Treacherous

Part 1

I heard the ringing of the alarm clock buzzing in my ear. I rolled over and hit the snooze button, but this was not one of those days that I could sleep in. I had been hollered at for hours at work for my constant lateness. It’s not my fault they want me to be there at seven in the morning and my bed seems to be comfiest in the mornings.

I finally got the strength to throw my comforter to the side and face to cold, outside world. I lazily stripped out of my pajamas and turned on the shower water. Once the water reached a reasonable temperature, I stepped in. After dragging my shower on for as long as I could, I stepped out and wrapped myself in a towel. I threw on some jeans and a shirt and tied my hair back. I grabbed my keys and phone and ran out of the house praying I wouldn’t be late.

My car hummed quietly as I turned it on. I drove to the diner, the outside world coming to life around me. Birds were just starting to sing, and the sun was just starting to rise. It would be a lot more beautiful if it weren’t so goddamn early. I pulled into the back of the diner and parked my car. I checked the clock, 6:57. I grabbed my belongings and walked into the diner.

“Just on time Riley” I heard my manager say in her awfully high-pitched voice. I rolled my eyes and tied my apron on.

“Wouldn’t want to miss a minute Nancy.” I replied as she threw the washcloth at me. I began to clean the counters until an elderly couple walked in and sat down. Who wants to eat anything at seven am? Isn’t retirement the time to sleep in? I grabbed two menus and brought them to the couple. I went back to cleaning the counter until it looked like they were ready to order. I grabbed the notepad and pen from my apron pocket.

“What will we be having today?” I said as cheerfully as I could at seven in the morning.

“Well aren’t you just adorable.” She replied to me in her classic old lady voice. I swear if she were standing she would have pinched my cheeks.

“Thanks…” I mumbled not sure how to respond. “Do you guys know what you want or do you need a minute?”

“What is a beautiful girl like you doing in a diner like this? You should be traveling, seeing the world!” Her tone of voice resembled an old wise grandmother. Why was she so interested in my life?

“That’s the plan” I finally said when I mustered up words to say. Did this woman forget that traveling cost loads and loads of money? I took their orders, just a bunch of bran toast and orange juice. Why would you even leave the house to get food like that? I brought them their food and they were all too happy about their healthy meal.

My phone buzzed in my pocket and I checked my surroundings to make sure Nancy was not around. Once I decided the coast was clear I checked my messages. My best friend Sky had sent me a dozen text messages

“Party tonight out by the lake in the woods. You want to go?”

“Riles. You want to go?”

“Okay I don’t care about you’re opinion anymore. We’re going.”

I laughed at the last text. She got pretty impatient when people didn’t answer I quickly replied telling her I’d be there. When I looked up, the elderly couple was gone. Did they really just dine and dash? I went over to clean up their dishes and there was a fifty-dollar bill with a note that said

“Put the change towards seeing the world xoxo”

I rang up their meal. It only cost about ten dollars. The other forty would soon be added towards by fund for Paris. I put the extra money in my pocket and kept working. My ten-hour shift seemed to drag on forever. Finally the clock hit five and I couldn’t get out of the diner fast enough. I said my goodbyes to the cooks and other workers. Without an acknowledgment towards Nancy, I left.

I drove home as fast as I could. Sky texted me that she and Tyler would pick me up at seven. I loved that she had a boyfriend but it did get annoying to always be the third wheel. I replied to her text with two emojis. One of a couple and then another of a wheel. She replied telling me to shut-up and I laughed. Our joking texts would seem mean to anyone else but us. I was really happy for her and Tyler was one of my good friends.

I put my phone in the charger. God forbid it ran out of power in the middle of the woods. I grabbed the forty dollars and put it in the jar marked ‘Paris” on my shelf. I tried not to look at the jar. It reminded me how far I was from my goal. I took a quick shower trying to get that diner smell off of me. I threw on some jeans and a lace top, with a dark green jacket. I curled my hair and put on some makeup. I got a text from Sky telling me they were here. I took one last look in the mirror and grabbed my purse. I ran downstairs to meet them.

“Ow Oww” I heard Sky whistle as I got in the car. I tried not to close the door too hard. Tyler loved his car, almost more than Sky.

“You don’t look so bad yourself babe.” I replied as she gave me a cheeky grin. “Hey Tyler” I said as I ruffled his hair.

“Hey Riles,” he said with a laugh as he tried to fix his hair and drive. He pulled up to our usual burger restaurant. Somehow we all loved the walls filled with cheesy posters and the overly happy workers.

“Hey guys” John greeted us. Of course we knew every worker here. Countless Friday nights made us usual faces in this joint.

“Hey man. Are you going tonight?” Tyler asked him. I assumed he was talking about the party in the woods.

“My shift ends at ten so I think I’ll swing back after then.” He replied as Tyler nodded.

“Just don’t wear your shirt with the dancing burger,” I added and we all laughed. We ordered our usuals and they were out as fast as I could blink. It pays to know the people working.

“So there are going to be a lot of cute boys tonight Riles…” I rolled my eyes at her suggestion. She was always trying to set me up but I thought it was pointless to attach myself to some boy when I was just going off to Paris soon.

After an hour of trying not to spit out our food from laughing so hard, we were on our way to the woods. None of us were heavy partiers but these parties were never too intense.

“Sky, Riles? You guys want a drink?” Tyler asked sweetly as we both nodded. He went over to the keg. I looked at my surroundings and saw a lot of familiar faces. I greeted a lot of people but one caught my attention.

“What is he doing her?” I asked trying not to sound too disgusted. Sky looked confused until I nodded my head toward the rich pompous asshole, Harry Styles himself.