Boarding with the Brooks

The Stripper

"Beth, I'm here!"

I slip the apron strap over my head and tie it behind my back. Beth rounds the corner with a receipt book and a pen.

"Here you go, hun," she hands them to me, "Table number 7. Go get their drink order."

"Drink order, got it." I walked around the side of the counter and counted til I reached table number seven. My nerves died when I saw who my first customers were.

"Surprise!" Charlotte, Sarah, Grant, and Liam were all seated around table seven.

"You guys...." I smiled and grabbed Liam's hand, "Oh, my job! What would you all like to drink?"

"Pepsi."

"Tea."

"Water."

"Um," Grant dramatically scanned the paper menu, "I would like the biggest mug of Miller Lite."

I raised my eyebrows and spoke as I wrote, "Root beer it is."

Charlotte grinned, "You look so cute in your little apron."

"Thanks, I will go get the drinks."

Beth takes me to the back, showing me a few things.

"You have some pretty awesome friends, huh?"

My smile appears, "Most definitely, God knows I have wanted to kill them all atleast twice but they are pretty great."

Beth unties my apron, "Go sit with them for a little while, then we can finish showing you around."

I walk the tray of drinks back to the table, handing each one to my friends.

"There is an extra drink, Em." Grant pointed at the cherry coke on my tray.

"I know," I take a seat, shoving Charlotte into Sarah, "It's for me."

"A break already?"

"No, just a super cool boss. So, how was everyone's day?"

Charlotte took a sip form her straw, raising her hand, "Me first! Guess what the hell happened as I was walking to my car earlier!"

Grant rolled his eyes, "What?"

She looked directly at me, "I saw Rebekah Reyalgo kissing....OMG you will never guess!"

Sarah was suddenly intrigued, "Dammit Charles, tell us!"

After giving a bitch face to Sarah, she put her hands on her face, "Logan Wood!"

"Who?" I take a sip from my straw.

"Oh my god, Charlotte, we thought it was going to be someone important."

I shrug, "I still don't know who that is."

Liam answered my question, "The coaches son."

"Exactly! See," Charlotte poked Sarah, "Important."

I shake my head, "Did she break up with AJ?"

Charlotte's eyes lit up, "Great question, Emilie, thank you for asking! I came prepared!," she pulls her phone from her pocket, "According to her instagram only two days ago, they were on a date at the new Italian Restaurant downtown."

"What the hell is so cool about downtown? I swear she is always out there."

Grant grabbed a roll as Beth placed the basket on our table, "Maybe they live downtown?"

Sarah shakes her head, "Have you seen the watch her brother wears? No way in hell they live in downtown."

"Well, she works there... maybe all of her friends live there."

Sarah slaps the table laughing, "Hilarious, Liam.."

"The hell is so funny?"

Sarah laughs louder, "The fact that you think that bitch has a friend..." she laughs harder, "No, friends. Even funnier," she wipes a tear from her cheek. "That's some good shit right there."

"Do you have any better ideas?" Liam holds his hand in the air.

"Maybe," she attempts to stop laughing, "Maybe she is like a stripper or something."

Grant palms his forehead, and Charlotte types away on her phone.

"OH!," she turns the screen around to face the rest of the table, "I found a picture of her mom, and the location tagged is just righ outside of the downtown strip."

Sarah looks at Grant, then Liam, then me, then back to Char, "The tag? Is it like an actual address?"

"Uh, yeah," she zooms in on the screen, "BOOM BITCHES!"

"God, Char, too loud."

She looks around seeing the other customers staring, she whispers, "Sorry...boom bitches... tagged location is 3145 NW Dale Blvd."

Sarah types on her phone before turning it around, "Thank you Charles and thank you google earth. That address is a house. Anyone feel up to a little scooby dooby doooing?"

"Oh my god! Can I wear my vest?"

Liam stares at Char, "You and that damn vest."

Grant smirks, "I wanna see the vest."

Charlotte blows his a kiss, "You got it, we can swing by my house on the way."

I wave my hands in the air, "You guys...I technically have a job."

Beth stops at the table, "I have been listening in this whole time," she grabs the cups from the table, "Go find that stripper! You can come in tomorrow after school."

"TO FIND THE STRIPPER!" Charlotte stands up pointing to the air.

"Again.. God, Charles.. too loud." Sarah pulls Charlotte down by the edge of her shirt.

"Sorry... sorry," she leans across the table whispering, "To find the stripper..."

Grant looks at his watch, "Its like 4:00... are we going to go play FBI in broad daylight?"

Liam runs his fingers through his hair, "You have a point, we can all go back to my house until it gets dark."

Charlotte clears her throat.

Grant grins, "And we can stop by Char's to get her vest."

She smiles, "See, I knew it was a good idea to invite Grant."

Sarah pushes us out of the booth, "So do I get to kick her ass when we find her?"

"No," Liam puts his hand across her, "We are simply scouting the area."

"You can kick Roman's ass."

Liam shrugs, "Deal."

"No one is kicking no one's asses. Why are we even going to the address in the first place?"

Sarah puts her arm on my shoulder, "Emilie...emilie...emilie... don't you want to know if she is a stripper?"

"She is not a stripper, Sarah."

"Fine," she pulls her arm away from me, "Then don't you want to know where they live?"

"I don't really care."

"I would like to know where they live," Liam zipped up his jacket, "Just in case I need to pay them a visit."