BULLIED ✓

05- Dark Side

     Tucker's was the burger shop I worked in on fridays only so I could have a little money at hand without asking my parents.

    Believe me, I felt like their cash was blood money. Well actually it is.

With my blood.

    I saw Tucker the owner of this mignifiqûe at a corner of the restaurant by the vending machine, looking like he was holding a staring contest with it.

  This man never seizes to amuse me, I mean just looking at him could send you reeling in laughter.

  I pushed my arms into the pocket of the hoodie and walked up to him.

    "Good evening Tucker" I said while skipping to his side.

" Girl, you sound cheerful. Gotten laid yet?" he responded with his western accent tearing his gaze away from the vending machine to me.

   My eyes just widened in shock. I wanted to reply but my words weren't coherent. so I shook my head in reply instead.

   "And here I was thinking about matching my stripped trousers with a green shirt and purple suspenders to make a grand entrance into the wedding to shout I have an objection pastor, this young lady is my wife"

" Oh no, you aren't wearing that to my wedding" I teased and we both burst out laughing, but I winced a little because of the pain in my ribs.

"you okay kid?" he asked narrowing his eyes at me as we made our way back to the counter.

"yeah yeah am fine" I brushed off the topic. I don't even wanna think about it.

"oh yeah, explain the bandage" he said that's when I realized I still had the bandage on.

shit I can't lie now

or can I?

   " I was running in the hallways and hit my head so hard I had a concussion" I said casually and even added a shrug.

Damn I'm a liar.

"oh and the hallway was on fire" he questioned again. What was with everyone and questioning me today?

"err.. no?"

"Good, then explain the burn on your neck also"

how the hell had he seen that.

"An accident" I replied looking down. I couldn't lie to him in the face.

At least not when I'm almost caught.

   He just sighed, leaned on the counter and said lowly to me "you know you can talk to me right?, you can tell me anything."

   I nodded at his statement but it's not like I'm gonna be doing that anytime soon.

  Yeah I knew I could talk to him, but i didn't just want to add you to my list of people who'll abandon me to suffer just to be on the safe side.

"Good, so what can I get ya?" he stood straight and put on his smile that had disappeared  during our little chitchat.

"A burger and banana milkshake will do please" I answered gleefully like a five year old.

"she's aiming for a belly just like mine" Tucker laughed while patting his protruding belly.

"I'm aiming for bigger" I winked at him and we both laughed once again with a little less enthusiasm on my side.

"oh my, seven hundred bottles of Tequila would do the trick in two days"

"Jesus!!!, a big belly not a big hole in the liver!!" I shouted at him in absolute shock.

  Is he trying to kill me?

" Order coming right up" he said in between laughing and going to the backroom.

I looked round the place and nothing had changed, nothing usually changes though.

   The order took a while so I began humming Beethoven's für d'elise to myself to while away my time.

  A few minutes later, he came back with my food.

"thank you" I said putting a little cash on the table.

"keep the change" he whispered and winked at me

With a bright smile, I collected my order.

"thanks a lot, I owe you one" i whispered then took my money back and waved him a goodbye before walking out of the restaurant.

The weather had chilled an awful lot so I hugged my body for warmth and started walking to the park.

But then a voice from behind stopped me dead in my tracks.

"someone skipped school today"