Dangerous Game

CHPT. 1: Coffee

"I hate dish duty." Bebe says as Louis walks into the kitchen with another bin of dishes to add to the pile, "I haven't been able to keep the waitress job for more than a week before being sent back here." she complains and slaps a sponge onto another plate.

"Well maybe you should study up on customer service." Louis suggests, setting a stack of dishes into the sink for her, "You could make a list of do's and dont's... And put 'calling a customer an absolute fucking donut while he stands three feet away' under the 'don't' column."

Bebe giggles, "Well maybe he needs to review how not...to be...stupid." she struggles to give a comeback.

Louis nods, holding back a laugh, "How not to be stupid. Yeah, good one."

"Shut up," Bebe playfully splashes Louis with water, "Get out of my kitchen, I have dishes to clean, and you have absolute fucking donuts to serve."

Louis smiles at Bebe, "See ya," and pokes her in the side, which earns a yelp and another splash of water.

Louis scurries out of the kitchen before he gets completely soaked, a small smile still on his face. Bebe really is his favorite person.

He shares this smile with a family of four as they walk in through the front door, "Hi there. Welcome to Big Al's. Four today?"

The parents nod as their two kids bounce up and down, the excitement of eating out is too much to bear.

Not many people come in today, which Louis expected. Thursdays are usually pretty quiet--Tuesdays too. Mostly older people come in (friends of Al) and a few college students here and there between classes or to study. Bebe will pop in and out of the kitchen, clearing tables for the sparse customers, and slaping Louis' arse every other time she passes him-- to which Louis pushes her shoulder and laughs.

As the day winds down, the sun spills into the diner as a golden shower. It's Louis' favorite time of day. It makes him feel safe... warm.

"Going on break." Louis calls out to the other waitresses as he unties the hideous pinstripe apron. Louis can bare the white button-up, black dress pants, and even the stupid little red bowtie. But the distasteful, wretched, horribly cliche, red and white pinstripe apron is something he would quite enjoy to watch burn in a fire.

Louis pours himself a cup of coffee and grabs his bookbag before settling at one of booth on the farthest side of the diner. This was his routine, especially during the school year. Louis would wake up, go to work, study when he could, go to classes, eat something some time in there, sleep, and repeat. The actual execution of his routine always varied, but it was the same actions nonetheless.

Louis places blank flashcards on the edge of the table as he decides which subject he will be focusing on for the next day or two. With finals coming up, Louis wanted to be as prepared as possible. Standardized testing always gave him a hard time, so this time around he would be ready to kick arse and take names.

He decides on science--his least favorite-- and switches his coffee for the flashcards. He begins scribbling down important terms for each section that correspond to the study guide. Whether or not those will actually be on the test is a different story. But Louis is particularly good with his studying habits, so there is no worry for now.

He goes back and forth between multi-colored highlighters and pencil. He scribbles down a 10th term while reaching for the coffee cup with his left hand. Unfortunately, Louis can only be so coordinated, as his mind is focused on studying. So when his left hand bumps the coffee cup, Louis barely processes the events that unfold. He can only watch helplessly as the cup disappears over the edge of the table, about to smash on the floor with a deafening crack.