and put her seatbelt on, and rolled her eyes at Jackie when she flashed her a pleased smile.
“Shauna’s a good driver,” Nat argued, sitting back in her seat with her arms crossed. “I’m not gonna fly through the windshield. Forgive me for wanting to feel included in the conversation.”
Shauna chuckled. “Nat, have you ever actually worked with kids before?”
Nat shook her head, forgetting Shauna couldn’t see her. “Not professionally. I used to babysit my cousins when I was like 11, before I moved here.”
“Okay, well, that’s still more than me. I wasn’t allowed to ever babysit my cousins on my own because we’re too close in age and our parents thought that we would get in too much trouble.”
Nat grinned, remembering the time she met Shauna’s cousins, two twin boys a year younger than them but each almost a whole head taller than Shauna when she saw them at one of Lottie’s parties last year. Shauna introduced them to Nat because she knew that they also smoked, and Nat got along with them instantly – she also liked watching the two of them and Shauna interact. There was a familial familiarity that probably would have Nat assuming they were all siblings, if she didn’t know otherwise – having no siblings and having moved away from all of her cousins when she was 12, she kind of longed for a relationship like what Shauna had with her cousins.
“That doesn’t surprise me,” Jackie chimed in, reapplying a layer of lipstick, using the drop down mirror in front of her. “Deb told me about the time you three broke her new food processor before she had even used it.”
Shauna scoffed. “It was faulty.”
“Sure,” Jackie hummed. “Really though, they didn’t even ask for my resume. It’ll be fine.”
—
“You were right,” Nat greeted Jackie as she walked out of the school. “That was the easiest shit ever.”
Jackie practically jumped up and down. “You got it?!”
“Yeah, I got it, Jacks,” Nat laughed wryly. “I can’t fucking believe I’m doing this.”
Jackie squealed and wrapped Nat up in a hug which Nat returned earnestly, but with much less buzzing enthusiasm.
“Thanks,” she added as they pulled away, clearing her throat and shoving her hands into her pockets. “For, y’know. Asking me about it.”
“‘Course,” Jackie beamed. “You’re my friend. Plus, I think it would be fun.”
Natalie wasn’t sure what to say. She knew that her and Jackie were friends, close friends, at that, but as she stood there and twisted her lips it once again dawned on her that she never really knew how to respond when Jackie said stuff like that. Nat wasn’t the person to turn to when you needed to talk about emotions, feelings, anything like that. A smoke, some tough love, she could do – but actually talking things through? Everyone knew not to come to her.
Including Jackie. Which is why Nat was almost overjoyed that she didn’t dwell on it or wait for Nat to respond.
“Shauna’s taking a while.”
“It’s probably more serious than ours. Considering she’s like, actually teaching them stuff.”
“True,” Jackie nodded, before nudging Nat’s shoulder with her own. “Why were you in the locker room so early this morning, Nat? Don’t bullshit me.”
Nat spoke too soon. Jackie would push Nat to talk about things most of the time, she just thought she might’ve gotten away with it earlier by agreeing to the job interview.
“Jackie…” she sighed, bringing a hand up to rub her brow. “It’s not-”
“It is a big deal, Nat,” Jackie’s tone was much firmer all of a sudden, and Nat opened her eyes again to see Jackie standing in front of her now, instead of leaning against the hood of the car next to her. “You’re never there that early. And you looked like shit. Sorry. I just- fuck, even Shauna was worried about you.”
Nat’s eyebrows raised as she laughed a little. She knew Jackie was serious, but for Shauna to be worried was a new low even for her.
“Nat,” Jackie pressed again, frowning in that way Nat couldn’t stand now – Jackie’s humongous eyes somehow got even bigger, and filled with tears a little, as if it was genuinely paining her to not know what was going on. Her lips were tight, but Nat could see them twitching slightly, as if she wanted to say something more.
“Jacks, it’s… it’s really fine,” Nat finally conceded, deciding she’d rather tell Jackie while Shauna wasn’t here – less attention. “It already happened.”
“What happened?” Jackie pressed, grabbing Nats arm.
“I slept there last night,” Nat spat out, somehow still quiet. “Okay? I just- that’s why I was there so early. I slept there.”
Nat looked at Jackie. She regretted it. Jackie looked devastated.
“Jackie, really, please,” Nat said, holding Jackie’s hand lightly now too. “I don’t want to talk about it right now.”
It took a minute, but she eventually nodded, albeit stiffly. She pulled Nat into a tight hug that Nat sunk into, and told her that she should know by now that her door is always open for her. Nat told her she knew, and Jackie just hugged her tighter.
“You’re an idiot,” Jackie murmured as she pulled away, placing an exaggerated kiss to the side of Nat’s head, making her squirm away. “I’m serious. Call me. Call Shauna. We’ll pick you up if something like that ever happens again.”
“It was like, two in the morning, Jackie.”
“I don’t care,” Jackie reiterated, shaking Nat a little. “I don’t care. You’re my friend, and I care about you. Shauna does too. The whole team does.”
Nat scoffed. “You know that’s not true.”
Jackie glowered. “Who doesn’t care about you then, hm?”
“Taissa.”
It was Jackie’s turn to scoff. “Because she called you a wino at the party last week? Whoop de doo, Nat, most of the Wiskayok general pop does. That doesn’t mean she doesn’t care about you, I’d say she probably cares the most. After me.”
“And Van,” Nat interjected.
“See!” Jackie smiled. “Van cares.”
“Van doesn’t exactly have a place for me to go back to,” Nat drawled, tilting their head back lazily to look up at the clouds. “We’re kind of in the same, shitty situation.”
“I know,” Jackie sighed, wringing her hands in that nervous way she always had, the way she tried to hide at school. “I know. I’m sorry.”
“It’s fine, Jackie,” Nat brushed her off.
“It’s not-”
“Fine,” Nat interrupted again. “It’s not. But I don’t want to talk about it. It’s not something that can change by tomorrow and I’ve lived with it forever, so…”
Jackie finally shut up about it, thank god. Nat did feel kind of bad sometimes that she was so unwilling to receive help from Jackie, when it was so clear that that was all the other girl wanted to do, but they both knew what they were both like. They both knew just how much they could handle the others’ opposite coping mechanism.
“Do you have anywhere you want to go in particular?” Jackie asked a couple minutes later. It was getting colder, where on earth was Shauna? Her interview couldn’t take this long, surely.
“What?” Nat asked, not quite knowing what Jackie was talking about.
“When Shauna gets here,” Jackie clarified, “I wasn’t kidding about taking you two out. I know I am, technically, the one who did you two favours, but… I do really appreciate you doing this. Especially you. Shauna I knew I would be able to convince, I wasn’t sure if I could convince you on this though.”
Nat shrugged. “Thanks for the job. And no, I don’t care. Somewhere warm, though. Shauna needs to hurry the fuck up, it’s cold.”
Jackie laughed. As if hearing her cue, though, the front door of the building swung open and Shauna stepped out. She had a faint smile on her face, so Nat assumed it went well.
“Do you have a job?” Jackie called out, smiling brightly at Shauna.
Shauna nodded and threw out a thumbs up, at which Jackie let out a cheerful woop. She jumped off the hood and almost seemed to jump and spin on the spot before wrapping her arms around Shauna.
“I’m so happy!” She beamed, pulling back from Shauna only enough so that they could see each other without their eyesight blurring. “This is going to be so much fun. I want to hear all about your interview on the way to the diner.”
“The diner?” Shauna questioned, letting Jackie push her into the driver seat as they all got into the car, though.
Jackie just shrugged. “Nat said she didn’t care. I’m hungry and would kill for a cheeseburger. I don’t care all that much either, though, if you want to go somewhere else.”
Shauna shook her head. “No, the diner’s good. It’s good you’re eating.”
Nat took note of that comment as she buckled herself into the car, wondering if maybe she hadn’t been the only one to pick up on Jackie’s abnormal eating habits.
She didn’t say anything right now though, and she was glad – Jackie was beaming, she had been since Shauna came out of the building, and she didn’t want to be the one to wipe it off her face.
Jackie just shrugged, and turned to look at both her and Shauna before answering. “I’m happy. This deserves something celebratory. I think this is gonna be the best job we’ll ever have.”