As Lexington caught hold of the tray, spilling a bit of the cherry red soda on her white cropped sweater, the woman resisted the urge to roll her eyes. By now, she was used to the cook’s attitude and most of all, “That *** of yours better not drop another bottle” his remarks. It took very little of her effort to not pick up the soda and throw it into his face. As he leaned over the grill, she figured it would do nothing but help him cool off.
“You really shouldn’t speak that way to us.” She muttered under her breath about a lawsuit, and it didn’t surprise her that he seemed to hear her words. “Like you can afford a lawyer!” The words caused her to pause, wanting to correct the man that yes, she can afford a lawyer, thanks, dickbag but it wasn’t worth it. The sorcerer let the words roll off her back as she clenched her jaw.
The stormy demeanor remained across her pretty features while she made her way back into the dining room, towards the table where a mother and her two twin boys were sitting in their usual place. “Hello Dawes!” Mary-Ann greeted her as she arrived, Lexington smiling in response. “I have a root beer for Cody, a cherry sprite for Ross, and for you, a raspberry sweet tea.” For the few months that she had been working there, the usual customers kept her sane amongst the hustle and bustle.
Although she was a graphic designer, work wasn’t always there, and so, she had chosen to work as a waitress in between. Maybe it would be a good way to fund things in the future, if she didn’t end up in jail because of Ricky. “Are you ready to order?” She asked, adjusting to pull out the small green notepad that she had purchased for London and ended up using for herself. When the group gave an answer of either nods or ‘yes ma’am’, Lexington smiled and then prepared.
As she wrote down their meals - chili cheese dogs for the boys with fries that were smothered as well, and chicken caesar salad for their mother - Lexington’s eyes skimmed over her neat handwriting and then smiled once more. “Alright, I’ll be back in a few minutes.” With her tray in hand, she moved to put the order in before looking over her shoulder, ignoring Ricky as she looked towards her other customers. Some new, others regulars but unfamiliars. When a group of rowdy looking teenage boys sat down in her section and glanced in her direction, Lexington sighed inwardly.
She looked up at the ceiling, asking out, “Are you just trying to test my patience today?” before she watched the hostess moving to put silverware down at the table before the redhead decided it would be best to give them a few minutes. There were a few customers that had been there for a few minutes - a couple that had bickered over who would order what, an old man sitting alone at the bar eating breakfast for dinner, and then a table of eight church ladies who had the tendency to snap their fingers at her if she wasn’t quick enough.
Letting out a heavy exhale through her nose, she picked up a pitcher of water with lemon in it before heading in the direction of the church ladies.
- x - x - x -
Five stains and a bruise on her elbow later, Lexington looked at the clock with an annoyed expression playing across her features. She smelled like beer onions and although some, such as the mothers and teenagers made her night worth it in tips, there weren’t enough positives in the food industry as she’d like. “Yo, Dawes. Get that *** of yours in here.” Ricky’s voice was grating on her nerves and she made her way towards the kitchen, blowing a few strands of hair out of her face as she put on a fake smile afterwards.
The room smelled of salt, eggs, bacon, and to Lexington, nothing really smelled fresh - at least, not the way that she liked things to be cooked at home. “No wonder London has her weird quirks.” She thought irritably, looking at the oily french fries that were resting on paper to drain for a few minutes. In the lighting, Ricky’s skin looked yellow and she remembered the first time that she’d seen him, and how stupid she’d been when she thought he was hot.
“Yes?”
“Order up.”
She gave the BLT a look, it hadn’t come from her section and he knew it. “Take this over to Betsy’s table, Millie had to go run out for a smoke.” She didn’t understand why Millie thought that she would do her a favor after the fact the last time that Lexington had asked the other woman to cover her shift, she had been told to get fucked. “Why can’t one of the other waitresses do it?” Even as she asked it, she collected the plate after checking over her shoulder to the indicated table, “It isn’t even her time to take a damn smoke break. It’s Dale’s - he’s been here two hours longer than either of us.”
To her left, she heard the manager, Kyle, call out, “She’s only out there for five more minutes” from the register and she rolled her eyes. It wasn’t a sufficient answer and as she began to walk away, there was a sharp sting that caused her to stumble against the wall that ran from her *** to the back of her left thigh. Irritation flooded through her system and when she regained her footing, and the man said, “Chop chop, sweetcheeks” it was everything that she could do from jamming her knee into his face right at that second.
Ricky chuckled.
And that did it.
“Kyle? Can you come here a second?” Lexington asked quietly, which had the man reluctantly coming over. Her manager of only a few months was twenty-three years old, but he looked more along the lines of sixteen. His hair was cut awkwardly, a few pimples written across his tan skin and he looked less than average. To most of the girls, he was a pleasant guy to be around, but the jerks in the restaraunt liked to tease him - such as Ricky, and as he looked concerned for his health, she handed over the plate. “First of all, I quit. I can’t take his **** any longer and between him, and the damn teenagers who make gestures, who insist on sexualizing everything and anything with food, and the fact I can’t even eat a damn banana without them shifting uncomfortably.”
Anger had always been an issue and she could feel it bottling up, but as she spoke, the sense of relief began to slowly brew in her chest, which Lexington knew did not mean anything good. At least, it didn’t mean anything good for Ricky as she turned her attention to the male as Kyle stepped back to make himself one with the wall. Her light colored eyes glittered with annoyance, “And secondly,” Her hand went to a plate of french fries that had ketchup on them - a sign that Ricky had been eating on the job, again, and she thrust it up into his face, “I have told you to keep your hands off me, you prick!”
Whether or not they were still hot, or if it was the salt that caused him to scream, she didn’t know. She didn’t really care as she collected his drink and splashed it on his face. The porcelain plate shattered shattered against the floor and as she took a deep breath to compose herself, turning around to face him, she watched Kyle stare at her wide eyed. “I need to go step outside. I’ll put my notice in tomorrow.” And with that, she sauntered outside after collecting her keys. Before she knew it, as always when she quit, Lexington found herself at the video game store and began to browse the familiar section in search of a game for London.
