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Sighing, I heaved myself up and hurried inside, changed my shirt and shoes, and then locked up before running for work. I had to jog for almost five minutes to get to the diner on time. Sweat trickled down my back as I stepped inside. The clock above the cash register said I was, literally, right on time.
“Glad you could join us,” a voice called from the server station.
The voice belonged to one of the other girls who worked as a waitress. Claudia. I didn’t care for her. She worked here in the day and had a job as a stripper at a club on the outskirts of town as her second job. Part of why I hated her was that she always had plenty of money. She had big fake tits she’d bought with a tax return a few years before, and she made hundreds of dollars every night shaking them in the faces of nameless men. It wasn’t that she was a stripper that bothered me. It was just irritating that she even had a second job. Why bother being a waitress?
The other reason I didn’t like her was that she was nosy. She was always asking other people about their backgrounds, history, family life, boyfriends, and girlfriends. Thankfully, Marie and Clint usually stopped her when she started in on me. They knew most of my history and knew it was no one else’s business.
“Hi, Claudia.” I grabbed an apron and tied it around my waist.
She chewed gum and frowned at me. “What’s up? You’re always here early.”
“I was running late. I, uh, overslept,” I mumbled, not making eye contact.
She blew out a huff of breath. “I wish I could’ve overslept. I was at the club till four last night. I made five-hundo though. Good trade-off for no nap.”
Incredulous, I turned to look at her. “You made five hundred dollars last night?”
She shrugged while she filled the ketchup bottles. “Yeah. It would’ve only been three, but I gave this cute guy that came in a hand job in the VIP room. He tipped me two hundred for it.”
Revulsion seared across my mind. “Gross,” I muttered before I could stop myself.
Claudia didn’t look ashamed. “Hey, money is money. You’re the one working doubles and triples here and making nothing.” She looked me up and down. “You know, if you put some meat on your bones, I could put a word in for you at the club. Some guys like small tits. It reminds them of young girls, you know.” She winked.
Fucking disgusting. As desperate for money as I was, I couldn’t do what she said. Too much baggage. Her words about men liking to look at young naked girls sent a shiver through me. I blinked back memories that threatened to sprout in my mind.
“Hey, Dahlia.”
Miguel waved with a spatula from the kitchen, his chubby cheeks set in a huge smile. I waved back but remembered what Carlos had accused me of. The unfortunate image of Miguel naked and sweaty above me grunting and ramming his cock into my ass flashed across my mind. Hoping Miguel didn’t see the wince on my face, I turned back to filling the coffee maker, shivering in revulsion, silently cursing Carlos.
A hand touched my lower back, and I flinched away. I spun and found Marie looking aghast.
“Oh, Dahlia, I’m sorry. I was only going to say hello.”
Relaxing, I gave her a warm smile. This woman and her husband Clint had done more for me than anybody else in my life. It wasn’t a lot, but for someone like me, it meant the world.
“No, you’re fine. I’m a little jumpy, that’s all.”
The look she gave me reminded me of the way my therapist had looked at me. Like they knew I was a big fat liar. Thankfully, Marie didn’t push things.
“Okay, that’s good. Are you still okay working the double today? We should be swamped with the whole festival and concert.”
Even if I’d been dead on my feet, I never would’ve admitted it. I needed every hour of work I could get. “Yeah, I need the money. I’ll be fine.”
The extra money I made today would help my rent fund. Plus, now I needed extra to buy a new doorknob and deadbolt. There was no way I could face asking Carlos for my key back. Especially not after how things went today. It would be easier to replace it and give a copy of the new key to the landlord. Damn it all. I could never get ahead. There was always something coming up.
The other two waitresses that were working the shift with me and Claudia showed up late, of course. Marie had them finish getting the silverware rolled into napkins. As soon as Clint flipped the closed sign to open it was like a tidal wave. The place was full with a waitlist in less than ten minutes. I had four tables at once. For most other people, it would’ve been stressful, but I enjoyed being busy. If I was constantly worried about writing the orders down correctly, refilling glasses, and bringing extra sides of ranch dressing, I couldn’t think about all the other things in my life and past that usually ate me alive inside.
Halfway through the shift, we had a bit of a lull. I only had two tables, so I went to the kitchen to grab more cups from the dishwasher. Claudia was there with one of the other servers, Leslie, who waved to get my attention.
“Dahlia? Where’s your man been lately? Haven’t seen mister tall, dark, and douchebag in a while.”
I gave her a little shrug. “Out of the picture.” I didn’t like getting into specifics. I hoped this would be enough to end the conversation before it started.
“So mysterious,” Claudia said, rolling her eyes. “What happened? Did you catch him fucking someone else?” Her eyes widened. “Oh, or did you catch him fucking another guy? Shit, that’s hot. I always wanted a threeway with a couple of bi guys.”
“For real?” Leslie said, scrunching her face.
Claudia laughed. “Yeah. Imagine what it would—”
