Page 23 of Forgive Me For I Have Sinned

"I'm on it," I respond.

"On everything apparently," he mutters.

I pause, blinking back the sting of tears, and turn to face him. "You know what, Adam."

"What?"

"Fuck you."

I push past him to wait on my next table and ignore him for the next three hours of my shift. It’s Tuesday night and even though this is a small restaurant, On The Edge Diner is open twenty-four-hours and is the hangout spot for both universities when you want something to eat and everything else is closed. That is what brings it success. College kids can hang out and get a bite to eat. It doesn't matter if you’re from Kenyan or Ohio State University. It is the middle ground year-round.

Dorothy was able to get the county to approve a license to sell beer and wine. Since the restaurant has a retro theme, no one questions the old cigarette machines hidden in the bathroom that sell Marlboro and Virginia Slims. There also is an old arcade game and foosball table in the back, so kids can go and play if they are bored.

It’s considered a twenty-four-hour hangout mostly for high school seniors and OSU students. Privileged kids from Kenyan have their own hangouts and parties. They don't need to hang out at a retro-themed diner when they have empty mansions to use because their parents are traveling on business or pleasure.

There is a self-serve soda fountain that has all the different flavors of coke that I love. The best part of working here is that no one really knows I work here from Kenyan and I get free food Monday thru Friday. Sometimes, I bring food to the staff my father hired, knowing they are tired of working at the house all day.

When a group of girls with three guys walk in, Dorothy seats them in the back booth in my section. I can tell they are high school kids hanging out way past their curfew or maybe their parents don't give a shit if they are out on a school night.

I check the cup with extra pens by the register, picking one that still has ink when I see Adam approach. "I'm sorry," he says.

"Save it."

"I was wrong. I was mad about what they said about you and I felt stupid for not knowing how to defend you."

"Defend me against what, Adam?"

"All of them because I know that what they said about you isn’t true. You're not like that and I get why you did what you did at the party, but you could have let me handle it, even though someone did."

I turn to face him now. "What do you mean someone did?"

"You don't know?" I shake my head raising my eyebrows. "Matt is out for the season–– probably can never play football again…at least not at OSU. They named me QB1 as an incoming freshman and I can't be happy about it when someone is laid up in a hospital bed with both hands broken and his face smashed in."

What the hell? I'm not a fan of Matt and I get that he's an asshole with little to no regard for women, but he's hurt and his future is ruined.

"Who did it?"

"No one knows. No one is talking."

"I'm sorry, Adam."

"Is it true that you attend Kenyan?" he asks, then shakes his head. "I don't care about the other stuff. It's all rumors anyway." He smiles. "I know you…and my sisters love you. Especially Melody."

I'm not going to lie to him or keep that part hidden from him or his sisters anymore. It feels good to have friends that think differently when it comes to me.

"It's true, I attend Kenyan. I'm a senior."

He places the plates inside the plastic tub from the bar counter. "So you're friends with the enemy."

"You're still my friend?" I ask hopefully.

He wipes his hands on the towel from his back pocket. "I never stopped. Yeah, I was mad and didn't answer your calls because I felt I wasn't good enough for you to tell me and when I find out who the asshole is behind all the rumors, you can count me in to kick their ass."

I think of Adam trying to kick Alaric's ass, knowing I would never let Adam near him. Adam is a good guy. He's the reason I know that good guys still exist. Any girl would be lucky to have him.

"That would be something, but I wouldn't want you to."

He slides a strand of hair away from my forehead. "I know." His gaze shifts past my head for a second. "I think you need to get to the last booth. They're giving us death glares."

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