CONFRONTATION
Opaque darkness filled every inch of the room I sat in and my eyes struggled to see through it. Lifting up my hands, I could feel my fingers moving, nails digging into the palm of my hands, but saw nothing despite being aware of my own presence. "Hello," I called out only to hear the distant dripping of water.
"Hello, is there anybody here?" I screamed again. "Somebody please turn the lights on."
Slowly, I got to my feet, arms reaching out in search of anything for me to get my bearings. A wall, a piece of furniture, a person. I tried to steady my breathing, but the more I focused on keeping my heartbeat as a steady pace, the faster it became. "Hello," I called out again, this time the heaviness of desperation terrified me. My voice shook and shivered laced with fear and exposed the tears which were about to fall from my eyes. "Hello, I need—"
"Ettie?"
I stopped.
"Ettie are you there?"
"Mom?"
My body swirled, ears tuning for any indication of where she was. Her voice sounded as if she were right next to me and five miles away at the same time. "Mom, where are you?"
"Ettie you have to keep your eyes closed."
"Mom, I can't see you," I called taking steps in any direction. Every direction to find her. I felt as my feet quickened. "Mom... Mom!
"Ettie, close your eyes!"
Her voice shook me to my very core and turned into thunderous applause. The bright lights ripped away every shred of darkness and suddenly the applause became less of a thunderstorm and more like putters of rain drops.
"That'll be all the debates for today," Professor Aude announced. "Thank you Jarad and Lisa, on Thursday we'll ear from Prathana and Harriet."
Shaking the darkness from my head. I shoved my notebook and pen into my backpack before slinging it over my shoulder and following the influx of other students out of class. "Please tell me that you're ready for Thursday," I turned at Ana's voice trailing behind me. "I'd hate to beat you so brutally because you were unprepared, besides laziness isn't a trait us Kappa sisters uphold."
"Are you saying..."
Taking the silver pin from her pocket, Ana handed it back to me. "Congratulations, Harriet Wright-Cooper, you're back in the race. Honestly, I didn't know you had it in you, but stone cold bitch does run in your veins."
Too busy admiring the cool silver in my hand, Ana's words didn't register in my head until she was already gone. "What?" I asked to nobody before checking the time. If I was going to make it to my next class I had to leave for the Maroon now, Frank might not be my boss anymore, but I had no doubt if I came late he'd find some excuse not to give me my last check.
The entire walk to Harvard Square I replayed the Ana's words. Again and again. "Honestly, I didn't know you had it in you, but stone cold bitch does run in your veins."
Just another subtle reminder about my mother.
I swallowed, stepping inside the oddly quiet bar. These were my favorite times to work, the only people who'd be coming in at this time would be anyone who didn't have a job, class, or the regular alcoholics in denial.
Swiping a few peanut from the bar, I playfully slapped my hand on the marble counter. "Hello bartender," I called out. "Get me a scotch on the rocks and make it a double."
I jumped when out from underneath someone unexpected popped their head up. "Emeka!"
"Harriet," he smiled. Emeka was the second bartender who usually worked when Soren had classes or didn't want to do a shift. Handsome and kind, had also had the smoothest chocolate skin I'd ever seen on a person and made me both envious and hot when I saw him. "I'm sorry about what happened."
I waved him off. "It's fine, I've sent out a few applications around, so hopefully with my shamefully vast experience in the waitressing and retail world someone will hire me."
"I know I would," he smiled and I swallowed thickly.
"So... where's Soren? He usually takes the morning shifts on Tuesdays."
"Called in and took the whole week off," Emeka said. "Sounds like a lot of work, but I figure I better cash in while I can."
"Harriet," Frank called sticking his head out of his office door. "What are you waiting for, the grass to grow? I don't have all day."
Pushing myself from the stool, I playfully soured my face at Emeka and followed Frank into his office, shutting the door behind me. "Well, are you going to sit down."
"I actually have class in a few minutes, so if you have the check I could just take it and go."
"Actually, I wanted to offer you your job back."
I watched Frank for any sign of mistruth, his shifty eyes flickered from me to the door behind so many time I had to check and see if there was somebody behind me silently threatening him. "Are you serious?"
"As a heart attack," he said. "You can start tomorrow, now get ou—"
"No," I cut him off, though once his eyes set on me I almost withered. This was exactly the moment I'd learned last semester in Negotiations 101. At the moment, I had the upper hand. For some reason, maybe it was the police, maybe it was the possibility of him getting sued, but Frank needed to get me back to work here and come hell or high water I was getting what I wanted. "I want pay raise... five dollars."
"One."
"Six."
"Two."
"Three-fifty."
He watched me for a moment. "Deal. Anything else."
"Yeah, I want the uniforms changed for all the waitresses. No more skimpy outfits and you have to hire a security guard. I need assurance that what happened last time won't happen again. Also no more tip pooling, you have three waitresses on staff that never show up to work and are still getting paid because me and Inez and pulling all the weight."
Frank sat there silently mulling over my short rant and I can tell he was waiting for me to back down, but this time that wasn't happening. "Anything else I can do for you your highness."
"No..." I said before adding. "Yes, I wanted all this done before the end of the week. Not sometime, or in the future, by the weeks end."
"Fine," he said turning back to his computer. "You start tomorrow."
"Do... Do we have a deal, or..."
"I said fine didn't I," he snapped. "Now get out of my office before I change my mind."
Trying to contain my glee, I nodded my head before scampering out of Frank's office. I felt a little lighter than before too enlightened by my jubilee, I ran straight into a solid back. "Jesus christ Frankenstein. Loiter much."
"Walk much," the British accent fired back. Alexander tied his apron around his waist as I rub my forehead where it impacted with what I had to say was some pretty solid bone. "What are you doing here anyway? Loved the place to much you couldn't resist."
"No," I snarked before gleaming at him. "Actually, I just got rehired. I also got to tack on a few perks for myself so if you see me on a high for the next couple hours that will be why."
Alexander smiled, raising his hand and I rolled my eyes and followed through with he high-five. "Congratulations, might I suggest we go out and celebrate tonight." My head spun slightly and the longer I stewed over and answer I more uncomfortable I saw I was making him. "I-I just figured since was haven't—You know... the meetings. I know—"
"I can't," I said before quickly adding. "Not because I don't want to... I just have this really big debate coming up I have to prepare for, but Thursday night?"
"Thursday night," he agreed. "It's a date. Or well, not a date-date, but a date as in Thursday is the date we'll be going out—hanging out?"
I laughed, "I'll see you Thursday."
Leaving the employee locker room, my attention turned to the clattering of plates and instinct took over as I caught the tumbling plastic bin of dish Inez was holding. "Oh God, I'm sorry. I'm so sorry, I don't know what's wrong with me today."
"It's fine," I said lifting the bin and carrying it over to the bar. Turning back to Inez I saw the girl looked a bit haphazard, her hair wasn't in it's usually well kept state and she had bags under her eyes. "Are you alright."
"Yeah," she said quickly. "Just you know... midterms. So, what are you doing here, picking up your last check."
I shook my head, grinning from ear to ear. "Frank just rehired me."
"What?" the surprise on her face almost wiped out the exhaustion she seemed to show off. "And you took it."
"Well, I figure I might as well, but with a few stipulations. So say goodbye to tip pooling and these skimpy outfits. Also I managed to talk him into getting a security guard finally."
Inez exhaled in feigned happiness. "I swear you were sent from God."
We laughed as I also filled her in on the fact that I was back to be a Kappa pledge. "Tatiana didn't tell you how or why you're back in the running?" she asked the same question I had been trying to avoid. I had no idea, but something told me that it might have something to do with my mother. Maybe Ana was afraid that not accepting me she would meet the same fate as my mother's chapter president. Keep your friends close and your enemies closer and all that jazz.
I shook my head and waved it off. "I'm just trying to have a good day and accept things as they come."
"That's definitely one way to look at it," she said. "I still haven't heard anything about the next round, so keep your eyes and ears peeled."
I nodded before remembering. "Hey, do you know where Soren is? I thought he usually worked on Tuesdays."
Inez froze suddenly, tongue swiping over her lips as her eyes shifted. "Erm... no, I don't know anything. We've been going through some stuff, but I'm sure he's fine. Trust me, that boy has more lives that my grandmother's eighteen cats combined."
Trying to push all thoughts out of my head, today was a good day and I didn't need to get myself into anything else. I bid Inez a goodbye promising I would see her tomorrow for my new shift and started home. All the while thinking about how well things were turning out for me.
When I reached back to my dorm room I called out. "Tatiana, you'll never guess what happened to me at work."
Pushing her bedroom door open, I saw she wasn't there. Usually she was always home at this time. Pouting, as I stepped back out, my eye caught the pamphlet laying on her bed. I told myself not to snoop, but I also knew that Tatiana surely would've done the same thing. So, with my mind already made up I crossed the room and opened the art canvas notebook.
Everything was paintings, all of them more beautiful than the next, but what caught my breath was how they were all similar. The man in them varying from portraits, to half and full body. Sometime he was with other people (most of the time with a woman that resembled me in hair and skin tone), but he all had the same blue eyes, same blond hair and familiar pink lips and smile. Elliot.
I exhaled, recalling all of our conversation and feeling as each one had just flew out my head. She was head over heels for him and it was only getting worse. Why doesn't she ever listen?
"My neck, my back lick my uh just like that."
Tatiana's pitchy voice swarmed into her room and fear ran cold through my body. Shutting the notepad, I tossed it back on her bed knowing she would be less the wiser and stepped out right as she was coming in. "Hey!"
"What are you doing in my room?" Tati questioned with an awkward smile, eyes looking over to her bed then back at me.
"Frank gave me my job back!" I exclaimed and quickly began filling in our verbal agreement. Though she questioned whether this was something I wanted to go down again, I was sure working during school was just what I needed to do. People who became dependent became complacent and that's not a trait I ever wanted attached to my name. "Well, I should get back. I'm debating Ana on Thursday."
Tati scoffed. "You better train like Rocky, I've heard Ana arguing and trust me she gets all of it from her father."
I smiled and started of back to my room when I recalled. "Hey, you don't happen to know what made her change her mind about me being a Kappa pledge, do you?"
Tatiana stopped, then shook her head. "Not a thing, why?"
I smiled even wider. "Just wondering.
She was lying.