Preface
After four adventurous years of college, Sarah successfully graduated with a degree in Business Communications. Much like in high school, she succeeded at every level as a student. Unfortunately, she found herself as a victim of an ever-evolving economy.
Nobody would have expected the smart brunette to have any trouble after college, after being voted most likely to succeed in high school. However, after months of searching, she still found herself without a career, as the job market went through a recession.
On the other hand, Britney, Sarah's onetime rival, experienced an abundance of fortune throughout the years. Though she started as a lowly waitress at a demeaning restaurant, she later moved on to a big lingerie store, before stumbling into multiple modeling opportunities. Fortunately for her, there was always a demand for tall, beautiful blondes. Despite her poor work ethic and prissy attitude, she earned a successful career through her looks.
Not only did it lead her to a pretty wealthy life, but it was also something the former cheerleader actually enjoyed. Having people appreciate and compliment her appearance gave her the motivation to work hard for the first time.
Though Britney would eventually find an apartment only a few cities away from Sarah, she and her formal rival were unaware of how close they actually were. Despite several attempts to remain in contact, their relationship had fizzled out through the years.
Ultimately, Britney was the one who decided to break off all ties. And though Sarah tried diligently to make their ongoing relationship work, she eventually realized the blonde would never be happy with their complicated situation.
Sarah became frustrated, unable to figure out what Britney wanted. She tried being both dominant and submissive, confrontational and patient, argumentative and understanding, but nothing seemed to satisfy the blonde.
By the time they had their final encounter, Sarah had realized she could not persuade the stubborn woman. During college, she learned a strong lesson that it was okay to concede battles that were unwinnable. She simply left Britney with these last words: "When you're mature enough to handle a relationship, give me a call."
Of course, Britney never called, and the relationship became a memory. But despite the loss of contact, the prissy woman kept tabs on Sarah's life by looking at her social media page. She even became jealous when she would see Sarah getting close with other women; especially blondes.
************
Chapter 1
"I know things are difficult, but your dad and I love it when you come home to visit," Sarah's mom said as she sat down at the dinner table with her daughter.
"I love visiting you guys too," the twenty-three-year-old brunette responded. "I hope when I finally find my career, I'll have more free time so I can visit more often."
"Speaking of that, how is the job search going?" her father asked.
"Not great, if I'm being honest. I've even lowered my expectations, but I'm getting rejected by the lowest-paying jobs. I guess with the economy down, people are looking for experience over education."
Though Sarah's dad knew she was doing everything in her power to get a good job, he tried to encourage her with an idea. "You know, with the economy being so wonky right now, you might want to consider jobs outside of your degree. Have you considered thinking outside of the box?"
Looking a bit uncomfortable, Sarah paused for a moment before responding, "I have thought of that..."
"Oh, great! What kind of ideas have you come up with?"
"Uhh, nothing..." the young brunette replied, looking down at her phone before hiding it. "But I think that's a good idea... Thanks, Dad!"
"You know, if you ever get sick of working a bunch of part-time jobs to make ends meet, you can always come home," her mother explained. "You can at least save some money on rent until you get on your feet."
"I really appreciate that, Mom, but I can't accept it," the prideful daughter responded. "I promise I'll find a way to make things work, and I'll make you guys proud."
Both her parents just smiled and assured her, "We're always proud of you."
*****
The next morning, the frustrated woman went to a coffee shop to complete more online applications. Shortly after grabbing a drink and setting her laptop down, she noticed a petite woman with a beautiful figure and long blonde hair standing in line.
The brunette tried to refocus on her work, but eventually felt the figure hovering above her. As Sarah's eyes left her screen, she suddenly realized it was a familiar face staring at her with a stern expression.
It was Britney, her former high school rival, wide-eyed with her mouth open. There was a moment of silence as awkward tension filled the little coffee shop. The blonde gripped her frappuccino so hard, she almost squeezed the liquid out of the top of the lid.
There's something different about her,
Sarah thought to herself as her heart raced.
She still looks as bratty as ever, but her clothes and her style are so nice...
"What are you doing here?!" the blonde finally asked, snapping Sarah out of her silence.
"Hey Brit... I was just in town visiting my parents... and now I'm at a coffee shop... applying for jobs..."
"Applying for jobs? Like, you don't have one?"
"Ehhh... Not a good one, at least..."
A little smile grew on the prissy girl's face. "So, Miss Goody-Two-Shoes Smarty-Pants didn't turn out so successful after high school, did she?"
With a deep breath, Sarah looked up and responded, "It would appear that way... at least for now. But hopefully, something will come up."
"Yeah, hopefully something will come up," Britney responded, lifting her nose up in the air, proudly. "Meanwhile, little ole me, who didn't even go to college, is now a successful model. So, I guess I turned out better than you."
A little smile came over the cute brunette's face. Feeling at peace, she looked up at her former rival and responded, "Yes, you did, Brit. And congratulations on your modeling career... You deserve it."
Britney quickly raised her eyebrows in confusion. She was speechless from the response, expecting an argument instead of a concession. Eventually, the only thing she could come up with was, "Well... have fun applying for jobs... Bye..."
Sarah was left just as confused at the interaction as Britney was. However, as she watched the blonde walk away, she couldn't help but notice her voluptuous ass swaying from side to side.
What do they put in frappuccinos?
she wondered to herself, as she continued to stare.
When Britney turned the corner, she began to wonder why the conversation went so differently than she expected.
Why didn't she argue back with me?
she thought. Eventually, she turned around, unable to stop herself from gloating more. She returned to the table and immediately grabbed Sarah's attention by saying, "I won, by the way!"
"You won what?" Sarah asked, with a confused expression.
"You thought I would never be successful," the blonde explained, boasting her chest. "But after all that shit you talked, it seems like karma has served you right. I just want to make sure you understand that I won and you lost."
After a moment of silence, Sarah shook off the blank stare from her face before responding, "Okay... You won. I already admitted that... but I never doubted you would be successful... I even said you would be successful, remember? I said you would be good at anything you set your mind to."
"Oh..." the diva reacted, as she tried to think back. "I still won the bet though!"
"Brit... I know this was a long time ago, but I'm sure we never had any bet."
"Yeah, that was a long time ago and I'm not the same little brat I used to be," Britney shot back, looking ever so proud of herself. "I have really matured."
"I can tell..." Sarah responded as she put her eyes back on her laptop. "A good indicator of maturity is when someone walks around telling people how mature they are."
Britney folded her arms and smiled down at the brunette. "Well good! I'm glad I proved my point."
Taking her eyes off the computer, the brunette refocused on the beautiful blonde and responded, "You're lucky you're pretty..."
Suddenly, Britney's eyebrows furrowed as the smile disappeared from her face. "You know what? That sounded like a compliment, but somehow, I think it was an insult. But I don't need to take your shit anymore. I'm leaving!"
Sarah was left confused once again as Britney made another sudden exit. However, this time, the blonde made a quick return, taking a seat as she asked, "So... you really think I'm pretty?"
Finally, a smile came over Sarah's face as she realized Britney was joining her at the table. "Of course, I do. I mean, you're freaking model."
"Yeah, I guess you're right!" the blonde responded, gloating to herself.
"So how did you get into modeling, anyway?"
"After I left the restaurant, I started working for a Lush Lingerie store. I met a girl there who did some modeling catalogs for them, and I kind of forced my way into my own photo shoot. My life kind of... took off from there."
Sarah just nodded her head in approval. "Well, it looks like you're doing great. I mean, you look amazing and it sounds like you're doing something you're actually passionate about."
"It's more work than it sounds," Britney explained. "So, what's going on with you? No luck finding a job?"
For the first time, Sarah noticed a look of genuine concern as she stared into the blue eyes of the once so spoiled woman. "The economy has been bad, so it's been hard to find a job. I've even applied for entry-level jobs that don't require a degree, but they all require like five years of experience. I guess we have different definitions of entry-level..."
"So, did you move back in with your parents to save money?"
"They offered, but I just can't accept it. My pride won't let me do it after all the sacrifices they made for me. I'm working three crappy part-time jobs right now to afford the apartment I live in."
"Well, hopefully you'll find something soon," Britney responded. "I actually have my own apartment as well. I moved out close to the Lush store I work at, since I have to be there for a lot of my photoshoots."
Suddenly, Sarah began to scratch her chin as something popped into her mind. "Do you work at that big Lush Store on East Side?"
"Yeah, that's the one!"
