Reality Jane Read Online Free PDF

defeated, pummeled, all before the end of the first inning.
    Then it came to me: Nobody messes with a prairie girl!
    My legs moved me forward. The decision was made. No turning back now.
    “Excuse me,” I said to the bouncer, my heart pounding.
    “Sorry, Blondie, we’re full.” He moved into the doorway.
    Why the hell is everyone here suddenly calling me Blondie?
    I smiled a sadistic smile. “I have a reservation on the balcony with Lucy Lane of The Purrfect Life . You might have heard of it.” I almost sounded sweet, but for the eerie screech of claws bursting from my cuticles.
    “All right, they’re on the balcony.” He waved me through.
    “I know,” I said, practically bull-dozing his ape-like body.
    The music pounded. Legs, torsos, and arms attached to sticky drinks flew across my path as if providing a shield to the enemy. But my mind was still. Only one thought consumed me. Confront.
    Suddenly, I was before them, stone-faced at the end of their table.
    “Oh. . . s. . . h. . . i. . . t,” Rose, the first to spot me, said in slow motion.
    Everyone froze. I trembled, folding my arms across my chest to mask my weakness. My lungs tightened as I gasped for breath. “Why?”
    Nothing . Toni dropped her head in embarrassment, unable to look at me.
    “Why would you do this?” My eyes went to Corinne and Rose. My lips wavered.
    Silence. Nobody moved.
    “Well?” If I said one more word, I’d cry.
    Corinne spoke first.
    “It’s my night!” she spat. “I’m the one leaving. I wanted a night out alone with my friends.”
    I fully expected red horns to sprout from her skull.
    “ What?! ” This was total horror.
    Where could I go with that? I expected an apology, sympathy, an appeal for forgiveness, not Mean Girls the movie. I mean, that was a movie, wasn’t it? People didn’t act like this in real life! Did they?
    “But we work together. This is the crew, the team. You guys planned this night in front of me, with me included. I mean—I don’t get it. I wouldn’t do this to a sworn enemy!”
    “Sit down,” Corinne hissed. “You’re making a scene.”
    “No. I’m not sitting with you—you. . . phonies.” Oh, that’s good—“phonies.” Harsh, real harsh. That’s telling ‘em, Blondie!
    Corinne grabbed my arm and pulled me into the empty chair beside her—it must have been Lucy’s, because she was conveniently missing. I looked up at Toni and Rose and shook my head.
    “You two, you’re my new assistants. I need to trust you.” I felt lost.
    Maybe my sudden promotion was too good to be true. Maybe I didn’t deserve any of this: the job, LA, the supposed uber-cool friends. It was the universe getting back at me for playing out of my league—the cement boots’ equivalent of emotional payback.
    “Look, just have a drink. It’s no big deal,” Corinne said sternly as she motioned for a waiter. “And whatever you do,” she leaned into me, “don’t tell Naomi.”
    Lucy pranced to the table, all boobs and booty, with a hearty martini buzz. She nearly hit the ceiling at the sight of me.
    “Hi, Jane. Awesome you made it,” she said about an octave higher than her normal range. “I was wondering where you were.”
    Before I could answer, she turned around to return to some drunken richy-rich manager/agent type at the bar.
    “I can’t do this.” I got up to leave.
    “Naomi doesn’t need to know,” Corinne whispered sternly.
    I shook my head in disgust. “You guys are—never mind, not worth it.”
    “Jane, stay!” Corinne said, forcing civility into her voice. “Your drink is here.”
    I turned to walk away.
    The earlier pink sky now was a smoggy gray, with dots of burnt orange. The street lamps hummed painfully, as if even they wanted to hide. I smelled garbage and exhaust. The wind poked and spit at me. Strangers seemed to sneer. Even the bums lost their hobo charm.
    I knelt beside a back alley dumpster and cried.

I had met my new boss, Naomi, almost a year earlier,