One (19 page)

"No, I'm just
walking my gir-" he stops to look at me. "Jules. I'm just
walking
Jules
to work."
Was he going to say what I
think
he was going to
say?
Pax has a little smirk on his face, and I wonder if he did
it on purpose.

"Oh," Anna's
face is expressionless as she looks at me. "I see."

I'm afraid she
does
see. I don't know what she thinks.
It shouldn't matter because it
has nothing to do with my work here,
I tell myself. "I
should probably get dressed," I say to them. "My shift
starts in two minutes."

"Yes, you do
that," Anna replies.

"I'll pick you up
at 8pm on the dot," Pax tells me.

"Kay. Bye."

He takes a step forward
like he's going to kiss me. Something inside me warns against this
idea so I hurry ahead, waving at him. I don't turn back to see what
he's doing. I keep my eyes forward as I push through the double
employee doors, and head toward the stairs to the locker room. My
tennis shoes are swift and silent, and suddenly I'm reminded of
Courtney and Stella. I wonder if I'm going to accidently hear
something I shouldn't again. Without pause, I enter the employee
room. It's oddly quiet so I know no one is around. I head into the
changing room and swiftly take off my clothes. I hate the way the
uniform blouse feels on me. I'm too afraid to make sudden movements
in case one of the "durable" buttons decides to come off. I
walk to the back and pull one of the drawers open. There's nothing
there. There's been nothing there for at least two weeks already. I'm
starting to suspect Anna's not restocking it on purpose. She doesn't
want me to find a bigger size top. Irritation flares up, but I
suppress it. To be fair, Anna warned me about this already. She'd
warned me things were done her way or else. I shouldn't be surprised,
right?

Taking a quick look in
the mirror, I decided I'm presentable and ready for another rapid
fast shift. The evening shifts are always the busiest. I rarely
notice when time passes until Anna or Alex starts shooing me out.

My cheeks have filled
out a bit now that I'm making enough money to actually buy food. I
look less scrawny, and the bones protruding out of my face and neck
are less pronounced. A smile dances on my lips.

Even though I don't
need Alex anymore, it's tradition for me to always start out my shift
with him. I found out he's constantly working because he has a sick
mom at home and a little sister in fifth grade to take care of. He
takes a few classes at the local community college and works here the
rest of the time. Anna seems to like him, which doesn't earn him any
special privileges, but does get him extra shifts.

"Hey Alex."

"Hey, little
girl." I hate that he calls me that even though I'm the smallest
person in the building. "Ready for another night of hard work?"

"Aren't I always?"
I respond as I come to stand by him. He's counting out bills to
restock the register. "You've been here long?" I ask.

"Only since seven
am." It's four o'clock now.

I whistle. "Ten
hours? And you're going to be here until eight?"

"Sounds like it."

"Why were you here
so early?"

He closes the register.
"Extra training."

I nod. My first thought
about him was right. Anna is grooming him to be a manager. I smile.
Good. He deserves it. "What tables do I have tonight?"

"Alaina has tables
one through five and eight. You have six, seven, nine, ten and
eleven. Courtney has twelve through fifteen and Mai has sixteen
through twenty. We're a little short today so we'll all need to work
together."

My stomach drops a
little when I hear him say Alaina's name. She doesn't work many hours
and I only ever see her during weekend shifts, but she mostly works
days while I work nights. Anna assumed correctly I didn't have an
active nightlife. Immediately, my eyes find Alaina. She's one of the
tallest women in the room, but even if she wasn't, her fiery red hair
is eye catching no matter where she is. She has the soft features of
doll- emerald eyes, creamy ivory skin, and a cupid shaped mouth that
seems to be perpetually pink. She's got the legs of a supermodel, and
when she stands, they seem endless. I'd disappear next to her. I
do
disappear next to her.

I note that our
sections are next to each other, which has never happened before. A
small part of me hopes there won't be trouble. She can't hate someone
she barely knows, right?

Another part of me
knows I'm a round little birdie, and green-eyed serpents like her eat
little birdies like me for fun.

"Remember to put a
smile on that stoic face once in a while," Alex says. "You
get better tips that way."

"I thought tips
are supposed to be all about good service, and not just looks."

"Not at Maddie’s."
He glances at me. "You know that."

I mutter something
under my breath and head to my tables. Customers are already seated
there so I ask how the food is and offer several people a refill.
Since working here I've become better at smiling when I don't feel
like it, but Alaina's presence is like the arctic north. I feel her
sharp gaze like a knife, and it's all I can do not to flinch.

Half an hour into my
shift, Alaina passes by me and I feel something hard push my body
down to the table beside me. I trip, gasping as I grab at the nearest
thing to me- a head and a pair of shoulders.

"I'm sorry,"
Alaina says sweetly, her eyes wide with concern. "Are you all
okay?" Her sugary tone combined with her exquisite looks causes
the people at the table to smile back at her, seeming to forget to
that
I
was the one that got knocked down. Alaina doesn't spare
me a glance before she walks away again.
Did she do it on purpose?

After that incident,
I'm warier around Alaina. I can't believe I'm even doubting whether
it was an accident or not, but my instincts are telling me it had
been planned. I know myself and I'm
not
clumsy enough to trip
on my own two feet.

The night shift is so
busy that eventually I
do
forget about Alaina. She seems to
have forgotten about me too because there are no more incidents. When
eight pm hits, Anna starts gathering a few workers including myself,
and tells us to leave. We're holding another corporate after party
and their staff is already here ready to turn the restaurant into a
tropical paradise. As a group, we head upstairs. Alex tells me he's
staying behind to talk to Anna.

"Okay," I
say. I grab his elbow before he can go. "Hey, we're going to
Xpress nightclub tonight for their annual foam party. You should
come," I urge. "A friend of mine can get us in for free."

Alex looks skeptical.
"A foam party?"

I shrug. "It's
supposed to be fun. Come with? There's someone I'd like you to meet."

He looks unsure, but my
continued emphasis on the word
free
finally convinces him. "I
guess," he relents. "It's free so what the hell."

"Do you need to go
home to get ready?" Alex told me once he only lives four blocks
from here so he's able to walk to work.

"Nah. I always
carry my hair gel with me. I never know when I might need it."

Of course. How could
I possibly think any different?
"Great," I laugh. "I
like a guy who's always prepared."

"Especially one
who looks damn good doing it."

I punch him lightly on
the shoulder. My arm is almost vertical to do it but my fist reaches
him. "See you in ten?"

"Yep. I'll wait by
the door for you."

Turning around, I head
to the changing room. I brought a spare change of clothes that
includes a denim skirt and a form fitting tank top. Nat approves of
my casual attire because she tells me we're going to get wet. What
she doesn't know is I don't have anything fancier so even if we
weren't
getting wet, I'd still be wearing this outfit.

I hear the clicking of
high heels on a hard floor. Suddenly they stop. "Ugh, what
is
that foul odor? It smells like burnt meat."

I pause in the act of
taking off my clothes when I hear Alaina's voice behind me.

"Judy, I think
it's coming from you," she tells me in that artificially syrupy
voice I'm starting to hate.

I grit my teeth in
irritation.
Jules. My name is Jules!
I turn around in black
pants and a bra. Courtney comes closer, sniffing near me like she's a
dog. She's holding a can of Pepsi.

"It's definitely
you, girl." She wrinkles her nose. "Ever hear of perfume?"

I narrow my eyes. This
close I'm drenched in the scent of their perfumes. I almost sneeze
but stop myself in time. "I don't like perfume," I lie. "I
take a shower when I get home."

Alaina makes a face,
and her little button nose scrunches up. "Ew," she
shudders. She takes a sip of her iced coffee.

What is her problem?
"Look, I'm going to be late so if you have something you want to
say, spit it out."

Her eyes narrow until
they become slits on her face. "You have a date?" she asks
in an icy tone.

"Yes," I
shoot back. "I do. And he's waiting for me downstairs so if
we're done, I'm leaving."

"Where are you
going?"

Why does she care?
"Xpress," I snap. "Anything else you want to know?
Like my birth date or when I lost my first tooth?" She glares at
me. I hold her stare.

"You think you can
just come in here and act like you own everything. You're nothing.
Nothing
," she spats. "Just a pathetic charity case
Anna took in."

"So what are you
then? The resident slut? Every place needs one," I finish
coolly.

Her eyes widen. I don't
think she thought I'd play just as dirty as her. I've learned you got
to blend in to survive, but you shouldn't lay down and get walked on
either.

"What did you
say?"

"You heard me,"
I reply, not caring I'm outnumbered two to one. Courtney's so skinny
that one shove from me would probably knock her down. She looks
between Alaina and me, an uneasy expression on her face.

"Bitch,"
Alaina hisses. Her eyes are angry slits and she steps forward. I
don't have a chance to react before something cold hits me. I gasp as
she throws her cup of iced coffee over my body. Some of it gets on my
face, but most of it is on my chest, stomach and work pants. I don't
wait to see what she'll do next. I react, some primal instinct taking
over. I bend down and swing my leg forward, knocking her off balance.
She screeches and grabs at the nearest thing- Courtney. As I guessed
would happen, Courtney falls at the slightest physical pressure and
her can of Pepsi crashes to the floor, spilling on both of them.

I straighten, coolly
studying Alaina and Courtney, noting that the drink got on their
hair. I feel a slight satisfaction knowing it will make their hair
sticky for the rest of the night. I grab my clothes and start to walk
away, my heart pounding. My insides feel tight even as I put distance
between us.

Something tells me
Alaina's going to make me pay for what just happened.

"You okay?"
Pax's concerned voice is nothing like Alaina's insincere tone. The
contrast is a relief and I let out a shaky breath. I can still feel
the icy cool coffee on my skin. I'd changed quickly in the miniature
kitchen and used the sink to wash off any residue of coffee. I still
can't believe I kicked Alaina. Anna would fire me for sure if she
knew. My behavior was unacceptable.

"Yeah. Work was
busy."

He nods
sympathetically. "Yeah, I remember how crazy it gets. My parents
used to always say Cade and I had limitless energy, but one shift at
Maddie's was usually enough to knock us out," he laughs. He puts
his hand over mine, and the warmth I find from him is like cool
liquid on a hot day.
Don't think about Alaina anymore,
I tell
myself.
Don't let her ruin your night.
Pax leans over to give
me a quick kiss and I sigh into his mouth, loving the feel of his
lips.

There's silence from
the back, and it makes me uncomfortable. Alex isn't speaking and
Nat's said less than three words. There's something wrong; I know it.
I felt it the second I introduced them. Nat gave me a strange look
and Alex looked irritated. They both seemed upset with me as if
I'd
done something wrong.

Nat's dressed in a
super short skirt and a tight form fitting tube top. I walked behind
her when we got into Pax's car just to make she didn't flash
anything. I doubt she would've cared, but it's important to me that
Alex thinks she's a lady even if she doesn't always act like it
sometimes.

Alex cleaned up very
well for someone who's been working twelve plus hours. His hair has
so much product I doubt a tornado would be able to move it. His skin
looks smooth and baby soft and he smells like mint and something
fruity.

Thinking about how he
smells makes me worry about how
I
smell. Even though it hurts
to admit it, Alaina and Courtney were right. I
do
smell like
burnt meat. Usually I take a shower after work, but I didn't have
time today. I don't own perfume because I think a shower is just as
good, and really, who has fifty dollars to blow on three ounces of
scented liquid? It's never bothered me before, but tonight I feel
self-conscious. If it was Alaina's mission to make that happened,
she's succeeded.

I look out the window,
my hand tightening on Pax's. He feels my darkening mood, but doesn't
say anything.

"So how's Bella
doing?" Pax asks Alex. They're both acquaintances since Cade's
always bringing Pax in.

"She's good.
Started fifth grade this year. She tried to get me to buy her
lipstick last week." Alex makes a disgusted sound.