better now > sequel to neighbours. [HS]

thirty three

I guess you could say I was jealous. I tried to justify being jealous by saying I was hurt or angry at Harry but I couldn't be, I was just jealous.

I never thought after the few years we've spent closely together that I would have to let him go be with another woman to have a family with and when he told me he was seeing someone, it quickly became a reality that I couldn't control.

So after a night of lonely drinking wine and a few almost sent angry texts to Harry after he left, I decided maybe I was simply deeply jealous of this girl.

Which had me then thinking; do I still love Harry?

What I would like that answer to be is a no, but what I fear it is, is a yes. And so it was probably time for myself to start moving on too. Which is why I was walking into work the next night with a lot more make up than usual.

I never usually dressed up for work, often times it was a ponytail and some mascara but that was the furthest I'd go.

Tonight, however, I was walking in with my hair curled and my makeup making me look like I was definitely not a member of staff.

My shoes squeaked against the tiles of the kitchen as I walked through the back to avoid Harry's office but it only drew more attention to me. I was getting looks from kitchen staff and I couldn't figure out if they were good or bad.

"Mae what are you doing in the kitchen?" A voice yelled.

I turned to look right, seeing Harry standing in the corner with a hairnet on beside the chef as they read over something. I rolled my eyes and kept walking, I wasn't talking to him.

Eventually I reached the staff room for the nightclub and sighed in relief as I pushed the door open. The heat from the kitchen had made me sweat and I felt all sticky, I don't know how people work in a kitchen.

"Wow, what a milf." Lisa hollered at me. Lisa reminded me of a younger version of my mother and it deeply disturbed me sometimes yet maybe it's why we've grown so close. Her accent rung through my ears for a few seconds as I took off my coat and hung it up in my locker, along with my phone and keys.

"That's the look I'm going for, thanks." I laughed. I slid my name tag and employee number onto my shirt and ruffled my hair in the mirror before shutting the locker door, facing Lisa. She was doing the same and I figured we were doing g a similar shift, thank god.

"You're shot girl tonight, Harry wants you on the floor." She told me as we walked. I raised my brows, "Shot girl? Me?"

She nodded, "Si, pero like I don't know why he didn't choose me." She shrugged and we walked through the back and into the club. The crappy techno songs erupted through my ears immediately and it still amazed me how it could be so loud yet no one could hear a thing outside of the club. Magic.

"Clocking in, Maelyn?" Jerry asked me. He was the general manager for the club seeing as Harry had duties to fulfill all over the hotel and I was glad. Harry in work mode was a dickhead. Jerry was fun.

I nodded. "Shot girl tonight, lucky me!" I falsely enthused. He laughed at me knowingly and whipped a cloth over his shoulder as he took down a few things on a piece of paper.

Shot girls were known for being the runt of the litter, the worst job going. Between sleazy men rubbing up on you and groping you or being covered in spilled drinks, girls robbing from you - it's just a crappy job compared to working the bar.

Jerry handed me the tray and we began to load it up with shots as Lisa strapped the neon bumbag to me for the money. I was a little nervous, admittedly, I haven't been floor staff yet and found comfort in hiding behind the bar. Tonight was different.