Page 30 of The Life and (Medieval) Times of Kit Sweetly

Jett: Already on my way home, but I’ll try to get back there before too long.

I take myself in hand with a third person–style pep talk: You, Kit Sweetly, are the master of your own destiny. You’ll change your stars. You’ll make it to Marquette, go to law school, make millions of dollars, and buy your mom a house like Layla’s.

But you won’t make a move on Jett. Not now. Not ever.

Taking a deep breath, I text back.

Kit: No worries. If you’re already headed home, no need to come back out. Have a good night!

I shove my phone into my purse after that, not wanting to see his reply.

“Everything okay?” asks Layla. “Jett going to be there?”

“He’s already almost home,” I say. “So, it’s just you and me. Don’t abandon me for the sake of Eric.”

“Never,” says Layla as we pull into the Castle parking lot.

13

THE PARKING LOT IS EMPTY EXCEPT FOR STAFF CARS. WE go around the back to the employee entrance. Two busboys in medieval-style vests and linen shirts puff on a joint behind the dumpster. I know them by sight, but I don’t know their names.

“Kit!” they say in unison as we approach. One bows to me and flourishes his giant feathered hat. “Welcome, liberator of the fairer sex here at the Castle.”

“Oh, for heaven’s sake,” I say under my breath.

“Told you you’re famous,” says Layla, poking me in the arm.

Penny, a trans Serving Wench in her early twenties, comes outside at that moment. She’s got a pack of Camels in her hand, and her red lipstick and pale skin are flawless under the streetlights. She’s Chris’s BFF and she’s worked with us as long as I can remember.

“Can I get one of those?” I ask.

“Sure you want to do that?” asks Penny as she re-twists her long black hair into a knot at the back of her neck. “A Knight needs to be in top physical condition.”

She wrinkles her nose, mimicking one of Len’s speeches when he caught Chris, her, and a bunch of the other Knights and Wenches having a poker game and smoking cigars during an after-party.

“Shut up, Wench,” I say affectionately.

She grins and holds out the pack. Layla and I both take one and light up using Penny’s lighter. I have a rule with cigarettes: Don’t smoke them at home or at school, in the car, or at Layla’s house. But I crack as soon as I get to work. I grew up hating the smell of smoke, thanks to being the child of smokers, but smoking is practically a rite of passage at the restaurant. The first week I worked here, I came outside during my break for some fresh air. There was a circle of servers sitting on filthy milk crates, puffing on smokes and bitching about their jobs. I stood outside the circle for a few seconds before pulling up my own crate and bumming a cigarette. It was the start of my social smoking habit and an instant in with the Castle staff.

I missed my nightly cigarette last night, and so I take it slow tonight. Nicotine dances through my bloodstream as I inhale deeply, pulling in the smoke and enjoying the burn all the way down. I know this is bad for me, but it’s also a part of life at the Castle. Especially among us drudges.

Penny, Layla, and I chat about tonight’s show as we smoke—it was a rough one, apparently. Len was in fine form but Princess Jessica kissed the Green Knight on the floor, which makes me worry about whether Chris saw it or not.

Penny sees my look and nods. “Yeah. Chris was there when it happened. Jess made a big show of passing him by to give Green a favor and a kiss. He handled it well, but I wouldn’t bet on them not getting into another fight before the party’s over.”

“Poor Chris,” says Layla. “He deserves better.”

I’ve always secretly wished Layla would date my brother. She certainly was all about that when we were kids, but I’ve not heard her mention it in years.

“He’ll find someone better,” says Penny, pushing her boobs up higher so they’re practically spilling out of her dress. “Even if I have to set him up with someone myself. Also, did he tell you that Len said I could try out to be a Knight if and only if I ride out as a man?”

Layla and I both make noises of disgust.

“Unbelievable!” I say. “That’s so unfair.”

Penny nods. “Chris told him off for sure, but Len’s unrelenting. So, fuck that. Unless of course you can get him to change the rules. I ride as the woman I am or not at all.”

“Damn right,” says Layla.