Perfect Timing

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         Sunday cleaning. The weather today was magnificent, the breeze coming through the windows make the house feel so fresh. The birds chirping happily this morning, now the owl hoots as it captures its prey, today couldn't get any better. Sunday cleaning was the most relaxing day of the week to me, getting rid of all the dirt that was incapable of being shown during the week, giving my self 24 hours to properly clean my house the way it should be cleaned. I finished about an hour ago though, I'm going through some of my photo albums; like I always do when I miss them. My parents died when I was 12, I lived with my grandma till I could take care of myself and earn a proper living, I always give back to her for taking me in when she surely didn't have too. My parents were going through marriage counseling before they died. My mother cheated on my father and I found out, and then I told him. It was the mailman.
            My dad honestly couldn't believe it, until he finally gained the courage to ask her himself. She never lied, not once, not at all, she told him everything, she didn't give an excuse to her infidelity, she broke it off and they immediately went to counseling, it helped for a while, they seemed happy again, no distance, no secrets, and most importantly no infidelities. But that didn't stop them from dying. My mind switches off the subject of my parent's death when my phone rang. I close the album and put it back on the shelf and walk into the kitchen finding my phone on the counter next to the toaster. I look down to see who the incoming call was coming from and feel tired already.
"Hey Cleo, can you come in for work tonight? One of the girls canceled and I need someone to cover her." He complains; this is the third girl this month to do this, and he always called me into work there shift. The guys who come to the club know me the best, I've worked there since I turned 21, they like to flirt and say I have a welcoming face. But most who come in that aren't already drunk know me well and think I'm a decent bartender. Most girls besides my only friend Kaylen dislike me.
"Uh, yeah 9 tonight?" I ask looking at my watch seeing it's only a quarter to 8.
"Yes, 9 tonight." He says tiredly, I can hear the time sheets being flipped back and forth as he checks my schedule.
"Alright see you in an hour," I say hanging up and tossing it lightly on my couch. I work at this exclusive club where rich people go, they can be quite assholes, the men there think they are amazing, strong, sexy, powerful money machines so they think they can boss us girls around, buy us a few drinks of our own and lay in bed with them for one godly night as they put it, it never fails at least three times during my shift am I offered the time of my life.
         But lucky for me I get in for free and I don't have to pay that horrible membership fee as do my friends, well only two but that enough for me. I walk into my room and go to get ready but run back out of my room and into the living room to grab my phone and call Kaylen, my only friend since I moved to New York.
"Hey Kaylen, do you want to meet me at the club tonight at nine?" I say walking into my bedroom to get ready, I have to wear my usual except a long sleeve because it's freezing in the club since people get hot easily due to all the dirty dancing they portray, I don't like it. Its the beginning of December but it doesn't feel like that outside, a slight chill in the air but nothing I can't handle. I do like Christmas, it's my favorite, it's coming up soon, I'm thrilled, to say the least, a little upset I can't fly out to go see my parents, I normally decorate their graves.
"Oh yeah totally sure I got no plans." She says, Kaylen has always been wild and fun, she has the biggest crush on my other friend Hunter, they have known each other for a very long time, I met him a few weeks after meeting her, she always finds a way to get him to be next to her always. They have this thing going on but they never do anything about it, strictly friends, but as you already know Kaylen wants more than that, but both parties must be willing, and well Hunter isn't.
"Alright see you then," I say and hang up. I throw my brown fake leather bag on my bed, I use it for everything I need to carry with me like most of the other girls in New York, but this bag is a crossover so no mugger tries and take my belongings because it has happened once, learned my lesson at that very moment. I head to the fridge, my beautiful baby, one of my favorite things in my place. I grab a sprite and go back in my room and open the bag of Doritos I had from last night in my room, I look around in my closet for black pants, and my combat boots.
           I put on black skinny jeans and throw on my blue work shirt but the long sleeve version of it, they give us two kinds, short sleeve, and long sleeve with my name tag on the left side of my boob. I drink my sprite and eat a few Doritos then get back to getting ready for work, I walk out of my room with my two bags of make-up and the brushes and I sit down at my kitchen table and do my makeup. I put on mascara and eyeliner, which took forever, then I put on some Chapstick. I grab my phone, wallet, keys, and purse, I lock my door and head down two flights of stairs and call out for one of the taxi's driving by, once I'm in the taxi, I give the man my address and head to work. As I pull up to the curb of the club I see a group of tall guys all dressed in black, very sexy, all mysterious, and bad, my interests have most definitely peaked.
        I pay the cab driver, grab my purse and step out of the car and shut the door and head into work. I walk in and see everyone mingling at tables, then I look over and see the group of guys huddled in the corner watching over everyone and talking upon themselves lightly with very serious face, they looked invincible, nothing could stop them from anything, a few of them were standing and they looked like walls, nothing to tear that down.
         I made eye contact with this one man in the group corner, he had his hair to the side it looked to be black, possibly dark brown, in a black suit, he looked, dangerous, the good kind, but is there really a good dangerous, I mean look at the word, but him, it suited him. He looked over at me and didn't blink once, his jaw tightened and I could sense he was wondering abou me as he watched me through all the people, but when I noticed I was staring for too long I looked away fixed my hair, meaning I put it my hair up into a high ponytail and headed behind the bar quickly noticing Liam handing out shots fast.
"Ah Cleo, come on, we are a little busy," Liam states dragging me behind the bar, I put my purse in a cubby in the closet and start working as quickly as I could, with a smile on my face.
"Hi what can I get you?" I say walking up to a group of girls standing close to the group of guys who were in the corner earlier, you could clearly tell the girls were trying to get those men attention, but it was failing miserably, one girl was talking very loudly so they could notice and two other girls were dancing on each other and looking at the guys.
"Um, we will have 10 shots of Rum." Says some blonde who is already tipsy. I nod and walk back to the bar and pour the shots carefully not wasting a drop for the counter to taste.
"Cleo!! My best friend at work, look at your booty!" Says Kaylen running up to the bar with Hunter, see it never fails, it's very comedic. They both love each other but Hunter won't admit it, because he wants them to stay friends, and doesn't want to ruin there already a perfect relationship. But she will always be all over him and never let him date anyone if he would even try to do that she would end up killing the girl and locking him up in her basement for eternity.
"Hey, I will be right back, got to take this to those girls," I say walking away and heading to the group of girls with the tray of shots in my hand, I look at the girls still trying to get the guys to notice them, I notice the guy is still looking at me but I distract myself by giving the shots to the girls. Once they take them all I put the tray under my arm and I walk away and hang out with Kaylen and Hunter whenever I'm free. It's a little past 12 and Kaylen is super drunk.
"Hey, could you take Kaylen home, she's wasted, I don't want her driving?" I asked Hunter as I wiped the counter of the bar with a wet rag. He looked over at Kaylen as she danced with strangers and was laughing incredibly hard.
"Um hold on I'll be right back." He said and walked over to that group of guys, he walked up to the guy I was looking at earlier and whispered something in his ear and all he did was a nod, then Hunter walked back over to me a little too quickly.
"Yeah sure, I'll take her home, come on Kaylen, I'm taking you home." He says grabbing her by the waist and grabbing her purse since she is just everywhere right now.
"I- I really like you. You make me happy." She says holding his face, Hunter looked into her eyes and you could see the love he has for her, he just won't admit it. He grabs her arms and puts them on his shoulder around his neck says.
"You make me happy too, now come on let's get you home." He walks away with her as she stumbles slightly tripping over her own two feet. As I went back to work, shots were fired, the pounding in my ears was not a concern at the moment. I look around and got pushed back falling behind the bar on my back, the pain radiates from my butt to my head. Everyone screamed and ran out the door once I got up, I knew I couldn't leave or whoever was shooting off rounds would notice me. I was stuck back here.
         I looked around but I couldn't see anything, I just continued to hear multiple gunshots and I ducked back down behind the bar, covering myself from any flying bullets. Then I heard other gunshots join in making the noise even more unbearable. Finally, after a few minutes they stopped, I peeked up and saw the group of guys and a guy by the door on the ground not moving.
"Boss, there's someone over there!" Someone yelled. They meant me. I felt someone grab me by the arm and yank me up on to my feet. I get out of his grip and punched him square in the face making him stumble back in shock not expecting a girl to hit like that. I couldn't let them win. I don't give up so easily, I'm a fighter. But at this moment, I had no hope, they had guns and muscles. I had one year in self-defense and that wasn't helping me at the moment. I cant feel myself panic noting more men were coming and at this moment; I gave up.

What's your favorite color?
Love, Haley