Chapter 4
Four
Jaclyn
I got trained by Andy for only three days before she said to take a section of the diner. She said that it gets super busy sometimes with college kids coming in for lunch, especially on Fridays.
My training was supposed to be for a week but it got busy and they were short staffed so she kind of threw me on the floor.
But it’s not hard to get the hang of everything. I think the hardest thing for me will be the table numbers and then trying to remember everything on the menu. I kind of remember the table numbers but Andy just told me to take the farthest section of the diner since it’s the easiest and because I remember those table numbers already, at least until I start to learn and remember more table numbers .
She also said if a customer has a question to just bullshit it. If it’s an allergy question, I should just get the nutrition book.
I used to work as a server in this one restaurant near my house. It’s a weird way of how I got hired.
I was looking for a job and after school I went to the restaurant to get a job application. I was wearing sweatpants and a huge sweater. My hair was in a messy bun and you could probably see the bags under my eyes. But after I asked if they were hiring he asked me if I had time for an interview. After the “interview” he gave me he told me to come in the next day to get started on orientation.
The interview was barely an interview. He just asked me what my availability is and when I can start.
I loved working there and I made some great friends after I lost all of mine from school. I still talk to them from time to time to see how they are all doing.
Before work I always eat a granola bar just so I don’t get low during the shift. Getting low during a shift is the worst thing to ever happen to me. I don’t get in trouble for getting low but I just find it embarrassing that I have to take a break because of my condition.
I did tell Andy and the manager, Lisa, about me having diabetes. She told me that it was no problem at all and that if I need an extra break or anything I can take it and let her or Andy know.
After Andy tells me some tips I walk towards my section. I put on a smile as I walk up to a table where a girl is sitting, reading a book. “Hi, my name is Jaclyn. I’ll be your server today. Can I get you a drink or anything while you look at the menu?”
She puts her book down and gives me a small smile. “No, I'm actually ready. Can I just get a mocha latte and then a warmed up pumpkin bread?”
I nod my head while writing all that down. I give her one last smile before telling her I’ll be back with the drink and make my way behind the counter where the expo window is.
I tell Franky, the head chef, about the pumpkin bread which makes him ring the bell before getting to work. In the diner there are only two chefs and then three servers plus a manager. It’s not a lot of people for a diner but they manage to make it work. They have more people working in the summertime.
I quickly make the mocha latte as I hear the front door open. I turn around and see a group of boys walk in laughing. I turn back to the mocha and grab a small cup and plate.
“Looks like you got another table. Be careful with them though,” Andy says, making me look at her and furrow my eyebrows.
“Why?”
“They always sit in that section because it’s the back of the diner. They are always loud and sometimes start trouble, especially the one in the black.” I turn my head to look at the group of guys and the guy she is talking about is the one from my psychology class.
Four days ago was the first time I saw him and I haven’t seen him in class since. I wish I could lie and say I wasn’t eager to see him. He has this mysterious aura about him that makes me want to know more. Plus, the fact that he looks so familiar makes me feel anxious and on edge.
As they sit down I notice his clothes. A guy with great style is always the one to look after. He is wearing black jeans with a graphic shirt where headphone wires are hanging from the collar of his shirt. My eyes go to the half finished sleeve on one of his arms. You can see his face more clearly because it’s not as dark as it was in the classroom but I can’t make out the small details on his face still.
“Who are they?”
“The one I was just talking about is Hayden Night. I heard he is some underground fighter and gets into a lot of trouble sometimes, especially with this other guy named Eric but that’s a totally different story.” I turn around and finish making the mocha. “The guy in the black jacket is Chris Evans. I always make fun of his name because it’s hard not to. Pretty sure his parents did that on purpose. Anyways, he’s a football player. He is probably going to become an NFL star someday. Max Trent is the guy with dark hair and wearing the blue shirt. He is a soccer player and one of the best at our school. Funny guy and probably the nicest out of all of them.” I cast a look at them one last time and they are all sitting down at a table in the best part of the diner, definitely in my section. “Then you have Kayden Black. You don’t know much about him because he barely talks, kind of like Hayden. I do know he loves cars. He has this really nice BMW M5.”
“If he knows a few things about cars, he should take a look at mine,” I joke.
I have a BMW 230I Series. It’s a fun car to drive and pretty fast. I used to have an old 330I but after I crashed that one I had to get a new one.
The old 330I had like 250,000 miles on it when I crashed and I guess it was a miracle in disguise getting into that crash because I got a better car.
“I mean you could ask him. He loves working on cars. I also know he majors in creative writing and I think he is a photography minor because he is always pulling out a camera to take pictures of the group. But other than that I don’t know much about them.”
“Seems like you know plenty,” I chuckle and Andy flicks my arm before giving me a glare.
“Jaclyn, number nineteen,” Franky says, making me grab the latte .
“I’ll make sure to remember all of those things,” I wink at her and she just laughs. I get the pumpkin bread and walk to the table where the girl is reading her book. “Here is your mocha latte and then that pumpkin bread,” I say while setting down the bread and latte on the table.
She thanks me before I walk to the table all the way in the back. My nerves skyrocket and I wipe my hands on my apron, trying not to sweat.
I stand in front of their table making them look at me. “Hi, my name is Jaclyn. I’ll be your server today. Can I get you a drink or anything while you look at the menu?”
“Can we get you?” the guy with the blue shirt, Max, says with a flirty smile.
“I told you he would do it,” Kayden says while looking at Chris. I try not to look at Hayden who is burning holes through me. “Stop being stupid and just give her your order,” Kayden says while rolling his eyes at Max. “We’re ready to order.”
Max laughs. “I did that just to give you guys a hard time, not her.” Max looks at me. “Sorry, I’ll be serious now. I’ll just get a sprinkled donut and then a chocolate milkshake,” Max says before giving me a smile.
I write down his order before looking at Chris, Andy said his name was. “I’ll just get your classic burger with no pickles and then a lemonade please.”
“How do you want it cooked?” I ask .
“Medium.”
I nod and then look at Kayden. “Just a coffee with mocha creamer on the side,” Kayden says while giving me a sympathetic smile, as if he was embarrassed by his friend's comment.
Forcing myself to look at Hayden who is already staring at me. Up close I can finally see his features I have been dying to see. He has dark bushy eyebrows and then a bar piercing on his right eyebrow, along with a scar on his cheek and then above his eyebrow.
I can’t take my eyes off of the scar on his eyebrow.
A familiar scare as a familiar gray eyes stare down at me.
I feel like the world stops for a minute and I’m back to being fifteen in that alley.
“If I ever see you again, which I hope will be never, I’ll make sure you know what being hurt really feels like. Whatever stupid reason you’re crying is nothing compared to the way I’ll make you break.”
My hands shake as I hold the small order book in my hands and Hayden looks down at my hand and I raise an eyebrow at him.
He knows.
He has to.
I force my eyes away from him and look down at the order book .
He can’t know.
How is he here?
Out of all places he has to go to college here?
I’m not going to lie and say I’ve never wondered about him. Whenever I had a crush on guys from my school I would compare them to that boy from the alley because he was so beautiful and cruel, still is unfortunately.
“And you?” I manage to croak out.
He moves his eyes off of me and looks at Chris. “I’m good.”
I nod my head and leave their table.
My heart feels like it’s going a hundred miles per hour while beating hard against my chest.
“How was it?” Andy asks as I walk behind the counter.
“Terrifying.”
“Taking Hayden’s order is always scary. He can be really rude sometimes and not answer, which makes Kayden or Chris answer for him.“
That’s not the reason why it was terrifying but she doesn’t need to know that.
“That’s childish,” I mutter as I put in the order for Franky to make. Andy shrugs before walking away to go to her tables. After putting in the orders I grab their drinks and walk to their table. I also grab water for Max and Hayden just so they have something to sip on. “Here are those drinks.” I say as I set them down on the table one by one. “Your milkshake should be ready in a bit so I’ll bring it out once it’s all set. Can I get you guys anything else?”
“I didn’t ask for water.” Hayden looks at me with a bored expression that makes me feel like I should be anywhere but in front of him.
“You don’t have to be an ass to everyone, Hayden.” Kayden says while shaking his head and looking at me apologetically. “Sorry, he is always like this.”
I nod my head and grab Hayden’s water and walk away while shaking my head lightly.
Douchebag.
I pour the water in a to-go cup and put it in the fridge. I’m not going to waste it just because he’s being an ass.
I sometimes hate working in the serving industry because people can be rude sometimes and you can’t say anything. You have to bite your tongue and let them disrespect you for some paper in their wallet.
One time I did talk back to a customer because I was having a hard day and I just couldn’t help but snap at her. She was giving me a hard time when I told her there was a wait but she didn’t care.
“There’s seriously no reason for being an asshole,” I mutter while pouring Max’s shake in a glass cup.
“You met that group officially?” I hear someone say making me turn my head and see Lisa.
Lisa is an older woman who looks like she is fragile but she is anything but. She is a feisty old woman who is strong and can definitely take care of herself and run an entire restaurant if she had to. I noticed that about her when I first met her.
“Yea and not all of them are the nicest,” I say. “But don’t worry I won’t be rude to them or anything. I know that customers are always right even though they are really not,” I say in a sarcastic tone.
“They aren’t that bad as you work more with them. Plus they tip well so it’s all worth it.”
“As long as they tip well then I’ll handle their bullshit.”
Lisa winks and pats my shoulder before walking to the cash register.
I check on other tables while their food gets made. I learned that the girl who ordered that latte and pumpkin bread, she likes thriller books and the book she was currently reading was The Silent Patient which happens to be one of my favorite thriller books. It is such a cool and interesting story and we talked a little bit about the book before I left her table.
I grab the food for boys at the end table and then walk to them. As I set down their food, I can feel Hayden’s stare on me. I want to turn my head and ask him if he has a staring problem but I don’t have the guts to do that so instead I just look at him and say, “Do you need anything?”
He trails his eyes along every small centimeter of my face making me insecure because I didn’t bother wearing makeup and I know that I have small blemishes here and there. His eyes fill with something dark.
Eyes can reveal anything about a person and what they don’t show people.
He recognizes me and I know he is going to make sure I pay the price he promised me long ago.
“No, just the check when you get the chance,” Hayden says before he rubs his lip and looks at Kayden. My eyes go to Kayden who is eyeing me with a skeptical look.
What is with these two and staring?
“Ah, this shake is fucking fantastic. Thank you…?”
I look away from Kayden and look at Max who has a happy smile on his face. “Jaclyn,” I say before looking at Hayden whose jaw clenches. I look at his hands and see veins running along his hand and up his arm. But they are clenched tightly making the fresh cuts on his knuckle reopen.
“I’m Max. Are you new here or something?” Max says, making me look away from Hayden.
“Yea I started a few days ago.”
“Ah, well I know we’ll have lots of fun together,” Max says before winking again and giving me a flirty smile.
I nod my head and leave their table. As I pass the counter I tell Andy and Lisa I’m going for my break. I grab my bag from the hanger in the hallway and go to the bathroom. I lock the door behind me and check my phone.
134
It’s going to get lower, I know it.
I don’t know if it’s because of the interaction with Hayden that made me feel like my heart was going to burst out of my chest and made my hands shake or if it’s because I didn’t eat enough before work.
I grab a protein bar from my backpack and shove it all in my mouth, wishing for this anxious feeling to go away.
I’m always scared of being low because being low feels like dying.
I can’t describe the feeling in a more accurate way.
When I’m low I feel like I’m going to die. I guess you can call it a panic attack but without the panic. Everyone has different feelings when they are low.
I wash my hands and throw the wrapper in the trash before opening the door. I walk out in the hallway and bump into something hard. I’m about to look up and apologize but I’m pushed against the wall. I hiss as my head bangs against the wall.
My eyes meet dark familiar ones.
Ones that haunted me since I was fifteen.
“Hey princess. Miss me?”
I’m ready to push him off me but his hands grip my wrists against the wall, not letting me move.
Hayden’s bigger, taller, and just less boy and more man.
I’m standing at 5’7 and he is around 6’3. He is towering over me like he did when we were younger, only now he is filled out and not skinny with some muscle.
I can see the muscle through his clothes and it makes my hands start to sweat as he holds me down.
“Let go of me, asshole,” I say, trying to get out of his hold.
“Now why would I do that when I promised you what I would do to you?”
I glare at him through my eyelashes while he just smirks down at me with darkness in his eyes.
“I’ve been through shit. Shit you wouldn’t even be able to comprehend in that pretty little head of yours. You don’t want to get on my bad side because if you do, I’ll fucking ruin you.”
Oh god, he’s going to rape me or kill me.
He can’t do that, right?
I’m overthinking again.
“I’ll call the police. I can yell and scream and someone will come and get me. So let go of me before I do that and have you arrested.”
“You think that scares me?” He leans down, his lips dangerously close to my face. I can feel his hot breath hitting my cheek making me shiver. Since getting diabetes, feeling things on my skin is just overwhelming. People touching me feels more intense than it did before I was fourteen years old and as time flew by, the more sensitive I got. “What did I promise you?” I bite on my tongue, refusing to give him satisfaction of seeing me scared. His hold on one of my wrists disappears and he leans closer to me. His hand holds my jaw and tilts my head up to make me look at him. “What did I say, Jaclyn?”
“To make sure I never see you,” I say, glaring at him. “Are you that obsessed that you really are still keeping a hold on that promise? Grow the hell up, dude. It's been like what? Six years?”
“Four.”
“You’re psychotic to remember that. Get your nasty hands off of me.” I use my free wrist to grab his shoulder, his big, strong shoulder, and push him away from me. He lets me and walks back until his back hits the opposite wall. The hallway is slim so our toes are still almost touching but at least I don’t feel surrounded by him. “Don’t touch me again.”
“Or what? You’ll tell on me?” Hayden smirks and raises an eyebrow at me.
I don’t know what I will do to him.
He’s bigger, stronger, taller, and has this voice that probably makes girls do anything they want for him.
“Trust me, even though you are bigger and stronger, nothing is more delicate than the mind. I can do some real damage there. You say I don’t know what you have gone through, but I can easily find out by just getting in your head.” I lean off the wall and hold my bag to my side. “Don’t touch me again.” I repeat before leaving him in the hallway, ignoring the butterflies swarming in my stomach.