probably a jerk

kelley / 19 / female private indie oc

[gomibakos-blog1]

  Oliver wasn’t faring too well himself as far as boredom went. He usually really liked his job at the flower shop, and it wasn’t as if he disliked it now, but it was hard to focus when he was this tired. and full of uncomfortable thoughts.

It was only when he noticed Kelley fussing about that he broke out of his own distraction, frowning. “…What are you doing?” 

[kelleyfletcher-blog]

"...making friendship bracelets." (for who, my imaginary friends? ugh) she couldn't help but finish the thought with a scowl. She turned back to the mass of ribbons and proceeded to make the knots even worse. After another minute of struggling with them, she added "wanna help?"

[kelleyfletcher-blog]

Kelley sat slumped over the counter, the faint hum of the coolers almost putting her to sleep. She yawned and stretched, wishing even the most annoying of customers would come in. At least that would pass the time...

"Eurghhh!" In a last ditch attempt to distract herself, Kelley pulled the heap of tangled ribbons from under the counter to try and give it some semblance of organization.

[scottingly-blog]

  "—Fuck!”

It wasn’t often that Scottie cursed to such a degree, so perhaps the fact that a game of rock paper scissors had brought out that side of her was a little ridiculous, but — she had lost! Paper covered rock, and there Scottie was, one fist hovering between them.

Scottie doesn’t really think through what she does next. One second she’s seething with disappointment, and the next the keychain is in her hand and she’s taking off towards the door.

( She really, really wants this fucking keychain, apparently. ) 

[kelleyfletcher-blog]

"!"

And just like that her rival was zipping past the shelves and out the door.

"Hey you! You can't just- that's cheating you-!!" Kelley shouted at the receding figure. Dropping her bag, she began to sprint after them, completely ignoring the protests of the very confused clerk.

"W-wait, you-- *wheeze* j-jerk, you--" Already they were outrunning her, even with the usual mobs crowing the hall. Kelley was the first to admit that she wasn't athletic, but this was just ridiculous! Panting, she managed to screech

"You can't - just - do that, - dammit!" before chucking the first thing in reach at the distant blob of the thief's head.

(oh no.. my phone?! If the screen cracks..!)

[scottingly-blog]

  The girl’s reaction is shocking and probably irrational, but it’s also strangely addictive, and Scottie finds herself getting fired up too. After all, who was Scottie to refuse a challenge? Besides, she was a fucking pro at rock paper scissors! She always beat Roman, after all! Granted, that was because that guy always picked scissors no matter how many times he lost with it, but still, it gives Scottie far more confidence than she probably deserves in this scenario. 

     ”Alright, you’re on!” Slamming the keychain back down onto the counter, Scottie lifted a fist. “Rock, paper, scissors, go!" 

[kelleyfletcher-blog]

Kelley was startled, at first, that the stranger had accepted her spontaneous and rather idiotic challenge, but she couldn't take it back now. 

(Shit, ok, this is happening! Ok Kelley, you can win this! You can do it!)

She watched the kid's hand decending as if in slow motion.

(This is it, its all down to this..!)

In mid throw, Kelley changed her hand from rock to paper-

"...!!"

[scottingly-blog]

  It wasn’t often that Scottie braved a store like this. It was the kind of place that only girls were usually seen wandering around in, full of cute trinkets and almost startlingly feminine outfits. Not really the sort of thing Scottie was usually attracted to, granted, but she had hoped to get a key-chain here as she was slowly accumulating enough keys between her car, her job, and her house that it was becoming nearly impossible to keep track of them all — she was constantly misplacing them in various pockets and corners. And this one in particular looked nearly perfect. It was cute, but not so cute that the guys at school would be likely to make fun of Scottie if they happened to see it. Plus, it was glow in the dark, so it wouldn’t get lost if she dropped it on her way home from work! It was perfect!

    — Perfect, so of course it would be just Scottie’s luck that she would catch a conflict, her hand bumping into another girl’s in her reach. On instinct, Scottie snatches the keychain immediately, yanking it away from the other girl — but she’s not some kind of monster. She stops and turns to the other with a horrified expression, keychain clutched in her hand.

       ”U-Uh… Were you—…?”

[kelleyfletcher-blog]

At first Kelley was too stunned to speak, but she recovered quickly enough to whirl around and face her unexpected rival. After having the key-chain forcibly pulled from her grasp, it was rather surprising to see the mortified expression on their face. But Kelley wasn't willing to give it up just like that, no sirree. She hadn't endured the flood of holiday customers all vying for the same bargains just to leave empty handed. Without giving it too much thought, Kelley blurted out

"...sudden death!"

"Rock paper scissors, winner gets to keep it fair and square!"

[kelleyfletcher-blog]

This was it, the whole reason Kelley had even considered braving the flood of bodies that swamped the mall every weekend. 

"So cute..!" she couldn't help but exclaim when she saw the array of adorably pointless items spread out before her. Every month on the last Friday Kelley's favorite store had a 45% off sale on all their accessories, and now that she had a job she could finally splurge to her heart's content. Kelley was just about to snatch up the last of an especially cute key-chain, featuring a glow-in-the-dark shooting star, when her hand collided with someone else's, apparently bent on the same mission.

scottingly

[gomibakos-blog1]

         Oliver is more than a little startled by Kelley’s sudden appearance, especially with the way she’d hurried so close to him, but before he can think to snap at her to get out of his space she’s cutting him off with her own words, and— 

       Gorgeous? Really? Oliver isn’t really used to receiving compliments on is arrangements from anybody but the occasional customer, Collins not being to much the stoic type to compliment anyone directly and his past coworkers mostly just leaving him alone. Oliver could feel blush creeping up his neck at her compliment, and he was quick to scoot away from her before she could get the chance to notice. 

      “Uh — thanks. It’s, uh. Lots of practice.” It wasn’t the entire truth — in all honesty, Oliver had only been working at this flower shop for a few months, and had started doing the arrangements for it even more recently. But he’d always had an eye for cute things like flowers, so arrangements weren’t too hard for him, just so long as a customer didn’t ask for something too tacky or extravagant. 

[kelleyfletcher-blog]

For a moment, Kelley just stared at the bouquet. Her pride was fighting a losing battle against her curiosity, but if she waited any longer Kelley knew she'd never work up the nerves to ask again. Her gaze unwavering, she spoke up.

"Oliver," she planted her hands firmly on the table, a look so serious on her face it was almost comical.

"Teach me how! Please!"

[sweetisms-blog]

       As excited as she is about the flowers, Nobuko’s attention is drawn for a moment to the employee instead. It’s a little embarrassing to notice, but she really is beautiful when she smiles, something that Nobuko had been too intimidated to notice before. As much as Nobuko liked to think that every person had this kind, beautiful side somewhere within them, whether it was right on the surface or hidden deep in their core, it was a thrill to actually get to see it, especially when it was directed at her. Her cheeks warm at the thought, smile softening.

     ( Jeez, I’m so gay. )

     Nobuko is quickly distracted from those thoughts by the lillies being put on display, however, a wide grin stretching across her face.

      “Oh, they’re perfect! Nanami will love them!” 

[kelleyfletcher-blog]

"Excellent! I'll wrap them up for you then." Kelley laid the bunch on the counter and wrestled for a moment with the colorful assortment of papers and ribbons on the shelf below. She soon emerged with a veritable rainbow of options for the customer. 

"Any particular preference? I think there's even more than this in the back, if you want..." Usually Kelley just grabbed whatever was available, but she felt like being extra nice to this girl; and besides, it would be nice to make her smile again.

(Ugh, she's really cute when she smiles... crap, now I'm getting distracted- focus, Kelley!)

[sweetisms-blog]

        The girl’s kindness was a delightful surprise to Nobuko. The other girl had seemed so hostile and intimidating when she first approached, but now, the stranger was being nothing but helpful and sweet despite Nobuko’s earlier ramblings. Her relief was immense and obvious.

      “Casablanca lillies?” Nobuko grinned widely, rocking on her heels. “Those sound better than roses, for sure — pretty but less, I dunno, formal, right? That sounds great!” She peered up at the girl with obvious excitement. “Can you show me those?”

[kelleyfletcher-blog]

For no real reason, Kelley felt relief. Perhaps it was the girl's immediate acceptance of her, cold attitude and glimpse of strangeness notwithstanding. Or maybe it was the fact that she was actually enjoying talking to someone her own age, for once, even if they were just a customer. Kelley smiled and guided the girl over to one of the coolers.

"Sure! They're a dazzling white, so pretty much any color will accent them well, too. Personally I'd try purple trachelium, or maybe limonium..." She chattered while pulling a cluster of large white lilies from a bucket.

"What do you think?" Kelley turned so the customer could see the full beauty of the blooms better.

[sweetisms-blog]

       ”Oh, well — they’re for my sister! It’s the anniversary of her opening the shop in a few days, and — well, I mean, she doesn’t really celebrate it, but I thought it would be nice to get her something nice! And, well, I know flowers have meanings and all, and I thought it would be cool to get her an arrangement that— you know—! Means something, and—-“

     Nobuko cut herself off as she realized that she was rambling again, her cheeks beginning to burn with blush. Ah, shit. Wincing, she averted her gaze. “W-Well… I’m sure you don’t care about any of that! Sorry! I just — I just wondered what kind of thing you’d suggest for a sibling.” 

[kelleyfletcher-blog]

Damn. Not even a minute into the conversation and this girl was already wearing down Kelley's shield of animosity. She seemed so genuinely excited and affectionate towards her sister though, that Kelley could hardly continue to brush her off. Kelley's smile softened against her will.

"It's fine, I actually happen to know a bit about flower meanings."

An understatement. It was actually one of her secret hobbies, the odd language of flowers and plants had intrigued her since childhood. However, most kids didn't research flowers extensively, so when Maria Carter's cat got hit by a car in second grade, it didn't go over so well when Kelley tried to give her lemon balm to express her deep sympathies. (Words just hadn't seemed enough, in light of such a tragedy.)

"Yellow roses are best for a sibling, though if you want something a bit unique, you could try Casablanca lilies instead! They're lovely, so they make great bouquets, and they mean celebration!"

She caught herself racking her memory for more possible flower options with similar meanings, and a slight blush worked its way across her face and ears. Before she knew it, Kelley had gotten swept up in the girl's enthusiasm.  No no no, this wasn't going to happen. She was going to be quick and efficient, damn it! It didn't help that the customer was cute, either.

[sweetisms-blog]

      Nobuko was a bit nervous to approached the counter. There was something vaguely intimidating about the cashier, but then, Nobuko found everyone vaguely intimidating. Still, she needed assistance and she didn’t see any other employees around (not that she would be any less nervous about approaching them), so she gathered her confidence and approached the counter with a smile. 

       ”U-Um—! Hi! I was wondering if you could help me with an arrangement?”

[kelleyfletcher-blog]

Kelley looked up from her latest to-do list to see a rather enthusiastic customer. Ugh. She wasn't good with those types, they always tended to clash with her own personality. Though admittedly she never made much of an effort to get along with others in the first place, upbeat people in general just rubbed her the wrong way. Kelley resigned herself to her fate, pasting on her business smile.

"Of course, miss. What kind of arrangement are you looking for, exactly? We have some lovely options already made up over to your right," she gestured to the wall of coolers filled with bounteous bouquets. Then, recalling her training from last week, chipped in again with the more expensive option.

"Though if it's a special occasion, might I suggest a custom arrangement?"

[gomibakos-blog1]

  Oliver really didn’t think that Kelley had any rom to talk, considering the way she’d initially responded to his (albeit half-hearted and mostly failed) greeting. But there was really no use arguing about it, especially since customers were starting to stream in. 

      Figuring that Kelley could probably handle the people in question, Oliver was quick to duck into the back and get back to work on crafting the arrangements. 

      Jeez, this was going to be a pain.

[kelleyfletcher-blog]

Ignoring her coworker's absence, Kelly quickly put away the rag and approached the woman browsing the pre-made bouquets.

"Excuse me, ma'am, is there anything I can help you with today?"

Explaining that she was looking for something for her daughter's birthday, Kelly helped her settle on a dozen pink roses with baby's breath. Fifteen or so minutes later the woman left, followed by a swarm of pink balloons to match the flowers.

Pleased with herself for handling her first customer successfully, Kelly glanced around the empty shop before allowing herself five minutes to go gloat to Oliver. Besides, she reasoned, the bells on the door would sound if anyone came into the shop while she was in back.

But any mischief faded from Kelly's thoughts the moment she spied the arrangement Oliver was working on.

"Woah!" She scuttled closer to peek over his shoulder.

"Oliver, that's gorgeous! How did you do that?" she demanded, awestruck by the graceful balance of colors that grew with each flower he placed.

[gomibakos-blog1]

       ”Well, jeez, excuse me if all white girl names sound the damn same.” Never mind that Oliver himself had a “white name” — it was still a stupid thing to get so damn defensive. “I was almost right.” 

      He didn’t bother to correct her about his own name, seeing as she had almost definitely gotten it wrong on purpose just to annoy him, and for similar reasons did not bother to shake her hand. He crossed his arms over his chest instead. 

      “Look — I don’t give a shit about you and that’s not going to change. Just get your work done and don’t fuck with me and we’ll be fine.” 

[kelleyfletcher-blog]

Kelley dropped her hand and the smile.

"Fine by me, I always pull my own weight. Doesn't mean you have to go out of your way to be a jerk about it on my first day, but whatever."

With that she turned and resumed cleaning the counter.

Damn. And this job had seemed so promising, too... She knew she shouldn't have been so sarcastic about it, but she just couldn't help herself. But before she could sink further into the abyss of self pity, the little bells on the front door jingled to announce the first customer of the day.

[gomibakos-blog1]

kelleyfletcher

[gomibakos-blog1]

"So, uh… You’re the new girl Collins hired, right? Kasey or something?"

       Oliver didn’t exactly love the idea of having a new coworker. Sure, the Lazy Daisy had been understaffed for the entirety of his employment, but he hadn’t minded the extra work as long as it meant that the only person he had to deal with on the regular basis was the owner. But it wasn’t his decision, so here she was. At least she looked relatively of normal.

[kelleyfletcher-blog]

Kelly looked over her new coworker for a moment, deciding how to reply. She settled on “business snarky”, and put on the smile she usually reserved for obnoxious customers.

"And you must be that Ollivander guy I’ve heard so much about. You’re powers of observation are incredible! Too bad they were wrong, otherwise you could become one of those t.v. psychics…"

She tapped the nametag pinned to her apron to prove the point. Then, somewhat regretting her rudeness, she stuck out her hand.

"It’s nice to meet you."