Chapter 18: How to get out of Hula Dancing
My day couldn't get any worse.
"Seriously I have to perform that stupid dance today?" I asked with an incredulous look on my face. Sophie just nodded at me, her lips forming into a straight line. I huffed, scrunching my eyebrows and crossing my hands on my chest.
Every week we have a little show where some of the waitresses have to perform Hawaiian dances in coconut bras and a hula skirt. I was able to skip that for the last few weeks but today our boss Santiago decided to come out of his cigarette smoke infested room and take a look around the diner.
"How come you don't have to perform these dances?" I asked Sophie dubiously when I came to the sudden conclusion. Sophie has been working at this diner for a year and she hasn't mentioned about her experience as a dancer even once. Besides in the few weeks I have worked here I have never seen her perform those silly dances.
"Uh- I pulled a few strings" she tied her colorful hair into a messy bun. The neon blue and pink strands of her hair falling to her sides.
"What kind of strings?" I raised an eyebrow at her. I gave her my 'spill it out' look.
"Okay fine!" she turned on her heels and started walking towards the bar, the sun reflecting on her ash blonde hair making it look pale yellow. I decided to follow her. Sophie had been extremely nice to me after the Casey incident- she didn't prod me about it or anything but instead she sat me down on one of the wooden stools and told me to calm down. I was kind of losing it. With tears falling down my cheeks and not to mention the occasional bursts of "How could she betray me like that?". I am pretty sure the whole diner knew I have been cheated on by my best friend.
In hindsight Sophie was probably eager to know what happened between us. I knew her well - outside she might be calm but inside she was dying to know what happened. On the other hand, she was really happy about the fact that I threw the milkshake at Casey. She was smirking the whole time while the scene had unfolded in front of her. I bet if I wasn't upset she would have high fived me.
"What's up Nick?" Sophie asked the guy behind the bar taking a seat on the tiny bar stools. I always found the stools uncomfortable but I silently wedged myself into one.
"Not much, since I didn't get to see your pretty face" he winked at Sophie while polishing the shot glass with a washcloth.
"Glad to know you have been missing me". Sophie flashed him a flirty smile.
I cleared my throat to interrupt their shameless flirting.
"Oh yes, this is my friend Grace" she introduced me gesturing her hand towards me, "And Grace meet Nick"
He gave me a wave with his free hand and in return I gave him a small smile. Nick was a handsome man with a towering figure and broad shoulders. His jet black hair was neatly brushed to the side judging by his face he was in his early twenties.
"Sophie's friends are beautiful like her" he said in a thick Mexican accent. I swear I saw the slightest hint of blush creep up Sophie's cheeks.
"So my friend here needs a small favor from you"
"Ask away" he smirked leaning over the bar.
"She doesn't want to perform those stupid exotic dances and you have to get her out of it"
"I don't know my brother seemed to be in a bad mood today", he brushed his hair with his finger looking towards Santiago. So Nick was Santiago's Brother?
"Come on Nick! Please for me" she requested fluttering her eyelashes. Sophie took Nick's hand in her small ones and scooted closer to him.
Nick gave up. "Fine! I will see what I can do about it", he smirked, taking Sophie's hand in his and planting a kiss on Sophie's hand. Sophie winked back at him. God, they should get a room!
Nick got back to work after he saw Santiago approaching towards the bar and Sophie and I got back to our work stations.
"Okay what was that?" I questioned her as I cleaned the table with a washcloth.
"What?" she asked me while she filled the salt and pepper shakers.
I stopped wiping the table and gestured towards Nick.
"Ohh that- we talk like that all the time"
"So are you interested in him? It's quite obvious he's into you" I started arranging the mini flower vase on every table, the vass were made of clay and had hand-painted Aztec designs on them.
"No actually and Nick's like that with everyone" she laughed.
"So you guys just casually flirt with each other?"
"Yeah just some casual flirting here and there- besides Nick's of great help as you have seen." she started to place the white rose stems in the empty vases that I had arranged on the tables.
......................
"Here are your extra large fries" I said placing the basket of fries in front of a very hyper 8 year old who was currently using his toy car to smash his peas on the plate.
"Can you clean this up?" his mom who was sitting next to him asked me without taking her eyes off her laptop screen and gesturing her hand offhandedly towards the mess her son had made.
I nodded and silently grumbled as I retreated to the closet to fetch a mop. This was the third time I was cleaning up that 8 year old's mess. The last two times it was french fries and now it was coke. The mom didn't even pay heed to her son's mischief.
After finding a mop, I started cleaning the wooden floor which was spattered in coke. The incident with Casey didn't seem to leave my mind. I kept on thinking about the incident the whole time. I was thinking about my friendship with Casey- where it actually went wrong. Or maybe she was always like that and I failed to realize it.
Until eighth grade I was the lonely kid who used to have her lunch at some corner of the cafeteria until I met Casey and Sophie. They both were friends who transferred from the same school together and they were having a hard time finding the classes so I decided to help them. Casey was always the quiet one but Sophie talked to me like we had known each other forever. And soon we became best friends but some high school drama kicked in as a result Casey and Sophie broke apart and not only that Sophie's family had to transfer to New York. Then Sophie became the friend who you would only wish birthdays once a year on facebook.
I never got to know what happened between Sophie and Casey though. All Casey kept telling me was how Sophie is a bitch who betrayed her. I never heard Sophie's side of the story.
"Ahem"
The sound of someone clearing their throat bought me back from my thoughts to reality. I looked down to see that the whole time I was wiping Sophie's converse with the mop. I instantly stopped wiping the floor or should I say Sophie's converse.
"Shit I am so sorry", I apologized.
"Why so lost Gracie? Can we forget about that bitch for now? She betrayed both of us".
"Yes I guess-Wait! Betrayed both of us? How?"
"Remember in high school I had the biggest crush on Travis Waters and we were almost going out"
"Yeah.." I don't like where this is going.
"I saw Casey making out with him after school behind the school's parking lot"
"What? Why didn't you tell me?" I yelled shock written over my face.
"I thought you knew okay?.. And I thought you took Casey's side thats why I cut all my connections with you guys" she casually leaned on her left foot.
"How am I supposed to know what happened when no one informed me about this?" I glowered.
She heaved out a sigh. "You know that bitch cheated on us both- She was the one who told me you took her side. I guess I should have heard your side of the story before judging you- I am sorry Grace"
I pursed my lips, resting the mop against a nearby chair and crossing my arms across my chest. "I thought you considered me as your best friend- And best friends don't walk away from each other no matter what happens. I f you would have told me I would have always been by your side"
"I know.. I am sorry Grace", She rested her hand on my shoulders.
"Its fine" , I sighed.
"Let's go clubbing today! You, me and Nick. It would be so much fun! And besides we need to de-stress ourselves- You Grace Summers are in dire need of getting drunk and partying so hard that you forget your name" Sophie slid of her hands and rested it on her hips.
"I can't Soph- Audrey will be all alone and besides she's not with great company now" I said thinking of Max who was currently babysitting Audrey. I would usually drop Audrey at Jeremy's place and Gary would happily babysit them.
"Oh come on! Just one day- We could drop Audrey at that guy's place" she suggested.
"You mean Gary?" I lifted one of my eyebrows at her.
"Yeah that guy- Please Grace. Pleaaase" , she pleaded clasping her hands in front of her.
I gave up, "Okay fine..".
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