CHAPTER 6: Don’t mess with a Russian temper!
2344 Words
ODESSA
“You are a horrible person.” Jessica adds dressing to her burger.
After Liam’s breakdown, the guilt took over and when we got home, I told her everything. She was too stunned to react so we went to bed without talking.
I had early classes and she was busy most of the day, so we didn’t see each till she cornered me at work right now.
“I know.” I wipe the table next to hers and drop the plates into the dish basket.
“No like, you are a bad and horrible person Odie.”
That has been established.
“Did you see how wrecked Liam was?” She sips her drink before adding, “you wrecked the campus playboy. That has to be a sin.”
“You done?” I pick up the basket.
I knew Jessica was going to make me feel worse but she’s really laying it thick.
“No. You have to tell him.” Her voice turns more aggressive, “I know you’re scared but you can’t do this to him.”
“I know.” I say for the 100th time.
I thought when I woke up this morning I’d feel differently but seeing him upset in that parking lot made it obvious, I had to come clean.
“Good, now can I get this to go? I have a date I need to get ready for,” she gives me her plate with a sweet smile.
“Anything to get you out of here.” I put down her bill.
I’m cleaning after Jessica when two girls walk in. Our diner is nothing special and it’s definitely not something two blonde sorority girls in white skirts and pink crop tops would like.
But I plaster a smile and say “hi, welcome to—”
“Are you Odessa Vecker?” The short one interrupts and I nod even though she didn’t say my name right. “I heard some creep used your photos to catfish Liam Griffith.”
Shit.
“I don’t—” I can’t even get the words out.
“Liam Griffith the point guard and captain for the O.U basketball team.” She continues, “Rumor is, your face has him moving in circles.”
Shit. s**t. s**t. s**t.
“Yeah but I get it. You’re cute,” The one with the nose job nods, “you have that exotic thing going on.”
I do?
“Thanks.” I try not to make a face. “Are you guys ordering or—”
“Don’t worry, we’re working on finding her and taking her down.” I swear the short one came here just to interrupt me.
“Yes, we already got her blackbook profile taken down.”
Wait, they did what?
“We had everyone in our sorority report it.” Nose job is proud, “we’re getting justice for Liam.”
Are they now?
“And you of course,” the short one adds too quickly. “We girls, have to stick together.”
“Right,” I force a smile. “How about you guys grab a table and I’ll be there in a minute with some menus.”
I walk away before they can respond.
“You have some people asking for you at the counter.” Jessie says when I put in the sorority girls’ order in.
You guessed it—salads!
I look at the people she’s pointing at and its 3 girls wearing Oakwood cheerleading uniforms. All brunettes.
That’s promising right?
“Hi. I heard you were looking for me.” I remove my notepad from my apron to take their order.
“Yes I would like a lemonade with lots of ice and to take your picture,” I’m writing down till the last part.
“Emma!” The girl next to her scolds.
“What? I want to show my hairstylist how to cut it,” Emma pulls out a digital camera. “Are those contact lenses? Or are your eyes really that blue.”
“And do you have fillers or are your lips naturally full?” The one in front of me adds when Emma blinds me with a flash, “and oh…I’ll have an iced tea.”
“I’m confused,” I blink the spots away. “Did I miss something?”
I look around for the cameras because this has to be a joke. There is no way this is really happening to me.
I refuse to believe that.
“You’re Odessa Vecker right?” She mispronounces my name too but I still nod.
“My friend Lisa told me you work here, said she saw you at Tommy’s party last night and that you’re very pretty.” Emma speaks with disdain.
“And she was right.” One of them beams, “I just want to know if it’s natural or if you’ve had some work done.”
“At least we know she didn’t get a boob job, she barely has—”
“Emma,” her friend, the one that was beaming bumps her shoulder. “So is it all real?”
“I don’t know guys. I’m looking at baby photos of her and its proof her eyes, hair and lips are natural,” the girl in front of me is looking at her phone.
Did she say baby photos?
“Where did you get my baby photos?” I put my notepad down so I don’t throw it at her.
“On your twin’s i********: page.”
She turns the phone to show me the picture Felix posted last year for our birthday. It was taken right before we left Russia.
“You guys were really cute kids, is he single?” She continues to scroll down his page.
“Okay.” I take a deep breath as my hands grip the edge of the counter. “One lemonade with a lot of ice, one iced tea and?” I turn to the girl at the end.
“A strawberry milkshake,” she seems unsure but I still bring her one.
My entire shift goes on like that.
Different people, mostly girls come in and ask me about my looks, Liam and some are bold enough to sneak pictures of me that Jessie shows me after work.
To say I’m angry would be an understatement.
LIAM
My housemates and I are playing poker in the backyard patio when Vecker storms in wearing a black coat over her diner uniform and brown knee-high boots. Her hair is held back in a claw clip but the short strands in front are flying around her bare face as she comes into view.
“You son of a b***h!” She tosses her bag on the lounge couch.
John B is the one who went to answer the door so he’s the only standing and the only bold enough to say “Vecker—”
“Are you out of your mind?!” She cuts him off and charges straight for me.
“Me?” I put my cards down and stand. “What did I do?”
“What did you?” She scoffs like I asked a ridiculous question.
“Okay.” John B stares at Vecker who is pushing hair behind her ears as she tries but fails to calm down by taking deep breaths. “Let’s give them a minute guys.”
He ushers a giddy Tommy and impressed Jonathan back into the house. Good luck. Their eyes say it as they pick up their cards and drinks.
“Vecker—”
“Don’t even start with me because your little ‘breakdown’ about being catfished is causing a ripple effect and affecting my life. You little…” she starts speaking in Russian, no doubt cursing me out.
“Can you please, calmly tell me why you are so mad at me?” I raise my hands when she comes closer to me.
Between her Russian and the way her forehead is wrinkled. The only thing I know is that she’s fuming and that I should probably hide anything that can be used as a weapon.
“Where do I even start?” She pulls out her phone and types. “I know let’s start with this,” she faces the screen at me.
“You’re locked out of black book?” I take the phone to see clearly. “How?”
There’s a big lock on the screen that shows she has been denied access. I didn’t even know that could happen, it’s a student created free app that bugs out every 3months.
“I am Liam and it’s because of you!” Her eyes flash with something so lethal, it causes the back of my hairs to stand.
“Me?” But I know nothing about this I.T and coding stuff.
“Your little sorority fan club reported every account with the names Odessa and Vecker in them. They wanted to get justice for you, so yes” she nods at me like I’m an i***t. “You!”
“I didn’t know.” I raise my hands again. “I swear, I don’t even know which sorority you’re talking about.”
I’ve slept with a few but I can’t really think of a house dedicated to me.
“No.” She points an accusing finger at me, “what you ‘don’t’ is understand.”
She moves forward and I step back honestly scared she’ll strangle me with her bare hands.
“If I don’t have a profile on blackbook it means I won’t see any news the school page posts. That includes news about exams, classes and the spring showcase that I’m supposed to audition for!”
She moves forward with every reason and I step back till I hit a pole with my back.
“And then we have this,” she grabs her phone and swipes to show me.
It’s a screenshot of an i********: story of her at the diner as cleans the counter. The words found her with her social media handle are above it, along with our own Cinderella.
“And this,” she swipes to reveal a similar screenshot but from another angle and different account with similar wording.
She swipes a few more times to show me how many people have posted the picture but from different angles, along with the different photos of her at school and I admit it’s very alarming.
This all happened today?
“Your little fans have been pestering and stalking me at work. For hours they asked me about you and my looks…and they are even stalking my brother Liam.”
Her teeth snap shut the way a shark does when it misses a bite.
“My freaking brother who’s at Brown mind you!”
But? I didn’t know people were harassing her.
Why is she blaming me?
“I really sympathize with you for getting played and I’m sorry you got hurt but for fucksake can you get over it?” She throws her hands in the air, “you are not the first or the last person to get catfished!”
“Vecker—” the speechless spell has been cast.
“I didn’t ask for this!” She slams the table making the poker chips rattle, “my brother who had to make his account private didn’t ask for this either!”
And I did? I want to say but I know it will only make things worse.
“You might be the campus playboy and hotshit to all the sport sheepeople around here but that doesn’t make you’re a god.”
Ouch.
“Your mess is affecting my schoolwork, job, family and my freaking life!” She pokes at my chest but its gentle, “so reel in your f*****g fans before I get really mad and trust me.” She glowers, “you don’t want me really mad.”
Wait—this is not her mad?
She’s ripping me a new one in my own house and nearly castrated me in front of my housemates. How is this her not ‘really mad’?
“I mean it Griffith.” She finally steps back, “you don’t want me on your bad side.”
She grabs her bag on the couch and storms off the same way she came in, with steam blowing out of her ears.
Damn.
This catfish drama is getting out of control. First, they mess with me and now they’re messing with Vecker.
(Who by the way, was a very hot angry lady that I admit I’m a little scared of now.)
“Liam?” Odessa is surprised to see me on her doorstep.
She’s in in baggy sweatpants and a loose vest that shows the outline of her perky boobs. Her hair is up, curly and tied into a messy bun.
It’s been 2days since she came to my house ready to burn me at the stake. I wanted to come sooner but John B thought it would be best to give her space to calm down before I tried to talk to her again.
And I did.
“Can I come in?” I push my hands into the front pocket of my jeans and she opens the door wider.
Vecker’s house is pretty nice.
The living room has two navy sofas facing their huge tv that’s mounted to the wall. There’s a glass table in the middle with a bowl of chips and a smaller version of it between the sofas in the corner.
I pass the open kitchen as I sit down on the couch facing the stairs and she takes the other one.
“How can I help you Liam?” She tucks her legs underneath her and pauses an episode of The Big Bang Theory.
“Actually I want to help you.” I move my eyes from her boobs to their carpeted grey floor.
- Writer
