Chapter 6: Bar shift

I put the song Dog years by Maggie Rogers on and started walking into the woods, letting Moose off his lead. I thought about the flower which I stupidly left in my locker. I started researching on my phone which flower it was and found out it was the Treasure Flower. Looking at the path in front of me, I wondered who had given me this flower and who broke into my locker to put it there. Maybe Javier? He was the only one I could think of. I sent him a text, sending him the details for the party on Friday, ending my text with a flower emoticon.

I looked around me, feeling happy with all this greenery around me and taking breaths of fresh air. I was lucky to be living so close to the forest, where you could just escape the hectic life for a bit. I came here almost every day, always with Moose. We often visited the lake in the middle of the forest and the waterfalls surrounding it. We tried to make some bird friends but once they saw Moose they all flew again, watching us from a safe distance. My friends sometimes joined as well, having picnics on the forest floor. I should take them soon again, maybe we can swim with all of us before it's too cold. Strong by London Grammar came on, a song that was perfect for a calm walk and I walked deeper into the forest.

Moose was running around, very hyped up and asking for lots of treats. Suddenly he started barking at something behind me so I whirled around but couldn't see anything. I looked around, took my ear buds out and turned the music off. The forest was eerily silent, no sound to be heard. Normally the birds were still singing now. It was also darker than normally. I checked the time, seeing it was only 8pm. I looked at Moose, still tense. No. I wasn't going to be one of those girls that got murdered because she ignored danger signs. I was going to get the hell out of here, not interested in seeing what my dog was barking at.

I called Moose with me and quickly walked back, nearly tripping over a branch. I caught myself on time, holding on to a tree the same time I heard another branch snap. One that I didn't snap. I didn't even look behind me and started running home. I got home without any problems, out of breath and Moose panting. I said goodnight to my mom and went to bed. I texted for a while in the group chat with everybody about nothing, just sharing some memes. Javier text me, saying he was excited to see me but said nothing about the flower. I went to bed and had one of the best sleeps I had in a long time.

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When I woke up on Tuesday, I felt much better. I had a full 9 hours of sleep, the spot on my forehead had disappeared and my hair was actually looking really good for once. I had a day off today, so I did all my homework and chilled with mom. We did some gardening together and drove to the big lake to walk Moose. My mom cooked her signature dish, spaghetti Bolognese and we just watched some tv until it was time for bed.

Another peaceful sleep. It was Wednesday and after my relaxing day yesterday I was ready for anything. My favourite crop top was clean so I was feeling like a Rockstar. I quickly walked Moose, avoiding the forest and Kenna was already waiting for me when I came back from my walk. Moose run up to her, Kenna being one of his favourite people. They shared lots of cuddles and then we drove to school. We put Call Out My Name on by The Weeknd and as always, sung on the top of our lungs till we reached our school.

At first we had gym class where we played badminton. I didn't mind gym classes, especially when we did fun stuff like just playing badminton where we could talk with our friends. After gym we English which also went by in a blur. It was another introduction class so they just talked about what to expect for the next year.

‘‘Ready for work?’’ Jane asked when we walked to the parking lot. I worked with Jane tonight, which was always loads of fun. She usually flirted with every guy that came in so I was wondering how she would be tonight, considering she now had a boyfriend. ‘‘Yeah, lets go.’’ I said with a small pout.

A big flashy black Maserati was driving out of the parking lot, slowing down when it drove closer to us. The windows were tinted so I couldn't see who was driving it but Jane but up her middle finger, signalling to the person driving to speed on and not be a creep. I grabbed her hand, putting it down and she looked at me while laughing. I laughed back at her and the car hit the brakes, stopping in the middle of the road. I looked at the car and I swear I could see someone staring at us. We picked up our pace and got to Jane's car a few seconds later. “You need to start your driving lessons Tris, you're like a princess being driven everywhere.” Jane said. I elbowed her and responded “I know, maybe I can find a good teacher to teach me.’’ I said with a laugh.

Jane and I went to the restaurant where my mom worked to eat something together before we started our shift at the pub on the opposite side of the road. “Hi dears, I have both of your favourites,” my mom said with a big smile while putting food in front of us. I had an Asian udon noodle soup, full with veggies and spices. Jane had a plate of vegan stir fry and we both dug in. “How's Ryan?” I asked Jane, who immediately smiled at the mention of his name. “We are actually doing really good, he's busy working so I don't see him a lot but he often comes at night to spend the night.” She blushed at that and I knew exactly what she meant by that. “What work does he do now?” I asked her, not being sure if he ever had a normal job. “He's working for some company who do shipments around the world. Apparently it's pretty boring but he's super busy with it. It makes good money and he can travel a lot which he enjoys.’’ Jane answered. I raised my eyebrows, not believing his 'job' for one second but it was a conversation for a later time, not when we were about to start our shift.

We changed into our work clothes, black skinny jeans and a tight fitted black shirt. I had bar shift tonight and Jane would be taking orders and bringing the food. I was on bar shift with our boss, Pascal but we all called him P. “Hey P, how's life?” I asked my boss when I walked into the pub. The pub was basically my second home. It was in old English style, with red ceilings and a sort of romantic feel to it. It was all wooden inside and we brewed our own beer, which was the favourite of the entire town. It was the spot for most people to hang out but it was pretty dead on a normal Tuesday. There were some people that were here every night and they brought a sense of comfort to this place. I wasn't a big beer person but I definitely didn't mind the free shots we got on the weekend when we went here in our free time.

“Good, my dear. I can't believe university started again for you guys. I'm going to miss seeing your faces here every day.” He said with a friendly wink. Jane clapped his shoulder “I would miss seeing my face every day as well, P, there might be some medication to cure you.” I laughed at that and walked to the fridge to pour us a drink. “Girls, have a wine tonight. It's quiet tonight and you need to relax from your school work. Just one though!” P said while still laughing from Jane her joke. Jane looked at me and poured us two big glasses of wine. We cheersed and had a few sips of wine. “Isn't that your new school coordinator?” P asked us, pointing to the door. I suddenly coughed my lungs out at that, tears springing into my eyes. I dared a look to the door and damn it, he was right. Mr. Hayes walked in with a few other teachers in tow, all looking like they already had a few drinks. I thought back about the few moments I had with him and I was wondering if I was developing a crush on him. Did I imagine those intense moments between us or did they really happen? I turned around, giving them my back and ducked down and I dried my tears and cleared my throat. I was happy I was working the bar shift and didn't have to serve them directly.

“JANE!” Mr. Jackson shouted “I can't believe you're working tonight! Give us a round of beers, will ya sweetheart?” I was still hidden behind the bar and laughed out loud at seeing Jane's face when he said that. Jane looked at me with big eyes, grabbed my shirt and hauled me in upright position. “Place trade places with me, Tris, please.” Jane begged. There was no way I wanted to trade places. “I'll do anything you want, anything. Please don't make me go over there and serve them beers. I don't want my teachers to get drunk under my watch. What if something happens that I can't unsee?” Jane held onto my hands and her eyes went as big as puppy's eyes. I shook my head a firm no but she held onto my tighter. ‘‘You can have all my bar shifts the next month and I will take over your server shifts.’’ She said with a beg. I thought about that. “Fine.” I grumbled. Jane shrieked and gave me a big hug, turning us around in the process. I looked at her with a fake mad face and held up my glass of wine, taking three large sips. Jane did the same and winked, making 6 beers for the teachers. I turned my head around to look at them and found a certain school coordinator eyeing me up and down.