HEARTLESS //HS

Chapter 68

'You found fame and it was fleeting

You became someone else's star'

~Somone else's star~ FINNEAS

Thea Hayden

Summer '22

The heat was dripping down my back as I was running around the floor trying to serve the copious amounts of milkshakes to a bunch of fourteen-year olds in the booth by the corner window.

75 was packed with tourists and the regulars making it so congested that nobody could walked through to serve or take any orders. Fiona had to come in this morning because of the rush despite working till six this morning.

The extra money was something we desperately needed and were very fucking happy to accept. Our apartment is nearly done, we just need to put in new air condition since it broke the first hot week of the year. So, the extra shifts will help us get it quicker and fend off the half working fan that the guys and I put in in January.

Dollar store mini fans as well are something that dies very quickly, it doesn't supply enough air and does not cool anyone down at all. I tried to maneuver one to cling to Wyatt's crib and keep him cool throughout the night.

This has been one of the most humid summers so far and it's only the tail end of June. The place does look really fucking nice though. We painted the entire thing and got semi new appliances for the kitchen. We spruced up the place and made it into a home , for now at least.

"Here ya'll go." I smiled as I placed the shakes down while they all took the ones they ordered and had asked for a round of fries. "Coming right up." I sighed and turned back around and squeezed through the crowds of people and hopped over the counter to get behind it.

"Shawn! Fries!" I shouted as he acknowledges me, and I picked up the burger and coke that table five had ordered. I saw Niall's blonde hair out of the corner of my eye as the boys trailed in after, I knew Sloan wouldn't be coming since she decided to do an extra semester this summer so that this fall, she would be in her second semester of her junior year and graduate Fall of next year.

If people don't learn how to fucking walk, then I'm going to on a murdering spree, this might just be my villain origin story.

"T! Where do we sit?!" Liam shouted as I rolled my eyes and glanced and attempted to shout over my shoulder. "Anywhere that's not taken!" I shoved a few people out of my way while trying my best to balance the food and make sure I make it to the table with everything intact.

I stumbled my way through and saw the table I was heading to and was three steps away from gently placing it down in front of the man reading a copy of the Odessey and flicking his lighter open and closed.

There was a frat boy from Nyu that was attempting to get to his friends while he bumped into me making me trip over his feet and the plate go flying up into the air and crashing down onto the floor and the man's drink flying and cracking onto his table while spilling all over him.

I landed with my hands in front of me plastered to the floor and my knees bolted to the ground. I felt red rising onto my cheeks in pure embarrassment. The guy started apologizing profusely as I just lifted my hand up indicating him to stop as I breathed in calmly and kept my eyes remaining shut.

"Fuck me." I sighed and leaned back onto my legs and opened my eyes to wipe down the smears of ketchup from my apron and jean shorts. I took the broken plate from the floor as I saw black shoes in my line of sight and then said black shoes crouch down with black skinny jeaned legs.

"Are you alright?" an accent rippled through me making me physically pause and pain myself to look up. "Miss?" they repeated as I gazed up finally to see a sweet man. His hair was pulled back into a low bun with a few fly aways of his black hair in the rim of the clear frame.