Chapter 6 - The Green-Eyed Monster
“Kenny, you go outside right now and spit that chew outta your frickin’ mouth,” Lynora said angrily. Kenny just smiled and sidled up to her.
“Come on Nor, there’s no one in the bar right now anyway. What does it hurt? I can get the bar stocked and won’t need to take a break. It kills two birds with one stone.”
“I’m not running a trashy juke joint with my staff hawking up lueggies into spittoons. This isn’t a riverboat gambling operation and I will not have my bartender looking like a pocket gopher,” she complained.
“Nor,” Dylan said calmly. “There isn’t anyone here yet. Just let this one go. He’s just getting his nicotine fix. You understand that don’t you?”
Lynora looked at Dylan like he had just proposed starting thermonuclear war. “Huh? You hate Kenny’s chawing just as much as I do. What’s gotten into you?”
“I think we know what gets into Dylan,” Isaac said smugly. “He takes it from the whole team not just one at a time.”
Usually, this kind of insult from Isaac got Dylan fighting mad but today he wasn’t feeling it. He felt lighter. Free. He didn’t have that heavy, desperate feeling that something terrible was around the corner. Dylan felt, well, content. He let Isaac’s insult go without comment.
Sarah, the other server on hand, looked at Dylan. He didn’t EVER let Isaac’s nastiness slip by him. Today, Dylan looked comfortable in his own skin like he did before, HIM, that rat bastard Ron. He looked pleasantly calm. She walked over to Lynora and whispered in her ear.
“Did I miss something? Is Dylan a totally different person today?”
Lynora chewed the inside of her cheek. She wanted a cigarette, badly. But, Sarah was right. Dylan was being uncharacteristically quiet, but not in the sullen way he was so often. He seemed joyful. That was the word. Joyful. But why? Ever since Ron, the boy was a mass of nerves. A wonderfully nice man, but so touchy about things. Today, Dylan was practically glowing. What’s up with that?
Isaac wasn’t pleased with Dylan ignoring him. Not at all. He loved needling Dylan, getting under his skin. He liked to think he was annoyed that Dylan ended up with Ron. Dylan had pounced on the guy the minute Isaac had turned his back. That wasn’t really the reason Dylan pissed him off. It was really because Dylan was better liked and he couldn’t stand how his own aunt doted on him.
Isaac and Dylan had been friends for years but it was a different kind of friendship. More like rivals or, frenemies. Dylan drove him batty sometimes. Even that stupid oaf Kenny catered to Dylan’s every whim. Now the little bitch was giving him the silent treatment. No. Not in a million years would he take that.
“So who’s the latest victim Dylan,” Isaac said, his bright green eyes flashing maliciously. “You look like you got plowed good last night. That’s the only time you’re ever happy, lying under some random stranger.”
Dylan looked over at his white-blond haired buddy tormentor. He sighed. “Isaac, aren’t you ever going to give this up. Does calling me names make your life any better?”
Isaac grunted. Lynora usually tried to defuse the two competitors for her attention. Then the staff would have to listen to Isaac complain about Dylan and Dylan would return the fire. Today was different. Isaac wasn’t getting under Dylan’s skin. It seemed to madden her nephew even more. Sometimes she’d like to throttle that boy.
Kenny enjoyed working when the two gay boys fought like cats and dogs. It gave them something to watch and enjoy. This interchange wasn’t normal. Usually Dylan fought back and Kenny loved it. But not today. More like before…
