Kapitel 30: Chapter 29: Orderin’ A Pizza For Persimmon
"I don't like it." I looked over at Abby, the girl was busy wiping down one of the coolers right by the counter. My eyes trailed down to her fat ass wiggling as she wiped the glass door down.
"Dont't like what?" I myself was busy scrubbing the counter, my fingernails going under the placemat to lift it out of the way. Tonight was as usual, quiet.
Any customers we had usually used the card readers already on the pumps before driving off into the pitch-black of the night. The only people who came inside were usually the locals looking for late-night snacks and coffee, and they didn't give us really any trouble. Well, when they wanted to gossip and wouldn't shut up after the eighth 'damn that's crazy' they could get a bit on my nerves. The girl beside me made it worth it though, our bodies seeking each other out as our hands brushed against one another.
"Dylan, whatever he's planning isn't good and I don't want you getting caught up in it." She looked up from her work, her body setting itself in a squat as we made eye contact.
"I'm going to be honest with you Abbs, you're right." Her eyes widened, and I found a smile growing across my lips. "What, did you think I'd lie and say it was something super safe? You are my girl, so that means 100% honesty."
"…Okay, so what's the deal with the party he's throwing and what is your job in all of it?" I walked over toward her, my own body squatting so I could get as close to her as possible. My lips nearly brushed against her ears, a shudder running down her spine. Jerry may have wire tapped the place so whispering is better than blurting it out, plus I get to be close to Abby.
"It's cover for a meeting between him and the Fiends about a dispute over tribute." She hissed, my whispered words causing her to look at me like I was crazy. "He wants the three of us to act as deterrence to prevent him from getting shafted during their talks."
"And you think that's a good idea?"
"$1,000 dollars for each of us makes it worth the risk."
"Do…do you need money?"
"I do."
"Why?"
"Officer Maggot pulled me over for a busted taillight, and I owe $200 dollars by the end of the week because of it."
"E, why didn't you tell me earlier?"
"Because I don't expect you to pay for my fuck ups."
"That's not what this is…I can't have my boyfriend getting in trouble with the law this early now can I?"
"If I let you bail me out then how am I growing as a person Abbs? I can't be your boyfriend and at the same time be a financial burden, a man's got to provide after all." If one positive could be said about Dad it would be his work ethic. It may have been illegal and highly irresponsible but he worked harder than anyone when it came to growing bud. His room used to be full of seedlings after he turned the bedroom into a growing room and instead used the couch in the living room to sleep. That dedication to work was ingrained in me ever since, and it's one of the few things I can brag about.
"You're going to be stubborn about this aren't you?" She sighed, a small smile playing on her lips as she looked at me fondly.
"Yeah, it's something Dad taught me. I've got to take care of myself and now that you're with me that includes you too." My fingers cupped her chin as I turned her head toward me, the feeling of her soft lips pressing against mine sent sparks flying in my vision. The sweet tang of the strawberry lipgloss on her lips was like the finest wine.
*Ding Dong*
"Hey, E, I hope you're ready to make me some foo—oh wow, you guys are real horndogs aren't you?" Persimmon's voice killed the mood almost immediately, my lips reluctantly leaving their plump counterparts as Abby pulled away. She sent the dark-skinned girl a withering glare and for her trouble, all she got back in return was a cheeky grin.
"Your boss really must be workin' you hard, I've never seen you come in this many times in a row." I sounded impressed but in truth I was worried. Pepper looked far more haggard than she usually did, her bloodshot eyes speaking of her poor sleep.
Her usual sweatshirt looked unwashed, pet hairs and stains clinging to it like medals on a soldiers chest. As she got close the smell of thick floral perfume and cigarettes invaded my nose. They seemed to be covering for the lack of baths she took, her normally disheveled hair looking far greasier than usual. By sheer willpower alone I stopped myself from cringing away, my eyes looking at her fingers as they scratched at her cheek.
"H-heh, yeah s-she's been real bad about it, haven't had any chance to just chill y'know." Nodding at her words I tapped Abby on the hip, our eyes locking for a brief moment before the girl nodded. She was going to help make the girl not look like something tossed out on the side of the road.
"Sounds rough, so how about some actual grub, my treat?" My words caused her to perk up, Abby herself looking on curiously as I flipped open my phone. Dialing a number I knew by heart I placed the cool screen against my ear, the dial tone filling my ear.
'Hi, thank you for calling Rivera's Arcade and Pizzeria, how may I help you?' That familiar voice washed over my ears like a gentle wave. It had been a while since I heard Olivia speak or even seen her in general, my mind imagining her twirling the phone cord cable right beside the counter.
"Hey, Liv." There was a pause, and the sound of something hitting the ground. A series of muffled expletives spoken in Spanish followed as the girl put the phone back up to her lips.
'E-Ethan, where have you been? It's been years since you stopped by!' I winced at that tone, a sense of guilt washing over me like a cold wind. It had been a long time, her younger brother Jason being the reason why I had been avoiding them. The Rivera's had always been kind to me as they didn't buy into the rumors surrounding the Langston kids, and that was something not a lot of other people could say in this town.
"Sorry, coin jar's still not full enough for me to rob you guys on the claw machine." Yep, on my dresser right now sat a mason jar packed full of quarters, a sharpie-marked line telling me the exact amount I'd need to play every game at least once.
'Pffthahahaha, sorry E, but Dad's still not going to let you play the crane games anymore. You should've heard all of the cuss words he was spitting out the last time you played.' Her airy laugh tickled at my ears, a wry grin growing on my face at the thought of how pissed Mr. Rivera must've been.
"They were in Spanish right?" I only knew a few as I picked them up in an attempt to seem cool as a kid. One of my resumes many talents that I have listed on it is the ability to say shit in German, French, Spanish, Russian, and Japanese.
'Yeah, but I think you would've gotten the point with how red in the face he got.' She snickered, her mind most likely replaying the image of her father looking like a strawberry over and over.
"I'm sure I would've, especially when your momma takes off her shoes to chase after me, shit's pretty scary." She chased me one time for walking in her flower bed, her slow never-ending pursuit of me was like something out of a horror movie. Eventually, I just gave up running and let her smack me with her flip-flop, the stinging pain will always be a reminder not to mess with Mrs. Rivera.
'Don't mention the chanclas!' Even she sounded scared, the girl no doubt casting glances over her shoulder looking to make sure her mother didn't hear us.
"Sure, sure but before we reminisce about how scary your mama is can I ask a favor from you?" It probably was misleading, a long silence filling the gap between my words and her response.
'…What is it?' She sounded wary like I was going to ask for her soul or something.
"Can I get uh…shit, Persimmon, Abbs, what kind of pizza do you want?" I scratched the back of my head as I glanced over at the two girls still leaning up against the counter. Well, Persimmon was leaning and Abby was sitting her plump ass across the recently cleaned countertop.
"Pepperoni's good." Persimmon chimed in, her tone unusually subdued. Something was up and it wasn't something good. I decided then and there to grill her for answers while she ate pizza.
"I don't really care, every pizza at Rivera's is good." Abby waved away my question, the girl most likely deferring so that Persimmon could get what she wanted without feeling like she was stepping on any toes. It was once again a really cute display from my girlfriend, my smile cluing her into the fact I knew. Her cheeks flushed pink, and suddenly she was really interested in the register sitting beside her.
'Wait a minute…was that Abby Miller talking just now?' Olivia's question snapped me out of my lovey-dovey haze, my own cheeks heating up at the slip-up.
"Yeah, she started workin' third shift with me at Huck's. Me and her are with a regular of ours and we want to put some food in her belly that doesn't come from Dad's prison recipes cookbook." Even I knew that Dad's food wasn't healthy unless you worked out like you were in prison and were served nothing but the shittiest of jail food. Pizza may not be the most healthy dish in the world but compared to the sodium and sugar bombs I make it's like the equivalent of a salad.
'Carajo…you're still feeding people that slop?' Her accent grew thick as she hissed, the disgust in her voice quite evident.
"Not cool Liv, not cool. It's not slop, it is cheap and easy comfort food made from the cold black heart of my Dad!" I joked, my own opinion on it was neutral. Dad had likely taught me it as a way to bond or at least try in his own twisted way. The most likely reason is that he believed that just like him I was destined for a jail cell so he wanted to teach me these things to help me make it on the inside.
'Comfort food is not supposed to give you explosive diarrhea!' Oh, I forgot I made her one of my tacos in a bag. Yeah, she was so pissed after that.
"Says the girl who eats Habaneros like candy!" No joke I've watched her eat a raw habanero and not even blink, her iron stomach not even flinching.
'Talk to me after you stop drenching everything in ranch gringo.' I winced at her words, guilt evident on my face. Ranch tastes so good that I might happen to use it when dipping almost anything. Hell, I even put it in my chili one time and it tasted pretty good. Clar made me swear to never do that again though in her presence.
"Sigh…you got me, Rivera." My shoulders slumped as I lowered my head in defeat.
'I always do.' Her voice was smug, and I could practically hear her shit-eating grin.
"Damn it all, beat by a Mexican who works at a pizza joint talking about food!" It was pretty ironic, and I loved pointing it out because Olivia seemed oddly self-conscious about it.
'Shut up, you still eat it.' She huffed, her tone growing peeved.
"I'm pretty sure your parents are like part Italian or something because they literally make the best pizza. Speaking of I need a large pepperoni pizza and some breadsticks delivered here at Huck's, think you can do it?" I threw her a bone and she took it.
'…I better get tipped good.' Her voice promised pain if I didn't make it worth her while to come deliver. My eyes glanced over at my girlfriend as a devious grin spread across my lips.
"Abbs will cover that, she's loaded remember?" That got the black-haired girl's attention as she glared at me, her arms crossing underneath her massive tits.
"Hey, I thought you were trying not to use my money?" Her snide comment did little to deter me, a shameless smile spreading across my lips.
"That only applies when it comes to something I did by myself. I ain't going to say no to you helping on group projects like this though 'cause you're gonna be eating the pizza too." She paused, her eyes still gleaming like she wanted to say something.
'I can have it delivered in under thirty.' Olivia's voice snapped me back into our conversation, her tone having reverted back to professional mode.
"Sounds good, see ya then Liv." I smiled, the thought of a little reunion bringing a bit of warmth to my chest.
Wöchentlicher Energiestatus
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Rangliste 
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Stein