It's 6am when I arrive at Jack's Diner, as it's called. I stop in front of the dirty glass doors and jump off my skateboard. Before I step in, I look upon the sky and let out a deep sigh.
This is going to be a crazy day!
As I walk in, the smell of old fat welcomes me, making me wrinkle my nose.
How I hate this place!
Jack, the owner of the Diner, who is sitting at the shabby counter with a grumpy face, wearing his old, red baseball cap, just nods at me.
"Morning!" I mutter and make my way to the back office. Gladly, I've still got time for a quick coffee before I get down to work.
Abigail, my co-worker and best friend, is leaning against the wall next to the coffee machine holding a steamy cup in her hands. Abbey's ginger hair is tied back into a very messy bun and she looks as if she just got up. She lifts her head as soon as she hears me walking in and frowns when she notices my exhausted face.
"Hey Livie, what's wrong?" she asks with a concerned look. Abbey knows me too well to not notice when something's up.
I walk over, pour myself a cup of coffee, and tell her what happened last night in a few words.
"Shit. Abbey, I'm a total mess today. I knelt in the blood of this man. I mean... What if the person who shot him had returned?! I just hope he's okay..." My voice cracks as the images from last night turn up in my head again.
Abbey listens to me in shock and then pulls me in for a tight hug. I rest my head on her shoulder and Abbey softly strokes my hair.
"It must have been terrible for you!" She kisses my hair and then steps back to look into my eyes.
"Listen, Livie. We have to get down to work now, but we'll talk about this after work, okay?" Her voice soothes me, and I nod, wiping away a tear which found its way to the corner of my eye. After one last sip of my coffee, which tastes like old dishwater, I straighten myself and take a last deep breath before walking through the doors into the guest area.
~
It's a very quiet day at the Diner so far, as it's mostly the case on Mondays, and I just stand around uselessly, staring at the wall, and waiting for my shift to end.
It's shortly before 3pm, almost closing time, as the creak of the old doors draws my attention. I turn around and spot an elderly man entering. His appearance is quite noble with the brown leather jacket and the cognac-colored Oxfords he's wearing.
"Hi, I'm Officer Clarks. I'm looking for Miss Olivia Brooks. Is she here?" His eyes wander through the empty Diner. My heart skips a beat as I hear my name, and I instantly think of last night. What if the man died and now I'm the suspect? I feel panic washing over me and take a deep breath to compose myself.
Jack, who's standing in front of the register, counting the daily cash receipts, scowls, and nods in my direction. The Officer thanks him with a polite smile and turns towards me.
I feel a lump in my throat and blink nervously as Officer Clarks approaches me.
"Miss Brooks?" he asks.
"Yes, that's me", I stutter with a shaky voice.
"Hi, I'm Officer Clarks. I'm here because of the shooting which took place in your neighborhood last night. Is there a place where we can talk in private?" He gives me a friendly smile, and I slightly relax. At least he's nice. That's a good sign, right?
I shoot a glance at Jack, who huffs in annoyance, but stands up, grabs the money, and heads for the back office.
I face Officer Clarks again and point to an empty table in the back of the Diner. He nods and we sit down opposite of each other. I fold my hands on the table and screw up my face as I notice its sticky, gross surface. Nobody in here seems to give a shit about anything. Sometimes, I think even Jack doesn't care if the tables are clean or the floor is thoroughly mopped. The latter is never the case, by the way.
Officer Clarks looks directly into my eyes and I fully draw my attention to him.
"The police talked to Mr. Wood at the hospital," he starts, and I shoot him a puzzled look.
"Mr. Wood?!" I ask. "Is that the young man who got shot?"
The Officer nods and then speaks on.
"Exactly. The doctor said he only got a glancing blow, but he got wounded near the carotid artery. He's very lucky to be alive and that you found him and called the ambulance so fast."
Thank God he's alive!
"Mr. Wood is not willing to tell us the name of the gunman, so I wanted to ask you a few questions. Are you okay with that?" Officer Clarks looks down to his notepad and pulls a pen out of his jacket.
"Sure." I nod and shrug my shoulders, even though I have nothing to tell him. I haven't seen anything what could help him.
"Great. Did you watch the shooting? Where were you when the crime took place?" he asks me with a frown, and holds his pen ready to take notes.
"Uh..." I stutter, overwhelmed by his last question. Maybe I'm a suspect after all.
"No need to be nervous! These are just standard questions. You're not under suspicion," he tells me with a calm voice as he notices my tenseness.
I nod and smile weakly, "My apartment is opposite the street. I was asleep on my sofa and got woken up by screams from the outside. I went to the window and looked outside. Then I heard the sound of gunfire and spot a motionless body lying on the sidewalk. Everyone else was already gone by that time..."
I breathe in heavily. Reviewing last night feels strange, and on top of it I'm thoroughly exhausted. Every single muscle and bone of my body is craving for sleep.
"Then I ran outside and called the ambulance. The young man...uh Mr. Wood, right? He could barely speak... Yea, that's all, I guess."
"Did you notice anything else which seemed suspicious for you?" The Officer asks me inquisitively and slightly tilts his head.
"Except for the fact, that I witnessed a shooting right in front of my window... nothing Sir," I answer with a dang of irony.
A small smile appears on Mr. Clark's face. At least, he seems to have a little sense of humor.
"Well, Miss Brooks, thank you very much. That's all for the moment. I will contact you if I need further information." He stands up and reaches out his hand. I grab it and we say our goodbyes.
After Mr. Clarks has left the Diner, I head to the back office. I can't suppress a big yawn. Bit by bit my adrenaline level drops, and I can hardly keep my eyes open. Abbey and Jack both look up as I enter the room.
Jack slips into his jacket and grabs his cigarettes.
"I'm leaving, girls. See you tomorrow!" he mutters and vanishes through the door. I sink on a stool and tiredly close my eyes for a second.
"So, what did this Officer tell you, Livie?" Abbey asks me with a sympathetic look.
"The young man is alive. His name is Mr. Wood. He refused to tell the police who the gunman is, so the Officer asked me if I saw any suspicious people or other things around my street, but I didn't. Yea... I guess I couldn't help him that much," I summarize for Abbey while kneading my tense neck.
She nods and gives me a loving smile, "Thank god, he's alive. That's thanks to you, I suppose."
I smile vaguely and shrug, "I guess... Sorry Abbey, I haven't slept properly for over 24 hours. I have to get some rest. Catch you up tomorrow, okay?" Abbey nods and warmly smiles at me. I get up, but before I leave, I hesitate and look back at my best friend again.
"Thanks for always being there for me! I appreciate you so much, love!" I give her a brief hug and she softly pecks my cheek before I head for the door.
Once the doors of the Diner snap shut behind me, I close my eyes, take a deep breath of the fresh air, and step on my skateboard to head home.
*****
Please don't forget to comment and vote. ✨
Katie❤️
YOU ARE READING
Save Me #1
Romance*UNEDITED* The everyday life of Olivia Brooks, a 25-year-old waitress from Calgary, is influenced by ten-hour shifts, cozy evenings in her old, little apartment, and meeting her girls every so often. She herself would call it a quiet and rather bori...
