Chapter 5: The Things We Do
1343 Words
Fred looked down at herself in the barely there uniform and shook her head. She was not conceited herself, but she knew damn well, she had all the right parts and they weren't half bad. But something killed whatever attraction Josh had felt for her in the beginning.
She closed her eyes for a second and admitted to herself that, yes, they had other problems. He thought she was lying when she stayed out all night during the full moon. And she knew he was lying when he said he was trying to find a job.
In one particularly memorable fight, he accused her of cheating on him with her boss. Yeah, like she and Mike were getting busy in between taking orders at the bar. As if!
She could not believe she ever considered revealing her true nature to him. After one difficult night of lying there next to him, she decided to tell him the truth. It was after another failed attempt at making love. She was tired from working two jobs, it was in-between moons and she was feeling alone and scared.
She still couldn't believe she almost blurted out her secret. Fred wondered if it might bring them closer together. Especially after he told her he just couldn't touch her not knowing where she spent her nights. At the very least, she thought if she told him, maybe he'd shut up about her supposed cheating!
Thank goodness, she had the foresight to keep her mouth shut. Too bad she didn't have enough intuition to keep her bank account and credit card information to herself as well. i***t.
"Hey, can I get a beer, here?" Fred looked up with a plastic smile and filled the order.
Enough, girl, forget Josh and get your head on straight. Maybe she should just have some straight-up-dirty-against-the-bathroom-wall s*x with a stranger. Just to wash the taste of betrayal out of her mouth. She could call it an experiment. A Valentine's Day Sexperiment!
OMG! That was truly cringe-worthy. Possibly the worst thing she had ever thought of! She mock-gagged as she imagined the re-tweets that would get! LOL!
"No, you keep the change, cutie! Happy Valentine's day!" Fred smiled at the customer, he was short, about five-foot one, but his smile was friendly, and his tip was large!
She shook her head as she tossed it in the tip jar. Who was she kidding? A Sexperiment?! That just wasn't her style. Winifred was greedy. She wanted it all. Romance, love, trust, friendship, passion. She wanted the whole damn thing and she wasn't going to settle for less.
Since there seemed to be a shortage of reliable, trustworthy, honest men, she'd have to do the next best thing. Steer clear of all men. No harm, no foul that way!
She smiled and straightened her shoulders content with her new attitude. No more guys! This was going to be a historic Valentine's Day for Winifred Castillo!
She even ignored a couple of male customers while she focused on her new mantra. Men are evil. I don't need them! Mike cleared his throat loudly and glared in her direction then at the waiting customers. Fred narrowed her eyes and went back to work with a vengeance. Work, concentrate, make some cash, pay the evil landlord. This will be the best Valentine's Day yet, Fred my girl!
"Oooohhh!" Fred squealed just as Mike snuck up behind her and dropped an ice cube down the back of her black tank top. She yanked it out of her miniscule clothing as quickly as she could.
"Lighten up, Fred, it's Valentine's Day!"
"Oh, that's just great, Mike! I did just break up with my boyfriend, you know! All these hearts and flowers and people looking for love are giving me the willies."
"So, you got dumped, so what? That normal was nothing, but a bum anyway. He didn't deserve you, Freddie. Now get to work. And smile! Maybe Cupid will be kind," her normally taciturn boss joked.
"Geez, Mike! Now I'm cold!" She didn't tell Mike about the money. That was her problem.
"Well, duh, Fred, it's ice! Now, hustle, before Jordan alienates all the male clientele! Tell him to start stocking the back bar while you wait on those suits over there, and where are your uniform pants?"
Fred rolled her eyes and kept working. She was wearing black jeans today instead of her complete "uniform". If you could even call it that! The thing consisted of short shorts with ripped stockings, stiletto-heeled boots, and a black tank top strategically cut along the sides and torso that read The Thirsty Dog in bright red letters with a tongue rolling out of the letter "g".
Oh, yeah. Classy. But Fred knew the drill, the more she showed, the more tips she made. Sexist? Yes. But it was also true.
She was more than comfortable with her toned and athletic body. Most Werewolves were. And it didn't matter that it was February and her tank top left little more than a few inches of skin covered. Werewolves ran a little hotter than normals.
But still. Ice was ice. She squirmed uncomfortably. Great! Now she'd have to deal with a cold, wet bra strap for the next few hours. Boys!
Fred stuck her tongue out at Mike. Her boss raised a salt and pepper eyebrow and tossed another ice cube in the air.
"No, no, I'm working, I'm working," she raised her hands in surrender and laughed.
It was good to smile. Just minutes ago, she doubted she would ever do that again. She turned around as quickly as the thick rubber mats that lined the bar floor would allow her and finished her task before taking over for Jordan.
She grabbed and folded the thick pieces of cardboard left over from the cases of beer they had just stocked. She exhaled a breath. The activity gave her a second to take in the scene.
The place was getting more crowded as the seconds ticked by. A few patrons were seated at the bar waiting for her to notice them. One guy looked kind of pissed. Hope that doesn't affect my tips. She smiled widely and mouthed "one second" before tossing the cardboard under the trash can.
"Hey Jordan, Mike says get more Bite from the cellar," she called out to her co-bartender. He winked at her as he waved bye to the group of young women who were all but swooning at his heels. Ugh, this is why you don't date Wolves. Whatever.
Fred poured a heavy dose of scotch and soda for the formerly annoyed customer and smiled as he handed her a twenty. She never flirted with the customers, but she was friendly and knew when to listen and when to talk.
"Keep the change, doll." Of course, his eyes never seemed to rise higher than the dip of her tank top.
"Yeah. Thanks! Enjoy your drink," she automatically rang up the tab and tossed the change in the tip jar.
Maybe tonight wasn't going to be so bad after all. This plus her paycheck from Maccon City Estates might allow her to put a dent in what she owed Mr. Kaepernick. All she had to do was not eat for the next six months. I hate you, Josh!
She didn't really hate him. She couldn't. he was what he was. She'd just gotten lazy.
What Fred really hated, was the idea of having to move. That was much worse than Josh himself. And under these conditions! Her meager belongings wouldn't even fill a small storage cube, but she'd have no choice. She'd need to rent one to hold her things because the only other place she could afford to live was the little roach motel right off the highway. Yuck.
What was that again about life and lemons? Fred had no idea how she would make lemonade out of this mess. She had no choice. All she wanted to do was finish her shift, go home, and figure out plan.
- Writer
