Ace Merrill

Shot For The Lady

Lili woke up the next day with an urge to write down her dream. She always wrote down dreams when they felt significant, luckily she had her type writer here and she got up from her bed and let her thoughts lead the way. Writing was always something she was told would be a hobby but she always felt like it was more than that. Ever since she was young she had been writing stories, poetry and sometimes even songs. She'd play them to her mom on her guitar when she was younger.

This dream she had tonight was set in an apartment complex and she was at a party with all these people but only 1 person felt like home to her. She sat on the roof with him they had a life together- but then thats when she woke up and couldn't write anymore.

As she wrote down her dream, she heard a knock at the door. She didn't find it appropriate for her to answer in shorts and a crop top so she flung an old silk dressing gown on and made her way downstairs. She opened the door to an old memory she didn't want to remember, in fact she'd erased him completely from her memory. See there were 2 gangs in Castle Rock at the time she was around last and judging by his group at the end of her garden, they were still a thing.

"Hey there princess." He says sending shivers down Lili's spine, "You thought you'd be able to cone back and I wouldn't know? Let me tell you something.." he advances closer into her house as she backs up.

"You're mine. Remember. And you'll be punished for leaving town." He says as his voice gets serious and his eyes become more motionless.

"Please don't, my mom- She's sick." Is all Lili gets out before he says:

"Don't ..Care.." as he pushes her to the ground and one of his buddies make his way to close the front door.

"Get off me!" She shouts while struggling to get her wrists out of his tight grip, that would leave bruises.

"You don't tell me what to do Princess." He smashed her hands onto the floor in response to being told what to do.

"You listen to me. You ever leave this town again I'll find you." He slaps her and then makes his way to the door, "Oh and baby, if you're going to answer the door to someone, wear something less revealing. Don't wanna be a slut do we?"

He leaves and slams the door.

She flinches at the simple sound. When she knows he's gone she cradles herself and leans into the wall. Tears slipping from her eyes and stinging the red mark on her face. When she wiped her tears she remembered how her mom had always taught her to be strong. So she got up and changed. But as she got dressed all she could think about was what that man had done to her in the past. Luckily, she thought, that wouldn't happen again..hopefully.

Lillian kept her short hair down and let her brown curls bounce below her ears. She kept it short after him, she knew if she ever got back into that loop again then at least the hair pulling wouldn't hurt as much with really short hair.

The phone rings and Lili makes her way to it, picks it up and its the hospital telling her to get down there urgently.

And so she did, turns out her mom had a seizure that morning and nearly died. Lili growingly became more worried, not only for her mom but for if he came back. There was too much on her plate for him to be back. Lili sat in the hospital waiting room to wait for her mom. Eventually, she was allowed in her mom's room. It was 8:47am on a Friday and work started at 9:30 but she'd make time for her mom.

She ended up getting a job in irby's as a bartender and cleaner (fast way to make money is getting two jobs, even better if they're in the same place). Time rolled on and she had to make her way home to get changed for a 13 hour shift at irby's .. she was dreading it because if memory served her correctly: She knew a certain someone who hung out in irby's.

—9:27–

"On time. Good start, Lillian today you'll start by cleaning the place up then later you'll be working on the bar with Chambers." The manager instructed.

"Chambers? Chris or Eyeball?" She questioned hoping it was Chris.

"C'mon Lillian I know it's been a while but you really think Eyeball's got a job yet?" The manager let out a sort of chuckle.

"...right." She also lets out an awkward laugh, "what time will I be on the bar?"

"You'll be on at 15:00-22:00, if you need anything I'll be in my office."

Lillian goes to the back and gets a black waiter apron with the irby's logo on and grabs a few cleaning supplies. What the hell was she meant to do when she'd finished cleaning? Surely cleaning the pool hall and the bar area wouldn't take 8 hours to clean. What they didn't tell you is the endless amounts of harassment you're going to receive in the shift. Constant cat calling and sometimes but not often a drunk guy would take it a step too far getting touchy.

It was now 15:00 which meant bar work with Chris. She saw the same long haired boy walk in the back and grab a waiter apron and wrap it around his waist. She wondered if that really was Chris, could it be? Her questions were answered when he got behind the bar with her and tied his hair back half up half down.

"Holy shit Chambers? You grew a whole mane while I was gone," Lili laughed.

"Lili! Gordie told me you were back," he chatted between getting orders and making them, "How are you? Gordie said about your mom, I'm sorry."

"Oh don't worry about apologising it's nobody's fault, I'm okay at the minute nothin's up with me!" She says pouring a sex on the beach for the woman ahead of her.

Then a certain boy with a scar on his eye and brown curls marched up to the bar grabbing Lili's attention, Eyeball Chambers.

"Lillian Phoenix? Oh, Merrill is gonna love this." He laughed, "What are you doing back?"

"What's it to you?" She says sharply, "What can I get you Eyeball, still like bud?"

"No need to be rude and yeah, 7 bud and a shot for the lady," he says to Lili and points at her like she was going ti do a shot on her first shift.

"Sorry, don't drink in the job." She placed 6 bud and grabbed another to put them together, "cash?"

Lili got the money off Eyeball and continued on working with the occasional look from Ace who was daring to go up to her. He never did until the end of her shift but until then they exchanged some looks which suggested they both wanted to talk to each other.

Chris was watching Lillian as if she'd killed a man at the thought of her and Ace. It wasn't that he was jealous in fact he was in a happy relationship. But to Chris, Ace was the biggest of dickheads, the shit Ace put Chris and Gordie through was unforgivable to him.

"You shouldn't." He says as he dries a cup.

"Shouldn't what?" Lili replies.

"Get back with him," he says and looks over at Ace.

"What? We were never together.." she acts a bit shocked but she knew she was thinking about going over and talking to him.

"Look you know what he was like, and you've met Ace..What if he's the same?"

"Ace is a better man than he is. Don't even make that comparison," Lili got serious and turned and faced Chris, "If you'll excuse me for a minute."

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✏️1360 Words