I Probably Hate You

Eight

After school I went to Denny's. Today I was going to ask my boss if I could have the night shift.

No one did that.

Being a waitress wasn't fun, especially in a rundown diner like Denny's. People were angry and rude and demanded for a manager every half an hour. It was draining in every aspect.

Nonetheless, it paid fairly well for a teenager who didn't have bills to pay quite yet.

We'd never really discussed finances in our household, but I knew we'd never really had much. We weren't poor, to a certain extent we got by just fine but we'd always had a silent agreement to only ever buy what we needed. Grandpa was a repairman and Grandma had a part time job at our local bakery, but that was about it
After my mother passed away, I'd realized I had to step in and try to make an effort at being some sort of parental figure to my siblings.

I realized that maybe if I got a job then I could buy me and my siblings everything we needed and my grandparents wouldn't have to spend a dime on the lesser important things that were still necessities.

My boss, Ford Jefree, was old and wrinkly and bald. He was intimidating when he wanted to be, and he seemed to want to just about always.

He was overlooking the kitchen appliances or whatever when I came up to him "um, Mr. Jefree?"

He was crouched over and hadn't seen me enter so when he stood back up he squinted at me "Diane? What are you doing here?"

I didn't understand why I felt nervous. Wasn't I technically doing him a favor?

"I.....was wondering," I scratched an ear, my shoulders tensing "is there any way I could work the 6 o'clock shift tonight?"

"No can do" he said "Rachel has that shift"

"Well I want to switch with her"

"Again, I can't do that. Rachel needs this shift"

"Why would she need a shift?" I asked incredulously

"Why do you think she'd need a shift?" He said coldly, fixing the collar of his shirt.

My shoulders slumped "well what if I did it for her? Would that work?"

"No" he said shortly "I can't do that. You have an early shift tomorrow morning. I don't want to see a corpse walking through those doors"

"But sir, I have school tomorrow"

"I'm aware. You'll be working from 5 to 7:30 so I don't see the issue"

"W-"

"Its Halloween, anyway, leave the workin' to the adults tonight. You can go and trick or treat. Or whatever it is kids do these days"

"I haven't been trick or treating in 8 years" I said wryly

"That's kinda sad" his eyes widened in wonder, but then he turned back to a rusty refrigerator "but I don't really care"

I bit my tongue hard so I wouldn't reply

"I'll see you tomorrow, Ms. Melvin"

And just like that, he'd indirectly dismissed me to get the hell out of the diner's kitchen.

Later that night at dinner I found out that this 'party' Gaten and his friends kept discussing was a bigger deal than I'd originally thought. Apparently, even Ed, a lowly sophomore, was going.

Or he wanted to go, at least.

"Come on, grandma, I promise I'll be back by midnight"