When peer pressure pushes Lenny to try out a new dating app, she starts to realize that the past may not always define the future.
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Lenny Harlow wants a lot of things, but a boyfriend isn't...
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AFTER A GRUELING ORGANIC CHEMISTRY lesson, I made my way to Professor Chantrea's office. The building was a good distance away from the heart of campus, which I thought was a good thing. Of course, my legs didn't like all the walking it took to get there, especially when I'd have to be at Sweet Cube in less than an hour. That would mean walking back, and spending the next two hours on my feet.
If my legs didn't quit on me by the end of the day, I'd treat myself.
• • •
"YOU'RE LATE." I WAS MET with a glare and an apron being shoved in my face as soon as I got into the employee's only area. Even better, it was Nash's doing. I thought Irene was going to welcome me with a fake smile and tell me all the reasons why I wasn't a fit for the job-the major reason being that I was late on the first day-but she was nowhere in sight.
"Sorry," I mumbled, taking the apron from him. "It's a long walk from-"
"Let me through."
Oh? Well, ouch. "Um, okay. But, what am I supposed to-"
"Terrence is in there." He jabbed his thumb to the left. "He'll tell you what to do. Have fun."
The afternoon was already off to a terrible start. Adding the embarrassment I was feeling to the strain and fatigue in my leg muscles, I was pretty certain I wouldn't made it through till my shift was over.
The door to the left swung open and the man I'd met at the counter last week strolled out carrying a stack of plates. He stopped when he saw me. "Oh, hey. You get dish duty. All you gotta do is load the washers. And uh ... see if you can come around the kitchen."
I followed Terrence into another room-it had a corner set aside for dish washing, I assumed, since it was stacked with dishwashers of various sizes. They were three in number.
"Yeah, so, this is your work station for today. When you're done loading 'em, you can go out front. Dina had to leave early, so I'm filling for em in the meantime. My shift ends in thirty minutes, so be quick." He frowned at me, eyes trailing up and down my body. "If Irene gets here before you leave, you might want to see her about getting a staff t-shirt."
And with that, he was gone.
My apron-sporting self had never used a dishwasher before. I couldn't believe no one had bothered to ask if I knew how to work them. I mean, it couldn't be that hard, but why did no one care about experience? Irene hadn't even said anything about doing dishes. It felt like an insult of some sort, but at least I wasn't cleaning toilets.
I took to stacking the dishes (and cups) appropriately inside the dishwasher. All those white American movies I'd seen with Leah had to come in handy someday. I guess today was that day. When it came to switching it on, I pressed whatever button stood out the most to me and waited until I could hear the swishing of water, or anything resembling a whirring sound. I didn't know what I was doing, but I hadn't done any damage so far.
