“How was school?” Gloria asked, slipping me a piece of peach pie.
“Fine. What’s this for?”
“I made it this morning. Thought you might like some since there’s a lull in the crowd right now. I remember what those school lunches were like back in my day. I have a feeling they probably haven’t gotten much better.” Her face scrunched up in disgust.
“Um, actually, Ethan made me a sandwich last night. I hope that’s okay. I didn’t even think, but I should’ve paid for it. I’ll pay for it now.” I reached for my purse.
“You’ll do no such thing.” Gloria took my purse and put it back behind the counter. “I insist you pack your lunch from here every day. You got that? I’m not going to have you get sick eating the mush they pass off as food in that place. I need you here to help me. If that costs me lunch five days a week, then so be it. You can make up for it by taking a few of my tables.”
I smiled. Having Gloria around was like working for my grandmother. She kept me well fed in exchange for doing work around the house—or, in this case, the diner. In a way she made it a little easier to be away from my family.
“You’re the best, Gloria.”
“I know. It’s a curse.” She playfully waved a dishcloth at me. “Now eat. I’m expecting the after-school crowd in about fifteen minutes.”
I ate my pie and brewed a fresh pot of coffee. No sooner had I wiped the counter when a crowd of kids came in.
They sat in a big booth in the back corner, and they were loud. I recognized a few faces, but luckily I didn’t see Shannon. I took a deep breath, grabbed a handful of menus, and walked over to their table.
“Hi, can I start you off with some drinks while you look over the menu?”
“Yeah, I’ll have a root beer,” the big guy in the varsity football jacket said.
The girl next to him smacked his arm. “Don’t you dare order yet. Shannon’s not here. She’ll kill you if you get your drink before she does.”
I rolled my eyes. Why did people hang out with Shannon if she was such a royal bitch?
“I’ll come back.” I turned and started walking away.
“No you won’t.”
I stopped and sighed. Shannon was here.
“I want a diet birch beer, and don’t water it down with a bunch of ice. I only want six cubes. I said cubes, not crushed ice. Got it?”
I turned around to face her. “Sorry, we don’t have diet birch beer. We have regular birch beer or diet cola. Take your pick. And as for the ice, it comes out of a machine. You get what you get.”
She glared at me, and the vein in her forehead twitched. “I want to speak to your manager.”
“Sure.” I smiled and walked back to the counter, leaving Shannon standing there with her arms crossed.
“What are you smiling about?” Gloria asked. “That girl looks like she just gave you a mouthful.”
“Oh, she did. She’s a fun one, and she asked to speak with you. She wants to know why there’s no diet birch beer and why I can’t give her exactly six cubes of ice in her drink. I’m sure she’ll have some choice words about my attitude, too.”
“Snotty little high-school brat,” Gloria mumbled before pasting a fake smile on her face and walking over to Shannon.
I pretended not to watch as I refilled coffee for a couple near the door, but it was hard not to stare. Gloria started off nice—for about a whole two seconds, because that was all Shannon gave her before she went off on a tirade about rude employees and not meeting the customer’s needs.
Gloria let her rant for a minute before she put her hand up. “You can stop right there.”
Shannon stepped back in shock. “Excuse me?”
“That’s enough. I’m not going to have you come into my establishment, making impossible demands, and insulting my best waitress—”
“If she’s your best waitress, then this place has more problems than I thought.”
“I’m not finished, so you shut your mouth, or I’ll throw your sizezero behind right out that door. I have the right to refuse service to anyone, and right now, I’m refusing to serve you.”
My smile was so wide I could’ve fit an entire slice of peach pie in my mouth. Ethan was peeking through the window on the kitchen door. The kids with Shannon stared in horror, waiting for Shannon’s comeback.
“How dare you, you old hag!” Shannon was bright red, and she stepped toward Gloria.
Without thinking, I stormed over to her, grabbed her arm, and yanked her back. “Don’t talk to Gloria that way. She told you to leave, so leave before I call the cops.”
Shannon laughed in my face. “What, you think you’re going to make me leave? I’ll have you on the ground crying before you lay another finger on me. You have no idea who you’re messing with.”
Something inside me burst. Maybe it was pent-up anger, maybe it was petty girl-fight instincts, but I lost it. I wasn’t about to throw down with Shannon and mess up the diner, so I hit her where it hurt most.
“I guess when the guy you like dumps you and the entire school finds out about it, the way you get over the humiliation is picking on someone who’s old enough to be your mother.” Really it was more like grandmother, but I didn’t want to insult Gloria. It was Shannon I was trying to hurt.
“You bitch!” Shannon lunged for me, but Ethan was already out of the kitchen and pinning her arms behind her.
“That’s it. You’re out of here.” He pushed her out the door and let it slam behind her. She turned around to face him, but he yelled through the glass. “Take one step toward this place, and I’ll have the cops here before you can take a swing.” He held up his cell to show he was serious.
Shannon screamed and stormed over to the window where her friends were sitting. She smacked the glass with her open palm to get their attention. “Let’s go!”
“We haven’t eaten yet,” the big football player complained.
“Come on,” the girl next to him said, obviously not happy about having to leave either.
They filed out, giving Ethan and me dirty looks in the process. Yup, I was officially going to have a crappy school year.
“Sorry,” I said to Gloria. Now that it was over, what I’d said to Shannon registered. I couldn’t believe I’d brought up Trevor. I really was a monster.
“You have nothing to be sorry about. That one there is a bad seed. There’s nothing else to be said about it.” Gloria turned to the customers who’d witnessed the outburst. “Free peach pie all around.”
Smiles and nods let me know all was forgotten. Ethan kissed my forehead and headed back to the kitchen while I sliced up the pie. When everyone had a piece, I wiped down the booth where the kids had been, trying to erase all memory of them and Shannon.
The bell above the door jingled, and I looked up to see Nora. I followed her to the counter.
“You didn’t pay your bill last time. I’m not serving you anything until you give me the $1.75 you owe Gloria for the coffee.”
Nora reached in her purse and picked through her loose change until she had $1.75 exactly. No tip. Again. I grabbed the money and put it in the register. Then I purposely started refilling the saltshaker right in front of her.
Nora got up and moved two stools away from me. “Coffee. Black.”
“In a minute. I’m busy.” I continued to slowly pour the salt into the shaker.
“Do I need to throw her out, too?” Gloria asked. “This is bad for business, you know.” By the look on her face, I could tell she wasn’t going to put up with me not getting along with any more customers today.
“No. It’s fine. She tried to stiff you on the bill last time. I made her pay up. I’ll get her some coffee.”
Gloria nodded and went into the kitchen.
I poured the coffee, not even caring that I was spilling it onto the saucer under the cup. Let Nora drip coffee on her green dress. Wow, another green dress. Did she own any other clothes?