We were so close and yet so far away. Suddenly, he froze and then frowned before backing away. "I'll be right back." He gently let go of me and walked away leaving me alone on the dance floor.
I stood there breathing heavily, my body wet with sweat. The relentless pounding of my heart was so loud it deafened me. I had no idea what I was feeling but I knew that it was a new experience for me.
Exhaling, I walked off the dance floor, pushing myself past the group of heaving bodies that surrounded me.
Finally, I freed myself, walking over to the table unsteadily as I felt the effects of all of the drinks from earlier. My mind was a whirlwind of emotions: anger, hurt, pain – I was confused.
Suddenly, a husky voice broke my reverie.
"Avery, wait." I heard Jace behind me. He went to reach for my arm, but I shook it off. I couldn’t let him get close to me anymore. It was too much.
"Let go, please," My slurred voice shook with emotion.
He ignored my plea, turning me around before placing his hands on my shoulders and looking me in the eye. "What's wrong?"
I exhaled slowly and ran my hand over my face. "I don't know. I just don’t feel good. I'm just going to walk home." I grabbed my clutch bag from the table and started for the door, but Jace stopped me in my tracks.
"Are you kidding me? I'm going home too then," he said sternly. "You don't have to leave all by yourself. I made you come so we'll leave when you're ready."
I sighed in defeat before watching as he waved over at his friends, signaling that he was leaving with me.
Emma and a busty red head rolled their eyes and continued dancing while Matt and Reece looked disappointed.
Jace turned to me. "I have a friend leaving right now. He'll give us a ride."
He placed his hand on my lower back and walked me outside and over to his friends car. The cool air flooded my lungs as I stepped over the gravel and into the safety of the car.
It took us about ten minutes to get back to his place and the journey passed by quickly as I listened to Jace converse with his friend.
When we arrived home, I thanked Jace for the drinks and went to my room without another word. I undressed quickly before crawling into my soft bed and enveloping myself in the quilts. It had been a crazy night. A whirlwind of thoughts sped through my mind like a tornado, my parents, my apartment, my past. I just needed to find a level of peace within myself but trying to find it was proving to be just as hard as I had imagined.
I turned off my bedside lamp and let the darkness consume me just as it always had.
Chapter 4
I could smell the booze on his foul breath as he leaned over me and pounded his fist into the wall just inches above my head. "Get your ass out of bed and go to school." He grinded his teeth and his eyes twitched as he stared down at me.
I cringed and gripped the fleece blanket tightly trying to find some comfort. I was confused. It was midnight. Why was he telling me to go to school? If I argued with him then there would be a chance that my world would end tonight. "But-"
He wrapped his burly fingers through my thin hair and yanked my head to the left. "Don't you even think about talking back to me," he spat. “Get your ass up now." He yanked my hair even harder causing me to fall out of bed and land on the cruddy floor. My hand landed in a pile of dirty clothing, soiled with spilt booze. It was most likely, Jack Daniels. It was my father’s choice of poison.
"Henry," My mother said, through hiccups. "It's only midnight." She leaned back against the wall and started laughing. Her laugh sounded oddly diabolic and it sent shivers through my body. Why wasn't she trying to help me?
I woke up gripping the blanket on my bed so tightly that it almost ripped. The sweat dripped down my face and left a salty taste on my swollen lips, reminding me that it was just a nightmare.
The nightmares had gotten so bad that I sometimes woke up with my whole face puffy and swollen. I couldn’t seem to fight the tears. I was too weak. No matter how hard I tried.
I forced my legs to work as I jumped out of bed and quietly ran down the hall and into the bathroom. I tiredly switched on the light and stared into the brightly lit mirror, my clear reflection showing every bit of the lost girl that I’d become. The pain in my eyes, were very distinct as the tears continued to flow down my face and soak my shirt. I hated the way my parents still got to me. It didn't matter how far away I was. It still hurts.
I turned on the cold water, hands shaking, as I splashed a handful of water on my face. The frigidness of the water gave me the chills that ran all the way through my whole body, waking me up completely.
Afterwards, I made my way through the house in search of Jace, not sure, if I really even wanted to find him.
“Hello.” I poked my head into the living room, down the hall, and into the kitchen. The house was empty. Where could he have taken off to? I ended up back inside the kitchen, quickly noticing a note firmly stuck to the fridge. I yanked it off, reading it with curious eyes.
I didn’t want to wake you. I left ten dollars on the counter for a cab. Meet me at the diner by ten o’clock. I'm sure that you will love your new job.
-Jace
The note fell out of my hand landing like a feather on my bare foot. The words left me speechless. This man didn’t owe me anything, yet he was willing to provide me with a place to stay and a job. It was more than anyone else had ever done for me, yet I’d done nothing to earn it.
I plopped down on a kitchen chair and slowly rubbed circles on the side of my head. It helped me to calm down most of the time, although, I wasn't so sure it was going to help me much this time.
My hands shook at just the thought of waiting tables. I had no experience and the feeling left me empty. I didn’t want to mess everything up and end up jobless and homeless once again. I couldn't make Jace look bad and at his own diner.
Finally, I looked up from the table to see that I had less than an hour to get ready and to the diner. I panicked.
I jumped up from the chair and ran back to my room, nearly tripping over my own two feet. I flew face first into the dresser as I reached out to catch myself. I quickly opened every single drawer to the dresser, throwing everything that I owned out onto the floor around me. It was really becoming a bad habit.
“Damn. What do I wear?” I held up my favorite T-shirt shortly before throwing it down next to me. Then I yanked out a pair of faded jeans and my only pair of Converse sneakers.
Forty minutes later I was showered, dressed and standing outside waiting for the taxi. The taxi arrived with fifteen minutes left to spare. I sprinted over to the old taxi sticking my head inside to get a peak. To my surprise, it was the same man as the last two times. I had to admit, that I was kind of still embarrassed by our last encounter.
“
The Indy Go
," I said, with a smile, hoping that he wouldn't bring up the money situation.
He looked out the window staring at me as he struggled to roll it down. He tilted his head and took a deep breath. “Do you have cash this time, ma'am?"
I nodded my head
He looked me up and down with a look of surprise on his round face and returned the smile. "Get in," he said. “That place has some good fried chicken. Are you going there for a lunch date?” he questioned.
I shook my head and searched through my purse. “No. I am actually starting work there today.” I found the ten-dollar bill, pulling it from out of my purse. “Here you go. Sorry but I’m in a bit of a hurry.”
“Sure thing. No problem, ma’am. I'm just your guy," he said proudly.
The rest of the cab ride was silent. I was sure that by me hurrying him had made him feel uneasy about starting up a conversation. It was fine, though. I wasn't much for conversation and never really knew what to say.
We pulled up to the diner with only two minutes to spare. I sat up anxiously and looked out the window. “Thank you.” I
jumped out the door, taxi nearly still moving, and ran for the door of the diner.
I stopped dead in my tracks and took a long deep breath before reaching out for the door handle. My hands shook as I whispered words of encouragement. “You can do this. Stay calm," I breathed.
I pulled the door open, eyes wide, to see families gathered around the diner, most of them laughing and playing with each other. Little kids playfully chased each other around while their mothers reached out for them laughing and playing back. I swallowed hard as a lump formed in my throat.
“Avery. You made it.” Jace suddenly stepped out from behind the counter greeting me with a friendly smile. He looked good, in a plain back tee and dark denim jeans. His smile made it even better. “I’m glad that you woke up in time.” He looked excited to see me. It made me strangely happy.
I nodded my head and turned away from the happy families as I fought to catch my breath. “Yes. I did. I got lucky, really." I forced a smile and looked him in the eye. “Thank you.”
“Not a problem.” Jace ran his hand through his styled hair and waved his arm out in front of him. "Let me show you around."
A short man in about his mid-fifties suddenly stepped out from behind the counter reaching for my open hand. It startled me. His white slicked hair glistened in the lighting as he chuckled and looked me up and down in wonder. Why damn! I'm Winston, the cook. I make all of the great food in this diner." He grinned and looked at Jace, before looking back at me. “You must be, Avery, the pretty new waitress that Jace told me about.” He elbowed Jace in the side and raised an eyebrow.
Jace smirked and lightly squeezed Winston's shoulder. "The word I used was beautiful, Winston." He smiled playfully and reached for my hand. He didn't looked embarrassed one bit, having Winston call him out like that. “Come on.”
My heart sped up at the sound of the word beautiful. He had said it once and even then, I couldn't believe it. I pulled my hand from out of his tight grip and nervously bit my lip. He touched excessively and it bothered me. “Okay. I’m ready.”
Jace looked down at my hand and smiled. “This here is the kitchen.” I followed him around the corner and into a tiny
kitchen. It was complete with two stoves, a large deep fryer, two freezers and a fridge.
He quickly pointed out the dressings, desserts, salad condiments and breads before guiding me over to the server station. The server station was a tiny area with a computer, napkins, silverware settings and a place to put your belongings.
It was a lot different from the club I had grown used to going to. There were no half-naked girls, fighting for the best outfit or snatching up my makeup, tainting it with their filthy lips.
“Jace,” I paused, trying to find a way to thank him. “Thanks again for…this.”
Jace smiled, placing his hand on my lower back and giving me a light shove toward the computer. “This is where you will place your orders. The orders will then go back to the kitchen and Winston will prepare your food.”
He stepped away from the computer and pointed over to the heated counter right outside the kitchen. That sucker was so hot that I could feel the heat radiating off it. Either
that or it was just Jace. Either way, I started to sweat. "That there is where Winston will leave the food when it's ready."
I looked around, confused as to how I was going to manage to pull everything off and make it through the day. I waved my arms in front of me to cool off. It didn't help. “I don’t know-“
"Don't worry.” Jace cut in. He smiled and looked me in the eye. He always looked me in the eye, making me nervous. In some ways, I believed that he meant to. “I'm sure that it will be a lot to take in, but Stacy will be here to help you."
I glanced up at him feeling a bit overwhelmed. My eye twitched and I secretly tried shaking it off. "I'm going to guess that Stacy was the waitress that messed up my order the other day," I questioned
I felt the presence of someone behind me before a hand gripped my shoulder and squeezed. I swiftly turned around me to see the young girl from the other day. Her blue eyes gleamed with joy as she pushed her blond strands out of her face. "I'm Stacy," she said. "I'm sorry about the other day. I would like to start fresh." She smiled at me revealing her small set of dimples.