I seem to be wrong about Seth. Maybe it wouldn’t hurt to have a friend to help pass the time.
After school, I rush back home to change for my interview. I have put in applications everywhere, but no one wants to hire a seventeen-year-old high school student. There is a little diner a few blocks from where my Aunt lives which is in walking distance. I’m hoping they will hire me so my aunt won’t worry about how she is going to get me to my job. Buying a car is not an option.
I don’t have any experience with waitressing or any kind of work for that matter so hopefully they will take pity on me and hire me.
The interview was easier than I thought it would be. Mrs. Carrey only asked me basic questions before hiring me on the spot.
“Now, I don’t normally hire high school students, but your Aunt recommended you and I trust her so don’t let us down.”
No pressure.
“I will do the best job I can. When would you like for me to start?”
“You can start right now,” she says, tossing me an apron.
Mrs. Carrey, who I learn is called Mamma C by her staff explains the basics to me as she shows me around. The diner is relatively small with lots of antique décor. The booths are red with wooden tables.
A couple sits down in one of the booths in the corner. Mrs. Carrey hands me an order pad and pen. “There is your first table. Always remember to be polite.”
Nerves flutter in my belly as I head over to my first customers. Putting on a smile, I greet them the way Mrs. Carrey taught me. “How are you guys doing tonight? My name is Cassie. What can I get for you?”
“Well hey there, friend!” Looking up, I find Seth and a beautiful blonde sitting across from him.
I return his smile. “Hi, Seth. What would you two like to drink?” Skipping the conversation, I get right to business, knowing Mrs. Carrey is watching. Waitresses can’t stand around and chit chat and forget about their other tables.
Once I have their drink order, I fill it and return to their table with their glasses. Thankfully, they order quickly as I notice more customers walking in and choose a table in my area.
My first night passes quickly and to my surprise goes rather smoothly. Mrs. Carrey complimented me, but she also gave me some tips for tomorrow afternoon.
I’m beat by the time I make it home. Hearing J’s voice on the phone made the walk home quicker. We continued to talk over the next hour before I had to hang up and complete my homework for the night. By the time I finished my assignments and showered, it was almost midnight. Crawling under the covers, I send a goodnight text to J and fall fast asleep.
My routine over the next several weeks involved only school and work. J and I started out talking every night as I walked home, but now it has turned into every other night or only three times a week. He seems distracted when we talk now and I am unsure of what to make of it.
Seth and I are quickly becoming friends. We don’t hang out after school, not only because of my job but also because I don’t feel it’s right. Seth visits the diner frequently, though, and we talk for a few minutes while I am on break. Seth is quite the charmer when it comes to girls. I’ve seen him flirt with many of my co-workers and customers.
“You’re horrible, you know that?” I tell him after the most recent girl leaves the bar.
“What?” Seth asks, his eyes leaving her backside. “Did you see how good her butt looks?”
I swat him with the rag I was using to wipe down the counter. “Now why would I be interested in how good her butt looks?”
Seth holds his hands up innocently. “Hey, you could be into girls and I not know about it.”
I give him a pointed look. “You know better than that.”
Laughing he replies, “I know, I know, Cassie, I am only teasing you. So when does lover boy fly in?”
I can’t help the Cheshire cat grin that appears on my face when I think of J. “Tomorrow.”
J’s first visit went by so fast. I swear I blinked once and it was time for him to go.
“Do I need to come give him the best friend scare?”
“I didn’t know we were best friends,” I fire back jokingly.
His hand comes up to his heart as if I wounded him. “Ouch, what a blow to the gut.”
Noticing that more customers have arrived, I leave Seth to go wait on them. Indy is beginning to feel like home again. Although it will always be my second home, I am starting to feel happy here like I was before my life was uprooted years ago.
After taking their order, I head to the back to turn it in when my foot catches an object, sending me flying forward. My arms shoot out, breaking my fall. Straws, pens, and order pad skid across the floor.
Seth comes rushing over to me. “Shit, Cassie, are you okay?”
Embarrassment washes over me. “I’m fine,” I tell him even though my arms are throbbing.
“You should really be more careful,” a wicked voice says.
Ignoring her, Seth helps me gather my stuff and helps me up. While Clara and her clique continue to poke fun at me, I hold my head up high and continue working.
When all of my customers are taken care of I head to the bathroom to hide for a moment. I don’t know what I have done to Clara to make her treat me this way. She could be doing it because I let her. Well, no more.
Mrs. Carrey is waiting for me outside the bathroom when I walk out.
“Seth told me what happened, Cassie. I sent them on their way and told them not to come back. Bullying is not tolerated in my diner.”
“Thank you,” I say appreciatively.
She hugs me and sends me on my way. Clara may think she runs the school but she isn’t going to run me.
Colt is hosting a bonfire party tonight in honor of his birthday. Bo and Jess dragged me here claiming I need to have some fun. With Cassie starting her new job, she will be working almost every day after school and since I am helping Dad after school and on the weekends, we’ve had here and there conversations that didn’t last longer than ten minutes. I knew her having to move up north would be a challenge for us but I didn’t know exactly how hard it would be until now.
“Hey, J,” a sultry southern voice says from behind me.
I sip on my beer and slowly turn, coming face to face with Heather. Heather was Ellen’s minion before she overdosed on drugs. “What do you want, Heather?”
She isn’t fazed by my lack of interest. Since Ellen is gone, Heather has taken over her role in the school. A role, not many girls would want. Popularity comes with a price. Ellen was a cheerleader and a class A bitch. Heather has stepped up and claimed the bitch title as if it rightfully belonged to her.
“I want you, plain and simple,” she blurts out as if she can snap her fingers and get what she wants.
“Hell no. I made the mistake of sleeping with Ellen and I’m not about to make the same mistake with you.”
Heather trails her finger over my chest and down my stomach. “Come one, J. You’re lonely. I can make you feel better in no time.”
My hand shoots out and grabs her hand, stopping her from going any further. “I could be shit-faced drunk and I still wouldn’t sleep with you. Cassie is the only girl for me and you don’t compare to her on any level. Lonely or not, I would never be that desperate to sleep with a slut like you.”
Heather rares back and slaps the shit out of me. The force of her palm connecting with me cheek whips my head to the side. I am relieved when I hear her stomp away. Good riddance.
Bo walks up and slaps me on my back. “Damn, brother, what a slap! But I heard every word and she deserved it.”
“Damn right she did,” I mutter, rubbing my stinging cheek. I bet a handprint will be left as hard as she slapped me.
I knew I should have stayed home tonight. Heather is going to have to stop coming on to me. The shit she is pulling is going to have to end….. now. I am going to have to tell Cassie she was right. It’s going to suck and it will probably hurt her, but she needs to hear it from me rather
than someone else.
“Give me your keys, Bo.”
“I’m sorry tonight didn’t turn out fun for you.” Just as I am about to thank him, my eyes catch sight of Colt and Jess across the field, embraced in each other’s arms, grinning like fools at each other.
Bo turns his head to see what I am looking at. “On second thought, I’ll go with you, brother,” Bo says, already heading for his truck.
Shaking my head, I follow him. Guess I will be the one to listen to Bo rant again about Colt and Jess.
It is almost as if my life has taken an abrupt turn into Dramaville. Leaving Bo at home to wallow in his mistakes, I drive to the spot Cassie and I share. Sure, it doesn’t seem the same without her here to make memories with me but I feel close to her. I park my truck in the exact same spot I always do and cut the engine, leaving the headlights shining. Walking over to the tree which holds one of my favorite memories from one of my favorite nights Cassie and I shared, I trace our initials she carved in the tree.
“I wish you were here, Cassie.” A slight breeze picks up, giving me a sign. She’s always with you.
As I lie in the bed of my truck, gazing up at the stars, I wonder if Cassie ever looks up at the night sky and thinks of me. Does she recall all of the same memories I do?
It’s almost one in the morning before I head back, deciding it was best. No one knows about our spot and I want to keep it that way.
The rumor around school is that Heather is pregnant. She isn’t denying it for one of two reasons. She either is having a baby or she is ignoring the rumors. I guess we will all be finding out here soon if she starts showing.
Colt is throwing a party tonight and I heard it has something to do with Jess. I about shit a brick when Bo told me he was going, which means I have to go now to make sure Bo doesn’t fuck up.
I am in the middle of having a conversation with Cassie when I hear a voice in the background I don’t like. “Who is that?”
“That’s Seth,” she explains, although I honestly don’t care who he is since he is hanging around my girl.
Cassie is working right now and if I was her boss, I wouldn’t like the fact that she is talking with a friend instead of doing her job. “Why are you talking to him? Shouldn’t you be working?”
“I’m on break, J and I am talking to you! What’s with the third degree?”
Jealousy. “Do you know him?”
“Yeah, we go to school together and we even have a couple of classes with each other.”
“I don’t want you talking to him, Cass. I don’t like him.”
I hear her scoff. “You don’t even know him!”
“If he’s hanging around you, I don’t like him. Cass, he’s only after one thing with you. You may not see it that way, but trust me, I’m a guy, I know how a guy’s mind works.”
She sighs, her silence speaking volumes. “J, I need to get back to work, okay? We’ll talk later.”
She hangs up, not even giving me a chance to say goodbye. Frustrated, I toss my phone across the room. It hits the wall then falls to the floor. I leave it there, not even caring if I have damaged it.
Bo sticks his head in my room. “You ready to go, brother?”
Jumping up, I make sure I have everything except my phone. “Yep, let’s go. I need a drink.”
Bo sensing my mood blocks my exit. “Wait a second, J. Tell me what happened with Cassie.”
“I don’t want to talk about it right now,” I growl, thinking about Cassie with some guy.
“Getting drunk is not the answer.” Who is he? Mother dearest?
“It is tonight, brother.” I go to walk around him and he denies my exit again. “Get out of the way, Bo, before I forcefully move you.”
Lifting his hands in surrender, he steps out of the way. “Fine, go try and drown your problems, J. When you wake up with a killer hangover and even more problems, don’t say I didn’t warn you.”
Ignoring him, I keep walking. My mind is already set and there is no turning back.
Colt’s party is raging when Bo and I pull up. Getting out quickly, I make a beeline for the cooler packed full of beer. I don’t know how in the hell Colt manages to get all this alcohol, but I’m not complaining, especially tonight.
Downing the first one, I automatically grab another. The hurt creeps in when images of Cassie and a guy together flood my mind. I keep drinking to make the images go away and before I know it, I have six empty beer cans at my feet.
Colt approaches the cooler, grabbing himself a beer. He pops the top and looks down at the empty cans on the ground at my feet. “Whoa, man. Don’t you think you should slow down a bit?”
“Nope, sure don’t.”
“I take it you’re having a bad night?”
I wonder what in the hell makes him think that? “Isn’t it obvious?” I fire back, not wanting to answer any more questions. My eyes scan the field, taking in the scenery. Couples dance around the fire, friends talking up a storm. Everyone seems to be having a good time except for me. Well, it looks as if Bo and Jess are having a bad night, too. Across the field, they are clearly arguing.
“I ain’t the only one here having a bad night,” I state, pointing across the field at Bo and Jess.
Colt lets out a string of curses and makes a beeline for them. While he goes and gets in between their argument, I find a spot to sit. Preferably away from people. There is a large barn off to my left that seems appealing. Bringing a handful of beers with me, I open the barn and look for someplace to get comfortable.
When I find it, I plop down on the hay and open another beer. Bo says that getting drunk won’t make my problems go away. Well, screw him because right now, thanks to Bud Light, I don’t have any problems.
After a while of sitting in the dark, relishing the quiet, I begin to realize I probably need to go back. So I leave the barn, stumbling my way back to the party.
“J!” a female voice hollers. Heather makes her way over to me with a smile. “Can we take a picture together?”
Why would I want to take a picture with her? I am just about to tell her no when I think of my argument with Cassie. “Sure.”
Heather steps closer to my side, wrapping her arm around me. I lift my arm, placing it around her. Heather surprises me by pressing her lips to my cheek. The flash blinds me before I can think more about it.
“Thanks!” she says cheerily and runs off.
I’m not drunk enough for happy people.
The longer I don’t hear from J, the more worry gnaws in my stomach. Seth knows we are nothing more than friends and he swears up and down that he has no intentions of being anything else. I’ve called Bo and Jess and no one has answered. I’m worried something has happened to J. Surely someone would have called me, though? J was going to Colt’s party tonight and while I know J wouldn’t hook up with any girl, I’m thinking of other scenarios such as a fight breaking out or him getting arrested for underage drinking. My mind is my worst enemy.
It’s well past two in the morning here and I can’t sleep because I am so worried about J.
When I finally get a call, it isn’t J, but his brother. “Everything okay, Cassie?” Bo asks in a worried tone.
“Is J okay? I have been trying to get a hold of him for hours and he isn’t picking up.”
Bo sighs heavily. “He’s fine. He’s sleeping.”
“And he didn’t think to call me?”
“Cassie, whatever y’all argued about, it upset him. Bad. He got shit faced drunk tonight and I had to—”
Bo stops mid-sentence and curses. “You had to what, Bo?”
“I was just saying I had to practically carry him to the truck and inside the house because he couldn’t walk.”
I feel as if he isn’t telling me everything. “Tell him to call me tomorrow, Bo. Can you do that for me?”
“Yeah, Darlin’. I’ll tell him.”
I get the sinking feeling in my gut that something happened tonight. If Bo isn’t telling me then he is covering
for his brother. I can only hope whatever it is, doesn’t break us.
Ice cold water pelts me in my face. Jerking upright, I wipe the water away from my eyes ready to yell at whoever poured it on me.
“Sober yet?” my brother asks, handing me a bottle of water. He knew my mouth would feel like cotton.
“What the hell did you do that for?”
He looks murderous. “Remember when I said that getting wasted only causes more problems?”
“Yeah, so what?” I can point out several instances where Bo drunk himself into oblivion so he has no right to lecture me.
“It took me forever to find you last night and when I finally did, guess who I found you with? Fucking Heather!”
No, I didn’t sleep with Heather. I wouldn’t have.
Reading my mind, he adds, “I don’t think you did, J, but you were missing your shirt and she was missing half her clothes. You were passed out. I don’t know what she is up to but I guarantee you that it will come back and bite you in the ass.”
Grabbing my phone off the nightstand, I plug it up when I see it’s dead. “Has Cassie called?”
His gaze shifts to the carpet and then he lifts gaze back up to me. Judging by his expression, I know she called. “Last night she called several times over the course of the night. I noticed she called me several times too. Cassie was worried about you, J. It was after two a.m. her time when I talked to her and promised her you would call this morning. I don’t know what you two argued about but you two need to make up.”
I chug some more water and then set it aside. Burying my face in my hands, I let out a painful sigh. Cassie is going to be disappointed in me, I think to myself. “I was talking to Cassie while she was at work and I heard a guy in the background so I asked her who he was and she told me that he goes to school with her. They even have a couple of classes together. I went off, Bo. Jealousy took over and I lost it.”
Thinking back, I probably overreacted. Cassie wouldn’t do that to me.
“J, you know as well as I do Cassie won’t leave your ass. Call her and apologize right now. I’m not saying you don’t have a right to be jealous but we all know she loves you. Cassie wouldn’t betray you that way.”
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