The Middle Finger and the Meeting that Ensues

EEË???verard (X) Adharah Rhyahnnon stared straight ahead, the man's voice ringing in her ears.

"This tea- if you can call it that- is cold. This is the second time I've complained about it. How idiots like you get jobs is beyond me?. . "

She closed her eyes hoping to open them to something better. She grabbed the tea from the man, ugly as a dog in her opinion, and walked to the microwave. She put it in for a minute. When she brought it back to man he took a sip and then spit it out, all over Everard. "It's too hot now! Can't you do anything right? Moron!"

"Pardon me?!" she asked not at all politely. "Can't you be satisfied with anything? I've done this like three times! Do it yourself."

Just then the owner of the coffee shop, Fairy as Everard liked to call him, came over and said, "What's going on here?" his face all smiley and polite.

You are such a puppet, Everard thought. "This 'gentleman' is criticizing my service," she explained.

"She is being rude and impolite and I've seen her roll her eyes at me several times," the man said angrily.

Everard rolled her eyes then said, sounding sarcastically relieved, "So you didn't see me spit in your tea. Thank Gawd!" She said this with a fake Southern accent, shaking her head.

"How many times have I told you that kidding like that is not funny? If you keep acting like this I'm going to have to fire you, Ev." Fairy said loudly. Now everyone was looking at them.

Ev's eyes flashed heatedly. In a huff she jerked off her apron and threw it on the floor. "You know what? Screw you and this job. I quit. Which I know is stupid because I need this job to pay for tuition, but I don't care. This is the most demeaning job ever! I get lousy tips even if I do well. So buh-bye. But before I go one last thing" Here she raised her middle finger and slowly revolved on the spot, showing everybody. Some people gasped and one lady covered her child's eyes. "Like you've never given the finger before. Please!" Ev said to her. Smiling slightly she walked out, slamming the door behind her. " I'll get a job at a bar or something . . . hardly minimum wage . . . fucking working my whole summer . . .two jobs," she muttered to herself.

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"What'll you boys have?" Ev asked, leaning on the table at the American restaurant she now worked at. This place was much better than the coffee house. The manager allowed the girls to wear whatever they wanted as long as it was black and white and not too slutty. Today she was wearing a knee- length black and white camouflage skirt and a white tank top. Paul, the manager had had a problem with this at first because it showed two of her tattoos- the one on the back of her left shoulder (a green fire-breathing dragon) and the one on the top of her right arm (a black Chinese symbol). In the end he let her wear it when she told him she didn't give a shit if he had a problem with it. Paul was slightly intimidated by her.

The two guys she was speaking to looked up from the menus they were looking at. One guy, with black unruly hair, said, "What's a cheeseburger? Are they good?" He said this with a very English accent. Steeling herself from smacking him repeatedly, Ev put a cute smile on her face and said, "Yes, very. I say you should try one." He nodded and she wrote it down along with the Coke he had ordered with it. "It comes with fries, which are also good," she added. She looked expectantly at the other guy, who also had black hair but slightly longer.

"Ummmmmmm . . . I'm not sure." He too was English. He was looking at the menu, as was his friend. Ev jerked her head in the air, asking God to grant her the strength to make it through the day with these idiots. "Are hot dogs good?" he asked. She nodded impatiently at him. "I'll have one of those with some fries and a . . . Coke." Ev wrote it down quickly and smiled at them.

Taking the menus from them she said, "Great!" Just as she was about to walk away the longhaired guy grabbed her arm. She snapped her head back and looked at him sharply. He slowly removed his hand.

"They're not real dogs are they?" He sounded sincerely concerned, and sincerely stupid Ev thought.

"No," Ev answered in a breathy voice. "Actually, they're cats. The inventor had a weird sense of humor."

"Oh," he said, truly believing her. Ev's mouth dropped. A bark of laughter escaped her lips.

"That was sarcasm," she said looking him in the eye. Now, he actually looked angry with her.

"You're not a very good waitress," he shot at her.

Ev started walking away, but then she turned around and said, "Never told you I was."

She continued toward the kitchen. *§ö§ö§ö§ö§ö§ö§ö§ö§ö§ö§ö§ö§ö§ö§ö§ö§ö§ö§ö§ö§ö§ö§ö§ö§ö§ö§ö§ö§ö§ö§ö§ö§ö§ö§ö§ö§ö§ ö§ö§ö§ö§ö§ö§ö§ö§ö§ö§ö§ö§ö§ö*

Sirius looked at James. "These American women are bitches." They were at a restaurant that was owned and worked for by Americans. It had only American food. "Are waitresses supposed to be that rude? She wants a tip I'll give her a tip. Don't be a bitch, that's my tip. Did you see her tattoos? What is she, a biker? I mean . . ."

"Are you aware you're still talking?" Sirius looked at James.

"You don't agree with me? That she shouldn't have acted like that." Sirius said this in disbelief.

"Sure, I agree with you." Why did he keep talking about her, James thought. She's just a rude waitress.

"I'm thinking about talking to her boss."

Shocked, James looked at him. "Why? She probably needs this job."

"She should have thought of that beforehand."

Speaking of the bitch, her she comes, James said to himself.

"Here you go." She placed their food in front of them then gave them their drinks. She was wearing a camouflage skirt and a tank top. One tattoo was on her shoulder, a dragon, and the other on her bicep, and Chinese symbol. She had her dark brown shoulder-length hair in a ponytail. (Wonder who). If you had asked James he would have said she might have been obnoxious but HOT DAMN she was hot. He quickly let go of the thought, an image of beautiful Lily Evans, his redheaded girlfriend, floating into his mind. He had recently told Remus (Sirius would have laughed) that he was sure he was in love with her.

As she gave them their food and then walked to another table to get ketchup, a song by Yankee Grey (All Things Considered)-not that neither James nor Sirius knew- came on. "All things considered I'm doing just fine even though...," she sang softly to herself as she leaned over Sirius to place the bottle next to the wall. She had a nice voice Sirius thought, though he'd never admit it. "Thanks," James said as she leaned back, smiling at her. She smiled at him in answer.

She turned to Sirius, "Sorry about . . . before. Long day you know? Someone came in earlier and asked for a hotburger. 45 minutes it took to explain that." She sighed. Then shook her head, her eyebrows raised, as if to rid herself of the memory. "So, sorry."

"Sure, me too." Sirius responded. Ev walked away. "Trying to get a better tip . . ." Sirius muttered. James rolled his eyes. I need other friends.

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At the end of the day, Ev was collecting the tips from a few of the tables. She walked warily to the table that James and Sirius had occupied. Closing her eyes, she felt around for the money and, finding it, opened it to see . . . $1.13.

"Son of a bitch," she muttered. Pocketing it, she cleaned up for the next 15 minutes and left at quarter to 12. She walked the four blocks home. Once inside she didn't even change clothes; she just fell face first onto the bed. "Uhhhhhh."