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Magic Eli
CLARE
"Wasn't last night so much fun Clare? That guy was all over you!" Imogen squealed happily on the other end of my phone, as I forced my heavy eyelids open, "Imogen, why are you up so early? It's a Saturday, you should be sleeping in."
"Well, you see, remember that stripper guy Jake?" she asked, and I nodded, "Very well, sadly."
"I kind of…sort of…he came home with me and we slept together. Now we're going to get some breakfast then hang out at his place," I could sense the happiness in her voice, as I said, "Well, I'm happy you had fun last night. But, I need to get off the phone, work starts in a half hour."
"Wait!" she stopped me from clicked the 'end' button my phone, as she said, "Please tell me you had fun last night."
"Honestly," I heard her inhale sharply, "I had a really great time Imogen, thank you for taking me out."
"Yay! Yay! Yay!" Imogen cheered, as I glanced at my clock, which read 6:32am, and ended the call with Imogen. She probably wouldn't even notice I hung up; that girl can talk for hours on end.
I lazily slipped into my uniform, and put my shoes on. My reflection in the mirror didn't look too pretty, considering my hair was all choppy from the night before, and my chest had hicky's from that Elijah guy. I threw on a scarf, slipping it around my neck, making sure no co-workers or my manager would see.
As I walked through the park-my shortcut route-to the diner, I noticed how much brighter my surroundings looked. The birds were chirping, the sunlight shining a bit more than yesterday, and the water down by the river in the middle of the park was flowing swimmingly.
I entered the diner, a smile on my face, and even ten minutes early as my boss noted, "You look really happy today, a new man in your life, perhaps?"
"No Spinner, I just had a good night," I grinned, as I accidently bumped into Fiona, "Oh gosh, I'm sorry, I wasn't even looking where I was going."
"It's fine, no big deal. I take it you had a long night," she pointed to my scarf, then my eyes, as I asked, "How can you tell?"
I flung my bag into the employee's closet, as Fiona leaned against a table, saying, "The scarf in this kind of weather can only mean one thing. Let's see, it's almost eighty five degrees today which means…oh Ms. Edwards, you got a hickey!"
"No!" I snapped nervously, "My neck was cold from the air conditioning in my apartment."
"You can't afford air conditioning," she informed me, as I sighed, "Alright you caught me, but don't tell Spinner or he'll send me home for looking like this. I need the money for the rent due in two weeks, please."
She smiled, and placed a hand on my shoulder, "When are you going to notice that I'm not here to be a tattle tale, but to be your friend and chuckle about the guy who gave you this."
Fiona tugged at my scarf, to reveal the eight hickeys covering my neck, as she whispered enthusiastically, "Oh my…gosh Clare, this guy practically ate you!"
"Stop it," I swatted her hand away, covering up the marks from Elijah with the scarf as Spin said, "Let's go ladies, put those smiles on, people are already waiting outside for breakfast to be served."
"Alright alright, tell that new kid Zig to get the grill fired up," Spinner ordered to me, as I nodded, making my way to the kitchen.
I looked at Zig, to see tears flowing down his cheeks, while glaring at the cell phone in his tightly gripped hands, "Zig, what's wrong honey?"
The kid was only sixteen after all, but Spinner said he has a good hand for a trusty cooker. I swallowed the lump in my throat, as he whimpered, "My…my girlfriend just dumped me."
"That sucks," I muttered, as he asked, "What am I going to do with myself?"
"Move on…unless, she really means a lot to you," I compromised, as he glanced up at me, tears continuing to stream down his face, "She means the world to me, we've been dating ever since fourth grade. She's my childhood best friend, how could she do this to me? Girls are just empty…cold hearted bastards."
"No offense," he mumbled, and I nodded, "Well, what's the situation on our hands? Why the need for the break-up?"
"She thinks I'm lacking…," he trailed off, not finishing the sentence, as I asked, "Lacking in what?"
He glanced around nervously, eyeing the stove which was just about heated up. We looked at each other, until he coughed out, "You know…lacking…in the meat department."
"Meat department?" he shook his head, "I swear, grown-ups these days know nothing. She broke up with me because I wasn't sleeping with her."
"What's going on back here? Let's go Zig, get to the grill! And you, Clare get that scarf off and get to tables eight through twelve! Move it, move it, move it!" Spinner chanted, as I rushed to Fiona who was in the dining room, taking orders, "Fiona, I need you in the bathroom please."
"I'm busy with customers Clare, what's up?" she asked, as I said, "I need to borrow your make up to cover up the blemishes on my neck."
After applying makeup, the hickeys were long gone, the physical appearance of them anyways, and my long day of work had just begun…
10 O' CLOCK AT NIGHT
ELI
"Your shift starts in two hours," Ted ordered, as I nodded, "I know man, I just want to go to get something for dinner. Is that okay with you? If I eat, to you know, stay alive?"
"Of course you can eat, but eat a salad or something…you look a little…curvy," he eyed my bare chest, as I scoffed, "Fuck you, I'm eating a fried burger that's greased with oil."
"Don't you dare, you'll lose my paying customers! If you get fat then everything else is out the door," he spat and I chuckled, glaring into his eyes, "Watch me."
"Hey Jake! Want to go out with me to that diner a couple of blocks down the road before our midnight shift?" I asked loudly, making sure Ted heard me, as Jake's dressing room door swung open, revealing a skinny brunette attached to his neck. He looked at me with pleading eyes and said, "I'm really...dude, I'm not that hungry. I'll see you at midnight though, don't be late."
"Oh Jake!" the brunette squealed, pulling him back into the dressing room.
"Elijah! Elijah where are you going! Don't you get that burger! I'll find out!" Ted screamed at me, as I flipped him off, grabbing my leather jacket and slipping my arms through the sleeves.
"You better be back by midnight!" He shouted, but I just shook my head, ignoring his taunting screams at me...
I glared down at the menu, observing nothing whatsoever around me besides me, my menu, and the light hanging above the table. I glared down at all the calories, licking my lips in anticipation. I haven't eaten past five hundred calories in weeks, and inside, I'm slowly dying from it.
As a kid, I used to eat like a bat out of hell. But now, because of my job, I always have to count calories constantly, work out when I'm not working, and keep myself on a balanced diet.
"Hello, what can I get for you tonight?" I ignored the diligent voice, and smirked, looking down at the menu, "I'll take a...a..."
Just thinking about ordering all this food was making me sick, knowing I was going to have to pay for it later with Ted's attitude and screaming. But you know what, that douche can control me, but he can't control my body.
"Give me a triple stacker, four slices of cheese on that, ten slices of burnt bacon, tomato, mayo, and some hot sauce. Oh, and I'd like a large side of cheese fries please, with ketchup. I skipped my appetizer, silly me, I want mozzarella sticks too. Oh right, almost forgot my drink...do you have a large chocolate shake?" I looked up at the waitress, to see her notepad on the table, and she was bending down, jotting down my order.
"Can you repeat what you said after the tomato?" she asked, lifting her head up, and I smiled weirdly, "You look uh...oddly familiar."
"Oh no," she let out an exaggerated sigh, "You're the guy from the stripper place? Elijah, right?"
Her lips went from ear to ear when she saw me, and I had no idea why she was so happy to see me. The only people in my life who are happy to see me is Cece and Bullfrog, when I see them every holiday. But her...Clare...she seems so enlightened to see me in her presence.
"Yeah, but I prefer Eli," I held out my hand and she looked down at it, as if it was poisonous, "I'm sorry, I'm not allowed to touch customers..."
"Oh," I awkwardly slipped my hand back on the table, then she said, "Sorry about that, anyways, what was your order after tomato?"
I retold Clare what I wanted, except I did it slowly and steadily this time, this way she wouldn't miss a thing. When I was finally finished, she asked, "Do you want me to get you another plate? Is someone joining you?"
"Uh, nope...just me, myself and I," I smirked at her, as she nodded shyly, retreating to the kitchen...
CLARE
"He's out there Fiona!" I whispered to her, as she asked, "Who?"
"Who do you think?" I pointed to my neck, and Fiona's hands clamped over her mouth, a smile protruding through her hands, "Oh my gosh, did he recognize you? Did he ask you out? Spit it out Edwards!"
"He ordered his gigantic meal for himself...and he wants to eat, that's what he told me," I chuckled, grabbing the mozzarella sticks in one hand, the chocolate milkshake and continuing, "Besides, even if he did ask me out, I wouldn't want to."
I walked out of the kitchen, placing the mozzarella sticks in front of him, and he just stared down at the plate, as if it was going to attack him. I cleared my throat, and asked politely, "Would you like anything else with it until your other stuff comes out?"
"Me?" he pointed to himself, and I grinned confusingly, "Since you're the only one in the diner...yes, I guess I'm talking to you."
"Um, I really don't think eating this is a good idea anymore," my eyebrows scrunched up in confusion, as I asked, "Does it smell weird or something? The food is freshly cooked, I can tell you that."
"It's not how it's cooked or anything, it's just me," he asked me to get out of his way, but I stopped him, "Listen, we have a new kid working on the stove and it'd be very impolite to order what you did then not eat it. Please, at least eat half of it so he won't cry."
I watched as Eli slugged down into the booth. He hesitantly picked up the first mozzarella stick, and after one bite, he was chewing them down as if he hadn't eaten in days. I smiled, asking, "They're good?"
Eli flashed me a thumbs up, slurping down his large chocolate shake with it, "Thank you Ms. Clare."
"Not a problem."
ELI
After an hour of shoving food down my throat, grabbing anything edible from my left side to my right, I found myself rubbing my stomach underneath my shirt in food heaven. I moaned slightly, and licked my lips, taking my hand out underneath my shirt when Clare handed me my check, "Well, due to you politeness and heavy appetite, your multiple meals were on the house."
"Really?" I asked, looking at the bill that had my entire order crossed out, and a balance of $0.00 with a pink smiley face underneath it.
"Yup, have a good night Eli," she smiled warmly, reaching for the check, but I pulled it closer to me, "I think I'm going to keep this...if you don't mind?"
"A little weird, but sure, bring it home, show it to your girlfriend," I smirked at her teasing assumption, "Girlfriend...yeah right, I'm a male stripper, not part of a teenage pop band. Speaking of which, I'm late, which means my fireman butt is going to be kicked."
I slid out of the booth, and said, "It was a pleasure eating here tonight, thank you."
As soon as I left, a smirk crawling up on my face, guilt washed over me. I eyed the dumpster in the alley way behind the Dot, and sighed; I guess this would have to do for a quickie before heading back to the stripping business.
I braced myself, parting my lips, releasing heavy breaths, clenching my eyes shut and forcing my index finger down my throat...
CLARE
"He left a two hundred dollar tip Fiona! I can't accept this money!" my fingers felt the two tiny bills in my hand, yet they were huge, ginormous burdens on my head. I couldn't take that amount of money from a person, even if it would assist my rent due in two weeks.
"If it really bothers you, go out and find him," Fiona chided, as I glared at her when she handed me a bag of garbage, "And Spin wants you to throw this out in the dump in the alley way on your way out. Since it's almost closing time you can go find Eli after chucking this lovely bag into the dumpster."
"Thanks Fi," I gripped the bag, trying my best to balance out the weight, as Spin said, "I'll see you tomorrow Clare! Bright and early!"
I nodded, and once I was out of sight of the Dot, I began to drag the heavy garbage bag, heavy pants escaping my lips as I approached the dumpster. My eyes widened, when I saw a dark figure, jerking their body forward, followed by inhumane sounds.
"Hello?" I called out hesitantly, and as I got closer to the person, my eyes widened, realizing...it was Eli.
END OF CHAPTER 3
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