Never Date a Co-worker - Francesca

I was working a throwaway job growing up...one of those jobs that has no real responsibility, and you're really just there for the employee discount. But, although it required very little mental acuity to work in a department store, we had a few days of training. It wasn't bad...they paid us to just sit around, and there was a cute guy in the training group. I managed to talk to him whenever we had breaks, and he was nice, tall, cute and my age (difficult to find in what turned to be a crazy retail store). After training, we were let loose to our departments. We worked in neighboring areas....me in Juniors, him in Young Mens. I thought on the first day I'd sneak over and say hi to him...but he was "shadowing" another person in the department, another guy our age. Now, Derrick may have been the same age as John and myself, but he wasn't someone I'd normally hang with. He was kinda nerdy not in a good way, not very attractive and short. But he wasn't that bad, so I would talk to him when I'd go over to talk to John, so he wouldn't feel ignored. Now, this was back in the day, when I was a really nice person, to the point of my detriment. I thought we were all just friends, so when Derrick asked if I wanted to catch a movie after an afternoon shift, I thought nothing of it. Now, the next part got a bit fuzzy...not due to alcohol, but just because I don't really understand how it happened.

I thought we were going to the movies as friends...but somehow after the movie, he informed everyone we were dating...and I didn't say anything to the contrary. That would be the tone of our short lived....relationship? Whatever it was...it probably shouldn't have happened. Derrick was the kind of guy who didn't have luck with girls, and, I may be presumptuous, I thought my rejecting him would make work awkward, especially since I was trying to flirt with John. So I went with it. I still feel bad, since I know Derrick really liked me. I guess I attracted the crazies with attachment issues when I was younger. I really knew that I wasn't that interested in him, but...again, too nice to break it off. Things got a bit dicey when he had a tearful revelation that he loved me...and started the wonderful pressure of "taking things to the next level." I knew I had to end it...he was getting the special touch of crazy that followed me throughout my teens, but he managed to give me a gift before I broke it off. Now, a lot of girls like jewelry. But I hate my birthstone...it's orange and ugly. And the store we worked at sold the very low quality jewelry. So, when I got birthstone earrings from Derrick that I knew for a fact were purchased at the store we worked at...I had to end it. I didn't know what to do with the earrings, so I held onto them for a couple weeks, then went to return them. Lucky for me, Derrick had transferred departments...to the returns department. Even better, I was with a new boyfriend, and he was working. I returned the earrings and took the store credit to buy a sexy new outfit for the new boyfriend...I think I just realized when I stopped being nice and started being bitchy. At least something was solved.