Part 7 (1/2)

First debate tournament down, but I had my sights set on state at the end of the year. I don't know how I pulled it off with Jared, but I knew we would have some serious work to do if we expected to win any more tournaments.

CHAPTER 6.

Debate suits one day and a dirty ap.r.o.n the next. It's weird feeling like a bit of a celebrity in the high school debate circuit and then facing the reality of work in the restaurant. I had won debate tournaments so many times that it just wasn't a point of interest for my family any more. Mom just patted me on the back and told me to get salad out to table four.

I especially disliked dealing with customers after I won. My mind is on cloud nine and then I get an overweight woman complaining about the food. That's exactly what happened the day after the debate. I stood at the register staring at her tonsils while her big mouth complained loud and clear that her food wasn't warm when she got it. I definitely wasn't the person to complain to. Remember, customer service isn't my thing.

”Where's your food?” I asked the woman in the middle of her tirade.

She stopped and looked at me in surprise. ”What do you mean? It's on the table.”

”Nope,” I said. ”It's been eaten. By you. If you had a problem with how hot your food was, you should have told Aunt Roma. We would have fixed it for you. Now that you've eaten it, you want to complain. Are you trying to get a free meal?”

The woman's mouth dropped and her face got red. We're talking, almost purple. She opened her mouth to go off on me, but just then, Dad came quickly out of the kitchen wearing a face of great sympathy.

”Mrs. Hodgins,” he intervened. ”Did I hear right? Your food wan't warm enough?”

”No, it wasn't and this smart-mouthed girl just insulted me.”

”Teenagers,” he shrugged. ”What are you going to do?”

”I'll tell you what I'd do. Slap that rude att.i.tude right out of her.”

I opened my mouth to respond, but my father threw me the warning look. He never wanted me to try to take care of customer complaints, but Aunt Roma was busy. I turned and was about to go into the kitchen when in walked Brody and a bunch of the popular kids. The guys looked like they had just finished football practice. The girls, well, let's just say they looked as skinny and beautiful as ever. Lanie, of course, led them into the restaurant.

It was too late for me to hide in the kitchen. Not that I could anyway. The restaurant was too busy. Aunt Roma needed my help on the floor. I looked helplessly at the group as my father drew Mrs. Hodgins out of the way to smooth her ruffled feathers.

Brody bounded up to me with a grin. ”Hey, Bea. How's it going?”

I smiled stiffly and mumbled, ”Hi.”

He could instantly tell that I felt uncomfortable. We hadn't spent any time together since we had shared pizza that night. He worked a few hours at the restaurant each week, but never during my s.h.i.+ft.

The other guys pushed around the register, yelling out pizza orders. I wrote them down on a pad, scribbling and crossing out as they changed their minds. I looked at Brody with frustration. He whistled and got their attention.

”Come on guys. Give Bea a break.”

”Who's Bea?” one of the football players asked.

”This is Bea,” Brody said, coming around behind the register to stand next to me. ”Let me help out.” He took the pad from me and looked it over. ”Let's do five pizzas with the works. That should cover it.”

He had solved the pizza dilemma. The jocks turned their attention back on themselves. Brody nudged me softly.

”You doing okay?” he asked softly.

”Yeah,” I said. ”I had my first debate tournament yesterday.”

”How'd it go?”

Before I could answer, Lanie yelled Brody's name. He sighed and turned toward her. I slipped past him into the kitchen to give Dean the pizza order. My heart was fluttering from standing so close to Brody.

”Did I hear Brody?” Dean asked me.

”Yeah. He's with his popular friends,” I said sarcastically.

”He's not like them, Bea. You know that.”

I nodded and turned away to get the coffee pot for refills. I dreaded walking by that group of kids, but I had no choice. I had a pot in each hand and was just about clear of the group when I heard Lanie's voice say, ”Look at her hips jiggle.”

Even the guys started laughing. I looked back at Brody, but he was talking with another guy and hadn't heard the comment. If only I could confront those kids like I did others. I ignored them and moved into the restaurant, trying to keep my hips from swaying.

Moving from table to table with the coffee pot helped calm my nerves. I know Dean would take care of the pizza order with the kids. He knew how much I disliked being around them. It was crazy how just being around them deflated my confidence.

I had lingered long enough with the coffee. It was time to return the pots to the kitchen. Past those kids again. I kept my head down and marched back toward the kitchen when the door opened. I looked up to greet the customer and just about dropped the coffee pots. It was Tony, the guy I had debated against. He had traded his suit for a T-s.h.i.+rt and jeans.

I heard some of the girls murmuring about how cute he was. I didn't know what he was doing in my restaurant, but I couldn't have looked worse if I tried. Okay, maybe I could, but my frizzy hair pulled into a sloppy ponytail had slipped where a couple of big strands had fallen out over one eye. I had gotten used to Brody seeing me look my worse, but not this guy. I mean, I had a reputation to uphold in debate.

Tony smiled when he saw me. ”I was hoping you were working today,” he said loudly.

Brody looked at him then at me. He had a weird expression on his face. He turned from the guy who was still talking to watch me, folding his arms across his chest.

”Hi, Tony,” I said almost apologetically.

”You look a lot different,” he told me. Oh, great. Now the disappointment would come. ”Really pretty.”

I blinked hard. He called me pretty. The girls had turned their full attention on us and couldn't believe he had said that either. I saw Lanie nudge one of her friends. The girl rose and crossed to Tony.

”Are you new at school?” she asked flirtatiously.

He cast a glance at her, but turned his eyes back on me. ”Nope. I just came to see Beatrice.”

”I can't really talk right now,” I muttered. I know my cheeks were red because I felt the heat in them.

”I would have called you, but you didn't give me your number. Your debate partner told me you worked here, so I thought I'd be able to catch you. What time do you get off?”

”Oh, I, um, I close,” I said, feeling even more self-conscious with everyone's eyes on me.

Good old Dean saved the day. He carried the pizza boxes out to the register. Suddenly, all the attention was off me and on the food. The guys paid for the pizza and started filing out the door. Brody paused by me and touched my shoulder.

”You know Homecoming is in a couple of weeks--”

”Yeah. I'm pretty sure I'm going to be gone at a debate tournament, but I'll bet the team wins. I mean, you should with you being quarterback and all.”

I don't know why I was rambling. I just felt nervous with Tony unexpectedly there and Brody and all the popular kids. And why was he telling me about Homecoming? I'd have to be a dufus not to know when Homecoming took place at school.

”Come on, Brody,” Lanie said from the door. ”Pizza's gonna get cold.”