It didn't take long for Emma to spot Chris. He was leaning against a pool table, laughing and playing with a few other guys she didn't recognize. As she walked closer, she noticed his hair wasn't its usual flaming red color; it was a more natural, dirty blonde now, neatly combed back on top of his head. He even had small diamond studs in his ears. He looked so different it made her do a double-take, wondering if it was really him.
"Chris?" she said, more as a question than a statement, walking closer.
He looked up from the table, a wide grin spreading across his face, before tossing his cue stick over to one of his buddies. He then jogged to meet her halfway, gently pushing a few people out of the way. "Hey, Emma! You finally made it." He pulled her into a quick hug before pulling away.
Emma was still shocked by his hair, pointing at it as she spoke. "What happened to your hair?" he squinted his eyebrows, confused for a second. Realization finally made its way onto his face. "Oh, yeah, my natural hair color's blonde. Since I'm going to see my parents for Christmas in a few weeks, I figured I'd go back to my natural color. I'm not trying to give my grandma a heart attack." She nodded her head, understanding how seeing your son with bright red hair randomly would come as a shock to most family members.
He took a step back, looking over her outfit. "Not the best... but definitely not the worst. Head over there to the bar; Whitney will go ahead and get you set up with drinks." Emma nodded, turning in the direction he was pointing.
He called out to her again, making her turn around. "By the way, just a heads-up: in two weeks, Kandy and I will fly out for Christmas, so I won't be around after that. The blonde girl with the megaphone from the first day you came will be in charge. Her name's Niki; she's a sweetheart." For some reason, Emma doubted that. Pretty people like her were always big bullies.
Of course, she would give her the benefit of the doubt, but she didn't have high hopes "Okay, sure, thanks for letting me know," she gave him a wave before walking towards the bar. It was packed with people around it, laughing and drinking. She opened the small door to walk behind the bar.
There, a tall, dark-skinned woman with a perfectly shaped afro, wearing a striking red dress, was making drinks together with a short Asian woman with pink eyeshadow, whose jet-black hair parted just past her shoulders, and who wore a glittery blue mini-dress.
When Emma entered, the Asian woman turned to look at her. "I'm Claire, and that's Whitney. Don't worry, Chris told us today was your first day." whitney finished helping a customer and walked over to them. "Nice to meet you," she said, sticking out a hand for Emma to shake. Emma smiled, shaking her hand.
Whitney reached underneath the bar, pulling out a round tray. "This is your new best friend. There are tables all around The Underground."
Claire cut off Whitney for a moment, adding, "Don't worry, all the tables have red number cards on top so you'll know which drink goes to what table."
Whitney nodded, handing Emma the tray, which she took. "Basically, we make the drinks, and you take them to their tables. There are also other girls taking drinks around, so you won't be doing it all alone." Emma nodded as Claire handed her a change-dispensing belt with a calculator and card reader.
"Your other best friends," Claire said with a grin. Emma let out a silent "thank God" for the calculator because the one subject she sucked at was math, and that calculator would definitely be a lifesaver. Whitney suddenly got an order and rushed away to take care of it while Emma put on the change belt. It really didn't match with her outfit, but it was what it was. "You honestly came just in time. We're just about to take out these drinks," Claire said while placing five drinks on the middle of the tray.
At first, Emma struggled to carry all of them, but soon got used to the weight and balance. Claire read over the receipt for a moment before saying, "It's table three, towards the right of the garage. Good luck." She smiled before walking away to take care of another customer.
Emma let out a little sigh, then headed out the door with the drinks, moving towards the right. She was excited to meet her first-ever customer; she hoped they would be nice. She finally reached table three, her eyes widening when she saw who it was. "What a surprise to see you here..."
(Mia note- Any guesses on who's here at Emma's first day?)
YOU ARE READING
It Started With Hello
Romance***** Emma Pear knew she wasn't the most popular girl in high school. Her nose was usually buried in a textbook, and her grades were as spotless as her reputation for always following the rules. "Nerd" was a label she'd long since embraced. Her pare...
