For the love of the game

Chapter 5 // long nights

It's Saturday which means time for work.  I don't start until 11 but I like to get up a little earlier and make breakfast for the kids.

I work at a bar in Santa Monica called Barney's Beanery where people come to drink and watch sports. Technically I'm not old enough to work in a bar since I'm only 18 but one of Jason's friends on his baseball team has a mom who's  family owns the bar.  She saw me struggling and offered me a job. She even goes as far as giving Jason a ride home from practice everyday when she has to pick up her son, Ryan.  I don't know what I'd do without her.

I usually don't handle the alcohol Im more of a waitress and help cleanup a bit.  The only time that I help with bar tending is sometimes on the weekends when it gets really busy or happy hour. I could be holding signs in the heat all day for all I care, as long as I'm making money.

It's about 7:00 right now and I'm the only one awake.  I go into the kitchen to make some coffee, and look into the fridge for what I can make for breakfast. I see some eggs and decide to make those with some bacon for them.

I've always loved to cook. I'd work with anything I could get my hands on, because if not then I guess we didn't eat. My mom never cooked for us and my dad was always gone. When he was home he said that he shouldn't have to cook, and that's what he had a wife for.

When there was not food on the table when he got home someone was going to get hurt. It was usually my mom but when she wasn't home and was out sleeping with some random guy I would had to take the fall.

Snapping out of my thoughts I start to make breakfast.  Five eggs and six pieces of bacon later breakfast is ready. I wake up my brother knowing he was probably up late playing video games after I woke him up to watch Jordan.

"Hey jace I made breakfast come eat." I'm standing in his doorway and in front of me is the mess he calls his room.

"Ok thanks sis."  I close his door and find my little sister awake and on her bed with a book.  She loves to read. She's the only kid I know who would prefer a book over an iPad even though she's barley learning to read.

" hey princess I made breakfast are you hungry?" She looks up from her book and I notice how much she looks like my mother.  Her curly blond hair with these big blue eyes and freckles for days.  The only way you could tell we were related was by our eyes.

My moms side of the family is white and Italian while my dads side was full Mexican straight out of East L.A.  My brother and I look more like our dad than our mom. Brown hair and dark blue eyes with olive skin.

I get my sister to the table and serve her and then my brother. "Hey Alex are you going eat with us." I pause. I am really hungry but skipping a couple meals won't hurt.

"I already ate before I woke you guys up." I saw hoping Jason will believe me. He gives me a look telling me he doesn't believe me but he's not going to push it.

I sigh in relief and go to my room and get ready for a long day ahead of me. Getting dressed in my work clothes doesn't take long. All we have to wear is jeans and a shirt with there logo on it. It's a bar by the beach so very casual. Hey I'm not complaining.

I tell my brother that the babysitter should get her at 12:30 so he can hang out with friends anytime after that. " text me if your going to leave, ok?"

"Yeah I will have a great day at work" he says sarcastically. Ass.

I lock up the apartment and go down stairs to my car. Getting in my car I start to drive toward work. I pass by the same buildings everyday but they still fascinate me like it's the first time I saw them. The streets are packed and I'm stuck in traffic.

I finally get to work and pull up into the staff only parking lot. I go inside the bar and am hit with the smell of booze and burgers. I put my hair in a ponytail and get to work.

It's about 7:30 right now and this is the time when the more low key people leave and the drunks start to come party. I just served about 6 middle age guys burgers while trying not to get beer splashed on me from them slamming their bottles on the table. I want to tell them calm down that it's just a game, but people sure do love their dodgers. Plus I'm too exhausted to care.

I usually take my break around 9:15 pm before the people who stay till closing time come in. I'm debating if I should eat something since I haven't eaten all day today or yesterday but I decide not to. I need to lose a couple pounds anyways if I do maybe I can find a guy who would be interested in me.

Instead sit in the back room and check up with my siblings. My brother informed me that Jordan had fallen asleep and the babysitter just left.

"Hey Alex it's getting pretty busy in here can you give me a hand" well breaks over. That was one of my co workers, Savanna.

"Hey Jason I've gotta go I'll be home later ok, love you bye" I hang up and fix my pony tail and get back to work.

It's 11:30 at night and people are still drinking and having a good time. Must be nice to be able to do that. " Alex can you work the bar I've got to go pick up Ryan from his friends house ."

"Yeah sure thing Mrs. Connor."  I say trying not to let the tiredness seep through my voice.

"Thanks honey" she gives me a big smile and walks out the door.

I huff and then go to the bar. I can feel my eyes started to droop and everything around me is spinning. I grab onto the counter of the bar and collect myself and breathe. Only a few more hours and then I can sleep.

I hear the bells on the top of the door start to ring. Great more people who want to get drunk.

I can see out of the corner of three guys sitting at the bar.  They start to talk to each other. "Excuse me can we get a round of beers."

"Yeah no problem just give me a sec-." I stop and look up to see The one and only Joc Pederson.  He looks at me and his eyes go wide.   I look to see who's with him and it's the green eyed boy, Cody Bellinger, and some other guy probably another player. 

I turn quickly to get the beers avoiding eye contact with any of them. "Here you go" I say giving them the beers and leaving. 

I turn to walk to the back room and I start to feel dizzy again I try to look around and everything is moving in slow motion. I start to walk forward and I end up falling back and next thing I know all I see is black.