Page 192 of Devil's Bargain

I roll to one of the tables and wipe it down. “Yes, he’s cute.”

“So ask him out!”

As the diner’s regulars fly out of their seats, hands on their heads, I peek up at the TV. Cheers erupt. Nancy rolls her eyes, but mine are glued to Rick on the screen.

He pulls off his helmet and roars with excitement, his teammates pouncing on him.

I swallow thickly and look away. There’s a small orange stain on the table, which I rub vigorously with the damp cloth in my hand. It won’t budge. I’ve tried before.

“I can’t ask him out. He’s my physical therapist.”

“So?” she says as the bell sounds above the door. She winks. “What have you got to lose?”

George presses the bell. “For table three, April.”

I collect the tray, balancing it on my lap as I push the wheels. I keep in good spirits despite what happened. I am alive! Rick’s dad wasn’t so lucky. But sometimes, like right now, the sadness creeps in. “Mushroom soup.” I place the tray down on the table. “Can I get you anything else?”

The elderly man smiles and picks up his spoon. “This looks perfect, thank you.”

Jared was never found. Some days it makes my skin crawl when I think of him out there in the world, watching and waiting. Or grooming other girls for high-paying clients.

My mom’s body was found dumped in the woodlands a month after the crash. Her body was so decomposed that she had to be identified using dental records. The reason for her death is believed to be strangulation. Most likely by one of her drug dealers, but I know better.

“Excuse me,” the girl with the cupcake says, waving me over.

“Are you okay?”

“Thank you for this!”

“Anytime,” I smile softly. “I was once in your seat. See that girl over there?” I point to Nancy. “I was in the same chair you are now, feeling like my world was collapsing around me. She popped up like an angel with a cupcake.” I smile at her affectionately. “After the accident, I knew I had to come back here.”

“What happened?”

I look back at the heavy rain bouncing on the pavement slabs. I can still picture my old car parked across the road, the rusted, red paint and the rear wheel's missing hubcap. I slept in the backseat that night.

“Car accident,” I whisper before dragging my eyes away from the spot where I was parked. Everything seemed hopeless back then.

“My boyfriend of two years cheated on me.”

I cringe. “That sucks!”

“Tell me about it!”

“What are you going to do?”

She fidgets with the cupcake wrapper. I watch her tear it into strips. “I don’t know. How do you forgive someone for something like that?”

I stare at the TV again. “You don’t.”

Rick brings his arm back and throws.

“That’s the conclusion I’m coming to. I don’t think I can move past it.”

I tear my eyes away from the TV and swallow down the thick lump lodged in my throat. “Then it’s time to move on. Find your new happy.”

“My new happy,” she whispers as if trying it out on her tongue.

“It’ll take time, but you’ll find it!”

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