Page 4 of Marked By Night

“Whatever,” he says exasperatedly. “Get yourself cleaned up and out on the floor.”

My lips purse and I nod, holding in my reply. My boss, Cruze, is a stocky guy in his early forties with short greying hair and a growing beer gut. He’s one of those people who thinks if you’re not fifteen minutes early, then you’re late. Which I’ve never understood. Instead of getting mad when someone shows up at the specified time, why not say you need them fifteen minutes early?

Heading for the back, I snatch my grubby black apron off the rack, cringing at the grease stains, and… is that mashed potatoes? I lift it to my nose, yanking it away in disgust at the stench. I’m not sure what it is, but it’s been there a while. I dip my hands into the cleaning bucket, wetting a washrag to wipe off the area. I scrub harshly, but it’s not coming out no matter how hard I try.

With a long sigh, I redo my ponytail, pushing my curly locks back into a somewhat presentable fashion. There’s nothing that can be done for the sweat and I can’t afford to stay back here any longer, so it will have to do for tonight.

The door chimes, signaling the arrival of my first table as I emerge from the storeroom. Talk about good timing.

“Welcome to Harborview!” I call out instinctively. Five years will give you instincts like that. Yep, I’ve been working here since before I graduated high school.

The giggling teens don’t respond as they grab the first open booth in the corner. I reach up and finger my necklace, letting the smooth metal ground me as I paste on my sweetest smile and approach their table.

“Hey, there. My name is Sadie and I’ll be taking care of you tonight. Can I start you off with something to drink?”

The teens ignore my greeting once again, opting to stare into one another’s eyes in favor of talking to me. I clear my throat twice before they finally look over at me and their eyes widen. Yeah, I’m your server, and this is a restaurant. Eating is the whole point of being here. But I keep those thoughts to myself as I gather what they want.

When I return to the front from inputting their order into our computer system, I can’t help side-eyeing the younger boy. One glance and I can tell he’s a total hothead and if I had to guess, likely shit in bed too. He’s wearing a high school letterman jacket with a football on one sleeve and his last name on the other.

Ah, so this must be the star quarterback I’ve heard the old crones gossiping about. Supposedly, he’s going to the big leagues.

The lanky girl with him is cute with her wide doe eyes and curly brunette locks, but she doesn’t seem like his type. Too innocent. She’s nervously chewing on her bottom lip while he talks to her.

The front door chimes at the same time Cruze taps the bell signaling their food is ready. The patron darts into a booth before I can get a good look at them.

“Welcome to Harborview. I’ll be right with you!” I say, then head to the pickup window to grab the food before it gets cold.

When I approach the young couple, the girl is on the outside facing away from me, but the boy is on the inside staring at me. She startles when I set the plates down and jumps away from him like, well a teenager caught in the act.

Narrowing my eyes, I catch the young guy pulling his hand out of the bottom of her skirt. Nice.

“Uh, can I get you both anything else right now?”

The jock smirks, running his tongue over his bottom lip while he looks me up and down. “Yeah, you can go back to the kitchen and put yourself on a platter. I’ll eat you for dessert.”

My mouth pops open in shock before I quickly hide my reaction with a cough. Well, isn’t this guy a real winner? You can tell he’s one of those that hasn’t got a clue what the real world is about. I can’t wait for the day he’s thrown to the sharks.

And this poor girl. I was always taught to watch how a man treats his server because that’s how he’ll treat you. Obviously, she didn’t get the same memo. Such a shame. He reaches over his date and swats my ass, or at least, he tries. I snatch his wrist before he can make contact and grit my teeth.

“Really? This is how you want this to go down?”

“Ouch, what the hell?” he demands, wincing when I apply pressure. Then he starts digging his hole deeper. “You’re such a hot piece of ass, that’s why you’re here, isn’t it? To be ogled by men while we eat. What’s so wrong with one little touch?”

Outrage flutters through me, making my anger spike. Customer service be damned, this kid needs a reality check and she needs to ditch him. “Take this for what you will, but here’s a piece of advice,” I say, addressing the girl. “Find someone better than him. Men like this are trash, trust me.” I can definitely attest to the douchebags, having broken up with my ex about six months prior.

She sniffles, looking up at me with wide, teary eyes then nods and scurries out of the restaurant. I feel bad, but there’s nothing I can do for her. Sometimes you have to learn the hard way.

“Wait!” The jock cries after her. For a moment I think, aww, he’s going to chase after her, then he speaks, “I thought you were paying!”

You’ve got to be kidding me. The fucking audacity.

“If you don’t have money, then get the hell out,” I tell him coldly.

He looks me up and down, sizing me up. He must decide it’s not worth it because he darts for the door, calling out over his shoulder, “You’ll be hearing from my dad!” Like that’s supposed to mean something to me. News flash; it doesn’t.

There’s not a single person in this town that I’m afraid of.

Not anymore anyway. I’m still searching for the one person I’m wary of.

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