The End Zone

Chapter 15

"Shit, I'm so late!"

A flood of curses streams through my head as my bra gets caught in my hair- how is that even possible- and I rustle through my closet for my uniform. Hopping out as I slip one sock on, I rush towards the door and, of course, end up slipping and falling on my ass.

"Woah," Raj calls from the kitchen, rushing over to help me up. "Slow down, Amelia. You'll break your neck."

"Today's my last day at the cafe and I'm late," I say, picking myself up.

"Eat before you go," Raj insists. "Breakfast is the most important meal of the day."

"I would but I really have to-"

I'm cut off as Zack strides over and stuffs a slice of toast into my mouth. Our eyes match for a second but neither of us says anything. He clears his throat and returns to the kitchen without a word.

What was I doing?

Oh yeah. I'm late.

"See you later!" I shout before slipping out of the door.

I clock in exactly at 9:45 AM. Exactly when Will clocks in. One of the bonuses of quitting this job and starting my internship is that I don't have to deal with Will's passive aggressive attitude anymore. Like, I get that our "relationship" ended on a bad note but that doesn't mean he has to huff and puff at me any time we're in the same room. We went on three dates.

"Last day?" he asks, crossing his arms over his chest. I nod and he nudges his chin over to where a smiling blonde girl is refilling the hot cocoa mix. "They've replaced you with a girl who doesn't even know how to clock in."

"I'm sure she's fine. Everyone struggles a little when they're new," I reply.

"Huh," he says. "You have fun training her then."

I do, in fact, have fun training her. Her name is Rose and she's on the quiet side but she smiles a lot and is eager to learn.

"I've never had a job before," she explains as I show her around the supply room. "My parents are super strict about my studies so I, like, never leave the house. I'm sorry if I'm a slow learner."

I let out a short laugh. "I totally get it," I say. "And don't worry. You're doing great." We circle around to the walk-in fridge. "This is the walk-in where we keep all the dairy products. Do you know where we keep the creamers in the front?"

She pauses, blinking her round green eyes. "No... sorry."

"You don't have to apologize," I say. "We like to keep just a couple by the register to have on-hand." I list through all the products then ask, "Do you know how to take your break yet?"

She shakes her head so I show her the buttons on the register then lead her to the breakroom.

"This is where we hang out during breaks," I say as we start to approach the room. From a distance, I can hear Will and some of the other guys talking. I'm about to walk away when I hear my name.

"Amelia? Yeah, she's quitting, right?" One of the newer hires, Daryl asks.

"Today's her last day," Lewis says. "Did you see the new girl, though? She's fine. Solid 10 out of 10. Finally we get a decent looking bitch in here."

My hand stays frozen on the door handle.

"Come on," Daryl says. "Amelia's not bad."

"Her face is alright," Lewis says with a shrug. "If she wasn't so skinny. She has the body of a 12 year old."

"Amelia... " Rose whispers but I hold out a hand to stop her from continuing.

The guys laugh and I hear Daryl say, "Woah, be careful. Will's still aching from his rejection from her."

"Yeah, right," Will snorts. "You know, she flirts with me at work 24/7 then I finally agree to take her out and she spends the whole night obsessed with her ex. I dropped her in a second. It's always the quiet ones that are crazy." He shakes his head. "Besides, with all that makeup, she's maybe a six out of ten but one swipe and it's all over."

The other guys chime in with "so true, man" and nods of agreement.

"Did you hit, though?" Daryl asks.

"Fuck, no," Will says. "I considered it but, honestly? She's built like a toothpick and she was so damn boring. I wouldn't touch her if you paid me-"

"You're one to talk," I say, barging in.

The room turns silent as the guys exchange looks. As if in agreement, they all burst out into laughter.

"Is something funny?" I say.

"Look at her face, man," Daryl says. He turns to me. "Come on, Amelia. Don't be mad. You know it's just a joke."

"So making fun of my appearance is a joke now?" I say.

Lewis rolls his eyes. "I swear, chicks are so sensitive. Why are you eavesdropping anyway?"

Gaslighting. Something I've become all too familiar with.

"I'm not being sensitive," I say, ignoring the way my heart is racing. "Even children know you aren't supposed to talk about others like that. Don't you have any fucking respect?"

"Look, we're sorry, okay?" Daryl says dismissively. "Feel better now?"

"No," I say. "I want an apology. A real one."

They scoff at each other but I continue to stare, not matching their smiles.

"It must be that time of the month, huh?" Will asks, which of course results in smirks from the other guys.

I sigh. "Rose and I need to get back to work. Although you guys seem to have some obsession with talking about me, I'd prefer if you act like we don't know each other. As for the apology, it's pretty clear that you've never been taught manners so I won't expect more." I turn to Will. "And for the record, based on the way you kiss, I wouldn't fuck you if someone paid me either."

They snicker as I turn away but I keep walking. It should surprise me more that Will, who seemed like a semi-decent guy, turned out to be another misogynistic prick.

"Amelia," Rose starts but I stop her, putting on a smile.

"Come on," I say. "Let me show you the ice machine."