The Mask (Boys of Elmwood)

Chapter 36

Chapter 36

Aria

"Just promise me you won't go digging," Nessa said on the phone as I parked my car outside of the bar. "Please. Let's just leave it for now. I'll see you in the evening, whenever your work is done and then we'll talk about this."

The clock struck four when I hopped out.

"We can talk tonight," I reassured her on the phone as I headed to the bar entrance. "I won't dig into the matter anymore, alright? Chill."

"Fine, fine. Go work. See you later."

"You too."

I pulled my phone away from my ear and walked into the bar. My eyes scanned the room before landing on Lotte, who was serving drinks to a pair of old men at the bar. When she saw me, she waved at me and I went over to her and to wear my apron. There was a moment of brief silence as I slipped on my uniform while gawking at Lotte.

What a coincidence, or was it?

I tied my hair up in a ponytail and slipped my phone under the counter along with the small bag that I carried with me. Lotte was just finishing up with the men that were there at the bar. The moment she finished handing their drinks, she turned to me.

"You should probably check the stock since there is no one else here yet," Lotte said, handing me a set of keys and I nodded in response. "Check the one here first, and then go back and check the ones in the storage. Do you think you can do that alone?"

"I'm pretty sure." I smiled while taking the keys and the notepad.

I didn't waste time and headed straight toward the storage while Lotte attended to the customer who came through the door. This was going to take up some time. Good. More time meant less chance of me questioning Lotte on how she knew the exact man I was looking for, about whom I knew nothing about until this morning.

How does she know him? And how does he know her?

I stopped the line of thoughts from moving forward as they kept bringing me towards a certain end. There was nothing worth speculating at this point and I also couldn't just walk around, asking her who Draven was or what was going on.

After finishing up with inventory, I walked back and handed over the report to Lotte. The few customers that had come were gone now. It was pretty much empty.

"Oh, this was good. I didn't even notice the second rack needed refilling. You're quick, Aria." She patted me on the back with the smiley face still glued onto her lips.

"Oh, it was pretty easy," I narrowed my eyes at her as she reached down underneath the desk and picked up her phone. Just then, everything spiraled in my head. I licked my lips, pushing my hair back a little. "So, Lotte, I wanted to ask—" I cut myself, hesitating for a moment while her gaze was focused on her phone screen and fingers sliding swiftly against it.

I glanced to the side, thinking about whether I should just not mention Draven or not.

"Yeah?" She waited for me to finish.

"Last night got me thinking about that guy that you showed me a picture of and I asked one of my friends, who's doing their Masters at the E.U and they might know him," I slipped my elbow against the counter and my hand behind my neck. "What did you tell me his name was?"

She giggled a little, "Oh, I didn't tell you his name. But it's Draven."

My face lit up a little at the reply, and I lifted my brows. This was a very strange situation and I wasn't going to act like it was nothing. I took a second before I could gather up my words to respond.

"Draven," I echoed the word with my own voice. "That's exactly the name my friend knows. How surprising?" I trailed off while covering my own surprise.

"Oh, that's nice!" Lotte leaned over the table and slipped her phone back into her pocket while a man entered the bar, sitting in front of us. And just like that, this conversation was over.

And I was left even more puzzled than before. But there was one thing I had done—I had unmasked the biggest secret of Elmwood University, I found the identity behind the man who controlled the largest scandalous site in this town.

But why the fuck was he selling those pills to Lucien? The same pills that Lucien used to drug me and took advantage of me. And why was he fucking Lotte and me at the same time?

But more importantly—what the fuck was up with Dahlia? How was she at the same party as I was? How was she taking videos of me? Why did she take videos of me? Did she not learn anything the last time?

When it began getting dark outside, more and more customers arrived along with the manager Mr. Shepard, who asked me to see him once my shift was over, which was going to be in an hour. My phone was ringing with messages from Nessa, Mom, and Sabrina, but I ignored most of them if not all. My mind wasn't in a clear place yet. I was more distracted by my own thoughts.

Anxiety ate me up inside. All of this had gotten me very confused and uncertain and I hated the feeling. It had never happened to me before.

I never thought this would be the way I'd find Raven's identity. I was happy to finally know that, but now there was an entirely different issue—an issue of trust. Draven knew Lotte. They had to be on close terms for her to have a picture of him. Clearly. Especially with her rant last night. The next thing was the part I found the most unsettling—the pills.

What else was there? Was it even safe to dig deeper or should I stay away from it completely, forget that I found out about his name, and move on with my life? Maybe Nessa was right. I shouldn't get myself into trouble.

While it was all fun—the mystery, the thrill, the sex. I didn't need a disaster to happen. I didn't know who Draven was, or what he would do if he knew that I knew who he was. This wasn't smart to go about, at all.

Once the other girls arrived at the bar, I went back to the office to talk to Mr. Shepard who had been waiting for me. Lotte came along with me to collect her check from him and then she left. I, on the other hand, lingered around till Mr. Shepard asked me to take a seat.

"So, unfortunately, Aria, I've some bad news. I had promised earlier that I'd give you the job after a week of observing, but now I think that's not happening." Mr. Shepard frowned and told me.

"What, what's wrong?"

"Well," he fixed his tie. "While you've been working great, we simply don't have a requirement for another server. Both our main ones are returning tomorrow and you're not needed. I'm very sorry, Aria."

I stared at him, unsure what I was supposed to say at a time like this. "Oh, uh—that's, um," I bit my cheek. "I really liked it here, though."

"I liked having you here, too," He gave me a forced smile and pushed up his glasses. "Maybe in the future, there'll be room for you. Maybe. But not right now. Is there anything you'd like me to help you with?" He inquired, straightening in his seat.

"No, it's okay."

"I'm so sorry again, Aria. We'll compensate you, of course. Is that fine?"

"Yes, that's great, it's fine." I smiled and stood up. He stood up, too, and handed me the envelope containing the check.

It was a little odd since there was a clear opening of a permanent position in the bar. Before stepping out of the office, I glanced over my shoulder one more time, seeing Mr. Shepard smiling at me. Maybe there was some connection here.

Just maybe someone didn't want to be here, to be working with Lotte. And I easily guessed who it was.  

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