Being the Parker Heiress

Chapter One

"Welcome to Inside-Out, what can I get you?" I beamed at the customer in front of me with a large grin on my face. I have been saying the same exact thing for almost fifty times today, and it's still eleven in the morning -thus the reason why I put out more energy than usual in order to avoid a monotonous tone.

The young woman in front of me chewed on her gum for a few more seconds before looking at me with a bored look, "So like...do you guys like...like, do you guys like sell healthy food here?" She then blows on her gum which created a bubble and pops it.

Did she just use four 'like' in one sentence?

Blinking rapidly, I pulled myself together and smiled widely, "We sell burgers and shakes and fries," So obviously, there's nothing healthy here. "But we do sell our burgers with the option to replace the buns with lettuces, are you interested in that?"

She continues chewing her gum while I waited patiently. If there is one thing I have learned from doing part-time jobs in random shops, that would be: Patience is the Key -the key to earning good tips, I mean.

The customer sighs and flips her long and curly red hair from one side to another, "Can you just serve me the lettuces?"

I bit the insides of my right cheek and asked, "Do you want me to feed the burger meat to the stray dogs?"

Then, as if I poured cold water on her, she gasps dramatically while letting her arms fly everywhere above her, "ARE YOU CRAZY?!" She slams both her hands down on the counter and glares at me, "THAT'S CANNIBALISM!"

The other customers and some of my coworkers looked at the both of us as if we are talking about cannibalism inside a fast-food restaurant where human beings are eating cooked cows -Oh wait, we actually are.

Chuckling nervously, I ran my hand through my scalp to remain calm, "Ma'am, what would you like me to do with the meat to be spared?"

She crosses her arms in front of her and chews on her gum, "I don't know, throw it?"

I clenched my left fist that is currently behind the counter where no one can see it, and asked her with a smile, "Would it not be a waste for a perfectly cooked and really good food to be thrown to the trash?"

She pops her bubble when she scoffed, "Who told you to throw it to the trash?"

I bit my tongue before asking her nicely, "Where should I be throwing it then?"

She rolls her eyes, "Outside this stupid place."

You see, there are a lot of errors coming out of her mouth right now, or there's a lot of wrong things in her ideology. First thing's first, Inside-Out is not stupid, and second, if I throw the patty outside, then a stray dog would eventually eat it. 

Instead of voicing out my thoughts, I shook my head slowly and gave her an apologetic smile, "I'm sorry ma'am, but that would be littering."

She snorts out, "And that's my fault?"

I nodded in a hopefully kind manner, "Unfortunately. It is your orders, ma'am."

Her eyes widened as she chews on her gum more faster than the usual, "Fine."

"Fine what ma'am?" I asked to clarify her statement.

"Fine." She repeats it while glaring at me, "I want one burger where the buns are replaced with lettuces."

I silently sigh in relief before asking her, "Do you want fries with that?"

She pops her bubble, "I did ask you for healthy food, right?"

Okay. So that's a no. "What about your drinks, ma'am?"

She opens her lavender-colored purse and handed me a hundred dollar bill, "Coke."

It is a quarter to four in the afternoon when I walked in the staff room and into the locker area to take my phone and wallet out of my locker. I slid my arm through one strap of my backpack and closed my locker door shut.

"Lorrie!" Someone called out which made me turn around and face the person who called my name.

"Oh, hey Sharon." I greeted warmly to the Inside-Out's very own lovable manager. Sharon is such a compassionate woman in her late 30's. Although she is roughly two decades older than I am, I look at her as a mom.

"Someone's looking for you." She told me with a knowing look while wiggling her eyebrows both up and down for a few times, "Tell me, did you meet up with a prince this weekend?"

"What? No." I laughed at her while looking at her indecorously, "Other than the fact that I have zero flirting skills, why would you ask me such a question?"

"The one looking for you is an English dude."

"We are living here in California, a dude speaking in the English language is totally normal."

She shook her head, "No, like British English." She puts both of her hands on my shoulders, "The dude has an accent."

Oh. "Alright...?" I cleared my throat and waved her farewell, "I will be going now, then." 

I turned around and walked away as she calls out, "IF IT DIDN'T WORK OUT, GIVE HIM MY NUMBER!" Chuckling, I exited the Staff Room and walked towards the cashier counter. 

It is weird to think that a British dude is looking for me. Correction, it is weird to think that someone is looking for me. I would assume that it was a customer who finds my services below their expectations, but Sharon would have warned me about it.

"Hailey!" I grinned at my coworker, "I heard someone's looking for me?"

Suddenly, a manly voice with an English accent said, "That would be me, Ms. Parker." 

Turning around, I faced the middle-aged man wearing a black suit matched with a pair of shiny black shoes. The thing is, it is not just his shoes that is shiny, but also his head; he's bald. 

A lot of questions are swarming around my mind, from "why is he looking for me" to "does he wax his head to make it that shiny". But, I settled with a more practical question. "Who are you?"

He raised both of his eyebrows, "Hmm?"

"You know my name..." I trailed off, "...but I don't know you." 

"As expected, Ms. Parker." He pronounces my last name as PAW-KAW, and it sounds unfamiliar. 

I waited for him to continue, but he did not. So, I prodded, "Care to tell me why, Mr. Stalker?" 

He gives me a small smile, "I would like to spare you the vital pieces of information in private, Ms. Parker."

"Mmhm," I gave him a sarcastic smile, "And how would I know that you would not kill me when we are both in a somewhere private place, Mr. Stalker?"

He simply slides his right hand in his trouser's pocket. The action made his black coat move a little which revealed a black and shiny Glock. My eyes widened as I felt my heart beats faster, "You..." I whispered out, "You have a gun."

He did not seem fazed with my frightened reaction for he simply says, "If I wanted you gone, Ms. Parker, I would have done it already."

I was frozen on my feet as I had this sudden feeling as if my blood was slowly draining out of my system. This bald old dude just popped here in my life out of nowhere and is now threatening me to talk to him. 

I mean, he is threatening me... right? Just to be clear, I asked him, "Are you... threatening me?"

"No, Ms. Parker."

"...are you calling me a liar?"

His eyes widened, "Why, Ms. Parker, that is absurd!"

"Absurd?" I scoffed, "You want to talk about being absurd? What about you being a total weirdo?"

He sighs, "Ms. Parker, I am not threatening you. I am just giving you the assurance that I would not harm you in any way."

"Then why did you show your gun?" I asked, "Why?"

"To prove a point, Ms. Parker." 

"And what point, exactly?"

"That if I wanted you dead, I would have done it already." He looked at me with this piercing look that just made me shut my mouth. Mr.-Old-and-Bald has a point.

Hailey, my coworker, seemed to feel the tension between me and Mr. Baldy here. She walks toward me after serving the last person on the line and asked me, "Hey, are you okay?" 

No. This bald eagle here has a gun. 

"Yeah..." I cleared my throat, "I'll see you tomorrow." She nods at me and waved me goodbye. I looked at Mr. Stalker and asked him, "Where to?"

"The Playground, Ms. Parker."

I pursed my lips and did not bother to ask him why heck we are going to a kid's haven. Then again, I did not truly mind because that would mean that I would be safer there. There would be children playing around and irritated parents waiting on the benches. 

It will be safe.

"Are we catching the bus?" I asked as I walked out of Inside-Out.

"I hope you mean that transportation, Ms. Parker." He says as he clicks his clicker to where a limousine is parked at the end of the parking lot. 

"No way, we're going to the children's haven in a limo?" I asked out in shock as we walk towards the white twenty feet limousine.

"No, Ms. Parker." He opens the door for me, "We're going to the playground in a limo."

"...okay...?" I entered the luxurious car and did not even bother to ask why he disagrees with the playground being every kids' fun zone.

The drive was not too long, it was just a 3-hour drive. Yes, A THREE-HOUR DRIVE. 

This is how I die everyone, this is how stupid people like me die. 

I looked outside the vehicle's window and felt my palms starting to sweat. The limousine stopped in the middle of nowhere. Well, we are in the middle of the woods and there is only this old looking cabin right in front of us. 

I got out of the limo and faced Mr. Baldy who was already frowning at me. "What?"

"Ms. Parker, why did you not wait for me to open the door for you?"

I scoffed, "Mr. Baldy, I have my own hands and feet."

"Ms. Parker, it is my job-"

"Hold up," I cringed, "I am not paying you to do anything. In fact, I can't even afford my own car's insurance which is why I take the bus now." 

"Ms. Parker-"

"Do you get what I mean?" I explained, "I have no money. I'm broke. Well, not technically. I do have a job which is why I do earn money, but everything I earn goes to my college loan, so really, that technically means that I am broke."

"Ms. Parker-"

"Wait," I gasped, "Please tell me the limousine ride was free. I seriously don't have the cash right now."

"Ms. Parker-"

"Actually," I snorted, "I did not want to come with you. So really, I strongly believe that I should not even pay you."

"Ms. Parker-"

"Another fact is that I don't even know where we are. So really. if someone has to pay anything to anyone between the two of us, then that someone would honestly be you. Agree?"

"Ms. Parker-"

"Wrong. You should have said 'agreed'." I sighed, "Let me elaborate what I just said to you-"

"Ms. Parker," He cuts me off, "Can we just proceed into the gate?"

Eh? "What gate?" I asked, "You mean that cabin that resembles your age?"

He looked shocked for a millisecond before he composes himself with a nod, "Yes, Ms. Parker."

"You know that I'm just kidding, right Mr. Baldy?" I stifled a laugh, "It's not a cabin, it's a shack."

"Hardy har har, Ms. Parker." He said in a monotonous tone while we both walk towards the wooden shelter, "You have quite a humor."

"Aww, thank you!" I giggled, "By the way, what's your name?"

"My name is Bartelemou Heraldergnome Guiverelliera, Ms. Parker."

.... oh. 

I beamed, "It's official, your name is now Mr. Baldy."

"Of course, Ms. Parker." He chuckled as we entered the place.