WARNING: may cause heartbreak
Chapter 1
Persephone
I can't wait for the summer. Winter has become almost suffocating. I gave up chocolate for lent so today to satisfy my PMS I ate an entire jar of pickles. I'm not even too fond of pickles to tell you then truth. I didn't run today cause it was snowing. So I think I'm going to go tomorrow morning – start out the day right, you know? I don't have class until 10:30 so I'll have plenty of time. I simply cannot wait to go down to the beach dress down to my bikini and get a nice warm tan. I'm scared of wrinkles so I would never go tanning. The result? I look like a pale pancake all through winter. And pancake is not just a weird comparison I randomly thought up. No, I look like a pancake because not only is my complexion pale during the winter months, it tends to look dull and dry - Like a whole-wheat pancake. Do you understand my thinking here? I took some pictures outside today even though it was cold. Some came out nice – some didn't. My stomach hurts from all those pickles. Ouch. I want summer already. Damn. Well my subway dinner has arrived so I must be going.
P.s. I hate subway.
"Kagome? I'm back!" I watched as my roommate, Yura stumbled in, overwhelmed by shopping bags. How can she afford to buy so many clothes when she can't even scrape enough money for a monthly rent? I've been covering her rent for the past three months. We need to have another talk soon. My income is not enough to support two people. It's barely enough to keep me on my feet. What do I do? I waitress at night. I work as a secretary Monday through Friday during the day, and I help out at a weekend daycare. It's a bit stressful at times. "Hey, Kagome I picked you up some subway!" Well at least she tried to be thoughtful. If she wasn't so damn scatterbrained she would have remember that I absolutely despise any sort of food from a food chain. Supersize me ruined fast food for me.
"Gee thanks." She didn't even recognize my sarcasm.
"Anytime sweetie."
"I have to get to work." I grabbed my coat and hat. It was still cold outside. Tuesday afternoon. My schedule? Waitress from four o'clock to seven thirty, take a twenty minute dinner break, and work from seven fifty to ten. Sleep after that. I know what your probably thinking. This girl is twenty-two years old, fresh out of college, and has the social life of a single thirty something. Well that's not all true. I have a best friend. He's twenty-four and I met him after college. No, he's not that kind of friend – or the gay friend that gives you fashion advice. He's actually the biggest womanizer I have ever (or for that matter will ever) meet. But he's sweet. Really, he is. And when you need him to be a friend, he is there no matter what.
Oh my god it really is cold outside! When I said waitressing before I hope you didn't picture some skuzzy diner that only serves breakfast food. I actually work at a very ritzy restaurant – with that cheesy jazz music and occasionally a live performer. Some are good, some aren't. Anyway, that's beside the point. Miroku works there too so it's not a complete bore. Unfortunately, it's a seven-block walk from my apartment and I have absolutely no spare cash for a cab. This is going to be a long walk.
Good god I'm so cold I can't even feel my butt. "Kagome!" Nope I can feel it. So can someone else. Slap.
"Hey 'roku."
"How are you on this fine Wednesday afternoon?"
"Miroku it's Tuesday."
"Yes well details my love details."
"So speaking of love how did your blind date go last night?"
"Simply horrific. Fate has a cruel sense of humor." I raised an eyebrow at him but he shook his head. I'll just ask later. Miroku was actually a very handsome man. I'm sure when you heard womanizer you thought slimy old baldy guy who sits on park benches and whistles at anything with breasts that walks by. Either that – or a group of construction workers who catcall at young girls on their lunch break. But no, Miroku is neither. He has a lovely complexion, naturally tan. Not at all like a pancake. And his hair is messily perfected into a small tail. I tell him he looks like Johnny Depp (an American actor) like that but he insists that he sported the style first. With his looks, his womanizing habits are almost charming. Almost. Not too many of his ex's have been fond of that behavior. But he hasn't dated in a while. Well except last night's blind date. I always tease him about it – being single (not like I'm one to talk, of course) and he laughs along and gets into his "charmer" mode. He tells me he's simply testing the waters. The real reason? He's in love with my other best friend from college. He just won't admit it. I'll tell you about her later.
"So how late are you working tonight?"
"Ten."
"Kagome? Miroku?" Our boss. A very short, "hefty" man with an ego twice his size. Miroku says he has a "Napoleon" complex – you know – short man's syndrome? I just tell him that Napoleon was actually average height and the only reason everyone thinks he's short is because the conversions were messed up. He just laughs and calls me a nerd. Which I am sometimes. I know all sorts of useless facts that will never actually help me in real life. "Get your uniforms on already were very crowded tonight."
Crowded on Tuesday night? That's odd.
I go to the bathroom to change quickly. Oh god my hair. I didn't straighten it today and it's a sloppy mess. Quickly I throw it up on top of my head. A thin black headband behind my bangs and I'm done. Phew.
Give minutes later and I'm out of there. Now waitressing is a tricky business. No, not intellectually challenging of course, but more than half my money is from tips and in order to get a good tip you have to be friendly, competent, and quick no matter how lousy your day has been. It's tough sometimes.
"Hi I'm Kagome and I'm going to be your waitress for this evening." I give the man in the seat in from of me the Barbie smile. Bright and cheery but so utterly shallow. I don't have the energy to muster up a genuine smile today. "Can I get you something to drink?"
"I'm waiting for someone." He doesn't seem to be in that swell of a mood either.
"Ah well then can I get you something or would you like me to come back in a couple minutes?" My cheeks are already starting to hurt.
"Just come back in a couple minutes. And a couple minutes. Don't be one of those annoying people who disappear into the back for a half hour. A couple minutes means a couple minutes." Wow what a jackass. We get them a lot here though, because this is such a high-class restaurants. I swear I've seen this guy a dozen times so far this week. Guys that think they are so much better than everyone else because they don't have to wear a stupid black apron when they go to work. They don't have to cater to someone else's every whim. They think they are so fabulous. God I hate people like that.
"Of course sir." Smile, Kagome, just keep smiling.
A couple of minutes later…
"Hello again, sir, any word from your other party?"
"Listen wench I told you not to leave and never come back but I wasn't secretly hinting that I wanted you to hover around me every other second. Does it look like my other party is here yet? I didn't think so."
Wench? I don't think so. "Actually sir I'm your waitress. Not a wench. I don't know if you've noticed, but we're not in the medieval times anymore." Damn straight. I have little patience for these people as it is. But if they provoke me they better steer clear.
Now I just hope my boss didn't – "Kagome!" damn. "Kagome may I speak to you please?" Shit shit shit.
I followed him through the flapping doors and into the kitchen. "Kagome if I get one more complaint from a customer who says that you insulted them or treated them poorly I'm going to have no choice but to let you go."
"But sir-"
"No buts, Kagome."
"Sir the man insulted me. Not the other way around."
"Be that as it may, it's your job not to engage them beyond taking their orders. Understood?"
"Yes sir." I cannot afford to lose this job. It's the only one that keeps my head above water.
A couple more minutes later…
So his party has arrived. This should be interesting. No matter what I cannot dignify this man's behavior with a response.
"Good evening sir, ma'am." Wow I can't believe such a jackass is with such a beautiful woman.
"Took you long enough." Ok now I believe it. She's just as much of a tool.
"I'm sorry to keep you waiting." Barbie smile, Barbie smile. "Can I get you something to drink?"
"Your finest red wine. Don't even think of giving me any of that cheap shit."
"Same."
"Very good… Now are you ready to order now?"
"Could you give me two minutes at least? I have barely even had enough time to open the menu."
Good god nothing would satisfy these people.
Later still…
"Are you ready to order?"
"I though I told you not to give us shit wine. This tastes like horse piss." Ok we'll get to the order later…
"I'm very sorry that it doesn't make your standards sir, it is our very best brand…"
"Please, InuYasha. I told you this restaurant had distasteful menus, and a poor excuse for a waiting staff. It's not her fault she's just not competent enough to process a simple request."
I've never been one to handle criticism so well. "I'm very sorry-"
"Please don't even try. I want to speak to your management."
Shit shit shit. This bitch and my "hefty" manager have been talking for more than five minutes. This does not bode well for me.
"Kagome?" Once the woman left my manager called me over. "Kagome, you know I don't want to do this…" oh no. "I'm going to have to let you go."
"Please, sir no! I need this job I – "
"Please leave immediately. Have Miroku return your uniform."
And that was it. I was fired. I would drown in my debts. And no one would miss me. Damn.
Three nights later
It's been three nights since I was fired. Yura was in her room with some random guy. Jesus if I had the money I would sound proof my walls. Damn did they make a lot of noise.
I was eating ice cream on my couch. All alone. Watching Tristan and Isolde. Why I was watching such a sad chick flick is beyond me. At least it doesn't have a happy ending. That helps, surprisingly. I would ask Miroku to come over and keep me company but unlike me he's still employed. God my life sucks. I'm drinking vodka with ice cream and eating right out of the whipped cream can. I'm going to die fat and alone of liver disease.
Oh my god they were making a lot of noise. I had had enough. Vodka still in my hand I barged into their room. Not really caring what I would see. But I wasn't prepared for what I wouldn't see. No one was in the room. What the fuck?
It must be my new neighbors. They moved in at fucking two in the morning yesterday. And apparently they're horny as rabbits. They really need to keep it down. Half drunk I stomped out of my apartment and marched right up to their door. And knocked. Hard. "Hey! You need to keep the fu-" The door opened. The man in front of me had had the decency to wrap a towel around his waist. But it wasn't just any man.
"What the fuck do you think you're doing here."
Ok it's not exactly a cliffhanger. More like a taste of what's to come. I hope you guys enjoyed. It's kind of a tester – this way of writing.
Tell me what you think