Helpful Senseis, Helpful Roommates, Unhelpful Mirrors

The first week passed by in the blink of an eye. From writing down schedules and meetings at her desk to making sure the clothes were neat and easy to access for photo shoots, Alex was a busy bee constantly buzzing from station to station. Regardless of how much work there was to be done, she never let herself slow down or pause unless it was to take a quick break, resulting in her collapsing at the door of her apartment as soon as she returned. She appreciated that her roommate was willing to drag her sorry excuse of a corpse back inside and onto the couch to recharge. When she got her first paycheck, she swore she would pay her roommate back by treating them someplace nice.

Alex also appreciated Nami's patience with her during this hectic week. Even when she scribbled the wrong time, or forgot to mention she had an important phone call waiting for her, Nami simply waved it off with a smile.

"I was an assistant like you once, so I know what it's like," Nami said each time Alex apologized for her mistake. It didn't take Alex long to respect her for that. Plus her fashion was always on point. Bright, floral patterns, matching every color down to her nails, and the subtle use of makeup all came together well. She had her hair straightened most of the time, but even when she went natural and let her afro puffed up wild and free, she found a way to make it work. Warm people like her radiated an aura of beauty all their own. She was perfectly shaped like a friend.

However, Alex learned quickly that Nami had a dark side, and it was that she was very into everyone's business. If there was gossip, she was the first to know. She once knew about her own surprise party a week before it happened, and another time she busted one of the employees spying for another company even after they cleverly covered their tracks. It was because of this that people had to be careful with their words at all times, glancing around to check if she was nearby before speaking. While many people would find it to be intimidating, Alex wished to learn more from this all-powerful, all-knowing sensei. From all the anime she watched as a kid, she knew learning from a person like this was the key to stepping up in the world.

Thus, she began by inquiring more about this mysterious Mr. Hironori. For purely research reasons, of course! She needed to know more about the staff she was working with.

"Haven't given up yet, have you?" Nami said as she sat in her chair, arms and legs crossed while looking down with a sage sense of superiority. "You're not the only one. Ever since the news came out, plenty of women have been eyeing the stunning bachelor. I already have a wonderful boyfriend, and he's not really my type anyway. Still, I've been keeping a close eye on him since he's definitely a drama goldmine."

"How so?" Alex asked while sitting across her, head humbly low and hands ready to take notes on her notepad.

"Well, I already mentioned the baggage he's carrying. He gets to see his kid on the weekends, so that's going to make date nights awkward. Even if they were fine with it, they'd have to deal with his ex too. Since she's the one who left him, I don't see her being very happy about having to pick up her kid every time. There's one other issue too..." Nami then leaned in closer to Alex to whisper. "He never shows interest in anyone at all. Like... period. He only focuses on his work and doesn't even bother hanging around to chat like the other men do. It's like he's a robot."

Alex raised a curious eyebrow at that last statement. "Really?"

"Really. Come with me to the board meeting this afternoon. You'll see what I mean."

Alex followed Nami to the meeting room and sat down beside her to do exactly that. She scanned the area to take note of the other dozen or so people there as well, who all clearly represented themselves based on how they were dressed, whether they were in suits or wearing loud, colorful clothing from top-of-the-line brands. Part of her hoped that she was sending the right messages as well with her choice of fashion. It was meant to be simple yet cute, with a little bit of a quirk. Would it seem weird though for her position? No, she had to be overthinking it. But what if she wasn't? Maybe the ruby red lipstick was too much...

All of her thoughts vanished in an instant the moment Mr. Hironori stepped into the room, taking his seat at the table. The meeting immediately began once he had appeared, and he neatly aligned his papers before flipping to the relevant topic. She could tell from his stern, serious expression that he was ready to do business, and business he did.

"About the font for this article, I believe it should be bigger to make it easier to read."

"I don't think that would be an engaging topic for our readers."

"No, that won't work because..."

"I do like the idea, but it should be..."

Every time he spoke, it was straight to the point, his deep voice drawing attention and establishing authority. Alex could barely pay attention to what everyone else was saying because he was so formal and well-mannered with his speech, but the longer it went on, the more she became aware something was amiss. Mr. Hironori kept his eyes glued to his papers, not once looking at anyone else in the room, and never drifting off the subject as if he was broadcasting a script. This was when Alex started to realize what Nami meant. Meanwhile, the people in the room had mixed reactions, some as eager as Alex to listen to his input, while others rolled their eyes or scowled while drumming their fingers on the table.

"We're still going forward with this line-up..."

Alex waited to see if Mr. Hironori would notice this and change strategies, yet he never did.

"We need to make sure we reach the deadline by..."

At this point, no one bothered to interject despite plenty of conversation earlier. While he had the best intentions in mind, he was definitely being neglectful.

"That is all," was his last statement before he stood up to leave, swiftly exiting the room before anyone else had a chance to say anything. Alex's jaw was agape, baffled at how one-sided the meeting quickly became. Half the room left happy and skipping back to work, while the other half sighed and resigned to their duties. Alex didn't like that. It wasn't in her position to judge, but maybe if she had paid attention to what the others were saying, she could have helped them out a little. She was disappointed in herself for not putting those debate club skills to use today, but there was always next time.

Nami gave her a reassuring pat on the shoulder and said, "Don't worry. This is normal. We've been selling more copies than ever with his help, so whether they like his methods or not, everyone goes along with it."

Alex looked at her with a small smile. "Seriously. Are you a mind reader?"

"No. You're just very bad at hiding your feelings."

Mama did always say she had her heart on her sleeve. She should do something about that. For now, all she could do was join the sighing crowd and get back to work.

---

Her body must have been getting used to the work because she managed to return home that day without her legs giving out. She still dragged her tired feet to the nice, leather couch to rest on, groaning as she lazily kicked her heels off. Her roommate soon popped her pretty, redhead from the kitchen, emerald eyes wide in shock that she didn't need to do anything this time.

"Really gettin' into the grind, huh?" her roommate said teasingly as she walked into the tiny living room with a bottle of wine in hand.

"Val, please," Alex groaned in response.

"What? I think it's good. Your body's light 'n all, but ya gotta relax and not get too worked up. Sure ya don't wanna drink?"

"I'm sure. I gave that up with college."

Val shrugged her shoulders and took a sip straight from the bottle. "Fine. More for me."

Despite her brash attitude, Alex was grateful that she was able to find a roommate like Val who was so understanding of her situation. While her job paid well, living in the city alone was almost impossible unless you were lucky or willing to hang in a bad neighborhood. She was nervous about finding a roommate online until she stumbled upon Val's posting looking for someone after her last roommate left. The apartment was barely large enough for two people, but it was clean and decently furnished. What really got to Alex was her description was what she wanted in a roommate.

'No smoking, no slobs, no assholes. Clean your shit and pay your rent or you're out. Gender don't matter. You won't last a minute in an arm wrestling with me, so as long as your record's clean we're good. My dad's a cop too and he'll know.'

With how large Val's biceps were, Alex wouldn't dare mess with her even if she was into women. Thinking back, the only person Alex met with bigger muscles was Val's father, who Alex had the pleasure (and terror) of meeting on the day she moved in. His massive figure and burly jawline was an appearance straight out of an action movie, while in comparison Alex was a tiny, shivering mouse fearing she might be crushed for looking at him wrong. Yet this menacing aura melted away as he grinned from ear to ear and helped her move her stuff inside.

Alex had glanced over at Val with a confused expression, wondering what she had said. Val merely shrugged with the casual yet vague response, "He gets it." What he 'gets' was anyone's guess, but Alex made sure to thank him regardless. He frequently checked in on them once a month, bringing a box of donuts with him when he arrived, which was surprisingly thoughtful.

Back to the present, Val finished off the bottle and said, "You can go ahead and use the shower. I left plenty of hot water for ya."

"You're an angel," Alex replied as she rose to her feet, the allure of a fresh shower giving her the strength to live.

Val snickered and kicked back on the other side of the couch to turn the television on. "Damn right I am."

After gathering her things, Alex scuttled her way into the bathroom and closed the door behind her. The lock was broken, but she wasn't worried about that. She was more focused on what came next. It was easy. She had gone over this with her therapist back at college. Since she didn't like how she looked in the mirror when she undressed, her therapist suggested turning off the lights while she showered. It did work wonders for her, even if it took a lot of practice to maneuver around properly in the darkness without slipping and falling on her butt.

With that, Alex flicked the switch, trying not to think about what she looked like as she went through the motions. Don't think about every little thing wrong about her body. Don't think about how flat and uncurvy she was. Don't think about how she was never going to be loved as a real woman with this ugly husk hiding under cute clothes and makeup. She was grateful that her college allowed her free access to therapy, but two years later and she sorely missed it. Maybe she should go find another therapist, yet how would she find the time? No, she should toughen up. There were a lot of things going on, and her expectations weren't going perfectly, but she would get used to it.

She was here.

She was who she wanted to be.

This was right.

Wasn't it?

Shut up. Put your bra and panties on so you can turn on the lights already. That pink nightgown looks cute on you.

By the time she got out of the bathroom, Val was passed out on the couch, snoring away peacefully. Alex tip-toed into the bedroom they shared, which was more like an over-glorified dorm room, then hopped into bed and shoved her sad, naked face into her pillow. When her half-assed attempt at suffocation failed, she pushed the pillow off to stare up at the ceiling. It was the only part of the room that wasn't covered in pictures and posters. You could tell whose side belonged to who, with one half centered on pastel decorations, fashion models, and pretty magical girls, and the opposite side decked out in black, wrestling champions, and death metal bands. Funny enough, Alex knew the metal bands and Val recognized some of the magical girls, so they found they had quite a bit in common. She should get around to asking Val where she wants to eat when she gets her paycheck.

It was silly little thoughts like those that distracted Alex enough to let her body go and drift to sleep. Maybe next week will be better, or so she hoped.