Heaven // Ryan Tedder

Chapter One; Something's Gotta Give

Janelle Montgomery collapsed into a slightly ripped leather upholstered chair, a long sigh escaping her red lip-glossed lips.

She ran a chapped hand through her messy brown hair, which she had tied up into a bun to keep it away from her face whilst she worked.

She lifted her head as she heard the door open, seeing her boss walk into the break room.

"Janelle, get back to work." He Said gruffly, walking over to the sink at the corner of the room and beginning to wash his hands.

"I just sat down." She replied, her eyebrows knitting together in a troubled manner.

"It's the lunch rush, we need everyone on staff." He shrugged, before pulling his now clean hands out of the sink, shaking the excess water off of them.

Janelle bit her lip, looking down with the same troubled and stressed look on her features. She was so tired, physically and mentally. Her back ached, and feet were sore from walking in the same pair of high heels all day. Her hair, which had been neat that very morning, was a tangled mess, and even the hairband was hardly holding it anymore.

However, this was her job. She shouldn't have come all the way to LA from Minneapolis if she wasn't willing to work.

She pulled herself out of the chair, groaning ever so slightly as she brought herself to her aching feet, before She bit her lip, praying that the pain would alleviate after a moment.

"Get out there!" Her boss huffed. "The kitchen is overflowing with food, and we're short on waitresses."

No kidding, Janelle thought to herself.

Over the past few weeks, most of the waitresses and waiters had quit after realising that this job wasn't as easy as it looked. Plus, with the growing number of patrons, they were being forced to work longer hours, with hardly a raise in pay.

Janelle would've left, as well, if not for this waitressing job being her only source of income, and the only way she could afford to live in the big city of LA. If this was what she had to do to be here, she was willing to sacrifice her mental, or even physical wellbeing.

She slowly made her way out the door, taking a deep breath and changing her expression into a friendly, much more awake looking one. She headed through the crowded dining room and over to the kitchen, where she stepped through the doorway.

"Thank goodness." One of the cooks sighed in relief, before pointing over at the counter full of dishes. "Those were ordered almost twenty minutes ago."

"Oh, gosh.." she mumbled, making her way over to the counter and picking up two plates. She began to exit the kitchen, but turned back. "Table?"

"Ten." The cook answered, and she nodded.

She walked through the dining room again, approaching the table marked with a ten, which two men were sitting at.

"Sorry for the wait," She Said, setting the plates in front of each of the men. "Can I get you anything else?"

"No, thank you." One of the men said, and she nodded.

"Just call if you need anything." She Said, before turning around.

She began to make her way back to the kitchen, but noticed a person waving her over to her table. She quickly walked over, pulling a pencil from behind her ear, also pulling out a small green notepad from her apron.

"I haven't ordered yet." The woman complained.

"What can I get you, ma'am?" Janelle Asked, flipping the notepad open whilst she shifted her weight to her other leg to alleviate the pain in at least one of her ankles.

The woman opened up her menu, biting her lip. "I think I'll have the Caesar salad." She Said.

"Anything else?" Janelle Asked, writing down the order as well as the table number.

"No." The woman said, handing her the slightly worn menu.

Janelle took it, going back over to the kitchen. She clipped the order up, before setting the menu down where it went.

As she turned to walk back out of the kitchen, one of the cooks inadvertently spilled a bowl of flour, dumping it all over Janelle's black uniform.

She looked down at her clothing, a mortified expression on her face as she swallowed, glancing back up at the cook who had done it.

"I am so sorry.." he mumbled.

The rest of Janelle's day went about the same, and by the time she got home, she finally broke down.

She tore off her high heels from her red and blistered feet before throwing herself on her couch, a loud sob escaping her lips.

She was so tired. She was more than tired. She had pushed herself to the limit mentally and physically, not only with work, but in all aspects of her life. Only weeks ago, her boyfriend left her after cheating on her with a coworker.

Just like all the other men she had been with, he had never truly loved her. She had been with countless men, and none of them ever actually seemed to care about her. She felt she had wasted her life by not chasing her dreams, staying stuck in the same dead-end job. She was already thirty-four, for goodness' sake. She wanted to be married and be making a living as a photographer by now, and here she was, crying on the couch due to exhaustion, her hair tousled, her clothes dirty, and her makeup smeared.

No matter how positive she tried to be, this wasn't the life she wanted.

After about fifteen minutes, she finally sat up, rubbing her eyes with her chapped hand. She brought herself to her feet, making her way over to her bedroom door. She would eat, but she no longer had an appetite after the day she had been through. Even though that day wasn't far as bad compared to other ones she'd had.

She went into her room, heading over to her dresser and opening the top drawer. She pulled out a pair of shorts and a tank top, closed the drawer, then made her way into her bathroom.

She shut the door, quickly undressing and twisting the faucet handle to turn on the shower. She stepped in, letting out a sigh as the hot water ran over her tired and sore body.

She ran her hands through her long brown hair, massaging her scalp, which even had a slight soreness when she touched it.

She quickly showered down, making sure the day of work was off of her body, before stepping out of the shower. She dried off, brushed her teeth and changed into her pajamas, then went back out to her bedroom. She shut of the lights, going over to the window and opening the curtains. She opened up the window to let the fresh air in, looking down at the apartment building parking lot. She looked up the slightest bit to see the city, all lit up and alive.

She let out a sigh, propping herself up with her arms.

When she felt tired enough, she turned, going over to her bed and throwing herself down. She covered herself up with her white comforter, laying her head down on her pillow.

She sighed again, feeling her body begin to fall into a calmer state.

If only she wasn't so sore, she would sleep so much better.

She was tired of being exhausted from head to toe, and as she began to doze off, she thought one thing;

Something's gotta give.