Summary: [PRETEND STICK-IT WAS NEVER CLOSED DOWN. (takes place after 'snow-job'). Stick-it owners hire a new girl to work with Jude because, it seems, the work is never done. But did they just make it worse?
I don't own 6teen. I WISH i did, but I don't. I only own Julia.
Pairings: Nikki/Jonesy, Jen/Charlie, Jude/OC
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chapter 1
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Sixteen year old Megan Maxwell stomped her feet impatiently as she rode the escalator to the Galleria Mall's second floor. Today was her first day working at Stick-it. She really did NOT want to be late because some stupid brat was hoisting themselves up. Eventually Megan just shrugged her shoulders and ducked under the kids left arm. She walked until she was a few meters away from the Stick-it. The guy she talked to on the phone said that the manager would meet her there and show her everything. The only person Megan saw was a bored-looking blonde boy dipping a stick of meat in and out of a vat of...something. She approached anyway. "Um, hi? I'm supposed to start working here today...Tim or whoever said the manager would meet me here..but um...I don't know...should I come back later?" The boy just blinked at her, an amused smile on his face.
"Not necessary, bra. I'm the manager. My name's Jude," he stuck out his hand. Megan glanced at it and shook hesitantly.
"My name's Megan," she replied. Once he let go of her hand Megan gathered her brown hair in her hand and twisted a ponytail holder around it a few times. "So, what're we supposed to like...do." Her shimmery-pink eyeshadow-covered lids drooped slightly, covering her bright brown eyes as she yawned.
Jude shrugged. "Invent stuff to put on stick. Usually cover it with...I donno, something...and sell it." Megan blinked at him. Was he serious?
"That's it?" Jude nodded at her. "Suh-weet," Megan grinned. After that they fell silent and just stared at the counter, or the floor, or the wall, or the simmering chunks of pork, beef, or...ew..tofu and the vats of gravy, cheese, and a few other unidentifiable sauces. "So, um, what kind of things do you have made like, currently?"
"Curren what?" Jude asked, snapping out of a daze.
"Currently," Megan repeated slowly.
"Oh, um, pork on a stick with chocolate sauce(Megan mind-gagged), tofu with caramel coating, and a mushroom pizza stickit oh! and...well, that's it, actually. I get bored. Not to many people come by here except my friends. And they never buy anything."
"Uh-huh..." Megan stared at the simmering chunks of beef and the vat of cheese. It'd just be like a cheeseburger-on-a-stick, right? She reached for a wooden skewer and grabbed the silver tongs. Carefully, she dunked each piece into the cheese and slid it on. Megan did that repeatedly until the skewer was full. She turned to Jude, who had his head on the counter, half-asleep and practically drooling. "Hey! Uh...Jude!" Jude quickly stood and she stuck the Stick-it under his nose, waving it back and forth, filling his nostrils with the delicious smell of cheese and meat. His eyes glazed over slightly before he accepted it. "Try it and tell me what you think," she told him.
Jude placed the skewer into his mouth and dragged a chunk off, chewing it thoughtfully. His eyes widened. "Dude, deeelicious!"
"Mmm, mm, yes she is," a tall, seedy looking man winked as he sidled up to the counter. Megan glared at him.
"I got this, bra," Jude whispered. "Welcome to Stick-it. How may I help you?" The guy just blinked at Jude, stared at Megan a bit longer, and walked away.
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Lunchtime
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It was noon, and Jude and Megan decided to close Stick-it until one thirty, then went their separate ways to eat lunch.
"Whats up, man?" Jonesy Garcia asked Jude as he flopped into his usual seat and began to eat some poutine. Jude shrugged and swallowed.
"The 'powers that be' hired another employee," he told them. "So I could, you know, have some help or something."
Wyatt Williams took a drink of his coffee. "What's his name?" he asked.
"Megan," Jude replied, shoving another fry into his mouth.
Jonesy scrunched up his eyebrows. "That's not a guys name..." he began before his girlfriend, Nikki Wong, interrupted him.
"Um, no kidding. Megan is a girl, obviously," she rolled her eyes and shoved the remanents of a taco into her mouth.
Jude nodded. "Yeah, she's a girl. I think."
"What? Is she like, beastly?" Jen Masterson asked. Jude shook his head.
"Oh, no. She looks rather not beastly," he admitted.
"Aww, Jude has a CRUSH!" Caitlin Cooke screeched, clapping her hands.
Jude held up his hands. "Whoa, whoa, chill dudette. I do not have a crush on her. But she does make a mean Stick-it." His mouth started salivating at the memory of the taste.
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Megan wandered around the Galleria mall's bottom floor for a while, looking for some place to sit. Eventually she gave up and sat at the base of the fountain and uncovered her chicken wrap. She took small, slow bites and looked around the foodcourt. It was so crowded she barely noticed Jude sitting beside a giant lemon, surrounded by 5 other people who were obviously his friends. Megan wanted to go over, but she was never the time to go anywhere uninvited. Even someone as silly as a seat in a overly crowded mall food court.
As she watched the people going past her she thought about everyone back home. Her best friends, her sorta-ex boyfriend, her cousins and non-immediate family. Her parents and baby sister were the only people she really knew in this city. Megan was half asleep(the sound of running water does that to her) when she heard her name being called. "Dudette! Hey, Meeeegaaaaan! Come on over here, bra!" Megan lifted her head and yawned, glancing for the source. She saw Jude standing up on the table he had been sitting around, waving his arms. His five friends were all staring at her with not-mean yet not-friend looks. She stood up but politely shook her head and tapped her Coach watch, indicating she was going to go back and open up the Stick it. Jude shook his head and hopped off the table and onto his board. Before Megan knew it she was began pulled back in the direction of the giant lemon.
"Uh..." she stammered. 'Oh boy, NOT a time for my shyness to kick it...' Megan shook her head and decided to act like herself. Hey, if they didn't like that she never had to speak to them again!
"Guys, this is Megan. The new chick I work with," Jude introduced her. They all nodded and introduced themselves to her as Nikki, Wyatt, Jen, Caitlin, and Jonesy.
"Hey, what's up?" she asked.
"Not much, why don't you sit down?" Wyatt motioned to the seat between him and Jen. Megan took it awkwardly and smiled.
"Thanks. So, um, what do you guys do for fun?" she asked lamely.
"We go to the amusement park, watch movies, um, hang out here...go to the water park," Jonesy filled her in. Megan nodded thoughtfully.
"Oh, that's awesome," she replied truthfully.
After a few minutes of chatter Jude pushed back and stood up. "Come on Dudette, we gotta go back to work."
"YOU caring about being back to work on time?" Jonesy blurted, laughing hysterically.
Jude shrugged. "Megan and I have some work to do."
"More like Megan does. Later, man." Wyatt waved as they walked away.
Once Megan and Jude were far enough away Jonesy slapped a five dollar bill on the table.
"How long until?" was all he asked before everyone started giving him dates and times.