Boarding with the Brooks

I Don't Have a Pimp

Each of my hands were being squeezed by Sarah and Charlotte as they drag me down the hall.

"We can get your mind off of the whole Liam thing, come shop with us!"

My head shakes side to side, "No, I need to talk to him."

Sarah stopped, facing me, "Em...I love you, but my brother is a basketball player... and a liar...and a sneaky-"

I stuck my hand in her face, "I get it, Sarah."

"Can we just go to the mall, please? I want to look for a prom dress!" Charlotte stuck out her bottom lip in desperation.

I took a dramatic deep breath, "Fine," rolling my eyes, "But I am not trying anything on. I am simply moral support."

Charlotte clapped her hands quickly, "Yay!"

"I think you two have forgotten that I don't have a prom date."

Shruggung, Charlotte laughed, "You can have mine."

"Gross."

We loaded into Sarah's car, leaving the school parking lot.

"How about Grant?"

Sarah laughed, "Grant would not go with me."

I nod sideways, "Agreed, but he would go with Charlotte. Heath seems to be giving effort towards all of us.."

I could feel the death glare from Sarah, "No. That's final."

Charlotte scrolled through pictures on her phone, "This one would look absolutely stunning on you, Em."

The phone turns in my direction, revealing a floor length v-neck champagne colored dress.

"Wow," I felt my eyebrows raise,

"Let me see," Sarah waves for Charlotte to show her, shrugging, "It's decent."

Upon arriving, Charlotte leads us into an elegant boutique in the mall, and begins shuffling through dresses on the racks.

After several trips to the dressng room, she stepped out wearing a velvet pink mermaid dress with long sleeves.

"That is the one," I grin ear to ear as she spins in front of the full length mirror.

Sarah sits on the fur stool beside the mirror, "I totally agree."

Charlotte smiles, "Me too," she waves over one of the women behind the counter, "This one, please."

Once she was out of sight, I sat beside Sarah, "Grant likes Char."

She looked up at me, "Yeah... everyone knows that."

"You need to get him to go to prom."

"Why?"

I lean over at a whisper, "So I can magically force them together."

Charlotte returned to us with her bagged dress, "Where to next?"

I look at my phone, "I have to go to work...."

"Loser!"

Sarah and Charlotte waved as I walked into the diner.

"Beth, I'm here."

I see her lean up from behind the counter, "Thank goodness! We are swamped," she slid an order book across the counter, "Tables three and eleven need drink orders."

I grabbed my apron from the knob on the register, walking to table three.

My stomach dropped at the sight of Roman, Rebekah, and the woman from the photo.

"Well, if it isn't-"

Roman held his hand over Rebekah's mouth, "Hello, Emilie."

The woman from the photo smiled, "Is this a friend?"

A half smile escaped from Roman's face as he removed his hand from Rebekah's face , "Kind of. Mother, this is Emilie," he point back and forth, "Emilie, this is my mother."

My throat became dry as I spoke, "It's nice to meet you."

Rebekah rolled her eyes, "I want a sprite."

"Water, please."

I stared at my order book as Roman spoke, "Pepsi."

"I will be right back," I tucked my order book into my apron and went to find Beth.

"Beth?"

She was plating food in the back, "Yes?"

I take a plate from her hand, "I will trade....table three?"

Her eyes rolled, but she left the kitchen with my order book in hand.

I finished plating before taking orders at the bar.

"Emilie?"

My eyes move to connect to those of Liam's, "What are you doing here?"

He leaned onto the counter, "We need to talk."

"Not here," I mumble as I wipe off the counter, "It can wait until I am home from work."

A loud outburst of laughter comes from table three and Liam looks over his shoulder, "Is that-"

"Yes, Liam, this is a public place..I can't control who-"

"Emilie, can we please just talk so you can stop being mad at me?"

A young couple took two seats at the end of the bar, "I am working. Go. Home. Now."

I grab a spare order book from under the counter as he gets up from his seat. Without speaking to him, I walk to the young couple at the end of the bar and take their orders.

When I returned with their drinks, I found Roman sitting on the same stool Liam had just evacuated from.

"I would like to cash in one of my prior favors you happen to owe me."

I stop, spinning on my heels, "I owe you nothing."

"Correction," he flicked a crumb into the floor, "You owe me double."

I swallow a large lump in my throat, "What do you want, Roman?"

He smirks, "Right to the point?"

My foot naturally taps in annoyance, "I don't have time for the bullshit. I asked...what do you want?"

"It's simple, really..." he taps his fingertips across the counter, "I need a date to prom."

"I already have a date."

His smirk returns, "I guess it's a good thing that I wasn't talking about you then, isn't it."

Beth slides two plates onto the counter, "End of the bar, Emilie."

I grab the plates walking them to the couple, "Enjoy!"

Roman still had a smirk on his face at my return to our conversation.

I cross my arms over my chest, "Who are you talking about?"

He runs his finger across his chin, "Your friend."

"She already has a date as well. Sorry," I shrug over exagerrating my hands in the air, "Out of luck."

His fingers ran through his hair, "The other friend."

"Sarah?," A laugh jumps out of my mouth, "That's a good one."

"I'm serious."

My laughing dies as I see the look on his face, "Sarah would never agree to that," I lean as close to him as I can without trembling as I whisper, "Did you just forget that your pimp shot at us."

His face changes again, but this time it wasn't anger or cockiness...it was sadness, "Emilie, I don't have a pimp....that man was my father."