InstructionbySeduction by Jessica Shin

out like a stalker for thirty minutes, milling around the store, but
didn’t see Scott. So she bought her Beautiful Brunette and hoped that it would
restore her natural color without too much of a fight.
    Kelly came by to pick her up at five-thirty, just after the
end of her shift. Leah hobbled out to her car like she’d been hit by a truck.
    “God damn,” Kelly said. “Tell him to back off!”
    “Very funny,” Leah said. “Do you have any aspirin?”
    “Better,” she said, indicating the backseat. There sat a six-pack
of Corona.
    “Beautiful.”
    “It’s always worse the second day,” Kelly advised.
    “I’ve heard that about eighteen times today.”
    “That’s because it’s true. You need to go back tomorrow.”
    “Jesus,” Leah moaned.
    “You do. Otherwise all your suffering was for nothing. Now
come on. I’ll go with you.”
    “Fine.”
    “Fine, then. It’s settled.”
    Kelly lived with her male cousin and a friend of his who
traveled a lot for work and was rarely there. As luck would have it her cousin
was gone for the night as well. Leah and Kelly stretched out in the living room
to enjoy someone else’s giant flat screen and paint some toenails.
    “I feel like I’m sixteen,” Leah said, sticking in some foam
toe-separators.
    “That’s the point isn’t it? Except that when we were sixteen
we’d have to hide the tequila and the limes.”
    “We should probably do my hair next.”
    “Oh yeah, I almost forgot. Now with your hair we may have to
bleach it first.”
    “What? I didn’t buy any of that.”
    “I knew you wouldn’t. So I did.”
    “Kelly saves the day.”
    “And don’t you forget it. Now do you want to try it without
the blonde dye first and see if it works, or do you want to do the sure thing?”
    “Well, I only have one box of color.”
    “That’s settled then. You become blonde first. Take those
things out of your toes and let’s hit the sink.”
    Kelly helped Leah mix and rub in the blonde dye. They let it
sit just long enough to lighten the red, then washed it out and applied the
chestnut brown. Leah was sitting with her hair wrapped in a plastic bag with
Kelly applying her toenail polish for her when Kelly started in on the
questioning.
    “Okay,” she said. “I think I’ve been pretty good. I’ve been
one hell of a patient girl. Now spill or I’m going to put this polish on your
face.”
    “I see how it is.” Leah smirked and sighed. “Get me
immobilized, then begin the third degree.”
    “I’ve done this before. Now what’s the news?”
    “Well…I got a promotion.”
    “What?” Kelly screamed, nearly tipping over the bottle of
polish. She righted it in a hurry then stared at Leah.
    “They’re making me shift manager.”
    “My God in heaven,” Kelly said. “You’re going to be my
boss?”
    “Well, not exactly.”
    “And not exactly not. How did you keep this to yourself? I
mean, congratulations!”
    Kelly threw her head back and laughed a wicked laugh, then
said, “Now you can show those motherfuckers who’s in charge. Kick some ass.”
    “I don’t think I’m going to be an ass-kicking manager.”
    “You’re going to have to be, with those losers working
there.”
    “I’m already nervous. You’re making it worse.”
    “Don’t worry. I’ll be there to support you. I’ll make sure
they respect your authority.”
    “Isn’t that my job?”
    “There you go. Keep thinking like that. I’ll let you put me
in line a few times if you think it will help you assert your rulership.”
    Leah giggled at the thought of calling Kelly out in front of
the other employees.
    “Thanks for offering to throw yourself on the grenade but I
think I’ll be okay.”
    “All right. But remember the offer is open.”
    “I will.”
    “Now tell me about Mystery Man.”
    Leah sighed. “I wish I could.”
    “What do you mean? You two not getting together anymore?”
    “No…I mean we are, but—”
    “I knew it.”
    “I just don’t know anything