when they had told her she was to work the overnight shift, she honestly hadn’t minded. time wasn’t a big concern to her, after all – little was. if anything, she appreciated the switch-up in routine, routine being wake up, go to work, grab dinner, eat in her dingy apartment, stare mindlessly at the tv, and go to bed. past-her would’ve found ways of entertaining herself during the night, after work. an extrovert by nature, or perhaps fuelled by distaste for boredom, she had a knack for finding something to ensure she was always preoccupied. said activities tended to be more self-destructive than anything, but that was another story for another time.
however, at least for the moment, she was trying to be a good girl. the exhaustion had finally won over – exhaustion of tasting only bitter on her lips every night, of not being able to remember the night before, of being such a big mess that the only person who loved her, actually hated her – and only loved her because she could be a pet project. big enough a mess to be way-too-easily manipulated by another. finally, enough was enough. she didn’t know what she was going to do, because frankly, she was not motivated to sort out her life for her own sake. she just knew she needed to breathe, and so, she finally left it all in the dust.
so, at least for now, she was trying to be good. and that involved not being a bitch to people for once in her life – trying to make meaningful, social connections, trying to hide the fact that she was a mess. and it was going okay, so far. she was slow to open to her new colleagues, but she could talk to them without the familiar poison stinging her words. she even enjoyed her work, more or less. there was just one wrench in the plans she had made, that made her want to reach into the most bitter parts of her – the familiar parts – and cut him down. he got on her nerves, and she quite literally had to bite on her own tongue to keep her temper in check whenever he was around. and of course, she was put on shift with him. just him. wonderful.
“good morning,” she greets out of habit. then frowns. “good night. wait – oh, you know what i mean.” / @aquafoh plotted.