“Why?” Her question isn’t said with judgment, but with genuine interest.
“I kinda came from a pretty bad home.”
“What? You? But you’re the nicest, most normal, prettiest, and smartest person I know. I don’t believe it.”
I chuckle at her. “Trust me, I’m none of that.” I take another bite and chew while thinking about what Shayne must see.
I’m a clown, standing in this circus called life, just trying to step forward from the back of the line and be more than just everyone’s joke.
“That’s bullshit, Lily. You’re the hardest worker I know, taking every shift offered to you. You’re super smart, and real, real pretty.” Her face softens as she describes how she sees me.
“Thank you.” But I don’t believe you.
“Tell me about why you’d go to the thrift shop.”
I take a deep breath, smile and look down, avoiding Shayne’s beautiful eyes. “Because I didn’t have any warm clothes to wear, and one day I went in there and the ladies helped me. They even fed me sometimes. I didn’t go too often, because I didn’t want them to think of me as a burden.”
I hear her gasp, but I don’t dare look at her. “You were homeless?”
Shaking my head, I keep looking down at initials which have been etched into the table. There’s a love heart and ‘D.D 4 A.L’ has been carved in the middle. “No, I wasn’t. But I was alone most of my life. Now, I’m not.”
“Far out, Lily. I don’t know what to say. I want to hug you.”
“Don’t, please. I don’t want you to think badly of me.”
“I don’t. It makes me love you more as a person.” I look up and she’s smiling at me. “You’re my best friend, and I love you so much. But now I want so much more for you. If any of us is going to make something of herself, it’s you. You got so much smarts girl, you can be anyone and go anywhere.”
“Thank you. Anyway, enough about my past. Let’s talk about you.”
Shayne keeps looking at me and she looks like she wants to say more. She opens her mouth to say something, but closes it, several times. “You only have a couple of weeks, we really need to organize a night out.” Thankfully she changed the subject without intruding any further on my upbringing.
“I’ll ask Trent. But you know how it’s been, with me working so much, any spare time I get I’ve been spending it with him.”
“I know, but come on, Lily. I may never see you again.”
“Don’t be silly. I’ll be back on every break. And besides, I go where Trent goes. But I’ve been thinking, I want to get my permit. Learn to drive.”
“Yeah, go for it! That’s great.”
“Hey, Shayne,” Liam says, as he walks toward us.
Shayne’s face goes a pale pink as she looks at him. “Hey,” she says. I’ve come to learn she has a big crush on him. And I think he’s crushing on her too. He always seems to be walking past the park whenever we’re out here, and at first he’d walk past with just a hello, but now he stays and has a chat with her. I feel slightly uncomfortable, because to me it’s really obvious how much they like each other.
“Liam, Shayne and I were just saying we need to organize a night out. Why don’t you come with us? It won’t be awkward for Shayne that way, because my boyfriend Trent will be with us.” I see Shayne’s face go a bright red. Crimson is more an accurate term. I don’t want to embarrass her, but they’ve been dancing around each other since the first day I started, and probably before that.
“Yeah.” He turns to me smiling, “I like that idea. I’d love to go.”
“Love to fucking go where?” Trent’s deep voice says from somewhere behind me. I turn to see Trent charging toward us. Anger rolling off him, waves of fury so clear on his face. “I said where are you taking my girl, fucker?” He lands a punch in Liam’s face.
“Trent!” I scream and try to pull him back. But Trent brings his fist back, and lays into him again. This time knocking Liam back on the ground. “Trent!” I scream again and lunge at him to pull him off Liam. Trent turns, and in his fit of absolute fury, slaps me hard across my face.
I stumble back barely able to keep my balance. The slap itself stings across my cheek, but the shock of it has thrown me off balance.
“Oh my God, Lily,” Trent says as he gets up off Liam and rushes over to me. “I’m so sorry. I didn’t know what I was doing, please forgive me. I’m sorry.”
“He and Shayne like each other, I was trying to get the four of us to go out together.” I clutch the side of my face as Trent tries to console me, holding me close to his chest.