Never Mix Business with Pleasure

Senior year of high school, since I was basically done with school in May and had already gotten into college, I decided to find a job. I applied for a zillion things: mostly restaurant gigs and retail. Confession: my dream job was to work at the Chanel counter at the Mall in Nordstrom. I was so close too, having past 2/3 interviews however they wouldn’t accept me because I was going to leave in the fall for college aka they wanted someone permanent. Their loss. So finally, one of the retail stores at the mall, close to my house, hired me. Pay was decent, can’t complain. I was not much of a people person before my job, but I think the job helped me come out of my awkward shell. 

Example: Me folding clothes in the back, while in charge of the fitting room. Really really hot guy slowly walks to the fitting room. Me about to get uncomfortable. Me pretending to fold our new bootcut jeans delicately. Hot guy stops and smiles, asks me if he could use the fitting room. Me cannot even formulate words. Me Sweating. Me leaning forward to talk to him. Me dropping  the stack of jeans next to me that I just folded. Me quickly apologizing and becoming quite flustered. Minutes later, he walks out, sporting our new polo and Khaki pants. Hot guy asks me what I thought. Me can’t even formulate words. Finally, I say “yeah.. yeah looks … it’s a crotch pleaser… I mean CROWD PLEASER, CROWD PLEASER.”  No. Did those words really come out of my mouth? Then I put my head down and continued folding that same pair of jeans.

I don’t know if you felt this way, your senior year of high school,  but when I was a senior in high school, I knew most of the people in my grade and the grades below me, and was not interested in anyone because I knew all of them, their back story… and yeah. So of course, I wanted to dip into the retail pool. There were very slim pickings at my job, but I became interested in Jamie... we’ll call him Jamie for now.  Jamie and I were both wasian, and I won’t lie I have thing for wasians (and Guatemalans, of course). If you didn’t know what a wasian was before: someone consisting of both Asian and white decent. Wasian's have one white and one Asian parent. Wasians are the hybrids of the world and have many skills and talents.

Back to the story, Jamie conveniently added me on facebook a couple weeks after I got the job and in my mind I was like yeehhhhhhhhh.  During this time, there was another boy we will call Kevin. Kevin wasn’t really my style, he was very bro status (more of Star’s type of man), but he was actually a hilarious person. So funny. Me and Kevin always flirted, but let’s be serious he flirts with everyone. 

So the summer is dwindling, and there was a week left before I headed to College in Massachusetts. I was waiting for Jamie to ask for my number, however I knew he a huge pussy (lets be honest) but the summer was ending so I was like better late than never. But anyway, so I ‘poked’ him on facebook, yes I know I am 12 years old (we’ll get to my poking adventures on facebook at another time, another blog post). He does not poke me back, in my mind I tell myself work this is going to awkward work day tomorrow. Fast forward to work the next day, Jamie asks for my number. Score. The poke worked. Later that day at work, Kevin, Jamie, and I are all working on folding the whole store. Kevin and Jamie are folding men’s sportswear, while I’m folding granny panties. I’m close enough to them to hear their conversation. Jesse and Kevin are chatting about getting haircuts. I’m listening, because it funny. Anyway, there is pause in the conversation. Kevin not really screams but talks in a loud voice to get my attention and says “..so Leah. I don’t know but maybe we could go get dinner sometime.. yeah know.” Jesse is in the background also waiting for my response. What do I do? I stare at Kevin. Then, I continue folding panties.Silence. Look at Kevin again, and murmured “ahhh… uhh.. well..umm.” Then, I just keep folding panties in front me. Honestly, at this point I was so shocked, and that came out of now where. Also, even if I was like yes, that is just awkward, don’t ask me across the room about dinner, while our supervisor is there and customers are on the floor. Also, even if I did say yes or show any excitement towards Kevin, Jamie was right there and I was extremely uncomfortable. Um. Yeah. So then I just continued to fold panties, like nothing happened, like nothing was said, I didn’t know what to do. Then, there was just more silence. Awkward silence. When Kevin was done folding men’s wear, he had the audacity to come and help me fold panties. It was awkward because then he started commenting on the panties, “these are so big, these are so slutty, etc” I just nodded for effect. 

Whatever. After that, things weren’t really awkward. Nothing ever blossomed with Kevin after that, but he did have my number and sometimes texted me. Went on a date with Jamie. It was okay, nothing special. When I went to school, I actually was texting both of them. I mean I don’t feel that bad, because it was not serious with either.  It’s funny though, because Kevin texted me randomly and I was joking around and I asked him if he “miss me?” He said yes and then asked me if I missed him and I responded saying “no” (as a joke). No responding text back. LOL.  I can’t handle people who don’t understand my sarcastic humor, but that was still pretty awkward.

I no longer work in retail anymore and when I am home sometimes, I run into Jesse and Kevin randomly at Target, College Park, at a restaurant, etc. Jesse does not acknowledge my presence, but then again one day I just decided to stop responding to his texts. Kevin still gives me hugs though.