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Kendall held up her menu and studied it. “We haven’t decided,” she said dismissively, and I glanced around the rest of the booth, hoping someone would give me their order.
They didn’t.
“I’ll give you some time.” I hurried away, trying to catch my breath. Cindy breezed out of the door with her table’s order, shooting me a smile as she made her way over. On her return, Kendall called her over, and I watched in horror as Cindy leaned down to listen. They both glanced over at me, and my whole face exploded with crimson. When Cindy turned back, Kendall narrowed her eyes in challenge.
I couldn’t move. My hands curled around the edge of the counter until I felt the edge biting into my palm. The seconds ticked by painfully slow until Cindy returned, her mouth pulled into a grim smile. The blood had drained from my knuckles, but I managed to force a smile.
“Did something happen with table five?” Her voice was low.
“No, why?”
“She said you were rude. You can’t speak to customers like that, Becca.” Her eyes went wide as if to hammer home her point.
“She said that?” Of course, she did. “I…” What was the point? Cindy’s mind was made up. What was that saying? The customer was always right? “Should I go back and get their order?”
She shook her head. “No, I think it’d be better if I go. You check on table three and don’t mess it up, okay? We rely on tips around here.”
Cindy made her way back to Kendall’s table, her wide smile matching the smug grin on Kendall’s face. The girl was pure evil.
Another table came in, and I kept myself busy taking their order and waiting for Mitch to call for service. I watched the hatch like a hawk, but it was a better alternative to facing Kendall. They’d finished their food, and Cindy had delivered their check. Soon, they would be gone, and I would be able to breathe again.
Mitch slid three plates onto the counter, and I loaded them into my hands, paying extra attention to the plate balanced up my arm. Certain I had good enough balance, I made my way over to the table. There was no choice but to pass Kendall’s booth since they’d chosen a middle one, but no one paid me any attention as I passed them.
Or so I thought.
I heard the snickers, but it was too late. My foot stumbled over someone’s leg, and the plates went crashing to the floor, burgers and fries rolling all over the place.
“Oopsie,” Kendall sang in a sickly-sweet voice as Cindy came rushing over.
“Jesus, Becca.” She got on the floor with me to clear up the smashed dinnerware.
“What’s going on out there?” Mitch’s gruff voice shouted from out back, and Cindy waved her arm as if he was standing right there. “Nothing I can’t handle.”
“Go and apologize to table three, take them a round of drinks on the house, and tell them Mitch will cook them up something fresh.” Cindy’s jaw clenched, and I murmured, “Okay.”
Even the low rumble of laughter as I backtracked to the counter didn’t perforate the embarrassment I felt. Red-faced, I dealt with table three, throwing in that it was only my first shift. They seemed understanding enough but the free round of drinks probably helped. Cindy fetched a brush and pan to sweep up the mess. I couldn’t believe my eyes as a couple of the guys helped her, making jokes and laughing as if they were all old friends. All while Kendall’s eyes followed me around the diner, burning into me, as I tried to keep busy. So I kept wiping tables, straightening menus, and talking to table three. Anything to avoid meeting her icy stare.
Eventually, they left. One of the girls shouted, “See you at school Monday, Becca,” and the rest of them had erupted with laughter.
Cindy eyed me warily, and I sighed. “I messed up. I’m sorry. It won’t happen again.”
Her frown deepened, and she smiled sadly. “Don’t worry about it, sugar. Everyone left happy, so that’s all that matters.” She patted me on the shoulder as she rounded me and whispered, “Mitch doesn’t like trouble.”
I gaped after her as she went to take an order. Couldn’t she see that trouble was the last thing I wanted? I just wanted to go to school and make friends and hold down a shitty job serving greasy burgers to people. I didn’t want any of this.
But I’d learned a long time ago that what you wanted and what you got were often two very different things.
* * *
“So how did it go?”Mom pulled out a chair, and I dropped into it with a heavy sigh.
“It was…”Awful. Horrible. Painful.“Fine.”
“Fine? Come on, Becca. Did you enjoy it? Meet any nice people?” Dad placed down a can of soda in front of me and pulled out the other chair. “This is a good thing, sweetheart.”
“I know, Dad.” I popped the top and took a drink, letting the fizz wash away my stale breath. “Mitch seemed okay, and Cindy was nice. I’m working Sundays, Tuesdays, and Thursdays. It’s a start.”
“Damn right it is, kid.”
