21, sweet pea :)
21. Over your shoulder
We had this argument every Thursday, and every Thursday the outcome is the same. Even so, Antoinette Topaz was still incessantly yelling at me from behind the bar. Go home, Sweet Pea. We’re closed, Sweet Pea. Despite her reminder every hour on the hour, I remain firmly planted on my stool, unwilling to move until absolutely necessary.
We had this argument every Thursday because Toni closes the Wyrm every Thursday, and she was less likely to try to have me removed while she shut down for the night. Of course, this never stopped her from trying.
“Move it or lose it, Beanstalk. I ain’t fuckin’ around anymore.” She threatened from behind me, no doubt with her hands on her hips.
I rolled my eyes, “Or what?” I asked with a snort, ears perking at the sound of her heeled boots clicking against the floorboards beneath us.
“Or I’m gonna cut your curl.” As though to make her point, the quiet slice of closing scissors in my ear caused my hand to seize in fear, consequently interrupting my game-play long enough for the screen to go blank and the credits to roll.
My fist pounded against the side of the machine, “Dammit!”
“Hey, easy!” Toni complained. “I mean it Pea, you need to go.”
“So close.” I grumbled, pinching the bridge of my nose in slight frustration. After several deep, calming breaths, I lifted my eyes to hers; she didn’t look particularly impressed with me, but that wasn’t exactly out of the norm. “What?”
Toni snapped the scissors at me again, eyes narrowed as she sighed in defeat, “You’ve got twenty minutes.” Her eyes immediately rolled as I re-positioned myself eagerly on my stool and hunched forward into the machine. The screen came life, music filling the silence of the bar as she retreated to finish her duties.
“I love youuuuuu!” I sang to her over my shoulder, eyes glued to the screen as my fingers worked the controls. I would battle once more, fighting my way back to the top just so the initials could read another variant of my name. “Fuck you, Scorpion.”
the way they said “i love you” (not currently accepting)
