| Fan Fiction |
by miss_tiff15/teechung
"Gill?" A tired Charlene peered down at me from above.
"Sorry Char, did I wake you up?"
Charlene shook her head, "What time is it?"
"It's 2:00."
Charlene silently counted the number of hours she slept. I smiled, "8 hours Char. You slept 8 hours."
Charlene smiled, "That's enough, I guess." Charlene's eyes found the calendar resting in my hands. She sighed, "Gill, not again."
I smiled, "Hey, it's not like I'm sighing about my death each day."
Charlene shook her head, "But I am." She climbed down the bunk bed.
I looked at her, "Fine. I'll try and keep it out of sight."
Charlene rolled her eyes, "Do you really need a calendar Gill? Why can't you just go through life without knowing what day it is?"
"Because I want to know how much time I have left to do the things I haven't done in life."
Charlene stared at me, "And what haven't you done yet Miss. Gillian?"
"A lot of things."
Charlene smirked at me, "Have you ever kissed a boy."
I stared at her, "Hello? Girl with heart problems! I've received mouth-to-mouth since I was in grade 1."
Charlene rolled her eyes, "That doesn't count!"
I contemplated the fact of my kissing experience, there was the clerk. I closed my eyes. There was Roger from way back. I kept my eyes closed. These were all unhappy ones. I opened my eyes, "Not a guy I like."
"Have you ever dated anyone?"
I shook my head, "I'm contagious Char. That's what everybody says."
Charlene looked at me seriously, "You are definitely contagious. Your smile, your happiness, but definitely not your sickness."
I smiled, "Thanks Char."
Charlene sat down beside me, "Let's make a list and do those things, okay?"
I looked at her and then stared at the walls peeling away, "You need to live Char."
Charlene stared at the walls, "I am living."
"No, I mean, you need to live after I die. And we are going to waste every last penny of yours if we don't work."
Charlene looked down.
"Let me work Char. I'm ready for it."
Charlene shook her head, "Gill, I want you to be happy."
"I am happy. And I'd be even happier if I could work alongside with you."
Charlene looked at me about to say no. I cut in, "Please Char. I want to spend time with you guys."
I stared at her as she started giving in, "Fine. You can work. But you're working with Alex at the bar, got it?" I nodded already thinking of ways to earn more tips to help Char and my situation. "And... you can only work one night each week."
I looked at her, "But...
"It's either that, or no working at all."
I sighed, "Fine."
Charlene smiled, "Why do you want to work anyways? Don't you want to spend time with Edddiisssooon." She nudged me.
I turned away blushing. Char laughed. "I..."
Charlene looked at me, "Where does he work?"
I shrugged.
"You should get to know him. That will be your first thing to do before you leave us."
I smiled. That was definitely a job I was willing to do.
Charlene and I decided that I would work every wednesday, which was tonight. I smiled, knowing I would be helping in some way. I sat in silence as Charlene's shower noises fell around me like a waterfall. The ticking of the clock and the buzzing of the fridge felt almost peaceful. My phone buzzed in my pocket. I pulled it out to see a text message.
Hey Gill. You busy?
I smiled and quickly replied back.
Nope. Why?
I'm bored.
Where are you right now?
At work.
I stared at his words. He didn't seem like he was going to elaborate on where exactly he worked.
You're allowed to text at work?
The boss doesn't need to know (:
You're a horrible worker.
You know I am.
I smiled. He was such a cutie. I definitely was falling for him. Another text came from him.
What do you want to eat tonight?
I'm working tonight.
You got a job?
Yep. You should come visit.
Definitely. Where?
Forgetful. Do you know where it is?
It's a club isn't it?
I stared at his text. Was there something wrong with a club?
Yeah.
Be careful.
My heart jumped. It involuntarily started pumping around. By now, I knew it wasn't an attack. Edison was the cause. It actually made me feel warm and nice inside. Charlene suddenly appeared behind me, peering at my screen. I slipped the phone back into my pocket.
"OOOh Gill. Who's telling you to be careful? Is it... Edison?"
I blushed at the sound of his name. "No."
"Let me see." Char attempted to reach for my phone. It started buzzing again. I moved away from her and opened it.
I'll see you at 10.
I smiled and slid it back in its place. Charlene looked at me, "He's coming?!"
I looked at her bewildered, "How did you read that?"
"It's written all over your face."
I blushed. "Do you think he likes me?" I crossed my fingers hoping Char would say yes.
She peered at my texts and dragged me off the couch, "Let's go find you something to wear!" I hope that meant yes.
~
At 8:30 sharp Charlene and I entered Forgetful to see Juno and Alex smiling at us. They were always so early. I walked by a window admiring the outfit that Char pulled together for me. I was in a red and white sleeveless tank with an empire neckline cut. It flowed out around the end of the shirt. Charlene paired the top with a pair of skinny jeans and wedges. She also curled my hair to give off a wavy windblown effect. I stared at myself admiring the way I looked. I actually felt pretty.
"Hey Gill, how are you feeling?" Juno smiled at me.
"Great. Thanks. I hope you don't mind me coming in here."
Juno shook his head, "No problem."
Alex looked at me, "I'm still not happy with this situation Gill. I don't think this will work."
I smiled at him, "I'll prove you wrong."
Alex shook his head, "You're staying behind the table, got it? And if you feel dizzy or unwell in anyway, you tell me. And if some guy gives you a hard time, he speaks to me."
I laughed, "Okay Alex. I got it."
He looked at me, "I'm not joking."
I gave him a salute, "Not joking at all."
He broke out into a smile, "Get behind the table."
I laughed and walked behind the countertop.
Within an hour, the club was completely packed. The music was loud and blaring and lights were flashing away. There were people trickling in and out. Alex made me go on cleaning duty. I was in charge of wiping down the tables. It wasn't fun, but it was a way of making money. I even had my own little jar for tips. As if they would give me tips for cleaning their spot. "Excuse me miss? I think I've got a spot here I need to clean."
I turned around for the tenth time to clean the table but there was no stain. I looked up to see Edison smiling at me, "Hey."
I glared at him, "What stain?"
He laughed, "The one here." He pointed at the clean table. "How's work?"
I smiled, "Boring."
"Isn't it always?"
I laughed, "Did you see Charlene?"
"Yeah, she's waiting tables."
I nodded, "I used to do that."
Edison looked at me slowly, "In those outfits." He pointed at a new girl that took my position as waitress. She was in an extra tight version of the uniform. She cut crosses in the back of her shirt, revealing almost her whole bare back. Her skirt covered nothing. And it definitely gave everyone a great view of her thong. And she most definitley did not have a bra on. And that white shirt was thin enough that there were some things peeping out.
I looked at Edison's face. He looked slightly taken aback, "No, not exactly like that."
He nodded, "I'm glad you don't do it anymore."
Our eyes met for a split second and then the moment was gone. I couldn't fight my heart. It was telling me he liked me back. A man yelled over for me to clean his table. "Be right back." Edison nodded as I walked over to the other side to wipe the counter down. As I cleaned, screaming and yelling arupted from the other end of the table. I turned around to see a man pulling at the replacement waitress' wrists.
"Let go of me." She was trying to move away.
"You're leaving with me right now."
"I'm working."
"We're leaving."
He pulled at her wrists. Edison suddenly pulled the girl away, "Hey, she doesn't want to leave with you."
The man turned and stared at Edison, "Who are you?"
Edison glared back, "The question is who are you?"
"I'm her boyfriend."
The waitress looked at Edison, "No he isn't. He's been stalking me for the last month."
Edison put his arm around the waitress, "You're not her boyfriend. I am."
The man stared at the waitress, "You had a man? What was I wasting my time for. No wonder you wouldn't do it." He stormed out of the club. Everybody turned back to their own tables like nothing happened. I stared at Edison as he took his arm off and whispered to the girl. What was he saying? Was he always this nice to girls? Was he the saviour for everybody. And that I wasn't the only girl he cared about?
Charlene came up behind me, "He's quite the guy." I nodded. "Are we slightly jealous?"
I turned to her, "No."
Charlene looked at me, "You're definitely prettier than Stephy." Char pointed at the girl who was sitting beside Edison now.
"I don't like him."
Charlene stared at me, "Gill..."
I shook my head as a girl called for Charlene. "Go work." I turned back to the counter and wiped furiously at the wood.
Alex looked at me, "Gill, you're over do-ing it."
I looked up, "Sorry. I'm going to use the washroom."
Alex stared at me and then slowly nodded. I made my way though the crowd and entered the sticky washroom. So my heart beated for him. So he's been on my mind for exactly all of the last 8 days I've met him. He definitely was a nice guy to everybody. He was also everybody's saviour. I splashed my face with water trying to clear my head. I couldn't put my thoughts together. There were so many things running through my mind. First off, why was I even caring about this guy? I was leaving in three months. Less than three months now. Why was I wasting time meeting a guy? I guess it was because he's been the only guy that made my heart beat harder, and not because of my attacks. But he wasn't my goal right now. My goal right now was to find someone to live for. But at the same time, he's been my only goal for the last 8 days. I splashed my face for the second time. Second off, what was I expecting from this relationship? I was a ticking time bomb. I would die any second. I took a deep breath, there was no point. A knock sounded at the washroom door.
Alex's voice drifted in, "Gill, are you in there?"
"Yeah."
"You okay?"
"Yeah. I'm coming out."
I pushed the door open to see Alex looking at me worriedly. "Sorry Alex."
He shook his head, "That's alright."
And last off, I was a burden.