Kelly POV
It had been a long and stressful day at work for my best friend Tony. As we walked home together, he couldn't stop complaining.
"Gosh!!! Today had been so hectic, the stress is making me feel like I can hardly feel my bones," Tony lamented.
I stared at him, wondering what could have been so difficult. "Why did you say so, Tony?" I asked.
"Well, Kel, the customers were just non-stop today and it was all so stressful for me," he said, throwing his hands up in exasperation.
"Tony, what did you do that was so uniquely difficult? What makes your job so special compared to everyone else's?" I pressed, a bit skeptical of his complaints.
"Hey, don't look at me like that! My role in this organization is very important," he argued defensively.
"Okay, what exactly is that? What do you do that's so much harder than anyone else?" I demanded.
"Well, don't you know that staying at the front door and welcoming the customers, and at the same time keeping that smile on your face even though you're not happy and you're tired, that's the hardest thing for someone to do," he explained.
I couldn't help but laugh a little at his dramatics. "Well if you think it's that tiring and too much for you, then tomorrow afternoon I'll talk to the manager about switching our positions. Wouldn't that be better for both of us?" I asked with a grin.
Tony gasped in horror. "Don't you dare!! Is that how much you hate me? You really think my job is too hard?" he cried.
I laughed and pulled him along. "Come on, let's just go home. But first, you have to buy me ice cream," I told him, only half-joking.
I guess I should properly introduce myself. I'm Kelly Smith, 19 years old. I'm a brunette but I love going platinum blonde - I don't know why, but I think it suits me really well. I have green eyes, but hardly anyone gets to see them besides my family. And one thing's for sure, I'm a total "boss bitch."
"Home Sweet Home!!!!" I yelled as I walked through the front door, immediately flopping down on the couch without even looking to see who was already there.
"Fuck Kel, don't you have eyes, or have I become too small that you couldn't even notice me?" my older brother Louis groaned.
"Oh!! Lulu, I'm so sorry. I was just so tired, I didn't even think to check who was on the couch," I apologized, giving him my best puppy dog eyes.
"Don't even try that with me, you know it won't work. If you really feel bad, you can make it up to me by letting me sleep on top of you on the couch," he bargained.
"What? Are you crazy? Do you have any idea how heavy and big you are? There's no way I'm letting you crush me!" I exclaimed.
"What? I'm just asking for a little brotherly cuddle, is that so wrong?" Louis replied, feigning innocence.
"Oh I see, so this is your master plan to get rid of me and steal all of Mom and Dad's attention for yourself, you selfish jerk!" I accused.
"Come here, you!" Louis yelled, picking up a pillow and chasing me around the living room.
I managed to sneak up behind him and gave him a hard slap on the back of the head, then took off running again, laughing. I just love slapping his head, I don't know why.
He ran into the kitchen and came back out holding two knives, his eyes wild. "Oh shit!" I muttered and took off running out the front door with Louis hot on my heels.
"MOM!! DAD!!! Lulu is trying to commit murder, you're going to lose the best child ever to this psycho!" I yelled as I ran.
I tried to turn and keep running but I tripped and fell face-first onto the pavement. I looked up in terror as Louis loomed over me, the knives still in his hands.
"Aren't you going to keep running?" he said menacingly, grabbing me by the waist.
He raised the knife up to my throat and I started shaking, sure he was actually going to kill me. But then my dad's voice boomed out.
"Louis, put my daughter down this instant!" he thundered.
Louis immediately released me and I ran to hide behind my dad. I stuck my tongue out at Louis playfully.
"But Dad, she hit me first and then she threw herself on me like I was her personal bed!" Louis complained.
"And so what, she's your little sister. You need to treat her with love, not try to stab her," Dad scolded.
"It's not fair, you always take her side! You never punish her for anything, but you're always scolding me," Louis whined, stomping his foot like a petulant child.
Dad just laughed at his antics. "That's because you're the older brother, you need to be corrected when you're wrong. She's your baby sister, you have to protect her, not threaten her."
"Never, I'm going to kill her!" Louis declared, making a slicing motion across his throat.
Dad just laughed again and went back inside, and I hurried after him, not wanting to risk my life with my crazy brother. I glanced back and saw Louis giving me an ominous thumbs down. Jeez, what a day!
The next morning, I woke up early and made breakfast for the whole family. When everyone was seated at the table, I decided to bring up the topic of work again.
"So Tony was complaining a lot yesterday about how stressful his job is, just from standing at the front door and greeting customers," I mentioned casually.
"Oh really, what exactly does he do?" my mom asked.
"Well apparently, having to keep a smile on his face even when he's tired is the hardest part," I explained, rolling my eyes a little.
"Hmm, that does sound like a challenging job," Dad mused. "What do you do again, Kelly?"
"I work in the back, helping with inventory and stocking shelves. It can get pretty physically demanding, but I actually find it more rewarding than just standing at the front all day," I replied.
"Ah, I see. Well, maybe you two should consider switching roles for a bit, and see what the other person's job is really like," Dad suggested.
"That's exactly what I told Tony! I said I'd talk to the manager about it. I think it would be good for both of us," I agreed enthusiastically.
"That's a great idea, honey. It's always good to get some perspective on what others are going through," Mom chimed in.
"Yeah, maybe then Tony will stop complaining so much," Louis mumbled around a mouthful of food, earning a glare from me.
After breakfast, I headed off to work, eager to discuss the job swap idea with Tony and our manager. When I got there, I found Tony already at the front door, greeting customers with his usual big smile.
"Hey Tony, can I talk to you and the manager for a minute?" I asked.
"Sure Kel, what's up?" he replied, looking curious.
I explained my proposal to switch roles for a bit, so we could each experience the other person's job.
"That's actually a really great idea!" the manager said. "I think it would be good for both of you to get a better understanding of each other's responsibilities. Why don't we try it for a week and see how it goes?"
Tony looked a bit apprehensive, but he agreed. "Okay, I guess it could be interesting to see what you do back there. When do we start?"
"How about tomorrow? I can take the front and you can work with inventory and stocking," I suggested.
"Alright, sounds good. Wish me luck!" Tony said nervously.
The next day, I arrived early and took my place at the front entrance, ready to greet customers with my biggest, brightest smile. It really wasn't as easy as Tony made it sound. After just a couple of hours, my cheeks were starting to ache from the constant grinning.
Meanwhile, Tony was struggling with the physical demands of my usual tasks. I could see him huffing and puffing as he carried heavy boxes and restocked the shelves.
At our lunch break, we compared notes. "Gosh Kel, I had no idea your job was so tough! My feet are killing me and I think I pulled a muscle," Tony lamented.
"Well, I had no idea keeping that smile plastered on my face all day was so draining! My cheeks feel like they're going to fall off," I replied.
We both gained a new appreciation for the job well done and both went to our respective houses. Immediately I got home, I didn't even bother taking dinner when I slept off on the bed. JESUS!! Today was darn stressful.