lawrusso

part twenty seven (2)

daniels surprised that his boss takes them back straight away.

he doesn't ask any questions when daniel calls up and asks if they can come back to work. in fact he practically fires the other bar tenders he hired for the week on the phone.

he originally wasn't going to go straight back to work, but as it turns out chilling at home sulking over some guy isn't a great way to spend your time.

especially because it brings zero dollars in and a man's gotta eat doesn't he?

plus lola told him she was feeling bored and said he needed a distraction like going back to work, so it was more her idea really.

"i just don't understand why everyone finds soccer so interesting?" lola says, wiping down the counter

"it just is. you wouldn't understand" daniel slides a glass of beer over the freshly wiped counter to one of the many drunk students in the bar to watch the game.

"plus you probably shouldn't say that infront of all these avid football fans" he grins and she rolls her eyes

"they're here to get drunk. yelling over men kicking a ball to each other for 90 minutes is just a little added bonus"

daniels about to reply when he sees a familiar head of blonde hair step into the bar.

he luckily doesn't notice daniel straight away as he's distracted momentarily by a gaggle of college girls who surround him, probably because he's attractive.

which makes something stir in daniels gut that he doesn't want to talk about right now.

"lola. uh a little problem at 11 o'clock" he clears his throat as she glances to the door "can you cover me?"

lola looks back at him with a sigh "fine. but only this one time."

daniel could kiss her. but he doesn't, becuase johnnys somehow made his way away from the girls and is coming towards the bar.

just as daniel finally hides himself in the closet behind the bar he can hear johnny greeting lola.

"hey lola. could i get a beer?"

"johnny" lola sighs "we both know what you're doing here"

there's a beat of silence where johnnys probably trying to figure out what to say "i just want a beer"

"he's not here" daniel doesn't have to see lola to know she's shaking her head. he was going to buy her chocolates or something. she was truly a life saver.

"oh." another silence "do you know when he's coming back?"

johnny sounds so defeated and for a stupid second daniel almost wants to jump out of the closet and apologise.

but he doesn't.

"no." lola replies "but i think it's best you get home"

"can i just get a beer anyway?"

daniel can't hear anything for a while and he wonders if lola has actually made johnny a beer, but then she says "i can't in good conscious give you a beer. you need to go home."

"did i do something wrong?" there's a thump sound and daniels pretty certain johnnys just dropped his head onto the counter.

his heart clenches in his chest. fuck.

he hears lola mutter something he doesn't quite catch and then johnnys chair scrapes back. sending a screeching noise across the bar.

though no one seems to care.

"thank you." the blonde says "and can you tell him that i'm sorry?"

"i don't think you're the one who has to apologise but, i promise" lola says, and she truly sounds sincere.

daniel counts to 10 after he hears the door close before coming out.

"thank you so much" he goes to hug her but she pushes him away.

"don't thank me you coward." she scoffs "and don't ever ask me to do that again because i will say no"

"you know i can't face him" daniel feels like she's just slapped him across the face.

"you have no one to blame but yourself." lola hands 4 beers to a man and daniel watched him struggle to carry them back to his table before turning on her.

"it wasn't all my fault!"

"no you're right daniel. you practically didn't do anything at all!"

daniel opens his mouth but nothing comes out so he closes it and tries again "fine i'm sorry! is that good enough?"

"no! no of course not" lola cuts off to take someone's order, leaving daniel to stand there awkwardly until she turns back to him "i'm not the one you should be apologising to"

daniel turns to the tap and pours her two beers which she passes to the customer.

"i will one day" daniel pauses as a cheer ripples through the crowd  "just not yet"

"it's going to be too late by then" lola wipes her hands on her apron "i'll be the first to admit that johnny was shitty to you once upon a time in highschool but he's apologised so many times.

and now you do something shitty but you won't man up and apologise? you're no better than he was."

"im no better?" daniel wants to scream "he used to beat me up! and i forgave him sure but he still did it. we can't change the past with forgiveness"

"like you didn't rile him up and push his buttons. stop playing this innocent little character all the time! it's getting boring."

"so you're saying i deserved it?" he asks

lola scoffs "no. of course i'm not. no one deserves that. i'm just saying you weren't perfect then and you're not perfect now. and neither is johnny. but somehow i don't think he would've said that shit to the boy he was supposedly in love with"

daniel glances around but no one seemed to have heard her.

"i see the way he talks to you, the way he looks at you. even the way he talks ABOUT you." lola shakes her head, and this time daniel can see it, "you fucked it up. so now you have to apologise. that's how life works"

"but that's not fair" he whines

"yes it is." she starts to walk off before stopping and looking over her shoulder "oh and by the way. johnny said to tell you that HE'S sorry."