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"Welcome to the real world. It sucks. You're gonna love it!" — Monica
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Chapter 14
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Kade's face was a blank canvas.

The exact same as mine, I was sure.

I fell into an anguish all over again at the sight of him. I felt my stomach drop to the floor at a fresh look of Kade Ryder, the crushing anguish and fear threatening to overwhelm me. I wanted to leave, I wanted to break down, but I couldn't do it. Not in front of him anyway.

The memory of Amber and him naked was imprinted too deep in my head, and I couldn't stop the image from popping up whenever I saw him.

"Piggy?" Natasha's annoying voice broke through the trance Kade and I had unintentionally formed.

"What?" I snapped at her.

Her eyes widened at my angered voice, causing my cheeks to redden underneath her hard stare.

"Sorry," I begrudgingly apologized to her.

She rolled her eyes and whispered something to Amber, obviously about me.

The urge to smacking the smart ass out of her with this notepad was growing by the minute.

"So, what can I get you guys?" I forced a tight-lipped smile.

Amber giggled and the redheaded girl copied her actions. "I would say a bacon burger, but I wouldn't want to kill you just yet." Natasha broke down into laughter.

Everyone, including myself, jumped when Kade's fist landed on the table in front of him.

"Amber, unless your mouth is around one of our dicks, then just shut the hell up," Kade gritted out, sending daggers toward a very surprised Amber. "Natasha, you're a pig your own fuckin' self. And Bree, you're just as slutty as the both of them. Your pussy smells like roast beef, and you talk way too much to even be fucked. All three of you, just shut your fuckin' mouths and quit messing with her for once." By the time he was finished, all of their faces were slack with shock.

Amber was the first to snap out of the fear-stricken trance Kade held her in. "Don't you dare talk to me like that! Who do you think—"

"I'm the guy you were begging to suck off only a few hours ago. I can talk to you however I want to, if you don't like it then do me a favor and get the fuck away from me. Lesser the fuckin' cows, the better," Kade spat at her, his eyes narrowed.

His nostrils flared, and his fists clenched underneath the table. Everyone sat dumbfounded by his outburst, and every being inside of me felt entirely frozen.

Seconds passed, and no one said a thing.

I felt a hand land on my shoulder, and I jumped before seeing it was only Griff.

"You okay, baby?" Griff asked, dark eyebrows drawn in concern toward Kade.

I nodded, sending a weak smile toward him.

He scanned my face for a minute, trying to detect any signs of a lie. I held a normal expression, though my heart was far from that. I could practically feel it awaiting it's breaking point.

Griff left me alone with the six very quiet teenagers.

I could feel a good amount of deceased butterflies awake at what Kade had just said to the girls who had given me shit ever since I came here. He stood up for me, in front and against his girlfriend.

My body had no problem sensing the tight tension around us but I had to finish. I cleared my throat before repeating, "What can I get you guys today?"

"We'll have one of your BLT sandwiches, one meatball sub, and one double bacon cheeseburger, all combos please," The brown haired guy told me with a smile.

I bit my lip in confusion. I took a count of all them again. There were six, like I said before.

The red head, Bree, caught onto it too, "Wait. What are we going to eat, Levi?"

Levi wore a humored smile, his green eyes flashing with something severe as he shrugged. "Pigs don't eat their own kind, silly. Wouldn't want the cannibalism, would be?"

A chuckle flew past my lips before I could sign my consent. All of their heads snapped toward me at the sound. It was kind of freaky.

Kades' eyes roamed over my body, and I caught notice of the something in them. Suddenly, I felt bare in my knee-high waitress dress.

He removed his eyes away from my flushed body, and looked down at his lap. A small smile replaced the frown that was currently on his pretty pink lips.

Out of the three, Amber was the first to notice this. My mind tricked me to believe that something evil had began to grow in those blue eyes that guys had such lust over. She glowered at me in such anger, that even Satan would scold at the intensity.

Finally, I cleared my throat. "I'll be back with your orders."

Before I could make a fool out of myself, I turned around and walked back to the kitchen.

I pushed open the door to where the food was being prepared. If I would have kept my head down long enough, I would've bumped into a very nosy Celeste and Shay.

"What are you two doing?"

Both of them jerked around with a jump. Shay wore the largest grin out of them both. She looked at me in a knowing look.

"Yes?" I asked in confusion while I walked past her to get the other customers orders.

"He likes you," Shay stated.

My eyes widened, and I would have dropped the plates if it weren't for the importance of them to the waiting customers. "What are you talking about?"

Celeste poked out her hip, and placed a hand on top of it. "C'mon sweetie, can't you tell it by the way he looks at you? The boys' eyes were glued to your ass."

"And, think about it! He paid for your drink, then he suddenly showed up here again," Shay said to me.

Was that really why Kade had came here? To see me?

No. I had to remain in reality here. I shook my head at their words and mine. "Guys, he doesn't like me. Far from that actually, plus can't you guys see? He's here with his girlfriend." I mentally cringed at the word girlfriend.

Shay's plump lips pouted once she realized that my response weren't the ones she wanted. "Which girl?"

I poked out the small circular window in the door that separated us from the customers. My entire body flushed red once I caught eyes with Kade's.

I ducked quickly, glaring at a laughing Shay and Celeste.

"You like him, too!" They both shouted in union.

My body, already red enough, turned to flames. "Keep your voices down!"

Shay shook her head, her brown eyes brightened at my embarrassment. "Was the blonde one his girlfriend?"

I sighed. "How'd you know?"

"The girl was all on him, it was really easy to tell."

I shot up from my hiding spot behind the door, and peeked out the window. "What?"

"I was just kidding, but it was nice to see your reaction, sweetheart." Shay's laughter reached me in a matter of seconds. "Now, take this out there and tie that shit down." She placed three plates in my hold.

Luckily, over the period I had begun working here, I learned how to multitask. To my advantage, I only dropped four plates since my first day.

I held two of the plates in the centers of my arms and one in the gap of space my arms created. My hands were preoccupied by two of their drinks, and I had managed to fit another drink in the small space my arms held in front of my chest.

"Need some help?"

I yanked around, nearly dropping a plate in the process. Levi caught it in one hand, and raised himself up to meet eyes with me.

I scanned his looks, and they were something.

Messy dark brown hair sat atop of his head, nature-like green eyes, a sharp jawline that looked as if it would take place of a razor, and a dark grey hoodie with blue jeans that accompanied the look. Though his hoodie was covering a majority of his upper body, I could still see the muscles through the material.

Whoa. No wonder Raven liked him.

"I don't get a thank you?" Levi teased at my gawking self.

"Uh..." I removed my eyes from his sparkling green ones. "Yeah, thank you, sorry," I apologized under my breath.

"You're Kade's girl, am I right?" he asked, his voice deeper than I thought possible. "Nice to meet you." He went to offer a hand but since mine were full, he drew it back with a chuckle at himself.

I raised my gaze from the checkered floor underneath us. "I'm not Kade's anything." Where did he get that from?

Levi laughed, his pink lips rising in a smile. "You sure about that?"

I turned to look at a very curious Kade. Then I returned back to the green eyes in front of me.

"Definitely," I answered him.

He sent a weird look my way, before walking back to his seat. I stood there for a second, staring at his retreating back.

Kade's girl.

I shook out of my trance at the weird thought. I could tell by Kades' actions, and looks that he was definitely not one to have a girl.

At least one, that is.

I walked to the teenagers, and three angry girls held a death glare on me. They kept me in their hatred while I placed the drinks down in the middle of the table.

I wondered why they were still there. Kade obviously didn't like their company anymore, as well as Luke and Levi.

"Okay, the BLT is for—" I paused when Luke snatched the plate from me.

Well okay.

I held up the plate with a meatball sub and fries, awaiting for one of them to take it.

Levi thanked me with a wink, then took it from my hands, and quickly dug in. The remaining plate had a very heavy cheeseburger and fries, which I was guessing belonged to Kade, who was seated far back in the booth.

I kept my gaze down while I scooted closer to the table to give the food to him. My breath caught in my throat once our hands grazed against each other's at the exchange.

Not again.

Kades' friends were oblivious to the amount of electricity that traveled through the air. The contact lit a spark in my stomach, and I was guessing he felt it too.

He stared where my hand once was, and I did the same. Independence Day carried on throughout my body, fireworks igniting in the pit of my stomach.

"Okay, I think we have everything we need," snapped a very upset Amber.

I didn't spare either of them a second glance, besides the brown eyed guy that my heart did tricks for.

What am I saying?

My feet rushed back to the kitchen, and not to my surprise I bumped into two very eager eyed women I called family.

I glared at a smug Celeste. "Can you guys quit that?"

"Nope, now tell us what you two said to each other," Shay said to me, wearing a big smile.

I shook my head at the both of them. "Nothing, we said nothing."

Celeste's heart shaped face tilted to the side in confusion. "What do you mean?! We have to get you two to talk. Here, offer him a free milkshake or something." She pushed a customers ready milkshake toward me, which I shoved back in her direction.

"It's not worth it," I breathed out.

I wished I could believe those words in my own heart. Betraying bitch.

"Who says it's not?" Celeste asked me.

A groan slipped from me before my agitation reached its heights. "Guys, I don't want a boyfriend, okay?" I snapped at them, my patience wearing off. "Just let it go."

Once I heard the tone my words gave off, I felt bad. Guilt burned a pit in my stomach once their faces dropped.

"I'm sorry," I apologized, my tears singing the back of my eyes.

They were partially the only family I had left, and if they hated me, then that would be too much for my heart to carry. Only I knew how much my heart could take before joining the bandwagon of broken things my soul and body had long been on.

Shay noticed my watery eyes, and embraced me in her arms. "It's okay, honey."

Celeste joined the hug, hugging the both of us tight. Though I felt the air leaving my body, I said nothing.

I heard someone walk out of the room that stored the meat, and march over to us.

"Group hug? Why weren't I invited?" Griff asked.

He forced himself between us all, and I giggled at the scruff of his beard.

Shay broke from the hug with a scowl. "Don't break the darn girl, Griff!"

He began to argue, before Shay raised a spatula toward him in a warning. He backed down, for the sake of his arm.

I loved them, even if they did drive me insane half of the time.