chapter five
florence thompson
song: earth angel - the penguins
(diner music)

     "Girl, you got yourself a whole ass sugar daddy?!" Rico's high pitched voice pierced my ears as I stood next to the coffee machine, filling an order for a customer as he sat with his elbows on the counter between us, propping his head up with us hands.

    "No!" I hissed, pulling the cup out and tearing two sugar packets open before stirring them in.

    Rico is my other coworker at Glenn's Midnight Diner, self proclaimed gay BFF and Dance Dance Revolution King.

    He has many titles.

    I accidentally spilled the beans to him this morning when Aria called me during our break and hounded me about the oh so mysterious sugar daddy. Of course Rico's cat-like hearing picked up quickly on what Aria said on the other line, much to my annoyance.

    He hounded me for far too long before I finally caved and told him everything from the conversation I'd had with Aria the other night all the way up to the phone number I'd saved in my phone but had yet to text.

    Truth be told, I had no idea what I was supposed to say.

    Hey, super hot guy that is totally and completely out of my league, it's that Plain Jane girl you met on that weird sugar baby app. Which one? Oh, just the one that sometimes pours her milk into her cereal first, of course.

    No? Not a good idea? I didn't think so either.

    "Oh, so what?" He scoffed, pushing himself up from the counter, still resting a hand on it as he gave me an unamused look. "You're just gonna let this cute, rich, clearly interested in you dude go to waste? Send him my way, honey! Sis got debt to pay." He pursed his lips, flipping his imaginary hair sassily.

    I rolled my eyes.

    "I'm not going to let him go to waste," I said, using air quotes, "I just don't want to get mixed up in that whole...mess. I'm not cut out to be a sugar baby, even Ben thinks so–,"

    "Ben thinks what?" A new voice entered our conversation and I turned to find Ben coming from the swinging door that led to the kitchen.

    His messy brown hair was effortlessly boyish, per usual, along with his silly grin that pulled up to one side more than the other. He was currently tying his apron around his waist, his gaze locked on me and my words seemed to be stuck in my throat.

    "That Rico is the sexiest human alive, of course," Rico quipped quickly, a teasing grin tugging at the corners of his pink lips.

    I released a snort, stirring the sugar into the customers drink before handing it over to Rico to bring to the gentleman in the corner of the shop who also happened to be half of the guests we have currently.

    "You're a funny guy, Rico," Ben chuckled lowly, running a hand through his waywardly hair.

    Rico and Ben had the cutest dynamic, admittedly. Rico has been crushing on Ben—who doesn't have a crush on this guy at some point in their life, seriously?—since Ben got hired at the diner two years ago, and made no effort to hide that fact.

    Ben didn't seemed bothered by his playful comments, and usually just bantered back and forth with Rico.

    "He's a hoot," Ben mumbled, shaking his head with a grin spreading across his face as he leaned forward onto the counter.

    Rico skated off with the cup of hot coffee, skillfully not spilling any as he arrived to the man in the corner, serving him with a smile across his handsome face.

    "He is." I smiled, pushing myself up from the counter and glancing at Ben.

     His gaze caught my own before he broke it, glancing down to his hands on the countertop.

    "Thanks for the text back, by the way," his tone was teasing as he glanced back up at me, smiling slightly.

    I facepalmed, shaking my head, the blonde tendrils that framed my face moved with the motion. I had actually completely spaced out on replying to Ben, thanks to Mr. Mysterious. Since last night this complete stranger was the only thing that seemed to be invading my every thought.

    There was something so alluring about Vincent De Bellis.

    "I'm so sorry." I groaned, leaning my back against the countertop and looking over to where he stood near me, a hand on his hip lazily. "I completely spaced, I haven't even opened it yet."

    He chuckled lowly.

    "It's all good, Flo. No worries, I'm just teasing you." He grinned, nudging me gently with his elbow.

    I reciprocated his expression, relaxing instantaneously at his words. The last thing I need to be doing right now is making people around me mad at me. I don't currently have the time or energy to be mending bridges I didn't realize I was burning.

    My mind has been in overdrive since last night, between Alex and Mr. Mystery, my brain is in a tornado state currently. One minute I'm thinking about how dare some random man ask me about my future salary and the next I'm thinking Jesus christ Vincent De Bellis is the most alluring human I've ever met and I haven't even met him.

    To say I was preoccupied with my thoughts would be the understatement of the century, hence why it took maybe a few moments too long for Rico's hushed yet aggressive whisper to grab my attention.

    I spun around on my heel, finding Rico across from me again in the spot he'd just been standing moments ago. His tan cheeks were becoming pink, his brown eyes twinkling.

    "Cute ass hunks, three o'clock," his hushed voice whispered, and I nearly rolled my eyes at the urgency of his tone but instead tried my best to very inconspicuously glance over to the door.

    Entering the diner was Brandon DoucheDick along with a foreign face that I couldn't see very well. I nearly groaned aloud at the sight of him, and honestly I probably would've had the second face not scared me shitless.

    There, manifested in front of me, looking as if he was copied and pasted from his photos into this small, retro diner was Vincent De Bellis.

    I let out a quiet, muffled shriek before falling to the floor, crouching behind the counter. My heart thudded loudly in my chest, thrashing against my ribcage as my pulse pounded loudly in my ears.

    Shit. Shit. Shit.

    Holy shit.

    I pressed my back against right below the counter, resting my head back against the hardwood and trying to focus on anything that would calm this panic that was currently flooding all of my senses.

    Before I realized it Rico was knelt next to me, his eyes wide.

    "Florence, are you okay?" He whispered in a tone that was probably louder than his usual. "I know they're attractive but this is a bit dramatic, don't you think?"

    "Am I the only sane one around here?" Ben's distant voice caught my attention and I glanced behind Rico to find him throwing his arms up in confusion.

    I couldn't find it in myself to form enough words to string a sentence together and instead all that came out were muffled noises that sounded slightly like whimpering.

    "Speak, woman! English! Inglés! Habla Inglés!" Rico gripped my shoulders, shaking me roughly as if he could shake the nonsense out of me and I would start telling him what exact madness was happening.

    "It's him!" Were the only words I could get out, feeling as if I was about to start hyperventilating. "Sugar," I tried again, hoping to dear god that Rico would understand and I wouldn't have to further delve into the topic that made me so wildly uncomfortable.

    Rico's eyes widened considerably, his mouth falling agape and I knew he had caught my drift because quickly a wild smile appeared on his lips and he gripped my arm, dragging me up to my feet.

    I glanced over to find Ben seating them and handing them their menu's. Vincent's back was to me, thank god.

    "Go get 'em, tiger!" Rico grinned, shoving a notepad and pen again my chest and I absentmindedly grabbed them in my sweating hands.

    I shook my head, a pleading look in my eyes.

    "I'm on fucking roller skates!" I seethed, glancing worriedly over to the two of them and then back to Rico. "I cannot go take this sugar daddies order in roller skates and a dress that looks like its straight out of a 50's movie!" I motioned furiously to my uniform, and Rico nodded understandingly.

    "You've gotta point." He nodded, grabbing my hand and skating through the door that led to the kitchen, Glenn's office and our lockers, pulling me behind him.

    "Put your sneakers on so you don't accidentally break your face...or something," he said after we passed the kitchen and made it into the locker area, motioning towards the blue lockers that had paint peeling off of them as the days went by.

    I grumbled a few choice words under my breath, skating to my locker and quickly taking out my beat up converse before sitting down on the bench and switching my shoes.

    "I should go home. You know, I'm starting to feel sick. I should just leave before it gets worse. I don't want all of you getting sick...yeah." I nodded, my mind set on hauling ass straight out of that diner but Rico's sassy pose with his hands on his hips and his pursed lips stopped me.

    "The only way I'm letting you leave right now is if it's with that hot piece of ass out there," he sassed, flipping his imaginary hair again. "Now get your skinny ass up and out there, I'm relying on you to get rich so then I can be your sugar baby or some shit."

    I laughed aloud at him, pushing myself up off of the old bench and holding my hands out in a how do I look way while glancing wearily down at my old fashion uniform and white converse.

    Rico made a face that made me feel the furthest thing from confident before his eyes lit up. "Wait!" He clapped, reaching forward he popped open a button on the top of my dress and then tugging it down slightly under my chest.

    I glared at him, swatting his hands away.

    "Must I remind you there is a difference between a sugar baby and a prostitute?" I asked, pulling the top up slightly as he put his hands up in feigned surrender.

    "I never said you're trying to be a prostitute, baby. I was just helping you get your coin." He placed a hand on his hip, holding his other hand out and rubbing his fingers together to signify cash.

    I rolled my eyes for the millionth time.

    "I appreciate your concern but I don't plan on getting my coin," I spoke as we began walking together to the door. Well, I walked. Rico skated behind me. "I'm just going to take his order like I always do, because that's my job, and I'm going to remain professional. Maybe he won't even recognize me."

    I hope.

    "Professional...like dropping to the floor and hiding behind the counter?" Rico teases from behind me causing me to lift my hand up and flip him off.

    We exited through the door and Ben was just leaning against the back counter, watching Brandon and Vincent closely. His eyes were squinted, a pink coffee stirrer hanging from between his lips as he gnawed on it.

    I glanced over to find Brandon staring at me.

    Great. Just my luck.

    "Go get 'em, tiger," Rico whispered in my ear, repeating his earlier words of encouragement that undoubtedly sent a surge of anxiety though my body.

    Brandon waved, a dazzling smile on his douchey face.

    I waved back cautiously, grabbing the note pad off of the counter along with the pen and sucking in a deep breath.

    Here goes nothing.

∘₊✧──────✧₊∘

sorry that the indenting is so all over the place in this book so far. wattpad seriously messes up paragraph indents for some reason.

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