By the third week of job hunting, I was ready to give up. No one wanted to hire a high school senior with no experience, especially one who could only work part-time.
That’s when Caleb came back with a solution I wasn’t expecting.
“I talked to my dad,” he said, stopping me after school one day. “He owns this bar on the edge of town, and he said he could use another waitress.”
“A bar?” I said, raising an eyebrow. “Caleb, I’m not even old enough to drink.”
“You don’t have to drink,” he said with a shrug. “You just have to serve drinks. He’ll pay you under the table. No one has to know.”
I hesitated, the weight of my situation pressing against the obvious risk. Working at a bar illegally wasn’t exactly what I’d envisioned for myself, but I was running out of options. “I don’t know…”
“I know it’s not ideal, but you need the money, right? And my dad’s not a bad guy. He’ll make sure you’re taken care of.”
I bit my lip, weighing the pros and cons. Finally, I nodded. “Okay. I’ll give it a shot.”
***
The tension between Caleb and Logan was suffocating, and the gossip account only made it worse. Every day brought a new post, each one more invasive and cruel than the last.
Wonder what Emma told the nurse?
Two guys, one girl, and a clinic visit. Who wore it better?
I was halfway across the courtyard when the tension between Caleb and Logan finally exploded. I saw them—Caleb, his fists clenched, standing toe-to-toe with Logan.
“You think you’re so much better than me,” Caleb sneered, his voice loud enough to draw attention. “You’ve been circling Emma like a damn vulture. She’s pulling away from me because of you.”
Logan didn’t flinch. “Maybe she’s pulling away because she’s tired of cleaning up your messes. You don’t deserve her,”he added coldly.
The crowd around them grew, a murmur of voices feeding the tension. I pushed through, my heart racing. “Stop it!” I shouted, but my voice was drowned out by Caleb’s roar.
“Say that again, asshole,” Caleb spat, shoving Logan hard.
Logan stumbled back but quickly regained his footing. “You’re not worth this,” he said through gritted teeth, turning to walk away.
But Caleb wasn’t finished. He grabbed Logan by the shoulder, spinning him around. “You don’t get to walk away from me!”
The first punch came fast, Caleb’s fist connecting with Logan’s jaw. Gasps rippled through the crowd as Logan staggered but didn’t fall. He swung back, his punch landing squarely on Caleb’s ribs. Chaos erupted as students scrambled to get out of the way, some pulling out their phones to film the fight.
I ran forward, shoving between them. “Stop it! Both of you!”