Chapter 2

'What the hell is wrong with me?' Emma rested her head against the lockers and groaned quietly. She was deadly tired, and the luke-warm coffee she was sipping from had done nothing so far to change that. She hadn't got a wink of sleep that night because of the mess of feelings in her head. The pictures of Jenny and Hotte kissing at the party were running on endless-loop in her mind. Jenny grabbing Hotte's tie, kissing him out of the blue, dancing so close to him that not even a sheet of paper would have fitted between them. She couldn't quite explain why these recurring thoughts still made her so angry that she desperately wanted to wipe them from her memory. She'd known Hotte for almost all her life, surely she couldn't have a crush on him now that he'd fallen head over heels for another girl? Emma sighed and shook her head.

"Hey Emma! Are you alright?" Luzi looked at her with a quizzical expression on her face.

"Luzi! Yes…I mean, no." She sighed again. "I don't know."

Luzi just stared at her, waiting for her to elaborate.

"You've known me for quite a while now. Do you think it could be possible that…that I've got a crush on Hotte?" Emma couldn't quite hide her embarrassment because the question sounded silly even to her own ears.

"Erm…I don't know. Do you?"

"No! It's just…I've got that strange feeling in my stomach whenever he talks to Jenny. He's following her like a puppy-dog, although she isn't even interested in him. Not really, anyway, she's just playing with him! Well, at least I think that she is, heaven knows why, though. It's not like her, you know? Although….perhaps I'm wrong about that, I don't even know her. But sometimes she's acting so weird that it's making me jump out of my skin!"

"Emma, erm…have you listened to yourself?" Luzi interrupted with a smile. "It's Jenny you're talking about all the time. If you're having a crush on someone, then it's probably her, not Hotte." Luzi added matter-of-factly.

'What the….?' Emma stared at her as if she'd grown a second head. "Very funny, Luzi. Thank you very much for your help!" she spat at her friend sarcastically, grabbed her bag and stormed away, leaving Luzi mentally slapping herself for her lack of subtlety.

A crush on Jenny! Emma angrily chucked her empty coffee mug into the nearest bin. Why was everyone making fun of her lately? First Jenny claiming that she'd flirted with that woman in Hall One who'd given her a generous tip and her phone number, now Luzi dead-panning that she had a crush on Jenny! Was it because she hadn't had a boyfriend in ages? Were they pitying her in some weird way, like 'Hey Emma, if it doesn't work out with boys, why not try a girl for a change?' Jenny's remark had thrown her somehow, but Luzi blowing into the same horn had been far worse. They are friends, for fuck's sake, so couldn't she expect to be taken seriously when she asked for help? Even if she had talked about Jenny a lot – was it her fault that it was Jenny who played with Hotte's feelings and helped him make a complete fool of himself? He didn't deserve that, he's got a heart of gold and had stood by her so many times in the past that she'd lost count. Perhaps she only felt bad for him because he'd been played so obviously. Yes, that had to be it! She'd felt bad for him and had confused these emotions with having a crush on him. Satisfied with that solution, she made her way down the hall, looking for Hotte.

ooooo

"Come on Jenny, could you please hurry up a bit? The couple at table seven is waiting for the bill, and the funeral party at table eleven is still waiting for their drinks."

"Yes, Miriam, give me a second." Jenny muttered while she balanced a tray with empty glasses towards the bar. Hall One was literally bursting at the seams, every table occupied, with only two pitiable waitresses – Miriam and herself. She groaned inwardly as the kitchen signaled for another round of dishes being ready to be served. Jenny took the two plates of steaming pasta, one in each hand, and was about to scan the room for the appropriate table number as the door opened behind her and a cold draft of air made her shiver. She turned around and her mind came to an abrupt halt. Emma. Looking gorgeous even in her heavy winter jacket and the colorful scarf she'd wound around her neck. 'What's she doing here? Is she still mad at me? Probably….' Jenny was woken from her inner musings by the loud clanging of the plates which had slipped from her hands and had now created an ugly heap of shards and pasta on the floor. 'Jesus fucking Christ!' Thankfully, Miriam laid a reassuring hand on her shoulder before she hurriedly started clearing the mess away. Only five minutes later, all remnants of her mishap had been discarded and the waiting couple mollified with a round of drinks on the house.

"Thank you." Jenny said as Miriam put the broom and dustpan back beneath the counter.

"Jenny…I know you're trying really hard, but I think you're a bit overwhelmed with this job."

"You know what, I've got an idea – why don't Emma and I do this job together and share our wages?" Emma stared at her, speechless.

"Well, I don't know if the manager has already forgotten about Emma shutting down the alarm…"

"Oh, that was me, to be honest!" Jenny hurriedly interrupted. "Emma had already left and I guess I accidentally stumbled against the switch." Out of the corner of her eye she saw Emma looking at her as if she'd lost her mind. "And I'm sorry that I didn't tell before, but I needed the job." Jenny looked pleadingly at Miriam who finally shrugged, giving in.

"Okay, fine, we'll give it a try!" Jenny beamed at her, glad that she'd finally got the chance to tell the truth. Well, not exactly the truth, but a version which was far more honest than the last one and let Emma off the hook. Emma looked at both of them a bit indecisively before she finally relented, took off her jacket and got changed.

They worked side by side until the last customer had finally left and Hall One was prepared for the following day. Emma had been unusually quiet during their shared shift, but Jenny wouldn't allow that fact to dampen her mood. "We're a good team." Jenny said as they sat beside each other at the bar, drinking a glass of water. "So which shifts should I inscribe us for next week?" She looked expectantly at Emma who remained silent. "Or…do you want to do the shifts on your own?" Jenny added, a hint of insecurity in her voice. "Emma?"

"I really like working with you, but…" Emma started and shrugged.

"But?"

"How am I to know that you won't be turning all cool again within the next three minutes and set another trap for me?"

Jenny nodded, grateful for Emma's honesty but at the same time sad because she realized how deeply she'd hurt her with her betrayal. "You're talking about the incident with the alarm system. I really shouldn't have done that, I'm sorry."

"No, you shouldn't have. I really hated you for that one. But it's not only that, it's…" Emma paused, searching for the appropriate words. "It's everything! Every time I think I know you a little bit, you're totally different all of a sudden! I…I can't do this."

Jenny nodded, not able to hide her disappointment. "What does that mean exactly?" she asked quietly.

Emma slowly shook her head. "I don't know what that means."

'So that's it, I've blown it for good. She hates me, and I can't even blame her.' She blinked back the tears which threatened to well up in her eyes and left without another word.