AFTER A GRUELING ORGANIC CHEMISTRY lesson, I made my way to Professor Chantrea's office. The building was a good distance away from the heart of campus, which I thought was a good thing. Of course, my legs didn't like all the walking it took to get there, especially when I'd have to be at Sweet Cube in less than an hour. That would mean walking back, and spending the next two hours on my feet.
If my legs didn't quit on me by the end of the day, I'd treat myself.
• • •
"YOU'RE LATE." I WAS MET with a glare and an apron being shoved in my face as soon as I got into the employee's only area. Even better, it was Nash's doing. I thought Irene was going to welcome me with a fake smile and tell me all the reasons why I wasn't a fit for the job-the major reason being that I was late on the first day-but she was nowhere in sight.
"Sorry," I mumbled, taking the apron from him. "It's a long walk from-"
"Let me through."
Oh? Well, ouch. "Um, okay. But, what am I supposed to-"
"Terrence is in there." He jabbed his thumb to the left. "He'll tell you what to do. Have fun."
The afternoon was already off to a terrible start. Adding the embarrassment I was feeling to the strain and fatigue in my leg muscles, I was pretty certain I wouldn't made it through till my shift was over.
The door to the left swung open and the man I'd met at the counter last week strolled out carrying a stack of plates. He stopped when he saw me. "Oh, hey. You get dish duty. All you gotta do is load the washers. And uh ... see if you can come around the kitchen."
I followed Terrence into another room-it had a corner set aside for dish washing, I assumed, since it was stacked with dishwashers of various sizes. They were three in number.
"Yeah, so, this is your work station for today. When you're done loading 'em, you can go out front. Dina had to leave early, so I'm filling for em in the meantime. My shift ends in thirty minutes, so be quick." He frowned at me, eyes trailing up and down my body. "If Irene gets here before you leave, you might want to see her about getting a staff t-shirt."
And with that, he was gone.
My apron-sporting self had never used a dishwasher before. I couldn't believe no one had bothered to ask if I knew how to work them. I mean, it couldn't be that hard, but why did no one care about experience? Irene hadn't even said anything about doing dishes. It felt like an insult of some sort, but at least I wasn't cleaning toilets.
I took to stacking the dishes (and cups) appropriately inside the dishwasher. All those white American movies I'd seen with Leah had to come in handy someday. I guess today was that day. When it came to switching it on, I pressed whatever button stood out the most to me and waited until I could hear the swishing of water, or anything resembling a whirring sound. I didn't know what I was doing, but I hadn't done any damage so far.
With a smile on my face, I wiped my hands on my apron and headed out of the room and to the front. Business was ... pretty much the same. When I would come around, there weren't usually a plethora of customers. I guess that explained why they seemed to have no more than three staff on duty at a time. One for manning the counter, one in the back-probably poking the dough-and the last working the dishwasher.
But Nash and Dina were both gone, and Terrence would leave any minute now. I hadn't seen anyone else in all the time I'd been here-which, to be fair, wasn't a long time.
"Lucky for you, it's the last week until break," Terrence said, slapping a napkin on the counter. "Customers are usually few in number at this point in the semester. That gives you a chance to get used to it before the troops start sweeping in. The week after the break is basically the same." He knitted his brows together. "You loaded the dishwasher? No trouble?"
I shrugged and shoved my hands into the pouch on my apron. "I've never used one before, but I think I did okay."
Terrence nodded and glanced down at his watch. "I've gotta get going now, but you should be fine. Everything's set inside, we've got clean plates in the other dryer ... I wish I could stay and show you the ropes, but I really have to go. Class is waiting."
"I understand."
He gave me this weird smile where his eyes were squinted. "You're a pre-med, right?"
"Yeah?"
"First year?"
"How do you know all that?"
He lifted a shoulder. "Word gets around."
My shift went on fairly smoothly for the most part. What I didn't know was how I was going to leave if there was no one for me to pick up where I left off. I'd just finished printing a receipt-yes, I knew how to work a cash register-for a customer who'd ordered a cinnamon latte when a short curvy woman with bronze skin and thick black locs hurried in.
"Oh my God, I'm so, so sorry." E tried to look behind me. "Did Terrence leave yet?" I nodded. "Odin?"
"Yeah, they're both gone." I handed the customer their receipt. "Are you Dina?"
"Yes, and I'm also very sorry." E rounded the counter and came to stand by my side. "You're the new ... person?" E'd already thrown on a staff t-shirt and eir hands were wet.
"Yeah. I'm Lenny."
"I know," she said, pushing me away from my position behind the counter using nothing but her hips. "You can leave if you want. I'll take it from here."
While the prospect of spending the next sixty to ninety minutes serving customers and exchanging words with Dina didn't sound bad, I couldn't stay. I had a lot of work to do, and I had to call home.
"Okay. I'll load the dishwasher."
I unloaded the only dishwasher I knew how to operate and reloaded it, setting the clean plates on the one to the right. I didn't know where they went, so that was my best option. I slipped out of my apron and hung it on the door handle, making sure to wash my hands before stepping out. The day had been stressful-mostly owing to my trek to and from Dr. Chantrea's office-and I deserved a treat. So I helped myself to a reasonable serving of honey biscuits and an iced green lemonade (solely because more customers had requested that than any other beverage), dropped a five dollar bill in the cash register, and waved goodbye to Dina.
Back in my shared dorm room, CJ and Piper were seated on either ends of CJ's bed, a stack and a deck of cards between them. Their eyes were narrowed in concentration and they were both so invested in their game that neither one noticed me come in.
Choosing to remain silent, I shrugged off my jacket and plopped my tote bag at the foot of my bed. I took a long sip from my iced lemonade as I lowered myself next to the bag. Piper pulled her bottom lip between her teeth and slammed a card down on the small stack that had been building up.
"Draw four, bitch."
CJ arched a brow and glanced down at the cards in her arsenal. "You sure about that, rat whisperer?"
Piper's face hardened. "Fuck you."
"You wish." CJ countered Piper with yet another draw four card, followed by another, and another, and-
"God, I give up." Piper chucked her cards at CJ. "I hate playing with you." She slumped back and crossed her arms. "You always cheat when you shuffle the cards."
"I do not," CJ argued, already gathering the scattered rectangles of paper. "Just admit you're a sore loser."
"I didn't lose," Piper sneered, and I feared that if I didn't get involved soon, one of them would draw blood. "You fucking cheated."
CJ gave her this blank stare she'd spent weeks staring in the mirror to perfect and patted the stack of cards in her hands to straighten them. "All right, rattenfänger."
"Stop calling me that!"
I chewed on a honey biscuit with my lips parted hoping the initial crunch would cause them to look my way. CJ swing her legs off the bed and set the deck of cards on our table. "Hi, Lenny," she greeted without looking at me, "how was work?"
"It was okay." I brought my lemonade to my lips.
"You have a job?" Piper perked up.
"I started at Sweet Cube today."
She sank back down. "Wow. Lucky. I can't even write a stupid article." And cue the ranting. "Like, iMeet Cute was an attempt to get a scandal worth writing about, yeah, but nothing's happened so far. I told Carter about it and he said he'd make a few modifications to it, but apparently the ideas I had made it sound like a knockoff version of Tumblr." She pouted and pulled a pillow to her chest. "I asked him to take it down and do whatever he wants with it. I ... I'll figure something out over the break. I wasn't even asked to write based on a scandal; I just wanted to. It's my thing, so I thought why not?"
CJ reached into my bag of biscuits. "All you were asked to do is write an article?"
Piper nodded.
"You're not above writing about celebrities, are you?"
"At this point, I'm not above writing about anything."
"Shouldn't be hard, then." CJ bit off a tiny piece, seemingly oblivious to the heat of my glare. "Celebs are always stirring up drama, so I beg you could find something worthwhile to talk about. And if the worst happens, make something up. It's what I'd do."
Piper looked to me. I shrugged. "She's right."
"Right. Awesome. So I'm expected to go online, read articles written by other journalists, then write my own based on theirs like that's not plagiarism?"
"When you put it that way-"
"My thoughts exactly." She sat up straighter. "I have to think about it, ask for an extension, anything."
CJ reached for another honey biscuit. "Good luck with that," she muttered. "Also, um, my cousin's in town later this week-I think he's coming in on Wednesday-and uh, since Easter holiday is soon, I thought I'd just hitch a ride home with him. Dad said it'd be a good idea so he wouldn't have to make the drive down here, and ..."
"So, you're leaving early."
"Yes." She sighed and threw herself into my lap like a ragdoll. "I didn't want to leave you, but ... you know."
I looked down at my tote bag, visualizing my cellphone through the material. "I do."
"Dial back on the sappiness, I'm trying to brainstorm."
Rolling my eyes, I reached for my bag. CJ could have as many biscuits as she wanted.
Nash: How was work?
Me: Terrence left almost as soon as you did. Dina showed up right when my shift ended.
Nash: ... No accidents? You didn't have to call the fire department?
Me: Oh, ha-ha. Yes, it went well. I just wish someone had left an instructional manual for the dishwashers.
Me: Your class over?
Nash: Yeah.
Nash: Wanna head into town tonight?
Me: I'm beat. Sorry.
Nash: I'll carry you if I have to.
Me: How enticing.
Nash: Come on, Lenny :)
A laugh escaped my lips. CJ glanced up at me, then at my phone-as much of the screen as she could comfortably see. "You better not say no."
Me: What's in it for me?
Nash: Did you not see the part where I said I'd carry you?
Me: That's not good enough. And no, I don't want anything to eat :) Do better.
Nash: Fine. Name your price.
"Lenny," Piper called. She had somehow transported herself to my bed and was seated on my right. "Is this the guy who drove us to karaoke?"
"Yep," CJ answered for me. "And here she is, playing games."
"I think she's flirting."
"I think not. Lenny can't flirt to save her life."
"Wow, guys. Is it talk about Lenny like she not there even if she is day?"
Nash: Earth to Lenny?
"Boy's down bad," commented CJ.
Me: Sorry, my friends were hounding me.
Me: I'm low-key exhausted rn, but I'll make sure to save my energy tomorrow?
Me: Are you working then?
Nash: Not sure, but we'll see.
"Wow, Lenny. This is a little embarrassing to watch," said Piper. "Do you ... Are you not attracted to him?"
I never would've thought Piper would be the one to ask me that. Honestly, I thought I would be the one to ask me that. Maybe CJ, or Leah, Mom, or even Nash himself, but Piper?
"I don't know," I answered truthfully.
Piper did not seem to understand me. "How can you not know?" She scoffed. "It's a yes or no question. You either like him, or you don't."
"Yeah, well, I don't know. He gets that it's complicated. He's not bothered, so why are you?"
"I'm not bothered," she said defensively, "I just don't think it's okay to lead a person on when you know this isn't going anywhere."
CJ let out a snort. "That's just about the most hypocritical thing you have ever said, Piper."
"Murphy, when I go out with people, I make sure to tell them what I want upfront, and if they're not okay with that, they have the opportunity to leave. Miss Harlow here is baiting this kind soul and has been for quite a while, and she doesn't even know if she's attracted to him! How can you not know?!"
If this were a face-to-face confrontation, Piper would likely have grabbed my shoulders and shaken some sense into me.
"Kind soul?" CJ laughed.
"I think Odin is a kind person, yes."
"Why are we having this conversation?" That was my curiosity making its way to the surface.
"The real question is; why didn't we have this conversation sooner?"
"Because nobody cares," exclaimed CJ, rolling off me in the process. "It's Lenny's business and Lenny's business only. You will not turn this situation into a story, Piper. You will butt out, stay in your lane, and allow Lenny to do whatever it is she wants to. This does not concern you. It does not concern any of us, and until Lenny specifically requests our help or advice, you and I are gonna stay out of it. Understood?"
Piper glanced down at her nails. "I understand that you're being a huge bitch because I called you out on your cheating."
It was time for me to get out of there.
"Can you two stop arguing? So what if CJ cheated? It's just a game. And honestly, I would like if you didn't, you know, ask too many questions about whatever this is." I slowly pushed off the bed, leaving the space between them vacant. As soon as I left, they would either tear out each other's hair or start making out. "I appreciate that you care, but I can't any answers until I've figured it out, and I can't figure it out under ... under pressure."
Piper nodded then shot CJ a dirty look. "I get that," she muttered. "I'll see you guys later." She grabbed her tiny handbag from the table and stalked to the door. "Good luck, Lenny."
I didn't think I'd need it.
The door slammed shut, signalling her departure, and CJ fell backwards onto my bed, her limbs splayed out. I caught the word bitch on her lips, but no sound followed. I didn't even know what I was doing anymore.
"I'm sorry," said CJ.
"It's okay."
"Sorry about your snack."
My eyes fell on the now empty bag of biscuits and its companion, the cup of iced lemonade. "It's okay," I told her, even though it wasn't.
Hey there, pretty people <333 I wanted to clear some stuff up but I realized there's nothing to clear up, which sucks. (Except that this chapter is unedited because I've chosen to edit at a later time, aka when imc is complete. It'll also get a new title because this one, although uncommon, is not very cash money.)
I also think this is the shortest chapter I've written in a while. (Pre-writing is the reason I no longer rant in my ANs, which is probably for the best.)
Until next week,
- anel con amor para ti <3
DUDE, I TITLED THIS WRONGLY. IT SAID CHAPTER SIXTEEN FOR LIKE A WEEK SMH