The Unspoken Game

Late Night at Blake's

Life as a teenage girl was already hard as it is.

My life was no different. If anything, it was more challenging than a majority of people's lives.

Forced out of my home country at eighteen due to war, I lost everything—my family, friends, and the world I knew.

When I turned eighteen, my parents made the executive decision, without my input, mind you, to enroll me in an American university.

They didn't want the rest of my teenage years to be surrounded by war, death, and pain, so they sent me to some random school in Laramie, Wyoming.

If only they knew what would come of their plan.

* * *

"Rory, can you grab table three? Julie just sat a couple there!"

"Yeah, I got you, Mr. Blake!" I replied, grabbing my notepad from the diner counter. I tucked it into my apron and headed to the greeter's stand, snatching two menus.

So far, my second year of uni had been a blur of late nights at Blake's Diner, hellish classes for my chemical engineering major, and hanging out with my girlfriend Blue and roommate Emmerson.

It's a grind. One I never get a break from.

"Hi, welcome to Blake's Diner. I'm Aurora, and I'll be your server today. Can I start you off with anything to drink?" I slid the plastic menus in front of the couple, notepad ready in hand.

"Water with lemon and ice," the woman with caramel blonde hair muttered, eyes glued to her phone.

"And for you?" I glanced at the man, who actually looked up at me.

"Hi Aurora, how are you? I'll take the same," he said with a tired smile., apathetically smiling up at me.

"I'm great, thank you for asking! I'll be right back with those drinks." I nodded and promptly turned around, my wispy bangs falling into my eyes, temporarily blinding me.

"Watch where you're going, Rory!" Zade playfully cried, quickly moving out of my way.

"Yeah yeah. It's not like you were doing anything anyway!" I shot back, grinning.

"I was trying to seat these fellow classmates of ours you dunce!"

Quickly, I looked up, pushing my bangs from my face.

I glanced over at the group, two girls and two guys who vaguely looked familiar.

"Hey Aurora," the tall, skinny blonde chirped.

"Oh, uh- hey--?"

"Ali! We have bioengineering together on Mondays and Wednesdays."

"Right, right," I nodded, trying to wrap this awkward conversation up.

I sit in the back row next to my friend Claira!" She clarified, clearly seeing my confusion.

"Oh--right. Well, I gotta grab some waters. See you later."

"Rory, I'm going home soon so can you please take them to their table?"

"Zade, we leave at the same time...."

"Rory... I know but I have so much homework to do and have to study for two tests tomorrow! So I need to go study in the back for a bit."

"Fine..." I huffed, shaking my head. I had never seen the kid even open a textbook. "Get them seated and get their drink orders. I'll take food orders."

"Deal! Love you!" Zade chirped, already heading to seat the group.

After serving my first table their waters and taking their food orders, I headed over to the lively group of fellow classmates.