Chapter Twelve

The fact that Tommy was earning for himself inspired Melissa to want to do the same. He didn't make much, but it still fascinated young Melissa. All she knew was it was definitely an improvement from not earning anything at all like she was. If she made that much money, she would have enough to buy the things she liked and actually pay for herself when she went out with her friends. She'd started fantasizing on a frequent basis, about all the things that she could afford, making lists in her head while going about her day. It was all she could think about.



She went over all of her options. She could work at a store, or she could try babysitting. But really, calculating how much she would be earning and whether it would be enough to afford all of the things in her list or not was her main concern. She thought about working with her boyfriend for a while. But then it all added up inside her mind when she passed a sign on her way to school one day: if she worked at a shop that sold art supplies, she could buy her things from there and get a discount.



She grinned at her good fortune. Without thinking twice, she walked into the store, her heart thumping inside her innocent little ribcage. She was entering a world of possibilities. She got one of her upbeat, inspirational songs that she liked so much, stuck in her mind. Once she entered, she felt as if, the environment on this side of the glass door was heaven. It was an artisit's dream come true! They sold any art material Melissa could think of owning, and more. They also sold things like calculators and geometry boxes, but she hardly noticed any of that. It was a new shop, that had opened not more than a few days ago, as she remembered it being renovated just 2 weeks ago.



"Holy s**t!" exclaimed the girl working at the counter, clutching her heart, and breathing heavily, "Jesus, I need to put a bell on that door-I mean, how may I help you?" she grinned, as she spoke that last sentence, in what was probably her customer service way. She seemed an interesting character to Melissa.



Giving her a strange look, she said "Hi, I'm here about the sign?" pointing towards the door, "about hiring someone? I would like to apply for the job." Melissa's heart had reached her throat now, waiting for a chance to leap out of her mouth.



"Oh, yeah, of course! Umm...I'll get my dad, okay? I don't really know what to do..." she said, laughing nervously.



Melissa felt like a guest that was being honored. What had she been terrified of? This girl was just as nervous as she was! She couldn't help but think that she would really like this place. As she waited, she took the liberty of looking around at all of their goods, mentally adding everything she touched to her shopping cart. After a while, the girl returned with a woman who was probably as old as her own mother would have looked, if she had still been healthy.



"You have a very pretty dad. Very, uhh, feminine." Melissa cracked, keeping a straight face.



"He's not home." the other girl responded rolling her eyes, "Anyway, this is my mom, Maria."



She had charmed them with her childlike nature, and gotten the job. More importantly, she was the first to apply. The girl, whose name she soon learned was Gabriela, was 18 and a senior in her school. It was funny how she had never noticed her before, but since that day, the two kept running into each other in the hallways. She and her family were a down to earth group of people, who always treated her with hospitality. Gabriela shared Melissa's love for art, and the two became fast friends.



This was yet another place where Melisa would prefer spending her time rather than stay at home. She didn't mind working a little over time, as "work" was not the best way to put what she would do there. The place being fairly new, it did not get many customers. Melissa and Gabriela had taken it up as their goal to get publicity. Melissa came home thinking up ways on how to carry out this plan. As she switched on the light, she discovered her uncle Martin sitting at the table, with a piece of paper in front of him.



"I found your report card." he said.

Reviews

[ChristianM]

Another great chapter :)
It's funny. I do that all the time, what Melissa did in the beginning of the chapter. Thinking how much money I'll make if I do this or that. Except I spend too much time thinking about it instead of doing it lol. Report card? Uh oh. Onto the next chapter.

[Blue Ivory]

Lol that's what Melissa does too. That's how the report card situation happened :P