FOOL'S GOLD, jess mariano [REWRITE]

5 - PARTY HARTLEY

"Oh." Was all Annie said.

"I'd pay you obviously. I just, I want to do this for our team." Annie wished she could say she was surprised but she was used to this.

"Right"

"So, you'll write my essay for me?" Jeanie asked with eagerness. It was the type of question that she had already decided the answer to.

Annie wanted to be able to say no. That she should do it herself. But if she said no then Jeanie wouldn't learn the routine and Annie needed her to. What was the harm in writing one essay? "I-sure."

Jeanie squealed. "Thank you so much. I owe you so much. I promise I will have this routine nailed."

Jeanie blew her a kiss and tried to catch up with the other girls. Annie blew a breath. She had no idea what she was doing. She picked up her bag and her stereo and left.

• • •

The benefit of working at Luke's was that there was so little time to think. Being a waitress meant constantly focusing on the next task. It was hard to be in your own head and Annie loved it. She didn't need Luke's praise to know she was doing well. The smiles and compliments from customers told her so. "I'll have the turkey burger but with swiss not jack and pickles instead of tomatoes and decaf coffee."

Annie scribbled the woman's order on her pad. She lifted her eyes when she was done and smiled. "Perfect, coming right up."

Annie walked from the table to behind the counter. She placed the check on the counter and shouted. "Caesar, I need a turkey burger with swiss and pickles."

Caesar gave Annie a thumbs up and a smile. Annie turned the coffee machine on and picked a mug from the shelf. "My stalker has returned."

Jess slid along the counter, a book in hand. Annie not thinking, because of the lunch rush, couldn't even remember to try and be nice. "I'm not stalking you."

"You show up here and the library, you've even walked into my room." He had a point. She genuinely hadn't gotten this job for him. She needed the job to add to her resume and to save money for college. Him being here was just an added bonus.

"If you have noticed, there is only one library in town and this was my diner before it was yours."

"Annie, can I get more sugar?" Annie looked past Jess's shoulder where Kirk sat at one of the counter stools. She moved around Jess's body.

"Kirk, you have five packets."

"Yes but I want more." Annie had already received the lecture from Luke when she started her shift about not giving out freebies especially to Kirk who was notorious for pocketing sugar packets to take home. Annie didn't want to argue.

"Don't tell Luke." Kirk grin as Annie finished sugar from her apron. When she turned back to Jess he'd taken liberty to nose at her stuff.

"What's this?" He asked, holding Jeanie's essay.

Annie snatched it from his hands and stuffed it under the counter. "Homework."

Jess eyed her. Her reaction wasn't excessive natural. He ignored it. "How's Woolf?"

"Who?"

"Virginia Woolf. A Room of One's Own." He said, referencing one of the books she had received from Phoebe the other day. She panicked. She didn't realise he noticed.

"Oh right. Um, I like it." She said almost like a question.

"Yeah?" Jess asked. Annie didn't know if that was a good yeah or a bad yeah.