3 p.m. It's time to load up the van with all of the food and drinks and head to the venue to set up and start cooking. Guests are supposed to start arriving at 5pm and will be expecting drinks upon arrival and hors d'oeuvres. The Jennings have rented out the outdoor grassy area on a bluff overlooking the ocean of Crystal Waters Country Club.
We pass the main entrance where there's a line of Mercedes, Porsches, and Teslas waiting to be valeted. We will not be getting our grey van with "M&M Gourmet Catering" emblazoned on the side in elegant cursive valet parked. We'll be going to the service entrance where other workers enter because god forbid we use the same doors as the guests.
"Mrs. Lee, great to see you again," the events manager says as we get out of the van.
"Gerard, I told you to please call me Molly," my mom laughs. "We've known each other for how long?"
"A long time," he chuckles. "What can I help you with?"
"We've got all the food here to unload and continue to prep. If you can direct us to where we should set up that'd be great."
"Of course, we've got a tent, tables, the grills, and outdoor refrigerator for you all set up in the event space out back. Come, I'll show you."
Mom and one of her other employees followed Gerard to check out the space. I was tasked with helping the others to unload the van.
After 10 minutes of unloading I'd worked up a sweat with all the heavy lifting and organizing. It doesn't help that our uniform is all black and the August sun is beating down on me.
"Hey hey, I'm here!" Anna says rushing around the van and tucking her black uniform shirt into her black pants.
"How convenient that you get here after we finish unloading." I roll my eyes at my best friend and co-worker.
"Oh damn, did I miss that?" She feigns disappointment.
Anna is one of my best friends. We go to school together and last year she got a job working part time for my mom. She had told me in art class that she was looking for something part time and was applying to be a waitress at a few different restaurants in town. I told her my mom was looking for more servers if she was interested and the rest is history. We've seen a lot together in the past year and a half. Weddings, bar mitzvahs, sweet 16s, and the sadder things like seeing people left at the altar or even funerals. She also knows this party is for the Jennings and that we'll see kids from school here. The difference between Anna and me is that she doesn't give a shit about them. Then again, she doesn't have the same history as I do with some of them.
"I'm going to tell my mom you were late and that she should dock your pay."
"Go ahead and I'll tell her what happened to that extra plate of cranberry brie bites at the Schafer wedding last weekend," she cocked an eyebrow at me.
"You ate half the plate so you'd just be telling on yourself," I laugh.
"She doesn't have to know that!"
I chuckle, "Let's go. My mom's checking out the food stations. The guys can push all the food out there." I look back and see the guys strapping all the boxes to the carts so they don't fall over between here and the food stations.
"Any sign of perfect miss Paris yet?"
"No, but the party doesn't start for another 2 hours. Even then she might show up late. You know the popular rich kids like to be 'fashionably late' and all that."
"Yeah, but it's her own parents' party. They'll probably make her be on time."
"Maybe," I shrug.
****
2 hours later, guests should be arriving any minute. The first trays of passed hors' d'oeuvres are all set to go. Swedish meatballs, salmon mousse tarts, chili lime shrimp cups, caprese salad skewers, and more. The grill has been fired up and all of the seafood has been prepped.
I've got my hands soaked in marinade when I hear her voice. "Oh this is fabulous, isn't this fabulous Lucas?"
"Yeah, it looks great." He sounded a little less enthused than she did, but wasn't being sarcastic.
I kept my head down and hands in an industrial sized steel bowl of raw shrimp and chili lime sauce. Out of the corner of my eye I saw them walking further away from me, heading towards a group of other kids from school. Paris' parents must have let her invite whoever she wanted to their anniversary party. That's nice of them, though I'm sure most of those kids belong to the country club already so it probably doesn't feel like a special invitation into the club.
An hour and then two pass without incident and I'm feeling relieved. If no one has made any snide remarks towards me so far then maybe I can get through this entire event without any incident. I'm living for Anna's color commentary throughout the night as we work. I'm at my station, prepping food for the cater waiters and helping my mom at the grill. Whenever Anna comes back for me to replenish her tray, she tells me some gossip she's overheard. No one says anything to her about being a waitress and recognizing her from school. Though if they did she'd probably curse them out.
"So I heard your friend Luke's stepdad is going away to Australia for months. Months! If I was his wife I'd be pissed. Leaving me here while he's off in Australia."
"Oh yeah I think my mom mentioned something about that to me. He's overseeing a hotel deal there and has to be local while it's being built. Luke's mom's not going since it's Luke's senior year here."
"You should go over and talk to him. That would piss Paris off so bad and I'd pay to see that," she laughs and we look over in the direction of Paris. She's wearing a floral lace mini dress with a swirl of colors that pops against her tan skin and blonde hair. My summer tan is from working outdoor events all summer while I'm sure hers is from lounging by the pool in Aruba or something. She's laughing dramatically, like how rich people on tv laugh, and has a hand on Luke's arm. He's got on a blue button down and khaki slacks. I bet he's sweating to death with long sleeves and long pants, but the country club has a dress code.
"He's not my friend. We haven't said more than 'hi' and 'bye' in years so you're going to have to pay someone else for that," I say as I finish filling her tray with clams casino and try not to glance back over at the dark haired, brown-eyed guy who is my former best friend.
Anna sighs, "Yeah but it'd be so much more satisfying if it were you."
After another hour, desserts are being prepared for the guests. I'm almost to the home stretch. An assortment of fruit pies are being finished up to set out on the long dessert table and the big show stopper is going to be a parade of baked alaska.
I'm cutting fruit to look like flowers for decorative purposes when I hear someone clear their throat across from me.
I look up, strawberry in one hand and a paring knife in the other.
"I thought that was you!" Paris claps her hands together. She's alone, but has 2 girlfriends standing a few feet behind her like entitled minions.
"Maisey, it's been ages! How are you?" She asks in the most fake, saccharine sweet voice ever. She acts like she hasn't seen me in years, but we go to the same school.
"I'm fine, Paris. How are you?" I say politely. One, because I don't want drama. And two, because I'm here representing my mom's business.
"I'm doing amazing. I just came back from vacation in Aruba,"
Called it.
"And my parents' anniversary party has been a hit. Senior year is about to start. Life truly couldn't be better." She really lived some charmed life. I was half expecting fireworks to start right then or gold flakes to fall from the sky around her.
"Wow it sounds like you've had a great summer," I smile and try to make it look as sincere as possible.
I don't say anything else and look back down towards the fruit, hoping she'll get the hint and leave me alone. But before she can turn to go, Luke walks over.
"Oh Lucas, look who's working here tonight! You remember Maisey?"
"Of course, hey Maisey. The food's tonight has been delicious."
"Thanks, I'll tell my mom you enjoyed it."
"So have you enjoyed being able to come to the country club?" Paris asks me like I should be grateful because working here tonight is a gift.
"I've been here before."
"Oh, worked a lot of parties here? The members here really do spare no expense when looking for vendors or hiring help."
I wanted to slap the smile off her face, but I counted to 10 inside my head and just smiled.
"Paris..." Luke gave her a look.
"What?" She feigned innocence. "I'm just saying Maisey must get a lot of work here with all the parties that get thrown. It's good business for her and her mom."
I was thinking of something snarky to say back to her when I heard Candace's voice. "Luke, honey, did you get enough food to eat?" His mother started walking towards him, disregarding his girlfriend. Paris plastered a big smile on her face, no doubt trying to act like the perfect girlfriend for her son.
"Yeah, mom, I ate."
"Mrs. Ellison, you look beautiful tonight!" Paris gushed.
"Oh thank you, dear," she smoothed out her floral floor length dress. Paris looked like she was waiting for a compliment from her boyfriend's mother that she so wanted to impress, but instead I caught Candace's eye.
"Maisey, darling! I didn't know you'd be working tonight," she walked the few steps over to me and leaned over the table to give me a hug and a kiss on the cheek.
"Hi Candace," I hugged her back, "Yeah, my mom said she needed me tonight so here I am."
"Well the food was fabulous. I've been waiting to talk to your mother but she's been so busy all night. I'm waiting around for her to have a free minute."
I laughed, "Well, dessert is coming out in a few minutes so she should have a few minutes after that."
Candace winked at me, "Thanks for the heads up. I'll see you soon, yeah? I never get to see you these days. Remember when the two of you used to be such good friends?" She looked from Luke to me and we both just gave little smiles. So uncomfortable.
"Come by some time. You don't have to hang out with Luke. Come see me and have a girls' evening with me and your mom."
I chuckled a little uncomfortably, trying to be polite, "Okay, I will one day."
She gave me a hug goodbye, "Alright you gorgeous girl, I'll see you soon."
Candace always said I was gorgeous and so beautiful, which was always a nice self-esteem booster. I never see anything especially beautiful about me in the mirror. Dark brown, almost black hair, plain jane face, petite. Nothing spectacular. I'm no fan of Paris Jennings, but her lean physique and statuesque height coupled with her silky blonde hair and flawless skin belonged on the cover of a magazine or something.
I glanced over at Paris because I could sense someone's eyes boring into my soul. She did not look happy with me. At all. I realized then she must be upset that Candace gave me so much attention. Attention that she wanted and felt she deserved as her son's girlfriend. I readied myself for some sort of attack from her. Verbal or physical, I had no idea which, but I could tell she was seething.
"So Maisey," she said my name aggressively like my name was highly offensive to her. "Do you specialize in asian foods? What are you again? I always forget, Chinese? Korean? Japanese? I can never remember which is which," she said with a little giggle.
"Paris, what the hell?" Luke asked, sounding embarrassed and offended that his girlfriend was being such a bitch.
Unwilling to give her the satisfaction of offending me, I answered quickly and confidently. "No, we don't specialize in asian cuisine, but we do cover food from all different countries and can cater to anyone's needs. I'm Chinese American, Paris, but I was born here and so were my parents. But you knew that. And you might have remembered which country was which if you had passed our World Cultures class freshman year. Was it too hard for you?" I stuck my lip out in a fake pout.
"Ugh," she flipped her perfect hair over her shoulder and walked away.
"I - uh - " Luke looked at me and then over his shoulder towards his girlfriend who was stomping away.
"Sorry about that. See ya around," he turned and left to find his lovely girlfriend.
"See ya," I said as he was already a few steps away.
"What was that all about?" Anna sidled up next to me.
"Oh just Paris being Paris. Mad that Luke's mom gave me a hug and talked to me more than her so she tried to get under my skin with some borderline racist bullshit, but I made her look stupid instead."
"Ooh one point Maisey," she pretended to mark a point on her imaginary scoreboard.
"It's not my fault if she's not the brightest bulb. She can take her annoying self somewhere else."
"Ooh salty! I love when fun Maisey comes out to play," she rubbed her hands together.
"Whatever. I just hope we don't have to deal with her too much this school year. If I never saw her face again it would be too soon."
"Well we go to the same high school so chances are you're going to run into her at some point." Anna wiped off her tray and waited for me to finish putting on little fruit tartlets.
"One can always dream, right?" I wiped my hands and sent her off to finish her dessert rounds.
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Thank you for reading! It' s a double update day! I am posting Ch. 3 momentarily!