Page 3 of Searching for Nova

“Nova!” I hear the guy yell.

I ignore him and continue through the kitchen door, straight to the dish machine. As I’m unloading dishes, I see a tomato slice stuck to my t-shirt. It’s thin and slimy and the seeds are sticking to my shirt.

“Disgusting,” I mutter, peeling the tomato off me and tossing it in the trash.

“Nova!” Mara yells as she races to get more plates from under the warmer. “Some guy out there is asking for you.”

“Tell him to go to hell!” I yell back as I load dishes through the machine.

“You sure? He’s really hot.”

I look over and see her smiling at me. The guywaskind of hot, but I’m not looking for a date, and besides, he has a girlfriend—a mean bitch who yelled at him for helping me.

“You can have him,” I tell her.

“Tony probably wouldn’t go for that,” she says with a laugh as she races back to the dining room. Mara’s 21 and just moved in with Tony, her boyfriend. He’s a mechanic and comes here all the time for lunch, which is how he met Mara.

“Nova!” Lenny barks from behind me. “Get your ass in the dining room! It’s a fucking mess!”

I roll my eyes. “I’m going as fast as I can.”

He shoves an empty dish bin at me. “Take this and get out there! You can empty the other one later. Hurry up!”

“I should be getting paid extra for this,” I mutter as I walk off.

“What was that?” Lenny yells.

“Nothing!” I yell back.

I hate Lenny, but he gave me a job when no one else would. Ted’s actually the one who got me the job. He’s friends with Lenny. Last spring, they were playing poker and Ted made Lenny promise to give me a job if he won. A week later, I was cleaning up dirty dishes for $9 an hour. It’s more than Lenny wanted to pay, but it was part of the deal Ted made. The more I make, the more Ted gets, since he takes a cut of whatever I make. Most grandfathers want to spoil their grandkids with gifts or money, but mine makes me cook for him, clean up after him, and give him part of my paycheck.

“Hey!” I hear someone yell as I pile plates in the bin. I glance back and see that guy again, the one who helped me off the floor, coming toward me. What the hell does he want? Why won’t he leave me alone?

I turn away from him, toss the last remaining plates in the bin, and take off.

“Nova, wait!” He chases after me, grabbing my arm right as I’m about to go in the kitchen.

I whip around to face him. “Let go of me or I’ll get my manager out here.”

Lenny’s the manager, and the owner. He wouldn’t care if some guy is harassing me, but I’m hoping the idea that he might will be enough to make this guy leave me alone.

“I just want to talk to you,” the guy says, letting go of my arm.

“I don’t have time to talk. In case you haven’t noticed, we’re a little busy.” As I say it, I notice a group of vampires walking in—five tall, skinny guys who look they’re probably around 16. Why are these people still dressing up for Halloween? I haven’t done that since I was six, and even then, Ted said I was too old.

“Then I’ll come back tomorrow,” the guy says. “Will you be here?”

I look back at the guy. He looks kind of familiar, but I don’t remember seeing him before, not here at the diner. Maybe I’ve seen him somewhere else.

“Easton!” a girl yells.

He looks back at his scarlet-haired girlfriend. She’s standing at the door, along with the rest of his friends.

“You should go,” I tell him. “Your girlfriend’s getting impatient.”

“I’ll meet you outside!” he yells at the girl.

“I have to go.” I turn to leave, but hear him behind me.

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