Shock

-2-

I knew kids could be loud. I did not know that they could be this loud.
Screaming, crying, running, laughing, fighting, jumping... It was total, unadulterated madness.
Also, if you thought girls are quieter than boys, you would be wrong.
This party consisted of girls for the largest part, and after just taking their orders, my ears were burning. It was like an unharmonized orchestra of 'I want coca-cola', 'I want orange juice', 'no I want lemonade instead!'
When I finally left their table -it had taken me fifteen minutes- I hadn't even so much as said a word to Peter. He'd just ordered water and then my attention had been demanded by another screaming kid.
Delivering their orders took me another eight minutes and after helping out a few more costumers, I was allowed a short break.
When I walked into the break room for the second time that afternoon, I was relieved not to find DS in there. I grabbed my planner from my bag to check the amount of homework for next week. Six tests and a speaking assignment. Terrific.
I debated trying to study for a bit, but my break wasn't near long enough. After five minutes, I went back into the diner.

"I would like a skinny cinnamon dolce latte," the girl batted her impossibly full eyelashes.
She couldn't have been that much younger than me. About fourteen or fifteen, I guessed.
"I'm sorry," I said, "We don't have... Lattes."
We're not Starbucks, I thought, though I didn't say that part out loud.
"Oh," the girl looked over at her friend, who seemed equally oblivious as to what they would order then.
"We do have regular coffee," I suggested. "I could ask to add some cinnamon, maybe some milk?"
I'd never had a cinnamon dolce latte, but how different could it be?
The girl made a face.
"That's okay," she quickly replied. "I'll just have some water."
That different huh?
The other girl ordered the same thing and I went to the kitchen to get their drinks. Grabbing two glasses off a tower, I added some ice cubes and water. I didn't bother taking a serving tray for just the two drinks so I left the kitchen carrying the two drinks in my hands, pushing open the door with my back on the way out.
I took three steps backwards, spun, and slammed directly into a customer.
"Sorry," I mumbled, disoriented.
But as I started forward again, I noticed the person I'd bumped in to wasn't a customer.
I pretended not to notice DS staring at me and walked right past.

After bringing the girls their drinks, I felt someone tap my shoulder.
I turned around to see a woman who appeared to be in her late twenties or early thirties standing in front of me. She had short auburn hair and looked as if she hadn't slept in a week. Her eyes kept darting towards the table behind her.
"How can I help you?" I gave her my best 'friendly waitress' smile.
"I, uhm... I'm hosting a party over there," she looked back at the chaotic table at the back of the restaurant, then checked her watch.
"And I was told that there would be cake provided?" Table glance. Watch check.
"That's right!" I told the woman who I now understood to be Haley's mother.
"Shall I bring it over?"
The woman had already started inching back towards the table, not wanting to leave the children alone a second longer than necessary.
"Yes! That would be great. Thank you!"
"No problem."
This time, when leaving the kitchen, I made an effort to carry the cake in one hand and opening the door with another. As I approached the table, I noticed someone had already cleared up the dirty plated and replaced them with clean ones to use for the cake.
"For she's a jolly good fellow..." I started singing, as employees were obliged to do so at birthday parties. The kids quickly joined. Soon, the decibels were rising over a hundred. The kids started pounding on the table to the rhythm of the song.
"...and so say all of us!" They screamed, as Mrs. Stratford's knife sunk into the cake.
The table started shaking under the pounding and I was starting to worry it would collapse. I wanted to tell them to stop, but then I noticed they already had.
The table hadn't stopped shaking though. If anything it'd gotten worse. The sound of glass breaking made me look up. The picture of the diner's founder -Rhonda's father- had fallen to the ground. I looked around and saw the lamps were starting to swing ever so slightly. Costumers were getting up from their tables, confused looks on their faces.
Another picture frame fell down. A door slammed shut. Panicked screams erupted.
"What's happening?" One of the kids asked.
Before I could reply, another voice from somewhere in the diner shouted the answer.
"Earthquake!"