𝐁𝐋𝐀𝐂𝐊𝐌𝐀𝐈𝐋𝐄𝐃 • 𝐉𝐄𝐍𝐙𝐈𝐄

3.60

friday nights were the worst, for nadia. while everyone was out partying, going into town for dinner and having sleepovers, she had to work and she had to lie.

what a lot of people didn't know about nadia is that she wasn't rich like most of her friends. she didn't have parents that had good income– so to make up for that, she worked, at the only place she could– mcdonalds.

she knew it was the best pay she could get while keeping her job a secret. because none of her friends would be caught dead there– they were to classy for maccas– but even so, she always took the night shift to ensure no one would see her.

of course, her close friends, such as lauren, johnny and hayden knew about her money problem, and they knew she had a job; but they knew enough not to ask where, and she didn't tell. that was why she felt so close with all of them, johnny in particular. he leant her money if she really needed it, and wordlessly paid for her dinner if they went out. she always told him no, it's fine, but he insisted.

it was no wonder she fell in love with him.

sighing, nadia drummed her fingers on the counter of the restaurant and waited for a customer to come. the evenings were boring, and the time ticked by dreadfully slowly. she got increasingly jealous of normal teenagers every time she walked into work for a new shift. while they were having fun, she was watching the clock and almost begging for time to go by faster.

it sucked.

two figures were walking through the car park towards the entrance, and nadias heart skipped a beat, as it always did when people headed towards the doors. she never knew anyone, but she still freaked out every time.

this time though, she had a decent reason to freak out.

she disappeared behind the counter into the kitchen, rounding on her co-worker mark, talking immediately.

"mark, can you please, please take the next order? they're almost here and they'll be waiting soon."

mark looked annoyed, and he was about to deny her, she could tell– but when he looked up to see the look on her face, he changed his mind. "okay? but you're telling me why after."

"okay." nadia sighed, leaning against the door in relief.

he walked past her to get out, and nadia tiptoed forward a little bit behind one of the counters. she could see them– mackenzie and johnny– but they couldn't see her.

"hello, what would you like to order tonight?" mark greeted, all fake pleasantries and niceness. nadia almost snorted. mark was the opposite of charming.

she watched johnny look down to kenzie, and she looked up at him. he had an arm absently wrapped around her, nadia noticed with a pang in her chest.

she was wearing sweatpants and a shirt, with uggs and an oversized cardigan that looked like a fuzzy blanket. although she looked like she'd just gotten out of bed, and judging by how couple-ly they looked she probably had, she still looked like a runway model; eyes shining happily and cheeks flushed.

nadia was at first jealous, then just plain upset. seeing them both look so good, so in tune with eachothers thoughts, so happy, really hit home to nadia. happiness was always her goal in life. her religion optimism. she sometimes thought she lived in her head, in her daydreams and fantasies, that reality was too hard for her to comprehend.

in this instance, it definitely was.

nadia watched as they ordered– two big macs, two large fries, a strawberry milkshake and an oreo mcflurry– and then listened as they laughed loudly and joked around while waiting.

ten minutes later, they were finally gone. mark didn't ask why she didn't want to take their order. she supposed he figured it out.

nadia spent the rest of the night at the cash register blinking back tears and swallowing back the lump in her throat. in a small stroke of luck, no one else came into the shop– but she would have welcomed a distraction at that point.

she wished her parents had a better income. she wished she didn't have to work. she wished someone loved her and cared for her as much as johnny and mackenzie cared for eachother.

she only wanted to be loved.

she only wanted to be happy.

AUTHORS NOTE

honestly my favourite parts about about writing are
a) character backstories &
b) character development
this chapter i was thriving omg love life how did u all like it ?

eeek i have no more chapters prewritten and i'm working today uh oh