Within minutes Kate was in and out of the convenient store.
"Hold these," she said, shoving the cold cans into Lila's hands as soon as we got out.
Before Lila could ask what she was doing, Kate was already ordering stir-fried chicken from a small food stand near the corner.
"We'll get home before the order," Kate said confidently, pocketing her change.
Lila raised a brow. "And what if we don't?"
"Then we'll blame the slow cook," Kate replied with a smirk, walking a bit too fast.
"Wait up, you maniac!" Lila called, trying not to trip over the uneven pavement.
Suddenly.
Kate stopped on her tracks.
Lila got scared immediately, getting ready to run in case of any danger.
Kate turned with a wicked grin on her face. "You never told me about your mysterious one-night stand." She narrowed her eyes.
Lila signed in relief her cheeks burning in a bright red shade. "Not this again!" She blushes turning her face away a bit.
"Oh, come on," Kate teased. "Did you see his face? Did you remove the mask?"
"No, I wasn't on my lenses." Lila sighed heavily.
"What?!" Kate exclaimed. "How could you not— How could you even make that kind of mistake?"
"I don't know. It just happened."
"Gurllllll" Kate teased. "What if he's an actual gorilla? Or—" she gasped dramatically. "What if he is an ugly monkey?"
Lila's mouth fell open in mock outrage. "Kate!"
Kate only laughed hard. "I'm just saying. You could have atleast taken a picture."
"My phone died. Remember."
"I knowwwww. Now that you don't even know his face, just know he could be anyone. Could be the guy who cleans the streets in the morning. Could be ugggg" she gasped again. "Your boss."
Lila groaned, her face turning redder by the second. "I hate you!"
"You love me," Kate said, still grinning.
"Remember you said you were available on Tuesdays" Lila shot back.
"Oh that," Kate place a hand on her chin. "That was because of his sharp chin."
"Slut." Lila laughed out loud.
"We both are." Kate replied bouncing dramatically as the made their way home.
By the time they reached home, their food was already hunged in front of their door.
They took it and went inside. Lila mocking make with a tiny annoying voice. "We would reach home before it."
"Stoppppp." Kate laughed at the continuous tease. "Did I know?"
"Just opened the door Kate." Lila said between laugh.
The first thing they did as soon as Kate opened the door was to rush to the bathroom one after the other.
After a while, they came out in their comfortable home clothes.
Lila was in her oversized T-shirt and Kate was in one of her shorts and a loose top. Their hair was damp and their was skin fresh.
Finally a fresh breeze.
They settled into the living room, the small coffee table between them holding the takeout bags of the stir-fried chicken.
Lila's stomach grumbled, and Kate laughed, handing her a box.
"Eat before your belly starts singing opera," Kate teased.
Lila rolled her eyes chuckling, "Oh shut up. My belly has been starving since the club."
They dug in, their fingers greasy and their mouths busy.
Kate sighed in satisfaction after every bites. "Oh god. This taste like heaven. Hmmm."
Lila just rolled her eyes as she watched annoying friend.
Halfway through a chicken leg, Lila leaned back and groaned. "You won't believe what happened today at work."
Kate raised a brow, chewing slowly. "Tell me."
"There's this receptionist," Lila began, her voice sharp with irritation. "She tried to look down on me like I didn't belong there. Like I was just some random girl walking into the building by mistake. Can you imagine what she said to me?"
"What?" Kate asked between another bite.
Lila sat well, ready to spit out what annoyed her the most. "She said I wouldn't get job, and I shouldn't get my hopes high. She called me ugly in few words. I was so pissed."
Kate smirked knowingly. "And what did you do, Miss Feisty?"
Lila smirked back, raising her chin proudly. "I fought back. I gave her a piece of my mind. She wasn't even expecting that. Her jaw almost dropped."
Kate laughed, clapping her hands. "That's my girl!" she said proudly, her eyes glimmering. "What did you say."
Lila raised her chin again. "I said," she tilted her head proudly. "If jobs were offered by looks, she would be less than a cleaner."
"Oh my gosh" Kate gasped. "She's uglyer than a rat. And she deserves that."
Lila grinned, taking another bite of chicken before suddenly remembering. Her eyes widened. "Oh! Wait. I didn't even tell you the craziest part."
Kate tilted her head. "What now?"
Without another word, Lila jumped up, hurried into her room, and returned with a folder clutched in her hand. She tossed it dramatically on the table, chicken grease still on her fingers.
"This," she said breathlessly, "I'm going to sign a contract to work in SilverTech." she smiled again
Kate blinked at it, confused. " I thought, you didn't get the job."
"Of course I did." She rolled her eyes her smile bright.
"But why a contract?" Kate's face was full of questions.
"For work! For that jerk of a boss," Lila huffed, throwing her arms up as she remembered the salary. "He said one hundred, Kate. Like a hundred a day. Can you believe that? That bastard! That is about thirty six something a year."
She ranted while pacing, her bare feet padding against the floor. In frustration, she stamped her foot hard on the floor.
Kate picked the document quickly up carefully, wiping her hand quickly before flipping through the pages. Her eyes scanned the words… and then her mouth fell open. She gasped so loudly Lila paused mid-complaint.
"What?" Lila demanded.
Kate shot to her feet, waving the paper. "Lila! This isn't one hundred a day—it's a hundred thousand!"
Lila blinked, stunned. "Huh?"
Kate shoved the paper into her face, jabbing a finger at the line. "Look! It says it right here! One hundred thousand per year, not a hundred measly dollars a day!"
Lila snatched the document, squinting at the text as she grabbed her glasses. Her eyes widened until they nearly popped out. "What!! Oh my gosh!"
Kate shrieked with laughter and excitement, grabbing her by the shoulders. The two of them screamed, hugging tightly as they jumped up and down in the small living room.
"We're rich!" Kate yelled.
"I'm rich!" Lila corrected, still giggling uncontrollably.
They finally collapsed onto the couch, breathless with joy. Lila, unable to stop herself, immediately began calculating in her head, her fingers moving as she spoke. "Okay, so that's… eight thousand something per month. Oh my God, Kate. Eight thousand! Do you know what I can do with that?"
Kate laughed, watching her friend's wild excitement with pure happiness—until her eyes caught something else in the contract. Her smile dimmed. She squinted at the fine print, reading carefully as she froze in place.
"Wait a second," she said slowly, "did you… ruin his suit?"
Lila, still buzzing from joy, bit her lip and gave a sheepish little shrug. "Maybe?"
Kate's jaw dropped. "Oh no, girl… he's deducting two thousand five hundred per month. For two years, Lila."
"What?" Lila snatched the document again, scanning quickly, and when her eyes landed on the clause, her heart dropped. "That man…!" she gasped in horror. "Two five hundred is a lot."
She grabbed a notebook and started scribbling furiously, trying to calculate.
After deducting Noah's medical fees, the debts, the rent, and now the suit charge, she realized she would barely be left with three hundred dollars each month.
Her face went pale. She dropped the pen, slid down from the couch, and crashed onto the floor, staring blankly at the ceiling like her soul had left her body.
"Guess I won't be quitting the club anytime soon," she muttered lifelessly.
Kate's heart squeezed. She set the contract aside and knelt beside her, wrapping her arms around her. "Karma's a bitch, girl," she said softly, trying to lighten the weight with humor, but her voice was filled with sympathy.
Lila leaned into her friend's hug, her lips pressed into a thin line.
They sat there quietly until sleep tugged at their heavy eyes. After a while, they dragged themselves to bed.
The next morning, sunlight crept through the thin curtains, brighten the house.
Kate was already awake, bustling in the kitchen, humming softly as she cooked breakfast.
The smell of eggs and toast filled the small apartment.
"Rise and shine, sleepyhead," Kate called, pushing open Lila's door.
Lila groaned, dragging herself from bed. She bathed quickly, dressed in her modest work clothes, and sat down to eat the breakfast Kate prepared.
With in minutes she was done. She grapped her bag, the contract and ran out of the door after hugging Kate a good bye.
"Thirty minutes left Kate. Don't want to be late on my first day." She said as she whipped her shoes.
"Be a good girl. And wipe their asses if they ever look down on you girl."
"You know your girl." She smiled as she got into the taxi.