I Wish You Never Met Me

34

CHAPTER 34

It was cold. Not briskly, cold but cold enough to where I had to wear a cardigan with dark wash jeans to school. My hair was a little bit longer than it was last week since I was suspended—and still stayed on top of my work. Also, today was a big day for me. It's been over a month since I last worked at Joe's. Ironically, the cute red and white décor in that place is what I'll miss most besides Gretchen of course.

Gretchen was adorable. Dark brown hair, beautiful mysterious deep blue eyes. Eyes that were so curious of the world and yet seen everything. I mean, she has a degree, and she has to work in that dump to pay off her loans. And here I am, a teenager, who hasn't even graduated from high school yet. I'm supposed to be an entitled little brat, who doesn't know anything. I'm supposed to have the cute, caring boyfriend with insane popularity at school. However, that was over. That part of me is dead. Now, I'm the awkward girl everyone makes it their personality trait to make fun of.

The place was the same as I left it. The red chairs, white tables, the white paint peeling of the walls, and behind the little black podium, stood the dark brown-haired vixen, Gretchen. The bell hanging against the door chimed as I walked in, wearing our uniform—black pants with a red top that had Joe's printed on the side of our chest just above our hearts.

Gretchen immediately dropped the menus booklets she was holding before her arms found around me. Her eyes were glassy, ready to spill tears—tears I didn't need. Why cry for a person who selfishly tried to end everything without thinking. "Do you have any idea how much we missed you at this place?" She pulled away. "Where have you been? How have you been? What's going on? I mean, what's with all the articles about you? When were you going to tell me that you were my favorite designer ever?" Her questions spilled out as if they were a car speeding.

I want to laugh. I want to chuckle, but in hindsight, there was nothing funny about anything that was going on. "I've been around. I guess. I'm just glad Greg hasn't fired me for being out for so long."

She chuckled. "That's because his wife, Annie, loves you."

Annie is one of the most compassionate women I've ever met. She always wore these beautiful long skirts with these vintage tops. You know, Gucci tops from the 80's or 90's true religion or Versace. Nonetheless, they were adorable. Her eyes were brown but something about them always had me captivated. There was a sense that she knew everything, saw everything, and this comfort that embodied a mother. Considering she is a mom; it wasn't a surprised. She always thought of me as the daughter she never had. However, Greg was a bit on tougher side of things. A guy who was raised on not showing much emotion, being stickler about everything, and sometimes borderline sexist.

Whenever he was like that, Annie was always there to put him in his place. Always.

"Enough, chitchatting girls! Get to work!" his voice traveled across the restaurant heading straight for us.

"You better to tell me the details later, missy," her face into a serious expression or at least tried to. Sometimes, even though, she's older than me, I couldn't never take her seriously sometimes. She was just too bubbly most of the time.

"I'll try my best," we hugged again before I headed to the back to clock in.

Annie trudged over, stepping out of Greg's office as I punched in. "It's good to have you back, Meghan. How have you been, my dear?"

Her voice was almost a blanket you wanted to cover yourself in and drink hot chocolate sitting by the fireplace. I missed hearing it. "I'm alright. Hanging in there actually."

Now her serious face arrived at the scene. "I watched your sixty minutes episode. All of us did."

It's hard for me to look her in the eye at this point. Because of the things I mentioned there, is still hard to talk about. I pushed through then, but I hate having to reflect on it all the time. I want to forget it all happened but when you're in the public eye now, that's impossible. "I'm okay."

"Do you still—"

"Oh no, I don't live with them anymore. They're in prison."

She then smiled. "Oh, good. You don't pay their mortgage anymore, do you?"

"No." I nodded. She was one of the first people I told. The only person I felt that I could genuinely trust. And in his own way, after he found out, he became protective of me. His son, Mason, however, he's another story. That guy is exactly like his father. For some reason, he always hovers around me whenever he visits the restaurant when Greg isn't here. I can't help but get creepy vibes from him. "I stopped paying months before I moved out."

"That's great, Meghan. You deserve this. You deserve every bit of freedom you're getting right now." She smiled proudly.

"Alright, I have to start working before your husband catches me slacking," I told her, tying the black apron around my waist.

She brushed him off. "Don't worry about him. I'll handle it. Go ahead."

"See you out there, Annie," I waved at her before heading back out.

First day back at Joe's and I'm hoping no one I knew comes here.

An hour went by, I had already gone through about six tables checking on them and getting their orders. I was getting my last table's order when the bell at the entrance as rang as the door opened. In came, four guys, all from Morris Heights High School—my current jail cell now. All in different variations of jeans. Light wash, dark wash, ripped or straight leg style. But among them, among the sea of brown-, blue-, and hazel-colored eyes, those mysterious, brooding gray ones are the ones that pull my focus toward them.

I swear God hates me. The one I hope for something not to happen, it happens. I headed to my last table with their order, offering the best warm smile I could muster. Though the smile reached them, I know it didn't reach my eyes. But I hid it well. I'm about to leave when I felt a tug at my shirt. Looking back, I found the little girl in her mother's lap smiling at me as she pointed to her sweater.

"You're Meiko, aren't you?" her little voice sang. The hope in every word. It hurt. I hate having to give these children false hope. I hate to shatter their dreams and I bet her dream was to meet Meiko, the young fashion designer based here in California who had one of the largest Etsy shops on the site.

I smiled, keeping things professional. "Sorry, kiddo. Not anymore."

"But why?" it was her mother's turn. "Your clothing is the only pieces of clothing I could put on her without her breaking into hives. My husband and I love your work. We're huge fans."

"I appreciate the support. Thank you, but I had to let designing go because of school." It wasn't a lie, but it also wasn't the truth neither. I couldn't bring myself to a little girl and her mother the details of why I stopped. I didn't want to traumatize the girl.

"That's understandable. Will there ever be a chance you can maybe design again in the future?" the mother asked, with hopeful eyes.

"Please at least for us," the husband joined in on the convincing.

It led me to sigh. "Sorry guys, but my designing career is over."

With that, I left their table before any of them could say another word to me about it. I'll never design again. I can't. Just as I was heading back to kitchen with some empty plates from previous tables, the eyes I avoided the moment I saw them finally reached me.

"Hey, partner."

A/N:

And so we inch closer and closer to the end. However, before we get there, Lucas needs a redemption arc, you know? And don't worry. These next few chapters won't drag on too long. 

But Meghan and Lucas unite once again. What will he do next?

How do you feel about Lucas?

Girls you might want to make some popcorn later. Just saying...

See you soon! 

♡