You're To Blame

Fame (5)

Chapter 12: Fame (5)

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“I could tell he wasn’t too big of a fan of people from the start.” I said while changing into yet another set of clothes, Norleen seemed to be very picky when it came down to it. I could tell she wasn’t giving me these outfits at random, they were all of similar color and surprisingly exactly my size. I feel like she’s going for something specific I just can’t tell what look that is.

Norleen observed me carefully. “He found you in a restaurant or something? I heard you were a waitress…” Her cheerful voice rang loudly in my ears.

“Uh… kind off… I changed to work at a convenience store. I used to be a waitress a while ago though.” I told her while finishing changing, I showed myself to her and she gave me a long look.

“I see, then you must be really good of an actress, right?” Norleen asked me, by her words I felt a bit self conscious. I couldn’t quite understand the intentions of her probing me at that time.

“Not really… why would I be?” I asked her with a lighthearted chuckle that I forced out.

Norleen tilted her head to the side, at that point her smile seemed a bit twisted as if she was seeing right through me. “Because obviously if you work in customer service you must have a way with people, you must be good at hiding your true feelings as well so that it won’t mess up your work.”

“I’m not great at either of those… I was scolded a lot for not being proper enough.” I decided to be honest with her, because I didn’t believe there was a reason to lie.

Norleen stood there and as I watched the smile slowly fade off her face I felt shivers run down my spine. “Really… what a bore and here I thought you were more interesting than that.”

“Sorry to disappoint.” I apologized reflexively but there was something incredibly weird about her, as if the air around her had completely changed.

“Whatever, it’s not like it matters. If he grows tired of you I will finally have my opportunity to swoop in and take him all to myself.” Norleen sounded excited but not in the same way as before. Almost like she was plotting and scheming, I felt odd.

“He’s… interested in me?” I asked out loud.

“Apparently… he spoke about you a lot, how he wanted to meet you again but when he went to look for you, you weren’t in the same place anymore.” Norleen explained and then I felt like I had cold shivers running down my spine.

“It must have been after I changed jobs.” I replied carefully choosing me words. Was that man actually into me from the start? So meeting him wasn’t coincidence after all…

Norleen looked at me with a disinterested look on her face as she handed me the clothes I wore before on hangers and spoke in a cold manner. “I already chose your outfits based on your complexion and size… you should head downstairs now to have some pictures taken. But before that…”

“Yes?” The woman’s sudden pause made me look at her all the more. The previously careless, cheerful and outgoing woman had now turned cold and distant from me, for some reason it made me freeze up as she spoke next to my ear.

“I just wanted to ask you something if that’s okay.” Norleen’s low voice didn’t make me feel at ease at all.

“Sure, what is it?” I asked her, trying to keep my tone even, not to allow her to find out I was actually quite freaked out. Those were the types of people I feared most… Not the ones that were openly rude to your face but those that hid behind a cheerful demeanor, those were the ones that I was most weary off…

“Just… what gives you the right to act that way?” Norleen asked me, those bone chilling words delivered with that heartless tone of voice made me holt back reflexively.

“What?” I asked her, by the time I got back to my senses I could see her holding back rage, her fists clenched tightly almost as if her beautifully painted nails would penetrate her skin.

“You waltz in here although you’re new and begin complaining instantly when Sky is giving you so much. I don’t like people like you, you’re just like the divas we used to work with before. Shallow… brainless…” Norleen openly insulted me but in such a low voice that the others couldn’t overhear her. Was she self conscious about them? Or was it actually Sky she didn’t want to look bad in front of?

“I’m nothing like that!” I said as I stepped back and raised my voice unconsciously. Maybe it was a bit too much but I was panicked.

“You’re not proving anything by yelling at me. Try to cheer up alright?” Norleen’s mood shifted once more. She looked like someone entirely different again. Why was she like that? I felt like I couldn’t do anything but act crazy, no matter what I said she would probably play it off as if I started that.

“Why’d you even say that? I wasn’t trying to be a bother, I just didn’t feel like these changes were necessary…” I tried to make that clear to her but my attempts to explain everything to Norleen seemed to make her all the more irritated, her left eye twitched slightly.

“Do you think you’re good enough to make it the way you were? Without the make up and proper clothes… You’d just be another nobody on the street. Nobody would turn to glance at you even once…” Norleen spoke in a condescending cold voice, icy as the expression upon her face. People like her were truly terrifying because I couldn’t get a good read on them. I was fine with openly hostile clients and people that generally disliked me but not with her, not with people like this…

“There are people where that’s not necessary!” I told her.

Norleen shrugged her shoulders as if she couldn’t care any less what my opinion was on the subject. “Sure there are… but those people have talent, personal charm, a magnetism to them that makes others attracted. While you have neither…” She continued with her verbal barade that carefully struck at my most weak points. I felt like she was purposefully trying to trip me up.

“I don’t get it, why are you so mean for no reason.” I remarked but that didn’t seem to land well with her either way. It was almost as if… she was…

“It’s not for no reason. Sky kissed you, didn’t he?” Norleen remarked and at that moment I felt like I understood where these negative emotions of hers were coming from… jelousy…

This woman I had never met before was jelous of me because of Sky, the man I’d met once in my life that for some reason had began to seek me out ever since. So many things filled my mind at that moment I couldn’t help but laugh under my breath.

I really felt like a homewrecker although it was obvious the two of them weren’t dating.

“How would you know that?” I asked her, holding back from saying what I truly wanted to. I didn’t mean to irritate her any further and still.

Norleen observed me almost as if she was trying to figure out what was going on inside my mind. “I have my ways… He kissed you and you reciprocated it… I hate you more than you can realize. But I won’t sabotage you because that would hurt Sky more than it would hurt you. And I wouldn’t risk him hating me either.” She explained it all so logically that it was difficult to argue with her… or rather it was impossible.

I knew what she meant, she was in love after all, with someone that didn’t show her interest back and yet she wanted him to like her… those unfrequented feelings would make anyone act strange.

“So then why are you telling me all this?” I asked her, my her, my heart had already settled and I more or less knew where my place was. And I knew what she had going through her mind as well and neither of which surprised me…

I was just another one of the women Sky brought here… and I too seeked something from him just as they did…

“Because I want you to know you’re not special. Just because he showed you some affection, doesn’t mean you get to do whatever you want. Remember that…” Norleen’s warning came at a time where it didn’t surprise me at all.

Before I could say anything else she walked away and sat right back down at the sofa. Now I recognized it… the voice from before… her mood would shift drastically and her tone would change with it, to the point it was almost unrecognizable…