Chapter Text
gloria is a lot of things; she's smart, she has an art degree. she's a single mother, she's sexy, she's extremely confident, she's an amazing driver, she's fluent in four languages, she's amazing at playing tennis. what she isn't though, is a person that lets herself be misused. her old office was a shitshow, her boss even a bigger asshole and she did not hesitate to quit when he pressured gloria too much into working overtime without pay and giving her other work to complete. so she packed up her small cubicle in a boss and didn't look back.
however, she didn't think of what would happen after impulsively quitting her job. she has some savings but without a steady income, she can't take care of her teenage daughter, who hates her already and is in her school football team. so gloria had about four hours and twenty-five minutes to come up with a plan. and she did.
she has an extra room in her house (with an attached bath!), that used to be her husband's office but now they've been divorced for three years and it's been picking up dust and is holding boxes filled with sasha's old clothes and books. so she rolls up the sleeves of her work blouse, puts her hair in a bun, and starts to clear the room. she picks up the boxes one by one and stacks them neatly in the attic, vacuums the room dust-free, puts the photography course she did in college to good use by taking a few good pictures, and finally, she posts them online.
she receives a few calls immediately, the pros of living in a good neighborhood in L.A but she has enough experience to know who to not give her home address too, as previously said; she's not dumb. she entertains a few people the same day before sasha comes home from practice, showing the room and naming the price and a few people tell her they'll reach back. gloria knew damn well they wouldn't, but she still said her goodbyes with a bright smile hoping they would change their minds.
she sighed deeply as she sat down on her couch for the first time properly that day, a wine glass in her hand and the top button of her blouse (that she was still wearing) unbuttoned. in a way she regretted quitting that haphazardly, her job was ass but at least she had a good biweekly check. and she was about to wallow in her self-pity before her doorbell rang.
gloria frowned, and looked at the clock on her wall; six forty-five. she was sure she had no one else coming in today. a part of her didn't want to get up, her feet were too tired and a headache beginning to form in her temples. but when the doorbell rang again, a feeling in her gut told her to go at least see.
and she was glad she did because when she opened the door, a malibu barbie was not someone she was expecting. the blonde in front of her was breathtaking, hair in a high ponytail and a pretty pink sundress, the sinking sun casting a perfect glow on her face that made her tan even more prominent and gloria was dumbfounded, words catching in her throat.
"hi, i heard about a room being put on rent around here. and I'm sorry i didn't call beforehand because it was such a rash decision and i know you're probably thinking how did this stranger find my house and trust me it wasn't like that, a friend who visited earlier told me and drove me and i completely understand if you don't want me in your house and i apologize once again-" the pretty blonde started but to be fair, gloria wasn't listening to a single thing she was saying because how the fuck could someone be god's favorite to this extent?
so gloria did what any reasonable person would do, she opened her door wider and stepped aside, waiting for the woman to step in, and step in she did, with a beautiful teeth-y smile that made the insides of gloria's stomach churn uncomfortably. and only because of this uncomfortable feeling did she realise how weird she was acting "im- im gloria, by the way! sorry I didn't say anything. i was just surprised to see you. let me show you the room" gloria said awkwardly and she grew conscious of herself, of her messy bun being held back with a claw clip and the wine glass still in her hand and the crinkled work blouse she was still wearing. she cringed involuntarily, downed the last sips of her wine, placing the glass on her kitchen island, and guided the woman upstairs.
"oh, no worries! im sorry to surprise you, i know it's pretty late. im barbie! im barbara actually, barbara handler but everyone calls me barbie" she replied from behind gloria and it took everything in her to not turn back and scoff at her gorgeous face of course stunning malibu barbie is actually a real-life barbie.
gloria took barbie to the room, it was right at the end of the hallway, giving the person using it a sense of privacy. and gloria didn't know why she felt a weight off her chest when barbie let out a small "oh wow" as she entered the room. she walked around the room, looking at the already-installed closet and then walking further inside. gloria took that time to run a hand through her hair, patting down her shirt to make herself more presentable and trying to calm down the beating of her heart. this is truly unacceptable she thought, losing her mind because a pretty girl stepped inside her house.
get a grip woman! a loud voice echoed in her mind and gloria felt a flush creep up her neck. this is embarrassing and this doesn't happen very often. this person can be a potential client and here gloria is, thinking about what shampoo she uses because her hair looks extremely soft, and if gloria aske-
a loud slam of the front door startles her, a hand reaching up to her chest and barbie looking at her with surprise as well. but before gloria has a chance to say anything, a loud "i'm home!" is heard. and barbie instantly smiles, as if understanding completely "how old is your daughter?"
gloria sighs apologetically, not wanting to disturb her time looking through the room. she walks out of the door after replying to the blonde "she's 14. please look around more if you feel like it."
when she reaches downstairs, sasha is already in the kitchen drinking a glass of water. gloria starts the conversation as always, but today somewhat hesitant, she doesn't want sasha to know about the job. sasha is an amazing kid but sometimes gloria feels as if she's disappointing her daughter over and over again "hi, honey. how was practice?"
the teen just shrugs, putting the glass in the sink before leaning back against it. she crosses her arms before replying "it was alright. what's for din-" and she stops, eyes now staring behind glorias shoulder and the latina turns around as well.
barbie doesn't seem to think anything is wrong, she passes sasha a charming smile that makes gloria's heart clench. but she knows her daughter, she knows the way she's raising her eyebrow isn't good, and she knows the way she's looking at barbie isn't good. she knows the way sasha tilted her head isn't good. so before sasha has the time to tear barbie apart, gloria steps in "sash! this is barbara. our new roommate." sasha doesn't have the time to pass a comment to her mother because barbie is already stepping in as well with a "hi! it's so nice to meet you."
gloria then realizes her mistake, face flushing. she already introduced barbie as their new roommate and sasha has no idea why they even needed a roommate. and when her eyes slowly glance towards barbie in a way to let her know she's sorry, barbie is already looking at her, a reassuring glint in her eyes and a small smile on her lips. and gloria can't help but return the smile, grateful and .. joyful.
sasha doesn't say anything, she gives barbie a small nod and walks upstairs to her room. and gloria lets out a breath she didn't know she was holding. "I'm sorry about her, you know how teenagers are. and I'm so sorry i didn't ask you before. if you dont like the room its totally fi-"
"gloria, hey. it's okay. i get it. kids are like that. and i love the room. i would like to stay. if you would let me" barbie states simply, as if that weird interaction with sasha didn't bother her at all. and gloria takes a moment to respond back because why was barbie looking at her like that. so gently and so understandingly? but they just met?
gloria nods, takes a deep breath, and reaches out her hand for barbie to shake. she nearly loses her mind because why the fuck is her hand so soft . "you have yourself a deal, barbie."
and barbie is shaking her hand excitedly, teeth all showing, and moving towards the front door afterward. "thank you so much, i'm an amazing roommate. trust me, you won't have any complaints."
and gloria's heart swells because barbie genuinely looks very happy, so she nods while she walks her out the door "i dont doubt that one bit, barbie. really"
barbie is all the way in front of the lawn before she stops and turns back towards gloria "what's your pet policy?" gloria is confused because she doesn't have one really, she isnt opposed to pets, she just never had the time to take care of one. and since barbie is asking, she must already have a pet so she takes the tactical route "nothing against them as long as they dont make too much mess."
barbie nods, giving gloria a two-finger salute "dont you worry about that, captain. because you know, lesbians and their small cats against the world" and then shes out of gloria's sight with a small wave.
what the fuck?