Resistance

Chapter Three

Picture of Alex Monroe

Veronica Lewis's POV

     "Veronica Paige Lewis! If you do not get up right now then you are going to be late for work!" I heard my mother's voice jolt me awake. I absolutely despised having to work the morning shift, especially on a Friday. But money was money and I certainly could use a little extra cash... or any for that matter. I reluctantly untangled myself from the cocoon of blankets and pillows that surrounded me and stumbled out of my bed. I stretched my arms in attempt to wake myself up and rubbed the sleep out of my eyes. My feet shuffled over the hardwood of my bedroom and out into the hallway as I headed toward the bathroom. Once I reached the tiled room, I turned the faucet on and splashed my face with cold water, finally fully awake. Glancing at the wall clock over the toilet, I saw that it was already 7:00 am. Not good. I only had thirty minutes to get to the diner. I muttered a few choice words to myself before unceremoniously shoving my toothbrush in my mouth and pulling my hair into a messy ponytail. I grabbed my makeup bag and applied a bit of mascara to bring out my blue eyes and some blush so that I wouldn't seem like something out of The Walking Dead. I then ran back to my room to put on my ugly purple and white uniform accompanied by the white tennis shoes that we were given. By this time it was 7:15 am.
     I bolted downstairs and into the kitchen, seeing that my parents were already awake. My mother was busying herself with a pot of coffee and my father was reading today's newspaper at the table. Surprise, surprise, Asher wasn't up yet. I was about to make my way out the door, grabbing my phone and bag, before my mother called me back.
     "Roni, don't forget to pick up the rest of the food for Sunday today, " she said, pouring her and my dad a cup of coffee.
     "Sure thing Mom!" I called over my shoulder as I rushed towards the door, swinging it closed behind me. It wasn't too warm outside yet, the late summer weather hadn't kicked in. I rushed down my driveway and practically ran the rest of the way toward the town. I didn't even bother to wave to the normal people on my route. Typically I'd stop and talk to Mr. Smith, Mrs. Cho, Ms. Snyder, and sometimes Mr. Johnson if he was out. Not today. Today my only priority was not being late... again. My town was the type of place where you knew pretty much everyone except those who didn't want to be known. I wished that I could have belonged to the second group but the whole being-dumped-on-someone's-doorstep thing didn't permit it.
When I finally made it to the diner I burst through the doors and my eyes landed on the clock. By the grace of the good Lord, it read 7:30 am on the dot. I blew out a breath that I didn't realize I was holding in and did a mental happy dance. I caught my breath as I walked back to the kitchen, taking my apron off its hook and putting my bag in its place.
     "Hey, Cassidy," I greeted my co-worker. "Is John in yet?" I asked, referring to our manager for today.
     "Yeah but he's in his office so you better get out there," she replied with a small smile, motioning towards the dining area. I nodded a quick 'thank you' before tying my apron and scurrying out to the kitchen door. I looked around and saw that the place was already half full. All of the older residents of the town came here to get breakfast. At the counter sat three older gentlemen with their wives. Three of the booths were full and two tables had been claimed. Today I had everything but counter duty so I made my way over to the first booth and asked what the customer wanted to drink, throwing on the best smile I could manage this early in the morning. I recognized the woman as Mrs. Zimmerman. As usual, she ordered a cup of black coffee.
     "Comin' right up Mrs. Z.," I said. She gave me one of those grandmotherly smiles and thanked me before returning to her sudoku puzzle. I wrote the order down and made my way over to the next booth. Here sat the old and grouchy Mr. Harold.
     "Good morning, Mr. Harold," I said, plastering a grin on my face. He replied with a grunt.
     "Just give me some decaf and a bowl of grits," he grumbled out.
     "Can do," I said, winking at him to see if I could get a smile, but to no avail. I wandered over to the last booth near the back of the diner. To my surprise, instead of someone in their 60's or older, a man who looked no older than forty-five came into my line of view.
     "And what can I get you?" I asked in a sweet voice. He barely looked up at me as he replied.
     "I'll just have toast please," he said in a smooth voice.
     "Texas toast or whole grain?"
     "Whole grain please," he answered. This time he looked up at me, offering a small smile.
     "Alrighty. That'll be right out." I said. Deciding to drop the orders off at the kitchen and get the drinks, I walked back behind the counter. I gave the chef the orders and poured the drinks. Once I had handed the customers their beverages, I made my way over to the tables and took a few more orders. I circled back to the counter at the sound of the bell, picking up the food and giving the plates to the designated customers.
     The first hour went by pretty fast, all of the original customers, except Back Booth Guy, left and were replaced by new ones. Another thirty minutes passed and I had served five more people and made three pots of coffee. I had already cleaned up two spills and witnessed three meltdowns by toddlers. At least it was worth it, they all gave me a bigger tip. When everyone was served and I had a minute to breath, I went back to the counter to find Cassidy wiping it down.
     "Man. It's been busy today," I said with a huff.
     "Tell me about it," she said in her high pitched voice. "Is it okay if I take my break now?"
     "Sure, go ahead," I smiled, knowing she deserved it. After a second, I walked around with a pitcher of water in one hand and a coffee pot in the other. I refilled a few glasses and wandered back to my post. I set the beverages down and glanced around the room to see if anyone needed anything. I noticed that the same guy in the back booth was still there, so I walked over to him for what seemed like the 100th time that day. It had been three hours and all he had ordered was toast and some orange juice.
     "Sir, is there anything I can get you?" I asked again.
     "No, I'm alright. But thank you for asking again," he said, offering me another routine smile. I was about to turn back around but curiosity bit.
     "If you don't mind me asking," I started cautiously, "Why have you stayed here so long?" He seemed caught off guard by my forwardness but answered nonetheless.
     "I'm waiting for someone. We have a business meeting," he said formally. I thought it was strange to have a business meeting here, but to each their own.
     "Well, if you need anything don't hesitate to ask," I told him with a polite smile. I walked away from the table and was flagged by a customer. It took at least ten minutes to explain to the middle-aged man that we didn't have grape juice. I tried to offer him apple juice but he didn't want that. He finally settled on orange juice and spent the rest of his time sulking. He ended up leaving a dollar tip for a full meal of eggs, turkey sausage, hash browns, and fruit. I definitely hoped he was not going to be a returning customer. It wasn't my fault that grape juice wasn't on the damn menu! Maybe he shouldn't have weird taste. I mean really, who likes grape juice? It's like the oatmeal raisin cookie of juice. I let out a heavy sigh and cleared the table, running back to put the dishes in the sink. When I walked back out of the kitchen I noticed that Cassidy had returned, her mood improved tenfold after her break. I watched as she went to put her apron back on and came back after securing it around her waist. The bell signaling an order up rang behind me and I was quick to pick it up. I walked over to the booth that the food belonged to and placed it in front of the woman. I asked if she needed anything else and walked around the room once more when she said no, looking for drinks to be refilled. After making my round I went up to Cassidy.
     "I'm gonna take my break now. I promised my mom to go by the store and it's going to be busy later," I said. She nodded her head and I went back to switch out my bag with my apron.
     "I won't be long," I told Cassidy quickly before walking out the door. I stepped out into the hot air and almost went back inside, already missing the air conditioning. However, I did tell my mom I would get the food for our usual Sunday dinner so I kept moving. I checked my phone as I walked down the now busy street toward the grocer two blocks away. A text from Alex read 'Hey, might be a little late, have a few last minute chores to do.' I typed a response back saying that that was fine and to just meet me at my house. Another notification on my phone reminded me that I needed to run by the drug store first so I redirected my route. On the way there I went through the list of groceries that I had to pick up next. It was a long list, let me tell ya. Between my three brothers, my parents, Abigail, myself, and whoever else decided to show up, the amount of food needed was enormous, especially if Alex decided to join us. That boy could eat like nobody's business. As I went through the list a third time, making sure I wasn't going to forget anything, I reached the little building and gratefully stepped out of the hot summer air. I walked through the doors, hearing the little bell chime to announce my arrival.
     "Just let me know if ya need anything, hun," the woman behind the counter smiled at me. I gave her a polite nod and made my way down the aisles. I picked up little things as I went; hand sanitizer, tissues, ibuprofen for Asher, band-aids, a spare pepper spray, and things of the like. I went over to aisle four, the one dedicated to "feminine products," and decided that since I was here that I might as well stock up. I faintly registered the little bell jostling again but I was too focused on trying to find the right brand to notice. I started to walk idly down the aisle but then I froze. Something felt...off. It almost felt like someone was watching me. But that couldn't be right, could it? I wasn't sure whether I was imagining things or if someone was actually watching me but I turned around to find out.