- Two more cheeseburgers, quicker!

Charlie didn't want to move quicker. She had no desire to serve rare customers, the most of which were usually rolling drunk by that late hour. All what she wanted to do was lie horizontal on the sofa in her pajamas and watch 21 Jump Street, like normal people did on the weekend. She wished she could have been seeing Johnny Depp's handsome face instead of Mr Jackwill's unpleasant, filthy features. She's been trying to shake off the thoughts of Elle living it up somewhere in Hollywood.

- Fine, Wendy! Which table?

- Number twelve! Move!

Charlie reluctantly doddered to the kitchen, shuffling. If only Wendy didn't make her do all these nasty jobs! She could easily serve the customers herself, but she preferred to stroll along the tables in her teeny-weeny skirt that barely covered her butt, and pretend she was the manager, the big boss.

"Like if I want to clean up the vomit or carry these stinking onion rings!" - Charlie thought to herself angrily, putting two portions on a tray, -"what a cow!".

Wendy seemed to be nice from the very day Charlotte got her job as a waitress, but with every shift she got worse and worse. She acted as if she was superior to every one of the other workers just because Mr Jackwill complimented her on her dexterity and quickness once, whe he apparently was in an uncannily good mood. Sometimes Charlie felt a sudden urge to knock Wendy off her feet and pull her hair out one strand by one, but she suppressed it successfully each time. Charlie knew she didn't want to have troubles at the job she wasn't planning to have for more than a year. She found out there was an arts school in the county not very far from there she lived, and she promised herself she'd give everything she's got to enter it as soon as she could. She wasn't particularly ambitious, she wasn't even pinning her hopes on becoming a professional painter, but little did she knew she needed to get a good education unless she wanted to be a waitress until her last days. Seeing a lot of jobless and homeless people on the streets only reassured her in a statement that you have to be very lucky to make it in Los Angeles without any schooling whatsoever.

- Could you increase your speed? You know the customers are not happy with waiting too long, and when they are not happy, they complain! - squeaked somebody in a voice that resembled Mr Jackwills's. Charlie didn't really want to know whether it was him or not, so she didn't turn her head. Anyway, it is very unlikely that he's at the place at 12 past noon.

"His last name should have been spelled Jekyll. No surprise if he has turned into Mr Hyde for the night. Maybe Dee's put out for him?" - Charlie wondered as she was putting the glasses on the table number 12, - "they're in love, and she already has plans to marry him and become a Burger Queen?".

She shivered, trying not to picture Mr Jackwill without clothes. Two guys from the table twelve , who seemed like high school drop outs, were eyeing her up. One of them had a disgusting grin on his face, and he tried hailing Charlie after she's put the food on the table and was about to walk away.

Charlotte just ignored him and made her way back to the kitchen as soon as she could. She felt a sudden twinge of disgust as soon as she saw those two. Naturally, people like that weren't out of the ordinary to her as far as night customers go. It turned out that Johnny Rockets, that Charlie has previously considered to be a safe place mostly visited by school kids or young families wasting their cash, was a popular meeting point among smelly creeps during the hours of darkness. Not like they were really dangerous - Charlie had doubts if mania dons had any interest in Los Angeles burgers at all - but they and their stupid comments made her slightly uncomfortable.

Somewhere on the street a klaxon sounded, and a couple of other waiters that Charlie didn't really know personally started running around and making a fuss. Apparently, there was somebody on the drive-through, which was a common situation, and yet, most of her co-workers had a habit of bustling around when they heard a car arriving.

Charlie opened the door to the staff room, took a few steps towards the corner and sat at the edge of one of the huge cardboard boxes that obstructed the way. Having peeled off her stupid bow tie, she took a deep breath and fell silent, her head in her hands. It was such a long, long day, and still the end to it was nowhere to be seen. The clock face on her wristwatch showed half past twelve. Five hours to go. Pomeline must be home with some guy right now, lying comfortably on the bed and not having to care about French fries and pickles being delivered to the right table...

- Charlotte!

Charlie opened her drowsy eyes and lifted her head. A thin guy in the Johnny Rockets employee uniform was standing in the doorway in the bright light of the electrolier. Because of that, his greasy hair were glowing like a halo, and he generally seemed to appear better looking than he, an eighteen-year-old math student, actually was.

- Gary, - Charlie called him the first name that popped into her head because she had zero idea of his true moniker, - what's up?

- Firstly, you shouldn't sleep in the staff room, - Maybe-Gary-Maybe-Not let his inner dull side speak first, - and also, come on, some geezer is calling you.

Charlotte blinked a few times and thought over the idea of hitting the pruney Mr Noname with something hard. She soon dismissed it, as there was no ground for a good alibi  if she killed him. Nice, now she had to go and see another flake that decided he needed her and nobody else in that ridiculously late hour.

She got up, having finally succeeded in fighting her laziness and followed the unknown boy.

- He's outdoors, in the car. He claims to know you well!

"Fantastic",- Charlie said to herself, - "since it's "he in the car", it can't be Pomeline. Another dude who knows me is Scott, but what the fuck is he doing in LA at night?".

After a few minutes she spent hesitating, Charlie's curiosity took over, and she slowly sneaked out by the back exit. An old, mud-covered car was parked under the streetlight. Luckily, it was bright enough for Charlie not to be completely scared. She saw there was only one man in the car, but she couldn't tell if he was familiar.

- Hey, - she faltered, - did you ask for me?

The guy inside rotated the lever to open the window and fixed his eyes on Charlie. It took her some time to recognize Duff. He looked not quite like he did the last time Charlotte saw him - his hair was teased, his eyes were bright and glowing, and he was smiling more radiantly than she expected him to. At the same time, he had horibble bags under his eyes, and the skin on his face looked as if he hadn't slept for a few days.

- Hi babe, get in! - he pointed at the seat next to him with his thumb and beamed widely.

- Is that how you usually greet girls? - Charlie asked, crossing her arms and arching a brow.

- Whoa, what's so wrong? Imma take you down to a nice place, I promise! - he puffed and made a foolish face, - I won't touch ya if you don't wanna!

- Great, but I am at work, just so you know...

- Come on, don't put on a bloody act! What if I pay the forfeit?

He rummaged in the car and showed her a good pack of bills. Charlotte puckered. She felt in between. On one hand, she wished to escape so badly she didn't care by what means exactly  - by driving off with Duff, by being kidnapped by a UFO or by going home by herself. On another hand though, there was a chance Mr Jackswill finds out, and it wasn't going to do her good.

- So you suggest I got outta here, not giving a damn what my boss will think?

- Exactly! - Duff blew smoke in her face. Charlie couldn't help but cough, - you shouldn't be carrying fast food anyway!

- I am flattered you think so but hey, not deal. He's gonna boot me out!

- Fuck him! - Duff couldn't think of anything better to do than to open the door and make Charlie get in by force. She didn't really protest.

The car smelled like hay and cigarettes. Charlie noticed some stains that were either blood or ketchup. She preferred to think it was the latter.

- Where are we going?

- Do you genuinely care?

- U-m, dude, kidding me? It's not even like I was asking for a lift! We are not in On The Road !  

- Why? I'm reversing, and then we will be on the road, - Duff goggled at her in disbelief for a couple of seconds. Ashes from his cigarette were falling right on his  jeans. 

Charlie sighed. He seemed to be a little weird that night, but she was too tired to think of any reasons for it.

- Aren't you afraid then? - she uttered after they left the driveway.

- Heck, why?

- Have you seen The Hitch-Hiker ?

- What?

Charlie looked funny at him. Either he was fooling her, or he didn't understand what she's been saying for real.

- Are you fine? Can you hear me?

Duff has been turning the driving wheel for longer than needed. It ended up in the car nearly bumping into a tree at the side of the road.

- What the fuck are you doing, man?! - Charlie shrieked, - you've nearly killed me!

Duff stared at the tree as if he couldn't believe it actually was growing there.

- O-ops, sorry! I didn't notice it!

- Have you ever driven before? We're not going to arrive anywhere alive if you go on!

- Sure, how could I have stopped off by yours otherwise? - he muttered and threw the butt of his cigarette out of the window, - sugar, it's okay!

- Firstly, I am not Sugar. My name is Charlotte, in case you don't remember. Also, if you weren't out of your mind, you wouldn't have dropped by my workplace and nearly nobbled me like casual business!

- Lemme tell ya', tiny, it's just that I got the money today! I am just happy!

- Did you rob a cowboy? - Charlie took a quick glance at his jeans and vest.

- Silly, money for the record! It's only a part, but still a hella lot.

- I feel honored to celebrate it with you, - Charlotte replied sarcastically, - but it wouldn't hurt if you told me where we are going.

- Home, - Duff answered simply, - it would be sweet of you to drop round and see.

- Is it an intricate way of inviting me for a quickie? I am sorry to tell you that was a mistake of yours to ask me...

- Charlotte, don't! Do I look like a ladykiller?

They stopped in the dark street. Duff turned the key and took it out, then turned to Charlotte. She gave an involuntary shudder.

- You...you are all like that, aren't you?

- Get out and see for yourself, - he opened the door for her. Despite being more than six foot tall and being weirdly dressed, he didn't look particularly creepy or freaky. Charlie decided to follow his lead, partly because she had no other way. The streets were empty, and she didn't have anything with her apart from a pen in her pocket.

Unlike Charlie expected, what Duff did was open the door of one of the block's houses with his keys and gestured so she'd get in first.

Despite it being so late at night, they lights in the room that they walked into were on. A blonde guy was sitting on the sofa and watching TV, commenting what happened on the screen to himself.

- Hey Steven! We've got guests!

- Woo, girls! I told you you gonna make it! 

Charlie was glad Duff called him first because while she had a great memory for faces, she hardly ever managed to attach names to them. He was one of the band mates, but she was quite surprised they lived together.

Duff uttered something and took off his vest. He seemed to be a tad uncomfortable.

- Poor maid have decided we have it going on, right? - Steven was all smiles, - nah, nothing, just good old friends! Can you imagine him humping me? - he pretended to be trembling with disgust. Charlotte snickered and shook her head.

- Certainly not! Also, what's this, a maid? My name's Charlotte!

- It's not my business whether you're a maid or not, Charlotte - Steven cheerfully said in response, - oh, a rhyme! Can I call you Carl?

- Why? - she gawked at him in amazement.

- Because it's so fun to say! Oh dear, you look so sleepy!

- I am, I am working till five today.

 Steven and Duff exchanged glances.

- Didn't you work in a restaurant? - Steven asked cautiously.

- If you consider Johnny Rockets to be one. Opened 24/7.

- Oh, Johnny! Do you get free food? Yummy hamburgers?

- I guarantee you will never want a burger again in your life, had you worked there for a day, - Charlie explained, yawning. - What are we going to do, by the way? Don't you say I'm here to talk fast food?

Steven shrugged and stared at Duff together with Charlie.

- I...I just thought you'd want to see me...us, - he dropped his eyes and run his hand through his hair, - but didn't have the telephone number, so...

- Not bad, - Steven commented. He made Charlie smile and Duff - shuffle awkwardly.

- Fine. Very...provident. I could have looked it in the white pages.

- We're not mentioned there, - Steven giggled, - so that wouldn't work.

- I will just make some drinks, okay? - Duff interrupted, nodding towards the door, - will be back in a minute!

Charlie watched him disappear then turned to Steven and asked:

- Not mentioned? What for?

- Rockstars, baby. Oh, don't fall asleep on the ground, it's cold, - Steven said a word of motherly warning, - what we have today? - he looked for something under one of the sofa pillows, - take a candy!

Charlie, intrigued by that phrase, took a focused look at his palm, which he was holding open. He was offering her a strange-looking pink tablet.

- Is it a trank?

- Candy, girl! See, it's pink, tastes like strawberry! I know little girls love strawberry sweets.

- Thanks, - Charlie took a tablet from him and carefully inspected it. She promised to herself she will never try anything that wasn't beer or cocktails, especially if it resembled any kind of drugs or strong booze. But Steven looked so unoffending and cute with his broad smile and innocent eyes that put the tablet into her mouth without any doubts or worries.

- Good girl, does it taste nice? You see we don't bite! Also, have you watched AMC yesterday?

Charlie saw Duff coming back with two beer bottles in his hands. He sat on the couch next to her, and soon after that his hand snaked around her waist.

- Beer? How boring! - Steven examined the bottle and handed it to Charlie, - wanna drink some?

She took a gulp unenthusiastically, but it didn't taste as sour as she thought it would. Soon, her sleepiness was gone. When she tried to recall the rest of the night later, it turned out she only remembered herself screaming along to Runaways, Steven smiling and Duff smoking his endless cigarettes.

__________________________

♪ The Rolling Stones - She Said Yeah

Author's note: I would like some feedback - read, vote and comment! I can't tell what you like and what you don't like if you don't let me know. :D

Also, I probably won't be able to update for about a week or so, but it doesn't mean it's on hold or anything.