Cris-sa. I know you do not wish to engage, but let us give her a lit–tle taste of what she has in store.
“No,” I whispered under my breath. “I’ll handle this. Alone.” Zeth groaned between my ears. I turned around to look at Sybil and noticed something different about her. She looked…disheveled. Her usual shiny red hair was dull and dried out, the color faded oh so faintly. Her clothes were frumpy and wrinkled, compared to her usual put-together outfits, but her signature red lipstick remained, freshly applied. Hell, from where I was standing, she looked like a fucking disaster.
Her blue eyes burned with emotion as she glared at me. “You’ve got somerealnerve, freak,” she spat the insult. “Showing your face around here likenothinghappened!” Her steps toward me were filled with anger, and the scowl on her face was nothing but menacing.
“Wait—what?” I was confused…what did my being here, at my job, have anything to do with her? The look on my face must have conveyed the question in my head.
It seems you have angered the redhead.
“Aww. What’s wrong? Is poor, stupid little Crissa confused?” She used a sing-song voice and it pissed me off.
“What the hell did I do to you?” I hissed.
Her brows furrowed with such anger. “What didyoudo? You ruined my fucking party the other night!” As she screeched the words, everyone in Big Top began to turn and look at us.
Zeth’s laughter ruptured in my brain as I stood there. I didn’t move.
Shall I handle this, human?
Despite my initial instinct to say yes, I knew Zeth would only butcher the situation if I gave him a chance. And after spending more time with him, I realized I needed to be bold and stand up for myself. So, I did just that.
“Sybil, this is my job. You can’t just barge in and start shouting, causing a scene. I work here.” She tried to open her mouth, but I threw my hand up in exasperation. “I’m speaking,” I growled. “And I didn’t ruin your lame party.” I stepped closer, filled with both anxiety and adrenaline. “Youdruggedme and then paid some random guy to fucking attack me. And when everyone saw what you did, you laughed. All of you.” She crossed her arms in a huff. “So what, the hell do you want? Did you come here for another one of your sick games? Because I’m done letting you fuck with me. You need to leave before I call security.” Sybil glared at me and refused to budge. “Now!”
I rolled my eyes and spun to walk away when I felt a sharp pull on one of my pig tails. “What the—” Sybil yanked me toward her and I noticed her arm was pulled back, preparing to slap me.
“Absolutely not.” Tawny’s rich, gravely voice came from nowhere. Her hand wrapped around Sybil’s wrist, stopping her swing. Sybil released my hair and scoffed at my boss. Tawny wore a frown and gently pushed me back. “Kid, why don’t you head to the kitchen. I think the pizzas for your table are ready.” I nodded, hesitant to leave. “You.” Tawny directed her attention to Sybil. “You can leave my restaurant. Now.”
“What the fuck?” She ripped her arm from Tawny’s grasp. “Your clown there is a freak! She dumped those drinks on me and is always hovering over me and my friends when we’re eating—sheshould leave!” Sybil screamed, but Tawny ignored her and escorted her out and back into the mall. William came rushing from the back after them both with a clipboard, his security keys jingling on his hip.
No fun.
I ignored Zeth’s groans and did as Tawny said, delivering the pizzas to the table with the mom and her boys. As I refilled their drinks, the mom passed me a pitying look. It made my face burn with shame, but I put on my work smile and cleared my throat. “Enjoy your pizza! And please, feel free to flag me down if there’s anything else I can get for you guys.” The mom nodded and I left the table, hoping it would be the last time I saw them before they paid.
My heart raced from the whole exchange with Sybil. I ran into the kitchen and yanked the hat from my head, panting with anxiety. “Fuck,” I breathed. “I didn’t think I’d ever be able to stand up to her like that.”
You did well, human.
Passing the back office, I noticed Tawny through the opened door, talking to the security guard. She waved me in and sat in William’s chair, monitoring the security feeds at the desk. “Give us a minute, will ya?” William nodded, walking past me with a concerned look on his face. My eyes remained on my boss as she spoke. “What the hell is going on, kid?” She looked me directly in the eye before she continued. “You’re a hard worker, but I can’t have that kind of shit happening in my business. I don’t want to fire you, so I’ll give you a chance to explain yourself.” She cocked her head. “Something's going on with you, and it’s got me worried.”
“I know, Tawny. I'm sorry…it won’t happen again.” As much as I wanted to explain everything to her, I couldn’t.
“Can you really promise me that?” she asked. “Because look—” She gestured out through the two-way glass window, pointing to the pizzeria floor. Kids who had been previously jumping all along the red vinyl booths were now sitting still and melancholy. Sure, the table was a mess, with partially devoured pizza, but there was no joy coming from the area like there usually was. It was somber. Tawny then pointed to one of the monitor screens that showed a static-like view of the arcade area. No one was there. She pointed to a few other screens, adjusting the cameras as the feed flickered before me. Everyone in the pizzeria was sitting at their tables just waiting. It was very out of character for Big Top on any evening.
How boring.
I ignored the demon’s voice and watched the arcade camera, seeing one of my little rat friends scurry across the celebration print carpet and made a mental note to make sure he made it out safe later.
Tawny let out a loud, dramatic sigh. “I know you mean well, kid. But this is now the second time we’ve had an altercation take place. And I got Lavender calling in, demanding to work opposite shifts as you, this redheaded skank threatening to sue if we don’t let her back in the pizzeria, and that mom from the other day calling nonstop, trying to say we got rats.” Her expression softened. “This is your last chance, Crissa. If one more thing happens, I’ll have no choice but to let you go.”
My body slouched forward as I realized the severity of my situation. “I’m sorry, Tawny. I promise I’ll do my best to make sure it doesn’t happen again. This job is way too important to me, and interacting with that group is not something I plan to do voluntarily. Please, just keep scheduling me and Lavender on different shifts, and I’ll do everything I can to keep my distance.”
“I’ll take your word Crissa, but this cannot happen again. You hear me? No one comes in here and fucks with business. Understand?” Despite her kind but worn features, Tawny really did scare the shit out of me. And I did not want to cross her.
“Understood.” I paused, hesitating for a moment. “Hey Tawny? Would it be okay if I took a quick smoke? I’ll get back to work as soon as I can… I just…need a second.” I picked at my fingers.
Tawny nodded. “No problem, kid.”
“Thanks, boss.”
