Ignore my other PITZ story. I'm going in a different direction and hope to not lose personal interest this time~
"Hey Fitz? Could you put your bible down for a second and help me with these tables?"
Mark Fitzgerald glares at me. With his jaw set tight I'm not sure whether he's going to punch me in the face or shoot me the finger. He does neither. After ambling over to me, he says in a very low voice, "I already told you, I need to memorize a passage so that I can recite it at church this Sunday."
"I don't know why you even bother telling me this stuff. You lost me at memorize, dude."
Fitz rolls his eyes. "Don't push me, Peter."
"Or what? You'll pray at me?"
"Hilarious," Fitz says darkly. This time I'm sure he's going to erupt but instead he heads over to the other end of The Dot and starts busing tables.
The guy changed a lot. When I was still at Degrassi, he was the notorious bully. It was frustrating to see him push his victims around. I never tried to defend anyone although I wanted to many times. What about now? Fitz showed up one day with some priest begging for a chance to right himself and for a position here at The Dot. At first I thought it was a bad idea. Predicted it to go the wrong way. But so far he'd been calm. I tend to poke fun at his all-of-a-sudden love for Jesus and sometimes I swear the guy is close to cracking and returning to his old ways but it never happens. I've decided he's definitely changed and it's quite impressive although I'll never admit it.
By the end of the day I'm about to place the closed sign on the door when someone barges in, practically knocking me over. I curse under my breath until I get a good look at our visitor. I don't recognize him but I can tell by his size and scowl-set face that he's no friendly civilian.
"Where is he?" he asks in a husky voice. Suits him actually.
"Where's who?" Should I feel threatened...?
"Mark. Where's Mark?"
I'm about to answer. I'm about to tell him that Fitz is taking out the trash but for some reason I keep the knowledge to myself. I'm getting an odd vibe from this stranger.
"Well? Is that bastard here?"
"No, you just missed him," I lie through my teeth.
"Are you sure?"
Damn. He doesn't seem to believe me but I deicde to hold my ground.
"Yup. His shift ended so he left."
He eyes me carefully and that's when I know he's giving up on his search. Without another word, Tough Guy stomps out.
As I'm locking the entrance behind him, Fitz asks, "Who was here? I heard voices."
"Some guy was looking for you."
"Oh. Who was it?"
"I don't know but something about him didn't feel right."
"You didn't get his name?"
"Slipped my mind. All I can tell you is that he's pretty big and looked angry..."
"Steve." The name slips out of Fitz's mouth barely audible.
"So you know him?" I ask out of curiosity.
"He's my step brother."
"Oh. I told him you weren't here..."
His eyes widen. "Crap. I have to get home. Do you mind finishing around here?"
I couldn't believe how nervous he was looking. Or was it fear?
After Fitz booked it out of here I was left wondering why he reacted the way he did. I guess I shouldn't have lied to his step brother.