Page 15 of Hidden Truths

“You’ve gotten real good at hiding, dog shit. So, I figured if I hung out here, I’d finally be able to catch you. I’m so sick and tired of you trying to force yourself in the lives of Fallon and everyone else. You’re so fucking pathetic and no one wants you around. Don’t you fucking understand that shit?” she shrieks out, her voice more high pitched than normal.

“I haven’t been around the guys,” I whisper, knowing she’s not going to listen to anything I have to say.

“You follow them around like a fucking lost puppy. It’s so fucking pathetic. Stay the fuck away from them!” she screams, rolling me over so my stomach is on the ground and my back is up in the air.

Karmen sits on my lower back after moving my hair out of the way. In seconds, she grips a handful of my hair and I feel a tug. There’s the distinct sound of snipping as her grasp becomes slightly looser than what it has been. No! I can’t believe she’s cutting my hair. If there’s any part of myself that I truly like, it’s my hair. I’ve worked so hard to make it grow and take care of it on a daily basis. It’s the one thing I do for myself.

“No!” I yell out, fighting against Karmen’s hold on me.

She starts cackling like a lunatic as she continues to cut my hair.

“Fallon is mine. We’re getting married and you mean absolutely nothing to him. I’m not going to have to deal with you the rest of my life. Stay. Away. From. My. Man,” she screams, shoving my face into the dirt before she finally climbs off my back. With one last kick to my side, Karmen spits on the ground next to me and leaves me alone.

For several minutes, I remain on the ground letting the tears flow as I silently cry. When I finally push myself from the dirt, rocks, and grass, I look down to find so many long pieces of my hair on the ground surrounding me. She cut at least six inches of my hair off when it was down to the top of my butt. Closing my eyes, I pull up my hood to cover the damage after running my fingers through the mangled strands of hair that remains. This is my fault. I let myself get comfortable in hiding away from everyone and didn’t think for a second that anyone would wait at the gate of campus for me. I’m so damn naïve and made a horrible mistake.

***

When I finally get to Slice of Heaven, the inside is empty. With most students and adults at school or work still, it’s one of the rare times there’s not a ton of customers to take care of. Sal is in the back preparing things for the afternoon and dinner rush. One of the waitresses who just started is wiping down a few tables. Looking around I see that so much has to be restocked and I don’t believe the new waitress will do it. Sighing, I head for the back and keep my head down with my hood firmly over my head.

There are lockers in the back for us to keep our things while we’re at work. I bought a lock for mine and as I open it, I know Sal’s watching me. From his position in the kitchen, he can see the back where the lockers are located. As I put my bag in the locker, I grab one of my work shirts and hold it between my legs while carefully removing my hood. I really don’t want Sal to see my hair, but there’s nothing I can do to hide it from him. Not when I feel his eyes trained on the back of me.

“What the fuck happened to your hair?” Sal growls out, his footsteps letting me know he’s coming my way. “Arabella, who did this to you?”

“It’s not important, Sal. I’ll save up some money and get it taken care of. I can’t do anything about it now,” I answer him, tears still lingering in my eyes as I try to avoid looking at my boss. “I’m just a nobody from the poor section of town. Whoever did this to me won’t get in trouble. I know how things work in High Point. I just want to forget what happened and get through my shift. Please, Sal?”

Sal is a great man. He’s like a father to those of us who have worked at Slice of Heaven for any length of time. He goes out of his way to ensure we’re all taken care of and given the hours we can work and all that we can handle. Sal’s one of the few people who know how bad my situation is and I’ve made him promise me that he won’t say anything. It was the only time I ever made Sal mad and I promised myself I wouldn’t do it again. I respect him too much to upset or anger him.

“I’m callin’ in Mama Silvia. She can do somethin’ with your hair. You’re not waitin’ to get this shit taken care of Arabella,” Sal states before turning and walking away from me.

I hear him talking on his phone and know he’s calling Mama Silvia. She’s his wife and has taken some of us under her wing as well. If I could have chosen my parents, I’d choose Sal and Silvia. They’re kind, loyal, loving, and treat their kids like the most precious gifts they’ve ever been given. Since I’ve worked here for so long, I’ve met all the kids and have interacted with them countless times. None of them pick on me or make me feel as if I’m less than them because of where I live. It’s one of the main reasons I’ve remained at Slice of Heaven working for so long.

Sliding my shirt over my head after taking off my hoodie, I grab a hair tie and put my hair up in a messy bun. It’s not the best thing ever, but it somewhat hides what’s been done to me. Taking a deep breath, I clock in and make my way out to the floor of the pizzeria. While the other girl continues to wipe down the tables on the opposite side of the main floor, I begin filling all the napkin holders, wrapping silverware that’s been washed, and restocking everything she hasn’t touched. I can feel her eyes on me multiple times. While I don’t know her name, I’ve worked with her a few times and she’s always glaring at me for some reason. I’ve never even had a conversation with this girl. There’s no reason for her to hate me at all. But, it’s what I’m used to lately. I simply have to breathe and people hate that I’m taking up space in their world.

It’s not long before Mama Silvia makes her way in the door and stops to look at me. Tears fill her eyes as she steps up to me and pulls me into her arms. After giving me a hug, Mama Silvia leads me to the back of the pizzeria. She sits me down on a stool Sal brings over and takes the hair tie from my hair.

“Oh, Arabella!” she says, her voice wobbling as she takes in the damage that’s been done to me. “I can fix this. Your hair will be shorter, but not too bad.”

“Thank you, Mama Silvia,” I tell her, trying to hold my own tears back as she gets to work brushing out my hair and then cutting it.

Neither one of us tries to talk as she works. I keep my eyes closed as she fixes what’s been done by Karmen. Mama Silvia finally stops cutting and brushes my hair out once again before handing me a mirror she pulled from somewhere. Holding my breath, I finally look to see she’s worked her magic on me. Mama Silvia evened up all the ragged edges I’m sure were there. She added layers and there’s still a good length to my hair. It might not be down to just above my butt any longer, but it will get there again one day.

“What do you think?” she asks when I don’t say anything for several minutes.

“I love it!” I answer honestly. “Thank you, Mama Silvia. It looks better than I ever imagined it would after what happened.”

“You’re welcome, sweetheart,” she says, coming to stand in front of me as she smiles down at me.

I give her the mirror back and get off the stool so I can sweep up the hair covering the floor at our feet. Sal gently pushes me aside and takes care of the mess as I make my way back out to the main floor while putting my hair up again. After washing my hands, I get back to work. There’s music playing in the background as I manage to finish restocking everything and making sure my side of the floor is perfect. All the tables are wiped down, I’ve swept the floor, and made sure everything is stocked behind the counter. All the glasses are ready to be filled with various drinks for our customers. After placing the menus on the tables, the door opens and customers start entering for their afternoon snack. We’re about to be busy and I’m happy about that. I can forget everything that’s been going on and focus on work.

Being Watched

Arabella

WORK IS BUSIER than normal tonight. I don’t know what’s going on, but I was asked to work longer because one of the girls called out again. I’ve never turned Sal down for more hours and I’m not about to start tonight. So, I’ve been working longer than anticipated after letting Mrs. Andrews know. This is the only place in High Point where I’m not shunned and treated like shit. People actually want to sit in my section because they know I don’t mess up their orders, they get the right food and drinks without me having to switch everything around or ask who ordered what, and Sal wouldn’t stand for any disrespect being shown to me. He’s kicked more than one person out for them being rude and mean to us. That’s not something Sal will ever stop doing. He protects us all as best as he can. Even if it’s only when we’re at work.

As the dinner rush starts to slow down, I hear the door open once again. Looking up, I see Brock coming in the pizzeria. He smiles at me and makes his way over to me as Josie tries to rush up to him. Josie is another waitress here. She’s boy crazy and always trying to get the guys to sit in her section when they come in. It doesn’t matter who the guy is either. Josie flirts worse than Karmen and her work suffers because of it. She’s been warned multiple times by Sal to cut her shit out or he’s gonna fire her.

“Can I help you?” Josie asks, finally managing to step in front of Brock as he heads in my direction.

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