Mafia by Blood (wlw)

8 - We're okay

"You didn't!" Marley exclaimed, covering her mouth with her hand.

"Shh! Not so loud" Mac whispered glancing around nervously. The last thing she wanted was to attract unwanted attention from Christina and her entire group of cheerleaders who were sitting a few tables away from them in the cafeteria.

"And she was gone when you woke up?" Marley asked, her eyes wide with curiosity.

"Yes," Mac replied, lowering her voice further. "Well, she sent a message saying she had to go to work, but it's weird because the earliest shift at Olivia starts at nine, and she was gone before seven..."

"That's odd," Marley mused. "How was it this time, though? Compared to last time? At least I can tell from your neck that you had a good time," she grinned mischievously. Mac felt the blood rush to her cheeks as she instinctively brought her hand to her neck, where she knew a red and purple mark was visible. She had tried to cover it with makeup that morning, but it had worn off.

"Both times were magical in their own ways," Mac admitted, a dreamy look in her eyes. "But there's something about her. Sometimes she just disappears from work without saying anything and doesn't come back."

Mac hadn't had that many shifts with the dark-haired girl yet, but she had a habit of disappearing without explanation.

"Maybe she was just going to the doctor or something? Don't overthink it," Marley suggested.

"I'll try," Mac replied, though she knew it was easier said than done. "How's your love life then?" she asked, eager to shift the focus away from her own complicated feelings.

"Funny you should ask that..." she started and smiled to herself, "but -".

"Hey girls" Jackson interrupted and plopped down next to the blonde and set his tray of food down. He was dressed in his usual football clothes, which he wore almost every day.

"Hey Jackson" Marley smiled and leaned her head in her hand. Jackson smiled back at her before turning his gaze to Mac.

"I don't think your ex is a big fan of you sitting here with us all the time," Mac joked, glancing discreetly behind her. Christina's angry eyes were glaring at them.

"She thinks she owns me," Jackson sighed in frustration and shook his head, "but screw her. How did it go with Noelle yesterday? Are you two bffs now?" he asked a little annoyed. Mac looked at Marley who pursed her lips and tried to hold back a laugh.

"Something like that" Mac smiled, realizing that Jackson didn't know that she also liked girls. She noticed he was staring at her neck, most likely at the love mark Noelle had left.

"I burned myself on the straightener this morning" Mac lied, he didn't need to know anything. He nodded to himself, buying Mac's cover story. Her hair wasn't even that straight, but what do boys know about that stuff?

-

As the clock neared closing time, Mac tried to keep her composure as a customer entered the restaurant. "Was that all?" she asked, forcing a polite smile as the woman approached the counter.

"Yes, and I'm also eating here," the woman replied, her tone clipped as she placed her card on the payment terminal.

"Well, we close in 15 minutes, which is about as long as your food will take," Mac tried to explain in a nice way, but she didn't seem to understand. The woman's toddler sat on the ground as he waited impatiently for his mother to pay attention to him again.

"You should have said that before I paid. Now I've paid to sit here, so I'm sitting here," she demanded, crossing her arms.

"No, you actually paid for take-out..." Mac said and handed her the receipt. Karen glanced briefly on it, before opening her mouth again.