The phone buzzed in Jenna's ear and she sighed. She would do her best but right now she felt more like she was surviving than living. Without her family and friends, she was nothing but an empty shell.
She walked into the other room and handed the phone back to Killian. "Thank you. Do you have any updates for me?"
A slightly sympathetic expression crossed his normally blank face. Oh no. Don't tell her… "I'm afraid that the court date has been pushed back. It won't be happening until February."
February?! It was supposed to happen in October! She really thought she would be home before Christmas. She had been banking on it. What was she supposed to do now?
Jenna slumped against the wall in defeat. "What am I supposed to do for another six months out here? I've barely been able to handle the first six and I need to be home in time for my brother's wedding!"
Evan hadn't proposed yet but at this rate she would miss the wedding. What if the court date got pushed back again? Was she really going to be stuck here pretending to be someone else for the rest of her miserable life?
"We're doing our best to ensure you make it home as quickly as possible," Killian said in as sympathetic a tone as he was capable of. "I would recommend taking my earlier advice to help you get through the rest of your time here more easily. I know you didn't want to get close to anyone but you don't have to. Just go out and spend some time with people your age. It might help you.
"Do whatever it is college students do when they aren't studying these days with people from your classes. Go on casual dates. Live a little. Your life doesn't have to stop simply because you're in the Witness Protection Program, Tessa."
Jenna sighed. She hated being called Tessa but she couldn't deny he might have a point. She had kept a comfortable distance from everyone she interacted with out here because she was afraid of getting attached. Even hanging out with people on a superficial level would be better than being completely isolated for another six months.
She was an extrovert. She needed to be spending time with other people to feel alive. Yet all this time she had been in denial about how long she would be here, acting like it was some sort of extended vacation.
If she was going to make it through the rest of her time here, she wouldn't be able to do that anymore. Hanging out with people didn't require closeness. She could enjoy herself on some level while still emotionally closing herself off.
Simple. In fact, it was so simple that she internally kicked herself for putting it off this long. She wouldn't be doing so poorly right now if she hadn't isolated herself this much.
She should take her classmates up on their offers to hang out the next time they happened. Maybe talk to her coworkers more too. She could totally get through this with minimal connection to others! Then she would be able to go home to the people that truly mattered.
"I think you're right," Jenna admitted begrudgingly. "Oh, before I forget, could we set up a secure video call with my twin brother on our birthday? Please?"
Killian made a noncommittal noise. "I'll talk to my supervisor."
Not a yes but not a no either. She would take it for now. It wasn't like she had any other choice. Her fate, as usual, was in his hands. But since it seemed like he felt sorry for her he would probably try to push for it, right?
Jenna headed to work still feeling down but determined to be more friendly with her coworkers. There were only two on her shift aside from the manager since most people got smoothies earlier in the day. They worked from 3-7 PM when the juice bar closed for the night.
Josh Isaacson actually went to the same school as her and was majoring in music with a trombone emphasis. He planned on joining an orchestra when he was done with school but he was only a freshman.
Delaney Danell was still in high school and her name didn't match her aesthetic at all. She was a hardcore goth and their manager, Britney, was always on her case about sticking to the dress code, which did not include spike chokers or black lipstick.
She insisted on being called "Del" instead of "Delaney" because it seemed less cutesy. No one argued with her except Britney because of her intense death glare. In the end, the nametag still had her full name on it because it was more professional.
Jenna felt a bit sorry for her but at least she didn't have a fake name on her nametag. Sometimes she didn't respond when people addressed her as Tessa.
"Hey, guys! How were your weekends?" she asked cheerfully when she joined them behind the counter.
They both goggled at her. Had she really been so unfriendly before? Oops.
"I'm pretty sure I bruised my lips by over-practicing my trombone this weekend," Josh said rather dramatically once he got over his shock. "I have a solo performance coming up and went too hard."
"That's what she said," Del chimed in.
He rolled his eyes at her. "How am I the guy and you have a dirtier mind than me?"
"Because you're boring."
An expression of great offense crossed his face and Jenna snickered. She hadn't paid enough attention to these two before; they were funny. Getting friendlier with them wouldn't be too bad.
===
Bryce Fitzgerald was not having a good day. His boss had been in a bad mood and now everyone was working overtime. To make things worse, as the newest person on the team, he was delegated the errand boy around dinner time to go get everyone smoothies.
He hated the seniority system! Just because people had been there longer they thought they had the right to pick on newbies.
Carrying eight large smoothies back to the office by himself wasn't going to be fun. He didn't even like smoothies but since he hadn't packed dinner for himself and someone on the team offered to buy for them he didn't have much other choice.
It would be rude to buy something else at the smoothie shop on someone else's dime. Frank offered a smoothie so a smoothie he would get. He could deal with the squishy feeling of blended fruit once to get him through the rest of the night.
Juice Jubilee was the closest restaurant to the office, if you could even call it that. Bryce headed there with a resigned sigh.
He wasn't expecting what he saw when he arrived though. A glaring young man in a uniform shirt, apron, and visor was splattered in something dark pink from head to toe as the two girls next to him cracked up.
Well, one of them was cracking up. The pale one with black hair and dark eye makeup looked like she was trying not to snort while the other, a brunette with purple tips, was laughing so hard she was holding her stomach and leaning against the counter for support.
"Thanks, guys," the guy covered in smoothie said sarcastically.
It only made his coworkers laugh harder. The purple-haired girl was literally crying and it looked like she couldn't breathe.
"Um…" Bryce wasn't sure if he should be interrupting this but his coworkers were expecting him so he needed to get his smoothies and go. "Can I order?"
Three pairs of eyes immediately settled on him and the purple-haired girl was the first to collect herself. She was still laughing a bit as she spoke to him and he saw that her mascara had run from the hysterical crying/laughing fit she had a moment ago.
"Sorry about that; we had a bit of an accident. Welcome to Juice Jubilee! What can I get started for you today?" she asked in a surprisingly controlled voice considering it was still bubbling over with laughter.
Bryce had never encountered someone trying to be professional in such a state before and he couldn't help but stare. Running mascara aside, Purple Hair Girl was beautiful. Her smile was practically blinding too. He had never seen a smile that dazzling and found himself spellbound by it and the gray-blue eyes that sparkled as she laughed.
He snapped himself out of it. He shouldn't be staring at some random girl who was only trying to do her job, even if she was the kind of person that drew you in.
"Right, I need eight large smoothies. Two Mango Tangoes, a Strawberry Slider, a Very Berry, a Peanut Butter Protein, and two Razzle Dazzles," he read off the list of everyone's orders he had taken back at the office.