Why You Shouldn't Lend A Bad Boy Your Clothes

Chapter 3

Monday nights sucked. So did Thursday nights.

Because on these days I had to work at the Lion's Head, a small bar slash pub slash filthy room with billiard tables. It was a hot, fuggy space that usually smelled like cigarettes, alcohol and cheap perfume, where old men and occasional students came to drink their heads off.

I mentally prepared myself for another wasted evening. If I wouldn't have needed the money, I would've quit the job long ago. But the truth was, that I needed it. I wanted to buy a camera, an actual, good one, something better than the one my parents had bought me for Christmas two years ago. Photography was the thing I loved the most besides drawing, the only thing I was really good at. I wanted that camera.

So here I was, unlocking the front door of the Lion's Head and preparing everything. My boss, Ricky, was late. Like always. Sometimes he'd only be two minutes late, sometimes two hours, leaving me alone with dozens of drunkards. Yeah, he was an asshole, but he was also the one who transferred the money to my bank account every month, so I had to grin and bear it.

Soon the room began to fill and I was busy serving drinks and taking orders. Ricky came after around twenty minutes, bringing the reek of alcohol with him and just leaning against the counter doing nothing while I did my best to keep up with the steady flow of new arrivals.

There were seven full tables, so I didn't notice them at first, especially since I had my hands full.

But then I saw them: Hunter Adams and his two friends crossing the room and sitting down in one corner of the bar.

My mind went blank immediately. What were they doing here? People from my school rarely came here, and I definitely couldn't remember ever seeing them.

I ignored them and pretended I hadn't seen them yet for solid ten minutes, but truth be told, I secretly had an eye on them the entire time. I watched as a blonde, actually really pretty girl joined them and sat down next to Hunter, who hugged her. And he smiled, showing teeth and dimples in a way that wasn't condescending or sarcastic for once. It was the first genuine smile I had seen on his face, and it was throwing me off completely.

Hunter must've felt my gaze on him, seeing as he now turned around to glance at me... And there the smug grin was again.

I groaned in frustration about the embarrassment this evening would inevitably bring and slowly walked over to their table, feeling Hunter staring at me all the way.

"Hi. What would you like to drink?" I asked and did my best not to look him in the eye.

I was more than aware of the black waiter's apron I was wearing and the wet towel that hung across my shoulder. My cheeks were flushed thanks to stress and the rising temperature in the bar, my hair was a tangled mess. Meanwhile, Hunter and his three companions all looked flawless, every single pair of eyes trained on me.

"Hi! I know you!" the girl said with a wide smile. Her friendly tone caught me off guard; somehow it didn't fit in with her friends at all. "You're the one who got the arts award at school last year, right?" She tilted her head and I was surprised to see genuine interest and a hint of admiration in her blue eyes.

"Yeah, that was me," I said and dared to smile back at her. "But it was nothing special, really. It was just a pretty lame portrait."

The guy with brown hair (I was pretty sure I had heard Hunter call him Liam) rolled his eyes theatrically. "Dude, don't lie! I saw it and it was amazing."

Next to him the blonde guy, the mysterious one that hadn't said anything when I was around yet, rolled his eyes too, but he seemed actually annoyed. "We get it, he can draw. Just bring us some beer, will you?"