Page 68 of Rules

He doesn’t want you...

Shaking my head, I push my wandering thoughts back and concentrate on the group in front of me. I’m sure my boss wouldn’t find it amusing if I punched one of them, but there was only so much I could take, and these frat boys were testing my limits. When they got here an hour ago, they were already buzzed; now they are completely drunk. And we’re not even talking about the tipsy, fun kind of drunk here.

“If I was, I'd be something nasty, so you could choke on it while you're at it,” I mutter as I turn around to leave, but obviously not quiet enough.

“Ooooo…”

“Burn, dude.”

“She just crushed your balls, man.”

His friends taunt him, snickering behind my back. I roll my eyes at their childish behavior. You’d think they’d be more mature since they’re in college by the looks of it, but no such luck.

“Crushed? Oh please, she’s just a little white trash girl.”

Even though I know better, I turn around, looking at him through my narrowed eyes. The dude is an even bigger asshole than the regulars who come to this place. With them, I at least know what I’m getting. This dude, on the other hand, seems too reckless for my liking.

“Don’t worry, baby,” he coos at me. “If you beg nicely, I might reconsider the offer.”

The eyes that a moment ago seemed drunk and unfocused now look at me with some kind of gleam that makes my skin crawl. No matter what kind of front he put on for his friends, my comment,my rejection, pissed him off. I guess daddy’s golden boy wasn’t used to girls putting him in his place.

“Well,baby,” I drawl in a sultry voice, just to get on his nerves. “If you don’t shut up soon, I’ll think you’re the one begging for my attention.”

My words hit their mark, turning dark eyes into slits as he glares at me while his friends laugh loudly. I hold his stare for a heartbeat longer, my lips tilted in a mocking half-smile, and then I turn around and walk away.

“Bitch,” he hisses after me, but I don’t look back. I don’t want to show him I’ve heard him. It’d be like admitting that I care, which I don’t.

“What the hell was that about?”

The question comes from Megan, my co-worker. She’s a twenty-something gothic chick who moved here around a year ago. We usually work the late shift together; she tends the bar while I waitress. I wouldn’t say we’re friends, far from it, but I’m closer to her than most of my class. Her dark eyes, surrounded by even darker make-up, assess me before her gaze switches to the direction I came from.

“Just a presumptuous asshole who thinks he’s God’s gift to women.” I wave it off, not even giving him a glance over my shoulder.

Dark eyes meet mine over the bar. Megan puffs her cheeks, blowing her pink bangs out of her eyes. “Ain’t they all?”

* * *

“You sure you don’t want me to stay and help you close up?” I look at Megan as she cleans the counter after washing the last of the glasses I picked up from the tables, but she shoos me away.

“Off you go. I have this under control.” She winks playfully. “I’ll crank some music and be done in no time.”

“Great.” I grab my backpack, not even bothering to change out of my uniform. I’m that tired and ready to crash. “I’ll see you later.”

I regret my decision almost instantly when I get out the back door. It’s so cold my whole body shivers when the night air touches my skin, goosebumps rising on my flesh.

Pulling the zipper on my jacket, I hope the extra layer will keep me warm enough until I get back home. Not that it’s much warmer there. Even when Josephine pays the electric bill so we can actually heat the place, the insulation in our building is shit.

The dark alley smells of garbage, humidity and piss, but that’s nothing new. Almost the whole neighborhood smells like that. Poverty and desperation. It’s so etched in the air that I barely notice it anymore.

Sighing, I tug the strap of my backpack higher on my shoulder, the weight of it carving into me. Pulling the hood over my head, I start walking home, head bowed down to ward off the cold, only I don’t get far.

Hands push against my chest, shoving me back into the darkness.

“What the…” Startled, I look around, but the alley is dark. About a month ago, one lone light bulb died and Joe still hasn’t gotten around to fixing it. I nagged him about it time and again, but the dude is one lazy ass.

My eyes scan the darkness searching for the person who pushed me, panic slowly rising inside me and making my breath labored.

I can hear footsteps somewhere, but before I can pinpoint where they come from, another pair of hands wrap around me, this time from behind. A palm covers my mouth roughly, stifling my surprised yelp as my body crashes into the hard chest, kicking the air out of my lungs.

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