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CHAPTER SEVEN pogues for life, right?
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"CAMI." JJ'S VOICE woke me up, along with the fact that he was shaking my leg.
"Cami." he shook my leg again.
"Cami, Cami, Cami."
"JJ, I'm tryna sleep." I pushed him off me.
"Señor Carrera is pissed, I suggest getting up right now."
Considering the fact that I was half asleep, I had completely forgotten that I was meant to speak to Mike today. The only thing I wanted to do was sleep away this hangover, but the universe had other plans for me.
"Where is he?" I sighed, buttoning up my flannel.
"Porch."
"Pray for me, J."
"I have been." he laughed softly.
I strolled out of the front door, the morning breeze hitting me as I noticed my boss leaning against the wooden pillar. He was always a serious man, but I had never seen him look so serious.
"We need to talk, Camille."
"Figured."
"Sit down, please." he pulled a chair out for me, and another for himself.
He took a deep breath before looking in my direction, his eyes ridden with disappointment.
"The restaurant got a call last night, from a very reputable customer."
"'Reputable' my ass." I thought to myself at the indirect mention of Rafe.
"I presume you know what you did, and to say the least, I'm embarrassed. You've been with us for a long time, so you should know full well about the zero-tolerance policy we have for verbal abuse of our customers. And stealing."
"Wait, stealing? I- I didn't steal anything, Mike." I stuttered in confusion, barely able to process the claim of verbal abuse.
"Well, after the call last night, I decided to check CCTV footage- which clearly showed you taking food from the refrigerator. I can show you the evidence, if you'd like."
"Put that on my tab, I can work extra shifts to make up for it. I'll even do the dishes."
"That won't be necessary. We've decided to let you go, Camille."
My heart sank at the sound of his words. I had devoted 2 years of my life to that job, and just with a simple phone call it had gone to waste. Both mine and my mom's only source of income was The Wreck, and without it we'd struggle more than we were already.
"Mike, please. I have too much riding on this job. You know me, you know I'll make it up to you. I'll work triple shifts, I'll—"
"My decision is final, I'm sorry." he cut me off, my chest tightening as I felt myself starting to cry.
My head fell into my palms, not having enough strength to hold back the flood of tears. The opposite chair creaked as Mike tucked it in, leaving me alone on the porch. My throat let out numerous soft sobs as I continued crying, the thought of all the people I had disappointed rushing to my brain.
I had disappointed Mike, a man I thought so highly of. He was a great boss, and he put a surprising amount of trust into me as a 17 year-old.
I had disappointed Kie, my best friend. She was kind enough to look out for me when the whole island had something against me, and I repaid her by embarrassing her further. It was embarrassing to simply be friends with me, let alone with how I acted yesterday.
I had disappointed John B, another one of my friends. He was so great to me, and I just used him as something to get back at Rafe. He cared about me, and I just cared about some stupid Pogues vs Kooks vendetta.
I had disappointed my younger self. Every day for 14 years, I'd dreamed of owning a house on Figure 8. I worked so hard to make a living for myself, yet I was the one to dump it down the drain.
Most importantly, I would disappoint my mom. She was just starting to get better, and I ruined it for her. She relied on me so much, trusting me to be the adult of the household from such a young age. We could barely afford to pay the bills as it was, but now without a steady income, we had nothing. I left her with nothing.
"Cami? Oh my God, my dad just told me what happened." Kie rushed to hug me, the boys close behind her. She rested her head on my shoulder, her arms wrapped around mine.
"I'm so sorry." I sobbed, choking on my tears. "I'm sorry."
They were the only words I found the courage to say, despite the various emotions I was feeling. All I could do was say sorry, knowing I had let almost everyone who's ever cared for me down.
"Shh, don't apologise. You did nothing wrong." she took my hair and gathered it out of my face, tying it back loosely with a hair tie.
"God, my mom's gonna be heartbroken. I've fucked everything for her."
"May's an alcoholic. If anything, she fucked herself over."
"But, she was getting better. I promise you, she's getting better. And- and now I've made us get in shit." I cried, struggling to find air to breathe.
"How many times has she tried to get better, and what did she end up doing? Drinking. Don't waste your tears on her."
"It's not all about her, Kie. I'm fucking broke. I lost my only job, and God knows I'm gonna lose the house by the end of the month. I don't have anything left going for me."
"Don't say that." John B intruded. "You have us."
I stopped crying for a second, feeling slight comfort in his words. Although Kiara was my closest friend in the group, it felt nice to know the others still cared.
"Pogues for life, right?" I chuckled through my tears.
"Pogues for life." everyone replied in unison, pulling me into a group hug.
I cherished the moment for a few minutes, never having felt more complete in my life. Knowing I had 4 amazing people I could confide in meant the world to me, especially in times like these. My vulnerability was something I would usually keep to myself, but opening up brought me some relief- almost as if weight had been taken off my shoulders for a brief second.
"Is my longboard still in The Twinkie?" I asked as everyone released out of the hug.
"Yeah, why?"
"I should probably get home, make sure my mom's still alive."
"We'll drive you." John B added on.
"Y'all have done enough for me, really. Plus, I could use the time to clear my head."
