Diner Girl.

Friday nights sucked. The diner was slammed, plates clattering, people yelling over each other, and the smell of grease sticking to my clothes like a second skin. I just kept my head down, trying to survive another shift. And then the door opened.

Ah, it was them. Of course. Just my luck. The kids from school slid into a booth near the counter, laughing like they were the funniest people alive. My stomach dropped. Why tonight?

“Hey, freak!” one of them called out, loud enough for the whole place to hear. “Come serve us, hurry up!”

I tightened my grip on the tray, forcing a smile that felt like it was glued on. Just keep it together, I told myself. Get them their stupid drinks and walk away. So I walked over to their table, pen and pad ready, trying not to notice the way their eyes followed me. The guys were already snickering under their breath, leaning back like they owned the place.

“So,” I said, clearing my throat. “What’ll it be tonight?”

One of them dragged his gaze slowly over me in a way that made my skin crawl. Another whistled under his breath. But it was their leader, the tall one with the dark penetrating eyes that seemed to see right through you, that got to me. He didn’t even bother to hide the sneer twisting across his face. He looked at me like I was dirt under his shoe, like I was something less than human. I hated that it got under my skin, hated that my chest tightened just from one look.

“Three Cokes,” he said flatly, not breaking eye contact.

“Make mine diet,” another added with a smirk.

“And two waters,” the head cheerleader finished.

I scribbled it down, repeating back, “Three Cokes, one diet, and two waters. That all?”

Their laughter came sharp and mocking, one of them muttering, “Yeah diner girl, that’s all for now.”

Heat burned at the back of my neck, but I bit my tongue and forced my voice steady. “Alright. I’ll be right back with those real soon.”

Turning away from the table felt like being released from a spotlight. I made my way back to the counter, the tray pressed tight against my chest, and set about filling their drinks as quickly as I could, praying they’d lose interest in mocking me and find something else to focus on tonight.

I barely made it two steps to their table before one of them “accidentally” kicked my ankle. My foot snagged, and the world tilted.

The tray went flying. Glasses shattered across the floor. Ice and soda splashed up my legs, soaking through my sneakers.

The whole diner went quiet for half a second. And then, laughter, everywhere.

“ACCALIA!” my boss roared, storming out from behind the counter. His face was already bright red, his voice booming over the sound of people snickering. “Are you seriously this useless? Can you not walk and carry a tray at the same time?”

“I’m so sorry,” I stammered, trying to gather the pieces of glass carefully, my hands shaking violently.

“Sorry?” His voice snapped. “You think ‘sorry’ pays for broken glasses? For wasting my time? You’re a joke!”

The laughter from the booth got louder. One of the guys fake-whispered, “She’s such a loser.”

My cheeks burned, my throat closing up. I wanted to disappear.

“I’ll clean it up,” I whispered, desperately trying to put everything on my tray, so maybe no one would see the tears threatening my eyes.

“Damn right, you’ll clean it up,” he barked, pointing down at the mess like I couldn’t see it. “And I’m docking this from your pay. You think I’m made of money?”

I opened my mouth to say something, anything, but all that came out was a pathetic, stuttering, “I, I didn’t mean...”

“Enough!” he snapped, cutting me off. “Clean this mess up, and quit wasting my time!”

The whole place was laughing now. Every single table. I could feel their eyes burning into me, enjoying the show. I was beyond mortified.

My hands shook as I reached for the glass shards, swallowing hard against the lump in my throat. I kept my head down because if I looked up, I knew I’d cry.

The night dragged on like forever. By the time the last customer left and the diner’s neon lights were turned off, it was midnight. Closing time. Everyone else had gone, but of course, I was still stuck there, mopping floors and wiping tables while my boss sat back and watched me.

He said it was because of the “mess” I’d caused earlier. Said I owed him extra time. But I could feel his eyes on me, and it made my skin crawl every time I bent to scrub.

For the last hour, I worked with my jaw clenched, pretending not to notice the way he leered. Pretending I wasn’t dying inside.

A loud knock rattled the glass door at the front. He grumbled under his breath and went to see who it was, leaving me with a moment to breathe.

“Rough night, huh?”

I turned, startled, to see Tommy, the kitchen hand, leaning against the counter, with his arms crossed. He looked younger without the grease stains from cooking, though he was probably only a year or two older than me.

“Sorry about…you know,” he said, lowering his voice as if he was consumed with guilt. “The way everyone treated you tonight. It wasn’t right.”

I shook my head quickly. “You don’t need to apologize. You weren’t part of it.”

“Yeah, but…” He rubbed the back of his neck. “I still feel bad. People shouldn’t treat you like that. It’s not fair.”

“I don’t really have a choice,” I admitted. “I need the money. For college. I have to get out of this place.”

He nodded, his face serious, like he actually understood. “I hope you do. You deserve better than this.”

A tiny smile tugged at my lips before I could stop it. My eyes stung, and a single tear slipped free. I brushed it away fast, embarrassed. Tommy pretended not to notice, just gave me a little half-smile. In that moment, he was the only person in this whole town who had ever shown me any real kindness.

“HEY!”

We both flinched. My boss had come back, scowling. “I don’t pay you to stand around and chat. You...” he jabbed a finger at Tommy “go on, get out of here. And you...” his eyes locked on me, mean and gleaming “get out of my face.”

I froze, confused. Then I heard the voice.

“Well, well, well…”

A woman sauntered out from behind him, her arm looping around his waist like she owned him. His girlfriend. Or one of them, at least. She came right up to me, close enough that I could smell her cheap perfume. “Stay away from my man, you hear me?” She paused, her eyes looking me up and down. “Not that you’d ever stand a chance. Look at you. Pathetic. Ugly. No guy worth having would ever look twice at you.”

My lips pressed together. I said nothing. For the most part, I had to resist the urge to laugh out loud, like I wanted him, a middle aged. overweight, balding man, that made my skin crawl. Like I wanted any of this.

“I said get,” my boss barked again.

I nodded quickly. “Thank you, sir.”

That was all it took. Both of them burst out laughing, his girlfriend’s shrill giggle echoing through the diner.

I grabbed my backpack from the hook by the kitchen and didn’t look back.

“Need a ride?” Tommy’s voice came from the back door as I pushed it open. He stood by his old pickup, hands shoved in his pockets.

“Thanks, but no.” I forced another smile. “I’m getting picked up.”

“You sure?” he asked, his brows pulling together. “I can wait with you if you want.”

I shook my head. “No, really. It’s fine. They’ll be here any minute. They just texted me.”

That was a lie. No one was coming for me. No one ever did.

“Okay,” he said slowly. “If you’re sure.” He gave me a little wave before climbing into his truck. The engine rattled to life, and a moment later, he was gone.

I watched the taillights disappear, and when he was finally out of sight, I turned the other way and started walking.

My parents would be fast asleep by now. And I was late. Again.

The only way I’d get home in time to grab a few hours of sleep before morning chores was to cut through the woods. It would save me half an hour. And besides, the moon was full tonight, at least it wouldn’t be pitch black.

I tightened the straps of my backpack and stepped off the road, onto the narrow dirt path that led into the trees. At first, it wasn’t so bad. The silver glow of the moon lit the way. I hugged my jacket close, inhaling the sharp scent of pine. But the deeper I went, the darker it got. The trees leaned close together, their branches swaying above me, and the sound of rustling leaves on the forest floor started getting louder. I knew that there were nocturnal animals active in the forest at night. My imagination was starting to get the better of me. And then I heard a loud howl from somewhere behind me.

My blood ran cold.

Then another howl caught my attention, then another. I felt shivers run down my spine. Maybe this shortcut wasn’t such a good idea after all.