Body Guard

Julie:
I smiled at the huge bite he took and pointed towards a strip of shops. "Lets go and see if we can find you some spunky clothes to impress the ladies," I said, starting in that direction.

"Spun'y?" I asked around my mouthful. I quickly finished the rest of it and wiped at my mouth with my thumb. "What spunky clothes are you talking about? Is there something wrong with what I'm wearing right now?"

Julie:
I laughed out loud. "You look fine," I told him. "But you could look even better with a little help from your bestest friend," I said, pointing at myself. So what if I was trying to play dress up with him?

Chuckling I shook my head, "Alright. This will be interesting if nothing else." I motioned for her to lead on. "Lead the way, show me what you can come up with to make me look better." Flashing her a grin I took another bite of my pretzel.

Julie:
I went into the first store and started searching through the racks, pulling out things that were brightly colored and so unlike Cody, that i feared he might not even try them on.

After the second shift she grabbed I had a pained look on my face. Instead of letting her overwhelm me in bright colors I picked through the racks myself and selected things in more muted tones but away from my usual black.

Julie:
I picked out a few more things and then turned to face him. "You're at least gonna try some of them on, arent you?" I asked.

The look I gave her was one full of resigned pain. With my arm having a few shirts draped over it already I took the bundle from her. "Only because you got me a pretzel." With another pointed look I moved towards the dressing room. I was going to get her for this anyway. Bright colors were just...not my style. It wasn't that I hated them, but I felt it didn't fit me. I wasn't an overly cheerful bubby kind of person.

Once inside the dressing room I sighed as I dropped the pile of clothes onto the bench inside. First up was a Hawaiian shirt that I quickly put on then stepped outside to show it off.

Julie:
I smiled at his playing along and browsed the racks for myself while he changed. When I heard the fitting room door opened, I had to bite my lip hard to stop the smirk at seeing him in a brightly colored Hawaiian shirt. 

"Wow, those colors really bring out your eyes," I said, trying to keep a straight face.

"Liar." I muttered as I turned in a circle for her. "I feel ridiculous. Utterly ridiculous. Why would you pick something like this?" Stopping I frowned at her before slowly breaking out into a smile. "Yeah, laugh it up. I can see you hiding a smile."

Julie:
I let a small laugh escape and moved closer to straighten the collar of the shirt. "Oh, stop it. Its not that bad. You're being dramatic," I told him. 'You actually do look very nice in color," I told him seriously.

"Solid color is one thing. Maybe a simple pattern. But this? This is garish." I tucked my chin to eye what she was doing before following her arms back up to her face. "Are you satisfied with the view or can I change into something else?"

Julie:
I smiled and turned back to the racks. "You can take it off," I said, flipping through a few shirts. "Try the plaid," I said, not looking up. 

When I heard the door close again, I hummed lightly to myself and held up an orange button down. When I went to return it to the racks, my view was interrupted by a tall man. "You're the presidents daughter," He said. It wasnt a question. 

"Oh. Hello..." I said, taking a step back. I let my eyes wander around the store, wondering where the hell Ryan was. People recognized me from TV all the time, this wasn't knew or even really frightening. But Cody was always right there. And I had no idea where my body guard was. 

With my eyes wandering for Ryan, I didnt notice the man step closer and grab my arm. "Can i take a picture?" He asked. It was a harmless enough request but I didnt like it when people touched me.

Stepping into the dressing room again I removed the shirt and tossed it aside. The hawaiin shirt I'd been able to wear my other shirt under but the plaid I decided to tug off my shirt and pull on one of the other bright shirts that was fitted close to my skin. After that I slid on the plaid button up. Gazing at myself in the mirror I wondered just what I was doing.

Most people would count this whole adventure as something of a date. But I didn't know if that is what it was for us both. Jules had been my friend for so long I worried about what might happen if we ever did go that route. It wasn't like I hadn't considered it. Jules was...beautiful. I'd meant all that I'd said before in her room. She was something special. But I pushed it from my mind as I stepped out of the dressing room.

But she wasn't there. I frowned and peeked around before I spotted her and the man gripping her arm. "What are you doing?" I marched over to them, expression hard.

Julie:
I couldn't help the sigh of relief that escaped when I heard Cody's voice behind me. I gently but firmly pulled my arm from the mans grip and tried to smile at him. 

"Sorry sir, I'm not really up for pictures today, but thank you for asking," I said, loud enough to catch Cody up to speed. 

"I just want one picture, thats not too much to ask," The man said, stepping closer, ignoring the edge in Codys voice. People sometimes got like this if I refused a picture. Nine times out of ten, people are understanding and back off. The other one time, they got nasty and felt entitled to a picture just because I was a public figure. 

"Uh...just one wouldnt hurt, I suppose," I said, trying to get the man moving without causing a scene. It was Codys day off and if he had to step in, I was gonna fire Ryan and his poor excuse of body guard skills.

I stood beside Jules, keeping my arms loose in case I needed to fight. Crossing your arms could be intimidating but left you vulnerable in a fight. It was one of the first things I learned. And as Jules caught me up to speed in one sentence I focused more sharply on the man while taking a quick look around for Ryan.

I opened my mouth to tell then man off as he stepped closer, but the words died in my throat as she agreed. I eyed her for a moment in surprise then looked at him again. One was almost never enough it seemed. And once it started with one, how many more would want one? But she'd made her choice now.

Julie:
He held up his phone and I leaned in to take the photo with him. No one seemed to be paying attention and I hoped no one else would come over. Most people didnt know who I was. But when one person started taking pictures, others tend to assume im famous and want their own pictures.

I heard him snap a few photos and I leaned away with a smile. "Thanks for the picture! I have to go now," i told him.

I turned and grabbed Codys hand, pulling him with me. "Youre off the clock," I reminded him softly. Even though his arms were loosely at his side, i knew he was anything but relaxed. "We just have to find Ryan," I said, looking around. And perhaps give him a piece of my mind... i thought to myself.

I only relaxed when I was pulled away. Squeezing her hand I muttered softly to her, "Off the clock or not I'm not going to let you be taken advantage of. This time it wouldn't be as a bodyguard but as a friend." Flashing her a weak smile I also looked around. "But I might just hit Ryan for negligence."

The man's performance was inexcusable. I knew that as soon as I got back I'd file a complaint up the chain of command. I knew mistakes happened. But I couldn't even tell that he was trying.

Julie:
I spotted Ryan just outside the store we were in, talking to some girl. It took me about a second to realize he was flirting with her and paying almost zero attention to his job. He looked up when he saw us start in his direction. I still had Cody's hand in mine so I steered him with me. 

"He's new. Maybe we should go easy on him," I said, even though I felt like hitting him myself. Not because I felt like I was in danger, but this was Cody's day off and he was ruining it. "You have to stay inside the store, you're wearing stuff you didn't pay for," I said, looking him up and down. "But...we should pay for it," I told him. I liked the plaid.

"He doesn't deserve easy...not for not doing his job at all..." I almost growled the words out but loud sounds behind me drew my attention back. "I'll pay for this befoe I get yelled at for shop lifting. Hit him if you want."

Squeezing her hand for a moment I let it go and turned to go up to the counter. I had to apologize to the clerk and manager who glared daggers at me. And after a supervised trip to the dressing room I changed into my original shirt and gathered what I wanted to buy. I used the company card to buy my clothes. The card was linked in my name and the funds would come out of my account. It was a nice bonus to working for her family. They took care of finances and taxes all for me and I didn't have to worry about anything.

Julie:
When Cody left to go pay, I confronted Ryan with a scowl. He saw the look on my face and excused himself from the girl he was speaking to.

"Ryan, do you understand what you're expected to do here today?" I asked him, annoyed. "This is supposed to be Cody's day off and he shouldnt have to pick up your slack."

"What? I was watching. This is not a high risk situation. And no offense, but its not like you're the president." He said, almost rolling his eyes. I put my hands on my hips and frowned.

"I know im not. And yeah, im probably not going to be in a lot of danger at the mall, but you were hired to do a job and if you cant do it, let me know so i can tell your supervisor," I said.

"You won't have too. I am already having one filed as soon as I get back." I had heard only the last bit as I was walking up. "I'm sure her father will be glad to know you don't care to guard her as much as you'd guard him."

I had my bag dangling from one arm and the other carried my pretzel box. I still wanted to finish it but we weren't exactly in a position for me to do so.

Julie:
I turned at the sound of his voice and raised an eyebrow. It didn't sound like he was bluffing but I knew if Cody said anything about Ryans performance as a body guard, he would be fired without a second thought. 

"I'm not finished with the day of fun, so just pay attention for a little while longer and then you wont have to worry about me any more," I finished, turning my back on Ryan. 

"You didnt get to try on the tie-dye shorts," I said, eyeing the bag in Codys hand.

"I didn't have a chance to. Someone had to take pictures with the public after being grabbed." An edge crept into my voice as I gave Ryan a non-subtle look. Letting my frustrations leave me with a sigh I focused fully on Jules again. "I don't think they liked that I tried walking out wearing their stuff. I'd wait a few days before I go back in. So that means we have to hit up another store for your dress."

Julie:
I shrugged and ignored his jab at Ryan. It wasn't like he didn't deserve it. "Well good thing were in a mall," I said. I started walking further into the mall, determined not to let one little issue ruin the day. "That store probably wouldnt have had what I'm looking for anyway." I said.