Page 23 of Damnation
“Don’t worry about it,” Tiffany says sweetly. “I’ve got you. You know it’s no problem.”
But itisa problem for me. It’s terribly humiliating for me.
“But if you’re not feeling it, that’s okay,” Leila puts in. “We can go to the movies, go bowling, or take a nice walk by the river.”
Tiffany nods along, but James interrupts us to ask for the check before I can answer her. I dash to the cash register to ring him up, and we exchange a few more words about the current score in the game.
“You know, I’m lucky enough to have a job that lets me travel a lot,” he tells me, rummaging in his coat pocket. “But I have to tell you that the best chicken wings I’ve ever had are right here.”
I smile at him, pleased that he likes them; then I print the bill and hand it to him. “That’ll be fifteen seventy-five.”
James takes his wallet out of his pocket, and as he does so, his sleeve rides up, and I can see the tattoo on his wrist, a tiny letterE. After giving him his change, I see that he’s left a hundred-dollar bill in the tip jar.
“James, wait! You forgot this.” I try to hand it to him, sure that it was a mistake, but he won’t take the bill.
“That’s for you; it’s your tip.”
I nearly stroke out. “B-but…it’s a hundred dollars,” I whisper incredulously.
He smiles at me as he adjusts the collar of his elegant knee-length coat and does up the buttons.
“You’re a good kid, Vanessa. Keep it. I know you’ll make good use of it. See you tomorrow, same time, same place.” He gives me a wink and then walks away. I just stand there, open-mouthed with thehundred-dollar bill in my hand, staring at the Marsy’s door as it closes behind him.
“Nessy, what happened?” Tiffany asks when I come back over to them.
“A customer just tipped me a hundred dollars,” I hiss, still in shock.
“Who?” She turns her head suddenly. “The man who just left?”
I nod, slowly refolding the bill and tucking it into the waistband of my skirt with the rest of my tips.
“And people say servers are underpaid.” She smirks. “Now you have no more excuses: We have to celebrate!” She wriggles on her stool, excited.
“Definitely,” I tell her with a smile.
“What club were you talking about, Leila?” Tiffany asks her.
“It’s called ClubSeven,” Leila explains.
“TheClubSeven?” Tiff exclaims, her face disapproving.
“What is it?” I ask.
“A nightclub full of maniacs. The people who go there are rotten to the core, and you can’t trust any of them. It’s not safe to go there alone. Plus you have to be twenty-one to get in, and none of us are.”
“You’re not wrong about that, but I know the bouncer, so our ages won’t be a problem. And we wouldn’t be alone,” Leila retorts, trying to suppress a grin. “My brother’s there.”
My breath catches. Thomas is there?
“Oh…” I manage, not sure how I feel about this.
“So…should we go?” Leila asks again.
Tiffany looks my way, letting me decide.
I just shrug, because I don’t want to seem likethat girl. The one who gets all clingy and depressed when she’s away from her boyfriend, or stalks him to make sure he isn’t doing anything he shouldn’t. I can’t deny, however, that I do have an intense desire to see Thomas, and knowing that he’s out at a nightclub doesn’t make me feel very relaxed. And there is definitely a part of me that would like to keep an eye on him…
Okay, so maybe I amthat girlafter all. Damn it.
