Before You Go

II. Of Ike and Men.

CHAPTER II.

OF IKE AND MEN.

You know that thing they say about hell? How it has levels of different kinds of hell? Home was one layer, school was another, and work another one.

I've been working since 3:40, when I got dismissed from hell hole #2. It was now 8 PM. I just really need money. So, I was wearing this hat that had a huge pizza on it and a shirt that had even more pizzas on it. Thank the heavens they didn't acquire us to wear pizza pants and pizza shoes. Two more hours, Ike. Hold your small ass cheeks together.

The door opened and I looked up and see a couple walk in. I'm begging the lord please for it not to be another fucking couple who basically has sex in the booth. It was a family restaurant, you horny fucks. I saw Jessie - another guy who works here, go up to the couple to take their other. Looking at them closely, I realized that the blonde girl was Gaia and the guy beside her wearing a varsity jacket, was the she was having an 'existential crisis' on.

Well, well, well, pretty face was on a date.

I didn't really bother with anything else and let the other guys do their jobs. I stayed out back in the storage room to sort the ingredients. I was finished in a matter of minutes and I decided to just pass the time by throwing a little stress ball I found up into the air and catching it. I did that for 10 minutes. When will my shift end? It's been hours. I thought to myself. My thoughts were interrupted when I heard the door open and close. I looked towards it and saw Gaia, who was on her phone, whispering harshly to whom she was speaking with.

"Paz, he's a creep. A creep. Do you hear me? C-R-E-E-P! He makes me so uncomfortable, I had to get out and escape." She said and paused, probably listening for Paz's response. Meanwhile, I was just sitting there, looking at her. She didn't even know I was there.

"Okay Paz, I have to go now. I'll wait out in this room and wait for you. Thanks Pazzo." She hung up and sighed. I cleared my throat and she jumped a little bit.

"You know, the door says 'Employees Only', right, pretty face? You don't look like one.. If you were an employee, you'd be wearing ridiculous pizza clothing." I said.

"My date, he's a cre-"  I cut her off. I heard her conversation and how she said the phrase 'he's a creep' a dozen times. She said the phrase so much during her phone call, you'd make a drinking game out of it.

"Say no more, he's a creep, I know." I said. I leaned back into my chair, put the stress ball on a nearby table, and crossed my arms. I looked at the blonde, green-eyed, freckled girl across the room, who was just a few feet away because the room was quite small.

"He's a dick too." She said, sliding down the wall. She sighed as she hit the floor.

Of course he is. I bet he was a jock too.

"You girls typically like those kinds of guys." I said as I shrugged.

"No we don't." She denied, her eyebrows were furrowed as she pouted at me.

"Sure, whatever you say, pretty face." I smirked and pulled my gaze away. I looked at the ceiling and felt like sleeping. Sleep is something I need a lot of right now.

"Well, you're being a dick and I'm not liking you very much." I looked her again, she had her arms crossed and she honestly looked like a spoiled child who pointed at a toy she wanted but her mother said 'no'. It brought a smile to my face.

"Thanks, Gianakos."  I said, focusing my attention on the ceiling again. I was trying to block her out, maybe get a little sleep.

"Why are you being so rude, Ike?" She asked. You can't get no damn peace and quiet with this girl. My default defense move against people I'm not familiar with is to be rude, it was something I grew up with.

"I'm surprised you know my name." I said instead, brushing her question off.

"I'm not that shallow. You've been my locker neighbor for the past year. Of course I know your name."

"Are you sure?" I asked her, sitting up and looking at her with my eyebrow raised.

"You don't know a thing about me." She defended. She was quick to say so.

"Oh please, pretty face. You're just like all the others, pretty face, nice house, great family, good life." They had it good, they always had. They didn't have shit fathers and a messed up life at home, they get to have the good life. The basket cases with the shit family and shit life get nothing.

"It's not all like that, but I bet you're like the others too." She snarled at me.

"Oh really? Please, do go on, then, princess." I challenged her, no way would she get it right, my life was too fucked up.

"Bad boy, good parents who don't know what's wrong, goes out all night, doesn't care about anyone else but himself, gets into fights, sleeps with girls, doesn't want to be tied down, I'm familiar with your type, Ike." Sadly, my type isn't bad boy. I'm nowhere near one.

"Dead wrong. I'm not a bad boy, Gianakos." I said, chuckling a little bit.

"Well that makes two of us wrong, then. I'm not just a pretty face."

"Well, whatever you say, pretty face."

"Stop calling me that, I hate it."

"Why?"

"I've been labeled that, and I hate it. Now that someone's actually calling me that, it makes me hate it even more. Is that literally all you see?"

"Well, honey, it's not like you've opened up to me or anything."

"Well, honey, you aren't the easiest to open up to."

"We all have our faults."

"Some greater than others."

"Well that hurts, pretty face."

"Don't flatter yourself, I was talking about me."

"Slap my butt and call me Sally, are you almost as fucked up as me?"

She scoffed and her phone chimed.

"Paz is here. I have to go." She stood up and walked towards the door.

"I don't know why you find the need to tell me." I said, quite rudely.

She turned around and said, "Well everyone deserves a proper goodbye, so," she paused and waved. "Goodbye, Ike." She walked out the door of the storage room and probably went home with Paz. How does she manage to stay nice? After all I've said and fired at her?

I scoffed, shaking my head.  Silly girl, not everyone has the privilege to say goodbye. And not everyone wants to hear the other say goodbye.