New Girl In Town

Chapter 21

"See you later, Hog Eye," I said to the bartender as I hung up my waitress apron and put on my jacket.

"Have a nice night, California," he responded with a smile as he waved goodbye. I turned to see my boyfriend, who was patiently waiting for me to finish my shift, get up and walk over to me. It was almost 11:00, and things had finally calmed down at the Whyte Wyrm; even though Toni was supposed to be cut first, she let me leave since I was going out with Sweet Pea.

"Ready to go?" Sweet Pea asked once he reached me.

"Yeah, I just have to clock out real quick," I replied, turning and heading towards the kitchen. When I pushed through the swing doors, I almost ran into Toni, and she squealed as the door hit her.

"Sorry!" I exclaimed with a giggle, and she just laughed along with me.

"It's alright, I'm used to it at this point," she reassured me. Because Toni and I were both so short, neither one of us could see through the window at the top of the door, so we've had our fair share of accidents and run-ins.

"How late do you think you'll be here?" I asked as I took my time card from its slot and started filling it out.

"Not too much longer, things are slowing down pretty quickly," she replied as she leaned against the wall next to me before asking, "so, what are you and Sweet Pea doing tonight?"

"I'm not really sure," I answered, placing my filled out time card back in its place. "He hasn't really told me exactly what we're doing, but I think we might be going to Pop's".

"Well, have fun... and be safe," she joked in a suggestive manner, winking at me as she did so. I just rolled my eyes and smacked her arm playfully, but couldn't hide the blush that was growing on my cheeks.

"Whatever," I laughed, "I'll see you tomorrow". I left Toni in the kitchen and returned to Sweet Pea who was leaning against the pool table, scrolling through his phone. I snuck up beside him and snaked my arm through his, pulling him up from his seated position.

"Okay, now I ready," I said. We waved goodbye to those who were there and began to make our way out of the Serpent filled bar. Sweet Pea unhooked his arm from mine and gently placed his hand on the small of my back, leading me out of the building. When we got outside, I did a quick scan of the small parking lot, but I didn't recognize any of the motorcycles.

"Where's your bike?" I questioned as I turned and looked up at Sweet Pea.

"I didn't bring it. I thought that maybe we could walk tonight, that way we can talk," he replied, "Is that okay?"

"Yeah, that's totally fine," I replied with a smile. It was a very sweet gesture, and I wasn't used to seeing this side of him. As attractive as his tough, bad boy persona was, I had to admit, I wouldn't mind seeing these cute, romantic expressions more often.

"What do you want to talk about?" I asked, curious about what was on his mind.

"I don't know," he sighed, scrunching his face as he thought, "Nothing in particular, but everything at the same time? I guess that doesn't make any sense". He looked down and scratched the back of his neck; and action that I had learned he only did when he was slightly embarrassed. I giggled at this; I could tell he wasn't used to expressing these cushy feelings. He always put on such a hard front, something he had learned to do from joining the Serpents. They couldn't show any feelings of weakness; if they did, it was easier for rival gangs to take them down.

I just took his hand and started walking to which he immediately relaxed and strolled alongside me. When we walked, we talked about everything from our suspension and the grafitti to what our plans were once summer came along. I told him that I was planning on getting another job so that I could save more for college. Even though it was still a few years away, most the money I earned from working at the Whyte Wyrm went to paying bills and buying necessities, so it'd be nice to have a little extra cash.