Your new job.

CH. 4; Lunch?

The next morning, I woke up pretty late. As in that, I woke up a bit past when I was supposed to be at work.
In a panic, I quickly left Oliver's house without much thought, and sped off to the direction of Freddy's, a hairbrush in my hand. I felt a bit gross. I'd have to shower that night. After I finished untangling my hair, I shoved the hairbrush in my bag that was hanging loosely off of my shoulder. That was Oliver's. I'd have to give it back.
Arriving at Freddy's, I hastily took a turn into the employee's rooms and took my uniform out of my locker. After that, I got changed and started working, hoping that no one would notice I had arrived late.
Misplaced hope. Damien certainly noticed by the sneer he had plastered on his face. Whenever he glanced over to smirk at me, I quickly looked away. This better not become a regular thing... I already had enough on my plate.

I stood in front of a table of three; one mother, and two very hyperactive kids. The mother brushed her brunette hair out of her tired eyes, looking up at me. I smiled in return.
"We'll just have a pizza. A cheese... pizza," she requested, elongating the word cheese. One of the children spoke up, his grubby hands raised in the air.
"Ooh! Ooh! And chicken nuggets!! Chica nuggets!" He smacked his hands on the table, startling the other child who quickly came close to tears. I sighed through my nose, turning to the mother, who nodded in response. I quickly scribbled down in my notebook (it was my favourite colour and I took a lot of pride in organizing it).
"Alright then! I'll make sure to get that right out for you. Make sure to pay at the station when you're done," I replied, making sure I had the order correct before I left. I turned back after realizing they hadn't ordered any drinks. "Ah, would you like anything to drink, by the way? You hadn't specified."
The mother stared up at me with wide green eyes, realising her mistake. She bobbed her head, her long slender fingers reaching for the drink menu. I handed it to her and she looked it over, passing it to her kids and quietly discussing it with them. Then she handed back the menu to me, her tired expression returning.
"Two milkshakes. One cookies-and-cream, and one chocolate. Then... just an iced water for me, please and thank you," she said, and I smiled again. The corners of my mouth were starting to hurt.
"Of course! I'll get that put in for you." I turned back, heading to the kitchen and giving them the order. Then I went to a few of the other tables that were in my section and checked in on them, although some were waiting for food, and some were already eating. Everything was okay.
Then it wasn't.
I really wished Damien would leave me alone. But he didn't. Why would he? I guess I made myself an easy target for a bully like him. I honestly thought people left that behaviour in secondary school.
He came up behind me when I had a tray full of hot coffee mugs, ready to be served, and shoulder checked me. My arms moved along with it, and the tray along with them.
The mugs knocked over, the coffee mostly contained itself on the tray thanks to the rim, but a mug fell onto the floor and splashed my feet. A bit of the coffee landed on my face and chest as well, and it burned. I winced, glancing around.
A few concerned families were staring, and I couldn't help but smile awkwardly and apologize. Then made my way to the kitchen, trying to keep the hot coffee within the rim of the tray. I did pretty well, but a few droplets escaped and burned my fingers. I grunted, putting down the tray on the counter, giving the cook a look before quickly sprinting to the men's room. I heard Damien laughing behind me.
I quickly pulled a few paper towels out of the dispenser, running them under the tap and pressing the now wet towels to my chest where the flecks of coffee were.
I heard the door squeak open behind me, and my stomach churned with anxiety. I took a glimpse at the mirror in front of me to see who came in, and I had to take a double take.
Standing behind me was Mr. Afton with a concerned look grazed across his face. His silver eyes were locked onto my own, and I shifted my weight uncomfortably.
"I had heard about an incident and came to check on you. That coffee is usually quite hot, so I wanted to make sure you hadn't gotten burned. Are you alright, love?" he asked, and I turned to face him. His slim calloused hands took the paper towels from mine. He gently dabbed away at the remaining coffee freckled staining my collared shirt. I felt my face heat up instinctively.
"I'm fine... My hands feel a bit burned, but the rest of me is fine," I replied. He finished with the paper towels, gently wiping off the coffee that had splashed onto my face before throwing them into the garbage bin.
"You should probably keep your hands under the water. I'm sure it's nothing to be concerned about, I doubt the coffee has given you proper burns, but it's always good to be cautious." Mr. Afton turned the faucet on to cold water, gently taking my hands and putting them under. It hurt a bit, and I shivered, but it wasn't too bad. He let go, standing a bit farther away. "Lunch? In my office, I mean. I'd like to discuss this accident further and make sure that it was all it was."
"Oh. Uh, sure. I didn't really bring a lunch today... I guess it kind of completely slipped my mind this morning." I stared down at my hands. They were starting to get a bit red and irritated from how cold the water was. Mr. Afton turned off the water, handing me some fresh paper towels to dry my hands. I did just that.
"We can supply the food, if need be. Just ask the kitchen for it. They'll make anything I request."
"Right... I'll do that."
"Good, I'll see you then," Mr. Afton said with a grin, softly squeezing my shoulder before he left.
My eyes stayed on the now closed door. I gently pressed my hand to where he had squeezed my shoulder, and my face felt hot. I'd have to tell Oliver about this. Although, it would probably be best if I left out the part where Damien gave me possible burns.