blue (book one) - h.s. ✔️ watty's 2019

chapter 70

"You can always come back and help around if you find that you won't be too busy," Barney, my boss, slyly remarks smiling at me.

I laugh lightly before replying to the balding man.

"I would if I could, but I'm pretty sure that there's a rule or something that prohibits me from working past a certain number of hours in a day," I reply knowingly sending him a devilish smirk.

He simply laughs loudly to himself before wishing me a good day and returning back to his office, probably looking for ways to get cheap work. My new boss is literally always trying to find new ways to make quick money. A lot of it is actually quite funny. He's taken a liking to me quickly. Within a few weeks of me working at the small diner he has given me a raise and extended vacation time, for whenever I decide to just pop up and go - two things some of the other employees didn't take kindly to hearing. As a matter of fact, I vaguely remember a terrible, Crayola drawing of me kissing Barney's rear hanging in several stalls of the employee restroom.

As I walk out of the little diner a broom magically appears in front of me, causing me to stumble into the door of the restaurant face first. I rub my forehead wincing slightly at the sore spot that's sure to leave a bump, and turn around to come face to back with a suspicious-looking employee: Jackie.

She's one among many of the the other employees that weren't too accepting of my speedy promotions. I don't say anything in response as I pick up the bags I had dropped and walk out of the restaurant red-faced. I'm almost used to her childish behavior.

There's no point in picking a fight. This is only temporary.

I sit on the bench right in front of the diner and wait patiently for Harry to come, playing Pac-man on my phone.

It doesn't feel like long before a tall, slender frame is standing beside me.

"Parker."

I look up surprised by the female voice.

"Amy? Zayn?" I whisper to myself before standing up to greet the both of them. Amy ignores me blatantly as she continues looking down at her phone.

Zayn looks great. His chocolate eyes shine bright at me as he leans in for a hug. His hair is styled in its usual quiff today. He's wearing black skinny jeans and a leather jacket despite the chilly weather. Amy, still not acknowledging me after her cold greeting, looks like an actual rockstar. Her hair is now dyed purple and pink and her eyeliner is layered in thickly today. Her lips are a vibrant green as a pink bubblegum bubble pops too big forcing her to use her hands to remove it.

It's very hard to feel sorry for her when she's such a bitch.

Awkwardly laughing, Zayn says," Sorry about that. She's not big on being-," he wanders off not really sure how to describe her rudeness. I feel bad for him. I'd have to have to apologize for someone else's rude actions.

"Hypocrite."

"Don't put words in to my mouth, Zayn. I can speak for myself. Anyways, I think he knows by now how I feel about him," she spits monotonously.

"Unless, of course, he's too dumb to take a hint. I mean he is with Harry, so I guess I shouldn't expect too much from him," she continues laughing emotionlessly.

I ignore her harsh words staring confused at the two. From what Harry told me he and Zayn are. . . or used to be in great relations with one another. But this is now the second time I've seen the two together, and if I can recall correctly the first time they were not really as distant as they are now. Aren't there rules or something in the bro code that prohibits this sort of thing? I don't know.

I wonder what changed.

I wonder about a lot of things these days.

"Are you even listening?" Amy blurts smacking her loud gum. I shy embarrassed as the two's eyes are watching me intently waiting for something.

"No, I'm sorry. What?"

She rolls her eyes but doesn't speak to me again. She just goes back to typing on her phone, like I didn't ask her a question. Instead Zayn lightly shoves her with his shoulder before he repeats what she had said.

"Amy's throwing like a small party out by the lake a couple weeks before school starts. A bonfire and everything. You should come," he smiles showing his teeth. His features are so handsome. I feel sad that he's with Amy. At the outing she had her tongue down almost every guy's throat. I wonder if they're relationship is anything like her's with Harry in the past. The thought causes me to shudder inwardly.

"I don't know," I begin tentatively.

"I'm really busy up until the first day of Cleese's honestly. I have several big projects to work on before that are really stressing me out."

Amy scoffs, muttering something under her breath as she slips her phone into her back pocket.

Then, surprising the both of us, she interjects the conversation that did include her, rapidly, apparently irritated with my cautiousness.

"You don't have to come. The party will go on with or without you. It's just an invitation," she spits.

"And it's not from me."

Although her words are harmless the way she says them makes me wince slightly. She has so much venom towards me and she doesn't even know me! I am literally so over her hateful attitude. I've done nothing wrong! Her relationship with Harry ended a while ago; there's no reason for her to hate me for that.

Then, her attention shifts behind me as she smirks evilly. My brows furrow at her swift change of mood.

Do I have something on me?

I see Zayn's pull out his phone not bothered by what's behind me before I'm forced to turn around.