Chapter 2
Molly
“Yo, Mol, I’m just going to grab a crate of beer,” Rylan, my manager, shouts over the rowdy crowd and I look his way nodding to show I heard him and turn back to pouring beer for the customer in front of me.
I focus on my task, trying to ignore the next impatient customer waving for my attention, even though it's obvious I'm busy.
Damn, I hate Friday nights, and it doesn’t matter that I’ve been working here since I was seventeen. Friday nights are the worst.
It’s just Rylan, me, and Penny on shift, and there are still three hours left until closing, which goddamn sucks because technically, Gabby is supposed to be on shift as well, but conveniently called in sick ten minutes before she was supposed to be in, pissing Rylan off.
Her birthday is tomorrow, something she has gone on about for weeks, and she forgot to take it off like a normal person so now she’s left us in the lurch.
“Thanks,” the frat guy rasps as I hand him his beer.
I give him a polite smile, ignoring his lingering eyes on my chest—despite my shirt offering actual coverage, unlike Penny’s skimpy top —Jag, the bar owner, will likely go off when he sees her. If he sends her home later, Rylan and I will be left running the bar alone.
“That’ll be eight dollars,” I say loudly, and the guy licks his chapped lip as he hands me ten bucks and replies, “Keep the change, beautiful.”
I give him a tight smile and try not to cringe, and move to the till, hoping he’ll give his attention to another girl.
I put the amount in the till and open it. I place the ten in its right place, remove two bucks and place it in the tip jar that Rylan and I share below it, noticing Penny’s completely empty, and I roll my eyes.
Rylan and I decided to share a tip jar when Gabby and Penny kept taking more out of the staff one, thinking we wouldn’t notice and by the lack of tips, it’s obvious she’s barely served anyone.
Shaking my head, I go back to the rowdy crowd, rolling my eyes at Penny as I pass her. She is giving some guy fuck me eyes as she pulls her small top even further down.
She’s sending the wrong message about the bar, a message Jag’s wife does not agree with, and if May is pissed, then everyone needs to duck and cover because the woman is insane.
The image of the five-foot woman smashing some girl's face into the back table when she hit on Jag comes back, and I internally wince before heading to the next customer, ignoring the guy still trying to vie for my attention.
“Penny, get back to work!” Rylan snaps as he walks into the bar just as I ask, “What can I get you?” to the woman in a skimpy dress who was trying to get my attention a moment ago but is now eyeing Rylan as he walks past me.
His eyes go to me and not her, but I don’t pay him any attention like Penny and this woman currently are.
Here is where things get a little tricky.
Penny has a thing for Rylan and flirts with every person that walks into this room to make him jealous despite the fact he hasn’t spared one glance at her.
Rylan on the other hand is screwing Gabby not knowing we all know because hello, he takes her into the staff room and they aren’t exactly quiet.
He’s secretly hoping I’ll give him a chance which is never going to happen and not just because I walked in on him getting a blowjob from Abby, who was hoping he’d fire me after her causing shit at work.
Thankfully, Jag knows how hard a worker I am.
I’m nearly done with college and already looking for a second job. Keeping up with bills is getting harder, especially with Ruth and Abby using up everything I buy almost instantly.
They are adamant to make my life difficult which is stupid on their part because instead of helping me, they turned on me and when I graduate, they’re out.
Though to be fair, their sole goal is to get me arrested but again, not going to happen.
“If you’re not going to order, get out of the way!” some girl snaps at the one eyeing Rylan and shoves her out of the way, and I wince.
“Hey!” the girl snaps, shoving her back, and I groan as a fight breaks out and by fight, I mean hair pulling and bitch slapping.
I hate cat fights.
“Rylan…” I say loudly, and he looks my way with a brow raise, and I tilt my head to the cat fight that has begun.
He groans making me snort before he jumps over the bar, and I continue serving customers, going to the next guy in line who is trying not to laugh as Rylan drags the two women through the crowd, both protesting.
“What can I get you?” I ask, and he replies, “A bud?” with a chuckle.
I nod, turn towards the fridge, grab the bottle, uncap it, then turn and hand it to the guy, saying, “Six dollars.”
He hands over six exactly, then asks, “What about your number?”
I give him a smirk. How original.
He’s good-looking, I’ll give him that, with the stubble around his jaw, short shaggy blonde hair, boy next door look.
Before I can tell him I’m not interested, a slim hand with dark red nails moves over his stomach, making him tense as Abby says, “Baby, can you get me one too?” but her eyes are narrowing at me.
I chuckle, “Sorry, I don’t date people who have been with my step-sister,” and the guy’s eyes widen as I go to the till and put in the price before it opens, and I place the money inside before closing it.
“Fucking hate when catfights happen!” Rylan bitches as he walks past me, and I laugh as I go back to my side of the bar.
The guy is gone, but my step-sister is still standing there looking pissed.
“What can I get you?” I ask the next customer, and he replies, “Whatever is on tap,” and I nod as Abby states, “Molly, I need some money.”
Same shit, different day.
I snort as I grab a glass, then tip it as I pull the lever, not answering the woman who is a spitting image of her mother with blonde hair and blue eyes.
She’s also a bitch just like her mother too.
It isn’t the first time she’s asked for money, and when I’ve declined, she's tried starting shit. It was the same as the time she gave Rylan a blowjob, thinking he was my boyfriend, and I know it won’t be the last.
“Eight dollars,” I say as I hand the beer to the man, and he gives me a smirk, handing me twenty. I walk away and put it in the register before taking his change, but as soon as I go to give it to him, he shakes his head and says, “Keep it beautiful,” before walking away and I shake my head.
“I’ll have that,” Abby says as she tries to reach over the bar. I move aside, glaring at her as Rylan takes the money from my hand, saying, “I’ll put it in the jar,” while I glare hard at Abby.
He then kisses my head, making Abby’s face redden as he goes to the jar.
I swear, the need to punch her again like I did when I was sixteen is high, but knowing her, she’ll have me fricking arrested.
“If you want money so badly, Abby, why don’t you go and get a job, or are you forgetting I’m graduating from college this year?” I say, and I swear I have never seen someone’s face go from red to white so quickly.
“Can I get a Coke, please?” a girl in one of my classes asks, and I give her a smile as I grab a glass, fill it with ice, then pick up the nozzle.
“You wouldn’t kick us out, we’re family,” she stutters, and I snort as I hand the soda to the girl and say, “Four dollars,” and she smiles, handing me the four, and I head to the till yet again, rolling my eyes, seeing Penny still chatting up the same guy while eyeing Rylan.
Damn woman.
“Molly, seriously, we’re family, and that is our home!
” Abby snaps as I return to my side of the bar as a guy says, “Five buds, two beers on tap,” and I nod as I grab his order while stating, “Actually, it is my home and my father’s, if it was yours, he would have put you and your mother in the will.
Last time I checked Abby, for years you’ve both treated me like a servant, demanding I clean the house and fill the cabinets while trying your hardest to sell stuff you know will get you automatically kicked out.
So, get off your high horse and get a goddamn job instead of trying to leech off me and stop trying to cause shit at my place of work. ”
Her nostrils flare, but I ignore her, placing all the drinks on a tray and say, “That’ll be forty-eight dollars,” and he holds up his card.
I quickly grab the card machine from under the counter, put the amount in the card reader, hold it out to him, and he taps it before it beeps confirming payment. I put it back as he grabs the tray, but I don’t miss his eyes going down my body.
“Molly!” Abby snaps when I don’t look her way, but I ignore her and go to the next customer.
My life isn’t what I expected. I thought I’d be cooking from home or maybe even have my own business, but I can barely afford ingredients.
I don’t have enough experience for a restaurant job, and at twenty-two, I just want a chance to cook every day, but I can’t.
I’m heading into a career that warms my heart—I’ll help kids like me, and even though it’s not my dream, I need stability.
If I’d had support from my step-mother, maybe things would be different.
But I’m the adult and I have to fend for myself and keep the roof over my head and try not to lose it to the evil bitches that live with me.
Ruth and Abby don’t want to work. They don’t want to earn their keep, and every day I question why in the hell my father remarried to someone like that, especially when I’m now stuck keeping everyone afloat until I graduate college.
“Abby, either order a drink or get away from the bar,” Rylan snaps as I serve another customer.
“You weren’t saying that last night when you had your face between my legs, Ry,” Abby sneers, and Rylan freezes behind me, and I swallow my snort.
And yet people wonder why I don’t date.
“That’ll be twelve dollars” I say to the woman before me and place two buds before her, as she looks at my step-sister and Rylan with wide eyes holding up her card.
I grab the card reader, quickly enter the amount, and hold it up as Rylan clears his throat and says, lowly, “Molly…” But I just shake my head at him.
“You’re my manager, Rylan,” I remind him for the millionth time, and he growls lowly, but I ignore it and state, “and you know I don’t date,” before I go to the next customer, ignoring him and ignoring my step-sister.
I swear, men who try to get your attention, claiming they feel like they’re yours, yet screw someone else, give me the ick. A man who has claimed he’s fallen for me and wants a chance, then screws not only Gabby but Abby, well, I think I need to vomit.
“Molly!” Penny says loudly and I look her way to see her struggling with the customers before her because of how long she’s decided to flirt for and I sigh as I say, “Ry, take over my side, I need to go get Penny caught up,” I look at Abby, “I’m not your bank account, you’re already living in my home rent free and eating the food I buy while trying to get into my room to sell my shit.
Like Rylan said, either order a drink or get lost.”
I walk away from her and her red face and go and help Penny, preferably before Jag comes out and loses it seeing her station backed up yet again.
She may be useless sometimes, but an extra pair of hands is still a pair of hands.
I feel my phone vibrate against my leg, and I sigh, knowing full well Abby has messaged her mother, but I ignore it and go to the first angry customer to take their order.
Work and school are my main focus, not dating, not dealing with crushes from unwanted suitors who sleep with my step-sister. I need to focus on what matters and having a man in my life isn’t it.