0ne: Who's that chic?

Bianca had just finished powdering up her face again after being in the kitchen and reeking of burnt toast. It had been a long day of exchange of orders and insults between her and the customers at Hot and Sweet, the restaurant she worked. This was her best time of the day, her twenty minute break where she could see the only person she could stand under that roof_her image.

Another waitress whose name she hadn't bothered to catch burst through the door and left as soon as she noticed Bianca. Probably to go tell on the gossip about the vain waitress who does very little and gets tipped alot. Bianca knew what her gifts were and certainly how to use them, if men, and rarely women wanted to tip her for her looks and charm, she was going to let them throw money at her. Every day she inched closer and closer to wanting to call it quits. She was too big for this place. The scar the other waitress, whose name she was now remembering to be Rita, had obtained from trying to be a smart mouth was still sealed under a band aid. A memory of how her boss had automatically taken the other waitress' side and taken money off her salary for her treatment caused blood to fizz in Bianca's veins but she wouldn't be that person today, she was tired.

" It's fine. She's just jealous. She means nothing." Bianca's image assured her after she was done smacking he lips, proud to have gotten the ombre look on point then burst out of the bathroom. she didn't miss Jenna's stern look as she walked past her. The last warning she'd been given last time was still hanging over her head so she decided to go out into dinning section and take an order even though that was the last thing she wanted to do.

" She's trying. I can tell." Elmer muttered from behind Jemma who's eyes were pinned on Bianca's back, scanning for a reason to fire her right on the spot from the kitchen window, they could see Bianca's stunts in action. She had plucked off the first two buttons of her shirt and was leaning in a little bit too low on this middle aged man who could really use a sleeping schedule. And the smile on her face, might have saved them some power lighting up the hotel if only she wasn't wearing her classic bitch pout all the time.

" she's being unethical." Jemma the manager, crumpled the foil ball she'd made on her hand, not realizing how much of a villain she was being in that moment.

" There haven't been complaints from the customers, so far that hardly counts as..." Elmer stopped herself. Sure she loved her complicated best friend but not enough to lose her job as well. unlike Bianca, Elmer actually didn't mind her job, it got her everything she needed and was the responsible one of the two. Besides, she knew her time for defending Bianca was coming to an end if Bianca didn't change.

Bianca scribbled up the order on her notebook, holding that smile still and hoping it doesn't break her face and wondering at the same time if the tip Mr sleepy eyes would give was worth the wrinkles. In just that small period of interaction she'd had him right wehre he wanted; inhibitions slightly lowered enough so that he could see an opportunity with her. She'd mastered it . making them feel special, asking them about themselves and repeating back what they said to them as she had learnt the best way to connect was to make them think they had something in common. He was an easy one, the attention starved ones always were.

Now it was the last part of her get-some-more-money routine, strutting away, and making sure he got a good view of her ass. Cementing it into his memory so he'd want to see it again, and would want to come back again, and would tip again. All a viscous cycle to ensure Bianca was stable enough to support herself and her daughter from this job that was vacuuming her soul out of her . She would much rather be in front of the camera being the star she knew she was but she had a daughter that needed basic needs and she had to act fast.

It took everything in her not to smirk at Jemma's hot red face. Itwas strange to Bianca how easy people let her get to them. All this practice knowing how social settings work back in highschool had really played out well for her.You couldn't just toy with her mood. Speaking of highschool,she'd sort of picked up from the stalking everyone does when they feel shitty about themselves and want to feel shittier that there was a possibility of a reunion. Which meant her classmates would be back to town. Which meant they would all see that the queen had fallen off her throne. And she would never hear the end of that.

In the past week, two of her schoolmates had visited the restaurant and she'd made sure to do all in her power to hide from them. Its kind of easy to hide away from people when you just say in the worker's locker room and convince yourself you'll get you life together. But she knew sooner or later someone might actually recognize her, and that would basically be the end of her life. She would never recover from_

"Bianca?" a voice called, freezing Bianca to her spot, followed by a clank of heels on the tiles of the hotel. " is that you?" If she had missed it the first time she was now sure. The way excitement and sickess dripped out of her silky voice. And that perfume....Vanessa was always loyal to things even when she didn't need to be. That's how Britt dragged her around with a promise to make her popular In high school. So it's no surprise she smelled exactly the same.

There was still hope. She wouldn't speak to her, she wouldn't respond or turn or give her more than she already had perceived. Surely any waitress could have a saggy ponytail and a back like hers. there wasn't anything special about her back. She could be anyone, so she decided to be anyone, and scurry all the way into the doors of the kitchen. She'd seen nothing. Vanessa had seen nothing.

" what's going on? " Elmer picked up on Bianca's discomfort.

" please take my order. I beg you. I will make it up to you however you want. Please. And when that lady that just walked in asks If you know me tell her you don't okay!" she tore a page off her notebook and slapped it onto Elmer's chest. This wouldn't be the first or last time Bianca had slapped responsibility onto Elmer knowing she'd take it. But this was certainly one of the few times where she was sorry about it.

" I'll cover your shift...I'll wash your feet... anything!" Okay she wasn't going to cover her shift, that was freaking ridiculous. but she also knew her best friend wasn't really going to make her wash her feet. Or so she hoped. Before Elmer could have time to process what was going on and how those weren't real options, she grabbed her by the shoulders and shook her, as if restarting a machine that had crashed.

And being the dependable person she was,Elmer was yelling her order to the cooks, hating herself for allowing this to happen amd promising herself that she would infact fix that dynamic. This was the opportunity she was waiting for to arise to address how Bianca was always using her. But she'd do that later, she'd never seen Bianca that desperate.

Jemma on the other hand, wasn't putting this off. She'd been bothered by Bianca's reaction. That was unprofessional. Anyone could see that. To ignore a customer was clearly an abandonment of her responsibilities, everyone had seen that it wasn't just her. This would be her chance to put her in her place. Show her whose boss,or not. Because she couldn't really be her boss if she fired her. With Bianca fired there was no way to get back at her for all the times she'd talked down on her and completely undermined her authority, but with her using Bianca's employment as a string to this puppetry, she could certainly get far.

" You do understand what you just did back there, right?" Jemma stalked towards Bianca, feeling the rush of finally having her in the corner just this once. Bianca was hyperventilating, and sweat dotted her forehead, her hands planted on the wall. Sure there would be other opportunities but Jemma went on to prove dominance against her human instincts. " I could get you..."

" Fired? I fucking know Jemma! okay. I do, believe me I do. And yet you never do. Am even beginning to think you enjoy this! Yes I panicked but my table is being handled, the business isn't going at a loss, I have everything handled. If you have an issue with me just come at me directly with it and don't be pathetic about it. "

There. Just like that Jemma had lost again, In her one sided battle. She hadn't had time to come up with anything clever to revive herself, Bianca's attention was turned towards Elmer who was just coming back from the hotel, still wearing a look of confusion on her face.

" You're a life saver Elmer, thank you so_"

" Who the hell was that, Bianca?" Good news, her hands rested on her waist in that way they did when she was getting all motherly on her after cleaning up her mess. Bad news, Elmer was high key fed up with Bianca. Was there any part of her life that wasn't falling apart?