It All Started With A Tampon

(16)

I walk into Kenny's, and I'm swarmed by Katherine.

"Oh my goodness!" She screams. "What happened Gemma?"

"Oh, don't worry." I say, wiping a glob of butter icing out of my hair. "It was just an accident." 

"Oh Gemma." She coos. "Go out back to the house and have a shower. You can borrow some one Bianca's clothes." I smile gratefully, and leave out the back door, into Kenny's and Katherine's house. I take a shower, and rinse off everything. Uh. They have such good aim. I rinse my mouth out, my teeth covered in sugar. I can practically feel them turning brown. Mark stuck true to his word. He plastered cupcakes all over the floor and I had to eat every last one of them. I feel disgusting. In the end, Luke actually won the cupcake challenge. I think the whole stuffing six cupcakes in my bra and underwear really pushed him over the line. I get out the shower, and sift through Bianca's clothes. Bianca is Kenny and Katherine's daughter. She's twenty three, and is at college studying to be a lawyer. She's a lot taller than me, like everyone else, so the only thing that really kind of fits me is a short white sundress of hers. I fix my hair, and check myself in the mirror. Meh. It will have to do. My hair is doubling my hair as it speaks. Dammit. I quickly grab an apple from their kitchen. They won't mind, I used to practically live here on the weekends during the summers. Josh would be at college, and Mark would be at football camps. I chuck the core out, and head back into the restaurant, through the kitchen.

"Hey Gem." Ryan says, sitting at the bench. "Thanks for taking my shift the other day."

"No problem." I mumble, putting on my apron over my dress. "How did your date go?" He grimaces, and shrugs.

"It was ok." He says. "She wasn't really right for me." He stares thoughtfully at me. "You look very pretty today." I blush, and smile. 

"Thanks Ryan." I say, sitting down. My shift doesn't start for another five minutes. "I needed that." He smiles.

"You should wear dresses like that more often." He says. "You look really good in them." I smile shyly. "Do you wanna go to a movie sometime?" My heart leaps.

"I-I'm-Of course." I spit out quickly. "I'd love to." He grins. 

"Cool." He says. "I'll pick you up Saturday night. Seven?" I nod quickly, and he leaves. I jump up and down, squealing. I run around the table, so happy. Finally. He likes me. Ryan likes me.

"What are you doing?" I whirl around, to find Ben laughing at me. 

"Nothing!" I yelp quickly. He chuckles, and starts to prep the food for the dinner start. 

"Was The Gemma Next Door actually having fun?" 

"No." I protest. "I mean- Yeah. But-"

"Gemma." He cuts me off. "It's cool." I blush, and race into the restaurant, before I have to answer anymore questions. I see Charlie, and smile. She said she was going to meet me here so I could help her with her calculus. She freely admits that she's horrible, and I have to agree.

"Are you ok?" She asks frantically. "I couldn't find you in lunch, and then I saw you running from school, covered in-"

"I'm fine." I assure her. "Don't worry about it." She looks at me doubtfully, then nods. 

"Ok." She says. "Fine. I'll just stay here, drowning in quadratic equations." I giggle, and start to wait tables. "I'll help you between tables."

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I collapse into a chair next to Charlie, and she giggles, stuffing a piece of bread in my mouth.

"Eat, my child." I chew mindlessly. It was so busy tonight. I can't feel my legs. "Come on." She says. "I'll take you home." We leave, and we drive out. "Who was that guy that was working with you?" She asks.