the boy wearing pearls - vinnie hacker

the boy wearing pearls

I tie my hair up into a pony tail and check my reflection in the mirror. The bathroom lighting makes me look like I haven't slept in weeks. I check the time on my phone. Just a couple more hours til I get to go home, climb into bed, and watch Netflix. I walk out of the bathroom and go to grab my pad of paper to take orders.

 "You've got the tik tokers tonight." My coworker says with a smirk. "Have fun!"

 I roll my eyes and tell her to wish me luck. They take up three tables, but I only have to serve one. 

I don't know who decided Boa should be the hangout spot for all these influencers. They pull up in their fancy cars and attract mobs of teenage girls. I spot a blonde holding up a camera and know where to go. I approach the table and a rush of anxiety hits me. These influencers always make me so nervous. I try to ignore it as best as I can. 

"Hi I'm Scarlett and I'll be your server for tonight. Are there any drinks you'd like to start with?" I say. 

I glance up at a few at the table in front of me: a brunette guy next to a girl that looks weirdly similar to Nina Dobrev, the same blonde I saw before, and a girl with a kind smile. I quickly turn my attention to the Nina Dobrev lookalike as she orders a Coke. I scribble their orders down and leave them to look at the menu. They are so loud that I can hear them from the computer. I look up and see all of them putting on a show for the vlog except for one. He has his head buried in his phone, just like I would if I was out with them. I hadn't really gotten a good look at everyone until now because I was so nervous. He has a plain white t-shirt on and his blonde, wavy hair falls into his face. I don't think he's eaten here before. 

I go back to take their orders, this time getting a better look at everyone. As the quiet blonde tells me his order, I notice his arm is laced with dark tattoos that reach down to his hand. I usually don't like tattoos, but his look so good. His hands are decorated with chunky, silver rings that match his stack of necklaces perfectly. I notice he's wearing one of my favorite things on boys, a pearl necklace.

"I like your pearl necklace" 

"Thank you!" He makes eye contact with me and gives a warm smile. 

Usually the influencers that come here are rude, but this group is far from it. Maybe he's not as stuck up as I thought he was. I gather up all of the menus and head back to the computer. 

It's been a while of me serving them, and I see that their table has been cleared. I start walking over and the brunette one signals for me to bring the check to him. I bring back the credit card, thank them for dining, and tell them to enjoy their night. Their friends from the other table are now crowded around them, laughing at something. I watch from the computer as they gather up their stuff and hop into their luxury cars. I wish my life was that nice.

Its pitch black out now which means it's time for me to go home. I hang up my serving outfit and grab my purse from the back. As I'm walking out, a bus boy stops me and hands me a receipt.

"I think this is for you." he says. 

I flip it over and see a phone number written. Underneath the number says "-the boy wearing pearls". 

Ummm WHAT?!? I say thanks to the bus boy and head to my car flustered. Why would a famous tik toker want my number? No one has ever given me their number. Hell, no ones ever even been remotely interested in me.

I open the door to my apartment and feel the rush of air conditioning hit me. I walk into my bedroom, throw my keys and purse on my bed, and open up my dresser. I frantically put on some comfy shorts and my oversized One Direction tour shirt. I sit down on my bed and immediately FaceTime my best friend Cassidy. I first her at freshman orientation and we've been friends ever since. She's the most positive and energetic person I know. 

"Heyyy!" I see her face pop up on my screen. Her black hair is tied in a messy top knot. 

"Hi Cass! Okay so you know how lots of tik tokers come to Boa right?" She nods and gets excited. "So tonight this guy left his phone number on the receipt for me."

"WAIT WHAT were you flirting with him?" she asks.

"I mean not really I just said I liked his necklace" I reply.

"Well who was it!?? What did he look like?" 

"Blonde curly hair, lots of tattoos.. he had a huge snake on his arm.... and silver jewelry, has really great style"

"OH MY GOD OHHH MY GOD"

"What?!??" My heart starts racing.

"Girl that was Vinnie Hacker. Literally every girls crush right now. He makes hot ass thirst traps on tik tok." 

"Ummm I think you've got the wrong person. Why would he——" I open Cassidys text and there's a picture of the boy I met tonight.

"Wait so you're telling me a huge TikToker that everyone is in love with asked for my number?" Cassidy has tik tok so she always knows who these people are. I, on the other hand, don't have tiktok, so I have no idea who the popular people are. 

"Girl you need to text him right now!!!"

"I don't think so...he's probably a total fboy" There's no way he asked for my number. I was a nervous wreck tonight. I've heard so many stories about the LA influencers. They make you think  they like you, and then they use you and shatter your heart. I'm not gonna let that happen to me.

"Who cares...he's hot!! If you don't text him I'm gonna come over there and do it for you"

"Okay okay I'll do it. I'll tell you what happens" I hang up and bury my face in my hands. I know this isn't a good idea. 

I pull the crumpled up receipt out of my purse. With shaky fingers, I type the number into my phone. What am I even doing right now?

"hey! This is Scarlett from Boa. I got your message. So happy to meet you. You seem really sweet!" I cringe as I press send. 

Talking to boys is so foreign to me. I shut off my phone and turn on my tv to try to distract myself. I'm in the middle of a Gilmore Girls episode when I hear a ding. My heart rate picks up. He replied.

 "hey um how did u get my number? what message are u talking about?" 

My heart sinks. He didn't write it down. 

I send him a pic of the receipt and he replies, saying, "omg my friends did that without me knowing. they think I'm a loner and said I need a gf lol. pretend you didn't get that. sorry to bother you."

Oh. Of course. I can't believe I actually thought I had a chance. I knew it couldn't have been true, but part of me wished it was. If not even college boys want me, why would a famous one want me? I'm sure there are girls lined up for him to choose from. Oh well. He's probably just another fboy anyway.