Hello Again, Mr Asshole

Chapter 5: Secret Revealed

As she entered the cafe, Katherine looked around to find that it was mostly empty. In fact, apart from a man who looked around 80, and a woman with her 2 children, she was the only one there.

There were a few waiters and cleaners sitting around the counter, some of them were reading the newspaper and a couple of them were playing cards with each other. The cafe was mostly empty, so this must be a way for them to keep occupied.

They didn't seem to notice her at first until she walked over to a table, pulled out a chair, and sat down. She looked around the place and realized that it still looked pretty new, like people barely came here.

Katherine was unsure about what her plan was, if she even had one. How was she supposed to find out what she wanted to find out?

When the employees of the place finally looked at her, their faces displayed a myriad of facial expressions. They seemed astonished at first, but they quickly composed themselves to look polite and professional. It wasn't hard for her to guess that they probably weren't used to many customers around here.

A man who looked about 50-ish came up to her and handed her a menu that looked brand-new, like it had barely come under any human contact.

Katherine ordered herself a cup of coffee. This was her third cup of the day but that didn't bother her because she was a caffeine-addict. Just three cups didn't bother her, she could consume many more cups in a day. She had read somewhere that it isn't healthy, but whatever.

The woman with her two children were sitting at the table right next to Katherine's. One of them said to her suddenly, "You have really pretty hair," with a big grin on her face, which exposed her braces.

Katherine had gotten that a lot before, her red hair always stood out of the crowd. She was glad that she had decided to dye her boring brown hair, she didn't think that she was going to dye it back, ever.

"Thank you," she replied with a smile. "You look really pretty with your pigtails, kid."

"I'm not a kid, I'm almost 10!" the girl said defensively.

"Livvy!" Her mother's tone had a tinge of warning in it. "Don't be rude."

"Has got a lot on her mind, doesn't she?" said a different voice.

Katherine looked up to see a woman, who looked like she was in her mid-forties. She had Katherine's ordered drink in her hand and was wearing the typical waitress uniform.

Katherine guessed that the woman was referring to the almost-10-year-old next to her. As Katherine looked at the woman, she felt that she looked a little familiar. But she couldn't quite put her finger on where she had seen her before....

"Oh, Amy, you know how she is. She always just spits out whatever is on her mind," said the mother.

"No worries, as she grows up, she will learn how to keep that trap shut. My little boy used to have a great problem with being polite to others too, but now he's such a gentleman," said the waitress as she placed the cup in her hand onto Katherine's table.

"Do you want anything else with your coffee, sweetheart?" she asked, with a smile that didn't quite reach her eyes. Her eyes, which were the same piercing blue as someone from her school. Someone she had just met. Someone called Dylan.

"No, it's fine. Thank you," replied Katherine, who was feeling a little confused.

As the lady, Amy, left, Katherine started thinking to herself. Is she related to Dylan? Maybe I'm just making a wrong inference. There are so many people with blue eyes like theirs in this town, surely she was just someone else who happened to have the same eye colour as Dylan's? But their facial features were too much the same, this can't just be just a coincidence. Can it?

All these thoughts were making Katherine feel even more confused. She quickly went through her not-many-options in her head and hurriedly finished her coffee. Buckling up her courage, she walked up to Amy.

"Do you want anything else, darling?" asked Amy as she saw Katherine walking towards her.

Ignoring her question, Katherine bluntly questioned, "Do you, by any chance, um, know Dylan? Dylan Archer? He goes to Hamilton High..."

Amy's eyes lit up as she heard his name. "Do I know him?" She started laughing like she had heard the world's funniest joke ever. "Honey, he's my son. I don't just know him, silly, I know every small detail about him," she said, kindly.

So Katherine was right. Well, to a certain extent, at least. She had guessed that this woman standing in front of her was related to that asshole somehow but she had never guess her to be his mom. That was just so... direct.

Something still wasn't right, though. All through middle school, everyone had thought that Dylan's mother was a successful businesswoman. And that Dylan was from a wealthy family. Then why is she here, working as a waitress in a cafe that's barely getting any customers? Was it all an elaborate lie webbed by him so that he could he worshipped for being rich?

Katherine knew Dylan wasn't a very great person, but to lie about his mom's job and family status just for popularity, seemed a little too much, even for him.

Barely escaping all these thoughts that had suddenly invaded her over-thinking mind, Katherine asked "So, you're Mrs Archer?"

Amy stiffened ever so slightly at that question, but recovered so quickly that Katherine thought maybe she had imagined it. "Yes, darl, but I don't go by that name anymore. I go by my maiden name now, Bloomwood, but feel free to call me Amy. Makes me feel younger than I should feel." She winked at Katherine.

"You go to Dylan's school, I presume?" Katherine gave a tiny nod as an answer. "Great to meet you, ah, I still haven't gotten your name yet, sugar."

"Katherine. Katherine Montgomery."

"Ah, that's a nice name, Katherine. It's a pleasure to meet you. Dylan doesn't, uh, bring people home anymore, so I don't get to meet his friends that much. It's nice to know someone from his school at least." She said with a smile.

Katherine didn't bother correcting Amy that she wasn't friends with Dylan, because she could see the tinge of sadness and hurt in her eyes as she mentioned how he didn't bring his friends over much.

Instead, she asked, "Why doesn't he bring over anyone?"

"Oh, I don't know, he must be ashamed of me, I guess." Amy didn't seem like she was going to say anything further. Her tone confirmed that she was done talking about this. Not wanting to be rude, Katherine told her that she had to go and that it was nice meeting her. She paid for her coffee and went out to her car, and drove back home.

And she thought about the precious piece of information she had just discovered against Dylan the whole way home.

A/N: Soooooo *drum roll* What do you think Katherine should do about what she found out? I hope you liked this chapter even though it wasn't very long or eventful :) Please press the vote button if you enjoyed this chapter (and would like to make me a very, very happy person *winkwink*) and do leave a comment about what you think on Dylan's "secret". See you next chapter! *waves*