Saving Athena ✓

7) Wonderland

A t h e n a

One day, the moon fell in love with the sun, the way she shone, the way the specks of gold glittered onto the planets, the way she glistened with the tears from the bare earth. He was so in love with her that he died every day just to allow her to shine during the day. She was so in love with him that she tucked herself away every night so he could spill calamity over the vast expanses of earth.

✧

It's sort of an inexplicable thing to realize you have no one really, that the bane of your existence is a diner and people who loath your actuality. I haven't seen Miss Sheila in the past few days, or Ace. I curse myself for missing his existence.

The door bangs open, a group of men staggers in, stumbling from each foot underneath them as they talk so loud, I hear their conversation clearly from the other side of the restaurant, no one really comes to the diner on a Wednesday night. Not them though, they throw themselves onto a booth and smack the table repeatedly.

They reek of alcohol.

I carefully walk over, clutching my notepad tightly as their eyes go to me, sizing me up almost. "Hey, what can I get you guys?"

They throw their orders out at me, I just barely catch them. I nod and head to the back, placing their orders to the metal bar before I sit on the barstool and wait. I tap the pads of my fingers onto my thighs as I let my feet swing back and forth. The diner is close to being empty, only the group of men sit here and a few waiters, hence that it's Wednesday.

I get their orders and balance all the plates on my arms as I set them in front of them, they reek, sweat mixed with liquor.

"Hey!" The man slurs, raising a finger. "I ordered the chicken burger!" I wince when I see I put the wrong sandwich in front of the wrong guy, I go to reach for it but the guy jerks up. "Don't touch my food!"

"I gave you the wrong order-"

He cuts me off. "Can I have salmon?"

I almost slip up and laugh. "Sir- this is a diner, we don't have fish-"

"Well then get some!" He screams, standing up as everyone's eyes bead into mine. I take a step back as he narrows his eyes.

"Come on little lady," he seethes. "Give me what I want."

"Sir-"

"I said give me what I want!" He slams his fists down onto the table and I jump a bit, I step back and hear the faint ringing of the bell from the front store. I ignore it and tilt my head at the men.

"I need you to just calm down please-"

"What about hummus?" The man in the back yells, I let out a breath and rub my eyes.

"I can go get that-"

"Well get on with it then!"

"It's illegal for you to be intoxicated in a public place," someone states, I furrow my brows as I turn around and see Ace, he's leaning against the wall of the diner on his phone. He tucks it in his pocket and walks over until he's standing beside me. "Can't be here when you're drunk."

"I can do what I want," the guy snaps, sweat beading down his forehead and I grimace.

"I beg to differ," Ace shrugs a shoulder. "Get out."

"Whatever," the men blemish, they get up and make a show of taking their trays and pelting them at the ground, I sigh, jerking away from the food they throw, and wait until they're out of the diner to let out a low groan.