Grace shot a glance out to the parking lot, as she heard the screeching of tyres.
She saw as a car pulled out and turned onto the main road, and then out of sight.
"Table 7"
Grace turned on her heel and walked towards her assigned table; a young couple, only about 18; and most likely on their first date judging by how nervous both of them were.
"Hello, what would you like to order this evening?" Grace asked sweetly.
The man with short red hair, a pale face and scattered freckles on his nose lifted his head to smile at Grace; he wasn't very attractive.
"Err, no entrée's, but I will have chicken parmigiana" he said, and looked over at his date.
She was quite pretty, olive skin, long brown hair and a petite figure; and Grace wondered how they'd ended up together.
GRACE opposites attract I guess.
The girl flashed a bright smile at Grace and then examined her menu again "May I please have a pumpkin soup and a small Caesar salad?" she asked politely.
"Of course; you're meals will be here in a short time; would you like anything else? Drinks? Bread? -" Grace asked them.
The man shook his head, and Grace noticed little beads of sweat rolling down his forehead; is he sure he doesn't want a drink? Grace thought to herself.
"Ok then, enjoy you're evening!" Grace smiled and turned away from them, striding over to the bar.
Andrea looked up and saw Grace walking towards her; she bent down and grabbed a few clean glasses from the cupboard, and began scrubbing them with the towel that was slung over her shoulder; hoping to busy herself.
"Hey" Grace smiled, but Andrea only murmured a hello and went on scrubbing the seemingly spotless glass in her hand.
"If my mum calls can you please tell her to pick me up at 9?" Grace asked sweetly, and Andrea nodded.
Grace was about to ask if Andrea was feeling ok, but then remembered the order she had in her hand; so she walked over to the kitchen.
"Table 7 has an order," she said, opening the doors into the steamy kitchen.
Nobody heard her, so she walked over to the main counter and pinned the piece of paper with her scribbling on a peg for the cook.
"Thanks" somebody murmured, and Grace nodded, turning to walk out the door.
She'd only been working for an hour and a half, and the place was only half full; because it was a weekday.
But Grace could already feel the tension in her body from running back and forth, not allowing herself to rest.
"Going out for a break?"
Grace spun round and saw Elle staring at her, smiling deviously.
Grace really didn't know her that well, but her father had told her that Elle was a pain in the ass; didn't do her fair share of work, always had her skirt too short, was sloppy with orders; but he couldn't afford to lose any waitresses just yet, but when summer holidays came around; she'd be gone!
"Actually, yeah" Grace smiled back at her.
Elle flashed another toothy smile, and linked arms with Grace as she led her out the doors that lead to the back of the restaurant.
The cold air hit Grace immediately; it was a warmer night than yesterday, but still the thin shirt and knee high skirt she wore was uncomfortable on such a cool night.
Elle dug around in her pocket, and pulled out a cigarette; and Grace remembered the night she'd first met Damien.
"I don't suppose you smoke?" Elle said, not looking at Grace as she lit her cigarette.
"Ah, no" Grace said weakly "-I hear they can kill you" she added, but Elle only gave out a short snorted laugh.
"Eh, we all die sometime" she said, turning to face Grace with her now lit cigarette pursed between her lips "- may aswell die happy" she added, and brought her fingers to the cigarette, pulling it out as she drew a cloud of smoke in Grace's direction.
Grace let out a deep cough, and saw Elle smile as she placed her cigarette between her lips again.
"So are you single Grace?" Elle asked her calmly, and Grace nodded her head, trying to fan away the cloud of smoke hovering towards her face.
"I have a few guys here and there-" Elle said coolly, talking while her cigarette rested in her lips "-although, I did meet a really nice guy today-" she stared at Grace while she talked, and Grace nodded, not particularly interested.
"- Yeah, I've seen him in the restaurant a few times- and then, today I walk into this tech store and there he is! -" Elle curved her lips into a sly smile as she went on "-and this guy is, like, MEGA gorgeous! -" Elle let out a small laugh, and breathed out a larger cloud of smoke.
"Really? The world is a small place" Grace said, hugging herself as she half listened to Elle's story.
Elle was a little pissed that Grace wasn't giving her full attention, but that would only make it sweeter when she dug her claws into her.
"-Uhu, yeah REALLY small world-" Elle agreed "- his name's Eli-" Elle breathed his name in a husky breath, elongating his name as she saw Grace's expression change.
"- I mentioned where I work and he said he kinda knew the owners-" Elle added, not noticing that Grace had completely drifted off to another dimension.
GRACE there are those 'triggers' again.
Elle smiled brightly, as she saw Grace's face drain of all colour and her expression turn completely blank.
"- Do you know him?" Elle asked as though she didn't have a clue.
Grace turned to look at her; she could see her outline, but couldn't define any of her features; she couldn't see the cunning smile on her lips or her brooding expression.
"-Well?" Elle asked, puffing out another cloud of smoke.
"Stepbrother" Grace squeaked, and hugged herself tighter; not to warm herself from the cold, more to hold herself together.
"Pardon? I didn't quite catch that?" Elle said; she knew her claws were drawing blood now.
"My stepbrother, Eli is my step brother" Grace murmured, and tightened her arms around her body.
"OH! REALLY?" Elle said, putting a little 'bounce' in her tone.
Grace nodded her head meekly. She could feel her body shudder, and she wondered if it was because of the cold, or because she had an image in her head of Eli and Elle kissing one another passionately!
"My god, that is, like, completely weird- don't you think?" Elle asked, taking her cigarette from her mouth and throwing it to the ground.
Grace nodded again; she imagined Eli running his big strong hands through Elle's long raven hair.
"Oh no, Grace" Elle added a touch of worry to her tone, though she was smiling wickedly on the inside.
Grace put the idea of Eli and Elle making love on pause for a moment, as she turned to look at Elle.
"Are you ok?" she asked Grace, concerned "-I mean, Eli is REALLY sweet. And I think we hit it off, and I would really like to see him again! Would that upset you-?" Elle asked.
Grace stared at her for a moment, not really seeing her but feeling her presence.
Elle waited for Grace to say something, and when she didn't she decided to go in for the last kill "- or would it totally piss you off?" Elle asked in a harsh tone.
Grace blinked her eyes and a foggy image of Elle standing before her suddenly became visible.
"What?" Grace whispered after a moment. She couldn't figure out if Elle had a harsh tone in her voice or if the wind had simply picked up and nipped at her ears.
"I mean, I realize you two had a THING going on-" Elle's words sliced at Grace, deeper, deeper…….
"- I guess he's gone off the whole 'younger step sibling' thing and wants a real woman-" Elle said.
Slicing deeper………
"- I don't know if I'm going to see him again. It's kind of perverted. How he took advantage of you and all. But I bet you BEGGED for it!-"
Slicing deeper, deeper……
"- Oh gee Grace! I hope I haven't upset you, I mean; it must be hard enough getting over someone like Eli. And I can only imagine how much the abortion hurt-"
Slicing DEEPER!
"What?" Grace could suddenly see Elle. See straight through her- and she knew, by the precise way she said her words, that she had been planning this little 'get together' with Grace. And she wondered who else she told her little lies to.
Elle rested a heavy hand on Grace's shoulder, and she would have shrugged it off, but she had lost all feeling in her body.
"- Don't worry Grace, you're dirty little secret is safe……….oh no, wait, it's not actually. I kinda let it slip the other day and I THINK everyone else knows about it-" Elle smiled; her claws had dug at Grace's flesh, drawn blood and were now leaving a permeant scar!
Grace went to open her mouth, but nothing came out.
And besides, Elle had already tossed her hair to one side, given Grace a shady smile and was walking through the doors back into the restaurant.
ELLE hit em' when their down!
Grace hugged herself tighter.
And suddenly heard bellowing cries, soft at first and then hollow gasps.
It took a few minutes for Grace to realize the sounds were coming from her mouth……….she could feel her cheeks reddening, and she felt tears run down uncontrollably.
Slowly she lowered herself to the ground, until she was sitting on the concrete, hugging herself as the tears and cries continued.
She rocked her body and hugged herself tighter and tighter, until she found it hard to breath and she had to release the hold on herself.
GRACE there's this point, where the pain is so completely unbearable that it is replaced with this numbing feeling……and that's the worst kind of pain because you beg yourself to bleed just to know your alive……..
