There he is at the table by the window. He isn't with his friends but a group of girls raking their claws around his arms. From the counter, one could mistake them as sitting on his lap. However, I am too happy to interrupt their Friday night by the diner's medieval 'no public display of affection' policy. I think I'll just let these girls and Damien have the peace.
Indeed, I can't take the smile off my face. My coming to the bank is a success. Though not really sure I will get a loan, at least they promised to process my application. Whatever made Mr. Eckert change his mind is totally beyond logical explanation. If Mrs. De Burg can't explain, how can I? As long as I get the loan, I'm okay with anything. Nothing can depress me now, not even the sight of Damien with other girls. Not that I care about him in the first place. Seeing him attests to the fact that what happened between us last night is a common thing to him, something not worth worrying about. Why make a big deal out of it? If he can shrug it off so easily, why can't I?
Yes, the ten grand is tempting, more so the million dollars, but now that I found my new ray of light, I'll never gamble into that kind of deal ever again. All I have to do now is pray that they grant my loan and that I graduate so that I can look for a good job. I am doing all these for my family. Whoever this guardian angel Mrs. De Burg was talking about, I owe to him or her this hope. He or she literally picked me up from the depths of despair and hopelessness.
"You look really happy!" Ray says, peering through a glass as if it is a telescope.
"Never better!" I answer.
"Any good news about your father?"
"No, but I feel there will be good news when I go there tonight."
"So what's the smile all about?" He stands at my side, commanding my full attention.
"The bank might lend me money," I answer while I slice the ham and cheese.
"Really?" A wide-eyed Ray covers his mouth with his hand after his shriek almost startled everyone. "Oh, God! That is absolutely marvelous! I am happy for you!"
"I know!" I feel butterflies in my stomach. I have been waiting to share with him this happiness since I arrived at Maxwell's'. "I wish I get a job after I graduate so I can pay all our debts. I can't imagine being homeless after graduation."
"You will! That brain of yours is worth every penny of a huge company." Ray is so good at pulling up my self-esteem. He should not know what happened last night. He must not know that I pulled the trigger. Weren't it not because of Damien's questionable compassion or whatever you call that, I would have been an indecent woman now â a whore to be exact. I will not let anything destroy Ray's perception of me. Besides, it's already in the past, and Damien seems to have forgotten it now. He looks extremely overjoyed with his group of beneficiaries.
"Now, let me take this order."
"Table three?" He looks at me with a tensed glare. "It's Etheridge's table, Angel." He must be so surprised I am not hiding from him this time.
"Let me take this one, Ray!" I say and wink at him, making sure he sees that I am confident to face Etheridge.
I leave him at the counter looking clueless.
When I reach table three, Damien immediately looks up at me, the smile not leaving his rather gorgeous face.
"What a surprise!" he exclaims, leaning back.
His girls chuckle as they scrutinize me from head to toe.
"May I take your order?" I throw the question at him, flipping my hair to the side and glaring at a woman showing off her legs exposed from her skimpy skirt.
He grunts while snuffling the blonde locks of the woman in his right. He grabs her by the waist and pulls her close to him. I swear they look like they're ready for the night. Their giggles are so unflattering, it's almost like they are paid to flirt with him. They are so unnatural. Then again, maybe this is how flirting is.
By the looks of it, Etheridge has easily recovered from last night. His usual playfulness is back. He's back to his old self. He's not picking on me anymore like he's not seeing a thin waitress in pink uniform in front of him. This is good news! I think I'll get my peace soon enough.
"You drink beer, girls?" he asks flamboyantly.
"Anything will do, Mr. Gorgeous!" answers one woman, sticking her index finger on his lips. My eyes widen when I see her hand creep upward from Damien's thigh to his fly.
Before she could do anything, I slam the table. "So how many beers do you want?" I said a little too loudly.
"Obviously, we're only four in this table," a woman chuckled.
Turning on my heels, I leave their table.
Okay, so I went there to check what Etheridge's reaction would be when he sees me. He didn't pay much attention to me, which is a good thing. So, we're really back to normal! What happened, happened. No strings attached, I thought to myself. I couldn't ask for more. This is exactly the arrangement I wanted.
I bring them four glasses of beer and roll my eyes every time their skins touch. What they're doing is completely ridiculous, especially in a public place where kids and families go. I could have told Damien to bring them to his huge expensive place where they can unload the burden of their surging hormones.
"Angel?" A tall guy with chestnut brown hair appears at the counter. "Do you remember me?" He flashes a quick smile that reminds me of my childhood crush, the pop singer Aaron Carter. They even have similar brown eyes.
Do I remember him?
"Colin Verne, sixth grade, the squire of the Elizabethan Court."
"Colin? Is that you?"
"Now you remember!" He shows off his perfectly lined glistening teeth when I remember Colin to have a gap in between his bunny teeth. He doesn't even look like an inch of what he was before.
"Wow! You've changed. You're not... plump anymore!" My cheeks thaw at the sight of his chiseled features and broad shoulders. He has changed so much.
"Well, long hours at the gym paid a lot," he mutters, blushing. "I grew tired of other kids making fun of me. So how are you, Angel Mohr? I see you're still the sweet and pretty Angel all the boys dote on. These bangs never left!" He tousles my bangs with a grin on his face.
"It's the Angel Mohr mark," I answer while fixing my hair. "Maybe I'll try a new hairstyle next time."
"No, you look good with those!" he says back.
I find myself blushing and smiling every time he praises me. I can't even count how many times I fall speechless with his words. Colin Verne has always been my staunch admirer since time memorial. I liked him too because he was the funny boy who played a squire once in our theatrical plays. He's smart and friendly, and I had a crush on him. Despite his size and teeth, I always thought he was charming and cute. Then his family had to move to the west.
"You, Colin, how are you? Why are you in Jersey?"
"Visiting some relatives. You still know my Granny Alice, right?"
I nod. "Yeah, I do! How is she?"
"She's sick and most probably going." I hear a tinge of sadness in his voice. Suddenly, I recall Dad.
"Are you okay, Angel?"
"Yeah, I feel sad for you."
He leans forward and rests his hands on the counter table. "People die," he tells me. "We just have to accept these things happen." Then his eyes start to study me. "How long have you been working as a waitress?"
"Four years while in college, for funds to keep rolling each day," I reply, but I am still thinking about what he said. Dad is still too young to die, and I don't think I can ever accept it.
"Wow, you're amazing!" Suddenly, those eyes of his are dripping with admiration. "You're going to finish school this year?"
"Yeah, hopefully."
"You can do it, Angel! You are smart and... beautiful andâ"
"Excuse me!"
Damien Etheridge bangs his glass against the table. So sudden, in fact, that I am completely stunned, and I feel my heart lurching to my throat. "I need a refill." That devilish grin breaks through his cold but threatening front.
Sighing, I take his glass and refill it.
"Make it two, Angel," he adds in his husky and seductive voice. "My new friend here might want to have some fun tonight." Pertaining to Colin. "Hi!" He flashes his grin to the astounded Colin Verne. "I see you're getting a little cozy with my Angel."
My fingers stop making another glass of beer when I hear the adjective my which I feel is misused.
"Your Angel?" Colin clarifies in disbelief.
"Nah, I'm pretty sure about that." My staggered eyes meet his as he continues, "Everyone in the diner likes her so I see you're quite a victim tonight."
What is he talking about? And why is he even here? Just when I thought I am free from him, he's back to his annoying antics. Where does he get this persistence? I can feel my blood surging through my veins, pushing me to ignore the silliness of it all and just treat him as invisible.
"You have a very weird sense of humor!" Colin says as he reaches for the beer I just brought in. "You know this guy, Angel?"
"Damien Etheridge." He extends his hand to him.
"Your name sounds familiar."
"It should be," Damien cockily replies as he winks at me.
God! I can't take this anymore.
"Colin Verne," says Colin. "A chemistry student at UCLA."
"Ah, a future chemist."
"Damien, why are you here?" I interjected.
"I need a beer."
"You got your beer. So now go!" I irately say.
"It's okay, Angel. I can spare an hour or two for my new friend here," Collin says.
I honestly don't know if Colin is serious. I know him to be a very approachable and affable kid back then, and he hates bullies. Damien Etheridge is predominantly the greatest bully in the diner tonight. I know Colin noticed it. There's no mistake. Behind those words Damien just uttered must be some demeaning implication. But what I am really surprised about is Colin's unlikely response to him. I was expecting him to ignore the guy.
"Etheridge, huh? So where did I hear that name?" Colin mumbles after sipping his beer.
"You can just hit Google tonight, my friend."
I am at the back table, yet I can clearly hear their conversation. I just pray that they keep their cool. Men whose egos are hurt are definitely going in for trouble. I don't want flying bottles, saucers, or glasses tonight.
"Are you Angel's boyfriend?"
Colin's question stuns me, compelling me to defend myself.
Where on earth is Colin's sanity? What made him even say that? I find myself running toward them to stop Damien from saying anything. My secret is in danger of being divulged.
"No! No! No!" I frantically say. "Damien and I are schoolmates!"
I see Damien silently laughing. Obviously, he's amused to see me so defensive. He's done it againâpisses me off and 'hellinizes' my day! Yes, hellinize â my coined word for making one's day run through hell.
I shoot him a glare, one that kills, and he stops laughing.
"Are you guys insane?" Colin jokes after seeing us act like cat and dog.
"Ask that to Angel," mumbles Damien.
"Are you done with me, Etheridge?" My brows arch and my hands are on my hips.
After seeing me fuming, he gathers his legs and finally got the conscience to leave.
"Yeah! Good day, my Angel," he said, leaving behind a smirk.
"Hey!" I call.
He turns to face me, still wearing that smirk I'd pay to wipe out of his face.
"You haven't paid your bill yet! It's four dollars and fifty cents."
"Swipe my card!" he proudly counters, then goes straight out of the door. His three girls follow, parading their heels and short dresses like beauty queens.
"Card?" Colin's face is jammed with questions. He couldn't be thinking anything else, could he? Surely, he doesn't think that Damien and I are an item.
I quickly scoot out of the counter to the lockers where the staff stores their bags for safe keeping. His credit card is safely kept together with my ATM card. If some thief would have robbed my bag, he'd probably be stunned to see two cards so opposite. One obviously has an unlimited account while the other so meager it can't even buy a pair of designer shoes. I pull it out from my wallet and hurry back to the counter.
"Wait for a second, Damien!" I say, running toward the door.
It's time to cut ties with Damien. The first way to do this is to return his credit card.
My eyes narrow to search for any Lamborghini car in the parking space, and I see one just near the post where Maxwell's name flickers like the Vegas lights.
"Damien!" I call as I see him just about to get inside without his beneficiaries. Where have they gone?
He coolly throws his car key in the air and catches it in seconds, and then turns around to face me.
"Did I forget something, Angel?"
What is with Damien's voice that makes the sound of my name a little too strange and disturbing to my ears?
"Your credit card." I hand it over to him.
"Have you swiped it?"
No.
"You stay there!" I feel shame eat the only remaining chunk of self-esteem I have. Why do I always lose myself when he's around?
I run back inside and hurriedly swipe the card on the device. I feel Colin's stare on me. I'll definitely redeem myself when I get back to him later.
But Damien's gone, his car gone too.
It seems like I have to hold onto his card for a little longer. I slip it into my pocket and return inside.
"That Etheridge guy is quite annoying," says Colin.
"Sorry about that. He likes the attention." I smile at him as I check the time on the wall. It's ten minutes before we close.
"Your attention?" he teases.
I shake my head.
"No! He's a brat."
"Some rich kid?"
"Some rich kid who likes to bully," I answer.
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