Free Fall For Me by Melanie Marks Page B
Authors: Melanie Marks
good worker, so I guess I should let you think what you want. Only, I don’t see how you can think that. I take your little brother to the arcade, I let him pee in my hot tub—”
“Yes, Riley. Since my dad died you’ve been sweet—to Justin.”
“What Jones, you want to pee in my hot tub too?”
Ugh!
Riley quickly changed tack, apparently realizing that now that my hurt feelings were out in the open, he couldn’t just sweep them away—no matter how much he seemed to want to. ‘Cause there they were—right in his face.
He stared at me a moment, his eyes reflective, seeming to weigh his next statement in his mind before actually asking it. “Is there something you need from me, Jones?”
“No.” I sighed. He wasn’t getting it. Or he was pretending not to. “That’s not it. I don’t need anything from you—except my job, and I really do appreciate it. But you do avoid me. You can’t deny that, Riley. You always have.”
“Look, Jones, I’m pretty much tight with Ava these days.” His lips twitched. “I’m taken.”
He was only teasing, but still I groaned.
“Ugh! No Riley, you know that’s not what I’m talking about. You’ve avoided me for … ever. You don’t like me. You never have.”
He shook his head in disbelief. “You have this so wrong, Jones.”
Grr!
“Riley, give it up. You avoid me at all costs. I just don’t get why I bug you so much.”
His eyes lost their usual cockiness. “You don’t bug me, Jones.”
The way he said that had my heart pumping all wild. He sounded completely sincere. It made me stare up at him in shock. “I—I don’t?”
He shook his head, his eyes studying me, then cleared his throat. “This conversation—it’s—” Riley didn’t finish. Instead he rubbed his face with the palms of his hands, then let out an exasperated breath. “Go back to work Jones.”
He sounded sort of … I don’t even know, tortured? It was weird. Unsettling. But I did what he said. I went back to work and tried to ignore Riley’s aversion to me. And my co-workers’ aversion to me. Screw them. Screw them all. I needed the job, and I was good at it, dang good at it. And despite what the other waitresses said, I worked hard. I did. They were just catty, backstabbing, banshees.
And who cared if I had no friends at the restaurant, anyway?
Well … okay, I cared. But there didn’t seem to be anything I could do about it. When Riley gave me the job here everyone thought I was getting preferential treatment, and I guess I was. But not for the reasons they thought. Riley was just trying to help out his best friend’s girlfriend because her dad recently died and her family’s financial situation was hosed. Also, Riley’s Mom had died when he was young—so he sort of understood how messed up things were when you lose a parent.
So anyway, yeah, I went back to work. And I worked hard. All week, and the next. And the tips were good, great even. Sad to say, but waitressing was my thing. I was way better at it than any sport I ever played. Plus, waitressing turned out to be a release for me. My dad just died and my boyfriend spent all his time with a bimbo, but at work I was so busy I didn’t have time to think about it. So, work was nice, mind-numbing.
Friday evening my mind was so numb, I jumped when my co-worker, Megan, tugged at my arm.
“Oh sorry, Zoey—just trying to get your attention.” For once she sounded nice, friendly even. “I was wondering if you could, maybe, close for me tonight?”
Oh, so that explained her non-hostility—she needed a favor.
“Um.” I thought about it a moment, trying to decide. Of course on the one hand, I was free since Finn had a work-thing tonight and I could totally use the extra money. On the other, Megan was a witch and I didn’t want to do her any favors. I mean, she was mean to me. Still, in the end, the need for money won out.
“Sure,” I said at last. “I’ll close.”
“Thanks! I owe you.”
She ran
“Yes, Riley. Since my dad died you’ve been sweet—to Justin.”
“What Jones, you want to pee in my hot tub too?”
Ugh!
Riley quickly changed tack, apparently realizing that now that my hurt feelings were out in the open, he couldn’t just sweep them away—no matter how much he seemed to want to. ‘Cause there they were—right in his face.
He stared at me a moment, his eyes reflective, seeming to weigh his next statement in his mind before actually asking it. “Is there something you need from me, Jones?”
“No.” I sighed. He wasn’t getting it. Or he was pretending not to. “That’s not it. I don’t need anything from you—except my job, and I really do appreciate it. But you do avoid me. You can’t deny that, Riley. You always have.”
“Look, Jones, I’m pretty much tight with Ava these days.” His lips twitched. “I’m taken.”
He was only teasing, but still I groaned.
“Ugh! No Riley, you know that’s not what I’m talking about. You’ve avoided me for … ever. You don’t like me. You never have.”
He shook his head in disbelief. “You have this so wrong, Jones.”
Grr!
“Riley, give it up. You avoid me at all costs. I just don’t get why I bug you so much.”
His eyes lost their usual cockiness. “You don’t bug me, Jones.”
The way he said that had my heart pumping all wild. He sounded completely sincere. It made me stare up at him in shock. “I—I don’t?”
He shook his head, his eyes studying me, then cleared his throat. “This conversation—it’s—” Riley didn’t finish. Instead he rubbed his face with the palms of his hands, then let out an exasperated breath. “Go back to work Jones.”
He sounded sort of … I don’t even know, tortured? It was weird. Unsettling. But I did what he said. I went back to work and tried to ignore Riley’s aversion to me. And my co-workers’ aversion to me. Screw them. Screw them all. I needed the job, and I was good at it, dang good at it. And despite what the other waitresses said, I worked hard. I did. They were just catty, backstabbing, banshees.
And who cared if I had no friends at the restaurant, anyway?
Well … okay, I cared. But there didn’t seem to be anything I could do about it. When Riley gave me the job here everyone thought I was getting preferential treatment, and I guess I was. But not for the reasons they thought. Riley was just trying to help out his best friend’s girlfriend because her dad recently died and her family’s financial situation was hosed. Also, Riley’s Mom had died when he was young—so he sort of understood how messed up things were when you lose a parent.
So anyway, yeah, I went back to work. And I worked hard. All week, and the next. And the tips were good, great even. Sad to say, but waitressing was my thing. I was way better at it than any sport I ever played. Plus, waitressing turned out to be a release for me. My dad just died and my boyfriend spent all his time with a bimbo, but at work I was so busy I didn’t have time to think about it. So, work was nice, mind-numbing.
Friday evening my mind was so numb, I jumped when my co-worker, Megan, tugged at my arm.
“Oh sorry, Zoey—just trying to get your attention.” For once she sounded nice, friendly even. “I was wondering if you could, maybe, close for me tonight?”
Oh, so that explained her non-hostility—she needed a favor.
“Um.” I thought about it a moment, trying to decide. Of course on the one hand, I was free since Finn had a work-thing tonight and I could totally use the extra money. On the other, Megan was a witch and I didn’t want to do her any favors. I mean, she was mean to me. Still, in the end, the need for money won out.
“Sure,” I said at last. “I’ll close.”
“Thanks! I owe you.”
She ran