7
1000 Words
Jade~
I reached the workshop and found Liam busy devouring his burger when I arrived. He stood up, grabbed the water beside him, and downed half of it, then bowed to me sarcastically as he sometimes did. "How was it? Smooth, right?"
Sparing him a glance, I nodded. I wouldn't let the jerks I'd met ruin the fact that the drive to the café had gone well.
"You know, I was supposed to take the car back, but you did... and I'm worried I stressed you," Liam added as he sat back down. "It's been quite a while since you went there."
"Yeah." I took a light swallow, grabbing a seat too. "But when did his tobacco shop become a café? I almost didn't recognize it when I arrived, and if I hadn't seen him outside, I would have thought I'd taken a wrong turn."
I knew Victor sold tobacco there and didn't like going because of the awful smell. But I'd had to help Liam since he had an unfinished task. If I'd known I would meet those guys there, I wouldn't have agreed to take the car back myself.
Liam always talked about the Outlaw Club, and I knew he would have been thrilled to be there and meet them too. The excitement would have been all over him as he returned.
He finished his burger, emptied the water bottle, and tossed it aside. As he wiped his lips, he said, "It was just two months ago that it was changed into a café, and you know it's the Outlaw Club's territory." He gasped and ran his tongue across his upper lip as he always did when excited about something. "Did you meet them there?" he asked, as I'd expected.
"If I had, would you have come over to have coffee with them?" I asked, trying to stay calm because I could still picture their faces—especially their leader and the one who'd tried to make a fool of himself—and it was still pissing me off. "They also sold m*******a in the past. So what if they started sneaking it into the coffee? That's scary!"
Liam scoffed. "That wouldn't happen. Their leader is trying to reduce m*******a operations for the safety of their members. That's why I always talk about them—because they know what's right and wrong."
I snorted.
Even if they killed someone, Liam would find a way to make them look innocent. And I disliked this because the club members didn't give a damn about him or whether he even existed. If m*******a was truly being phased out of the club, I doubted the members would survive without it.
They consumed it like it was food, so how would they last an hour without it? Such a law from the leader wouldn't work for them.
"Why do you always think they're all bad? The Outlaw Club is different from what you imagine motorcycle clubs to be. They're kind and generous, not troublesome like the others," he began his usual explanation while I watched his lips twitch. "Remember when they donated to find a kidney for a girl in the neighborhood? How many clubs care about other people's problems? They're so benevolent." He gestured, a smile plastered across his face.
My brows arched as I stared at him until I didn't realize when I hissed.
I recalled when that happened and how they'd been praised for their generosity. Did I need to tell this guy that it was just for publicity? They could have been doing it just to make another club look useless to the neighborhood, not because they actually cared.
If I discussed this further with Liam, one of us would get furious... so the best thing was to get back to work. I reminded him of the car whose engine was getting harder to repair, and we were supposed to finish it soon. So he stood up and walked toward the car, while I took out a lollipop from my pocket, unwrapped it, and popped it into my mouth.
We got so absorbed in work until evening, discussing nothing outside of it. And when Leah showed up, she carried packs of pizza with her.
Quickly, we washed our hands and grabbed a pack each, then sat down to eat while taking a break. The pizza tasted so good that I asked Leah, "Where did you get this? I stopped eating it after I got one that almost made me throw up."
She chuckled. "You know the Outlaw Club hosted a party, right? They ordered lots of pizzas, so I grabbed these three for us. That's the benefit of being at a party." She chuckled.
Liam glanced at me and winked, looking satisfied that his favorite club had given me another reason not to criticize them.
"They're going to host another party..." Leah added, setting the empty pack on the floor.
"I can't wait to be part of it. I feel like I'm missing out on so much." Liam muttered and licked his lips.
I shot him a glare, and he just chuckled. Would they even accept him when they didn't associate with outsiders?
"Mind joining us at the next party? I'd love to have you around," Leah said, drawing my attention back to her. "You know, I've been watching you since your boyfriend messed up. I don't like how quiet you've become, and I'd love it if you got over him. Going to the party will help you stop thinking about him, because you'll make friends there and enter a new circle."
I wasn't good at parties, but Leah was an expert.
She made sense too, because Mark's actions, even though I hadn't broken down, had shattered me.
"There will be free drinks, right?" I asked her, and she nodded.
My lips stretched into a smile, and I bit the last piece of my pizza. "For the free drinks, I'll be there," I said, and they burst into laughter.
- Writer
