Secrets And Demons

Chapter 11

I walk out of the Diner so defeated. She gave me my wages and told me to take the night off.

Outside I check the envelope and see R500. So that with last night's tip is R800. Scratch the tip, I must buy groceries with that. So that's R500 towards the debt. I do some math in my head as I walk back to Jack's car.

If I earn from this job roughly R500 a week, I'll make R2,000 for the month. But that is only a tiny bit compared to what we owe. We need to pay R10,000 in bills by the end of next month. And that's just what is in arrears, Kathryn will cover the current costs, but I need to get the debt paid we decided.

I am shorting R6,000 if I do the diner shifts. Now where the hell am I going to get another job.

I plop myself into his car and he looks at me. "It didn't go well?" He asks tentatively.

"I'm fucked." I state as I run my hands through my hair. "We're utterly screwed." I close my eyes and try to calm my breathing.

"What's going on?" He asks me.

I bite my lip as I take deep breaths. I consider not telling him but I decide maybe he can help me somehow. "We're in debt... like... if I don't pull a white magical rabbit out of a nonexistent fucking hat... well.. we will all be homeless." I say exasperated.

He goes quiet.

"Maybe the creep was right..." I say as I look out the window. I shudder at the mere thought of what he has been saying.

"What creep?" Jack asks curiously.

"A guy that's been following me." He stiffens and sits up straighter.

"Mia. What does he look like?" He asks me with an edgy voice.

"Like a real creep Jack." I huff out, he is about to say something but I stop him. "I don't know, I avoided eye contact mostly.  You should ask Ryan-"

"Wait... Ryan saw this man?" I nod my head. "When did you see him first?"

"I saw him a few days ago, uhhh." I wrack my brain for the first time that I saw him and snap my fingers. "Aha, it was that night after you made me walk home." I say as I remember. He drops his head slightly. "But hey, I'm okay. He just keeps on asking me..." I sigh. "How much it would cost..." I expect him to laugh to say anything. But he stays silent.

"But anyway, he touched me last night. While you's were at the diner. And Ryan saw him." I run my hands through my hair.

"Last night?" He asks.

"Yes, right before I brought you the bill." He mutters something under his breath and he pulls out his phone.

"Is that why Ryan didn't want to leave?" He asks himself more than anything. "Where else?" He looks up at me waiting.

"Is everything okay? It feels like I'm getting the third degree here." I laugh but he doesn't return the laughter. I quickly kill the laughing and clear my throat. "Okayyy... oh he kinda like followed me last night, but I hid away, sometimes really pervy and creepy guys do think they have a shot, if you know what I mean."

He remains quiet. So I just carry on babbling. "Then this morning after I was at school, heyyy it was actually when you were there." His ears perk up, my nervousness shoots up a few levels. "He was really creepy and pervy and told me he'll be there for when I need the money." I laugh nervously but get no response. "Anyways, that's when I got into your car..."

"Okay... we need to do a serious recon. Look through these photos and tell me if you recognise him." He passes me his phone.

"Seriously?" I ask bluntly while taking the phone and swiping through some very interesting looking faces. "You're not gonna have a-" I stop dead in my tracks, I sit up straight and he, in turn, stiffens even more. "Why do you have a picture of the Creep??"