It's 4:30pm on the first Friday of summer break. Most teens would be relaxing and living life. Not me. I'm at work. I have on my black Taco Bell t-shirt, Taco Bell hat, and dark blue jeans. It's only two more weeks until I turn 17.

My 22 year old assistant manager, Dean Bradly, was working line and I can't help but watch him. He's around 6'3 and he's not fat but he's got meat on him. His short brown hair and baby blue eyes drive me crazy. He keeps a well trimmed go-T and could probably grow a nice beard if he was allowed by the work dress code. Dean definitely has his flaws though: he drinks, smokes weed, runs the roads on his motorcycle, can be kind of shallow, and is constantly after pussy.

"Bad idea little one," Jamison said. Jamison Samuel was another manager who was actually routing for me and Dean but he knew how Dean treated most women: hit it and quit it.

"Shut up, Jamison. I'm not gonna do anything," I rolled my eyes.

"I know, but I'm just sayin it's not a good idea. We both know how he can be," he was trying to be sensitive and caring. Jamison was one of the few people at work who knew my feelings for Dean. Jamison was in a similar situation, when he was 24 his now wife turned 18 while he was a manager and she was an employee, so I had asked his advice on falling for someone with that age gap. The big difference, they had a chance. Dean barely gives me the time of day, after I told him I had a thing for him and he flirted with me for around a month then just stopped.

"Hey Luna, you gonna be my side kick tonight?" Asked Jack Samuel. Jack is Jamison's younger brother, the boys were very close and work incredibly well together for being brothers. Jack got the nickname Superman because when we get really busy he ends up saving our asses. He started calling me his side kick when about three months into me working here because of a night we had a bus come in at ten minutes till lobby closed. I stayed over an extra 15 minutes to help the crew after already being there an hour earlier than my normal shift. I could pull my own weight and helped them where ever I could. As a minor in a restaurant, by law I'm not supposed to work line, prep food, run the fryer, or use the steamers. But I've done it all since I started working there.

"Yeah I'm here till close." Which means I'll be at work till around 2am. 

It could be hard to shoot the shit when our conversation was constantly being interrupted by work: take orders, get money, make food.

"Cool. It's me, you, Jamison, and Dean after 10 tonight," Jack smirked. Right now we had Jack, Jamison, Pope, Levi, Dean, Macie, and me all working.

"We getting fucked up tonight?" Dean spoke quietly. That was normal for him. He stayed quiet and to himself, if he's sober.

"Duh, since when do I not have a couple joints on me," Jack said.

"Y'all need help," Macie poked fun. Macie runs lobby. She started shortly after I did and is around 18 years old.

"We got help it's called weed," Jack teased.

"Y'all care if I-" I started to ask.

"No." Jamison cut me off. He really tried to be like an older brother to me. "You're still a minor. Plus I know your daddy and he'd kill everyone one of us if he caught you smoking." He was right. Jamison and Jack went to school with my brother, Gabe, and sister, Sammy. Jamison isn't a fan of my siblings and honestly I can't blame him.

"I vape and dip and y'all never had a problem with it," I reminded him.

"Cause you brought it," Jamison fired back.

"What kinda juice you got, shorty?" Dean asked me pointing to the Novo X he knew was in my pocket.

"Cherry limeade 50% salt nic, you out?" I answered. I had a full bottle in my truck.

"Mines gettin low. Pay day I'll buy you a new bottle."

"Don't worry about it, when we get a second we can go out to my truck."

"You parked next to my bike?"

"Yeah." Dean always parked by the back door where we all smoked, I normally park next to him so no one hits his motorcycle or in the winter his sport car.

We worked for about a hour when we finally got to go out for a smoke break. Dean got in the passenger seat of my truck and I in the driver. I leaned over his lap and opened the glove box. Inside was two bottles of vape juice and five or six Fireball shots.

"What's this flavor?" Dean asked holding a brownish bottle about the color of chocolate.

"It taste like M&Ms. My brother left it in here a few weeks back. You want it?" I said exhaling a cloud of smoke.

"Nah it's only 20 milligrams. You got any green in here? I don't care what Jamison says I think you're fun to get high with." I handed him the juice he wanted to refill his pod with.

"Dean, you think anyone is fun to get high with as long as you can get high and I have some unrolled at home. Smoked all the joints I had rolled and between work and moving Kiara in, I haven't had time to roll more. Plus Kē doesn't like me smoking."

"You're really gonna let her tell you what you can and can't do. You sound pussy whooped," Dean laughed blowing smoke out the window.

"Sometimes you change for the people you care about." I glanced at him. Like I wished you'd change.

"Yeah I know," Dean sighed and placed a hang on my thigh. I flinched at his touch. "You good, Luna?"

"Yep." I climbed out of the truck and headed back inside to work, Dean chased behind me but wouldn't ask what was bugging me in front of everyone. Neither one of us wanted everyone to know I had feelings for him because of the age gap and so our coworkers wouldn't make it awkward.

Work went smoothly for the most part and at 8:45pm I got to take my 30 minute lunch break.

I sat in my truck eating a bowl of Nachos but instead of corn chips it had potato cubes. I hit my vape between bites and downed a shooter when a peck at my truck window scared me.

"What Dean?" I rolled the window all the way down.

"Is something wrong?" He genuinely looked considered, not something you see much out of Dean.

"Honestly yes, but I don't wanna talk about it, so I'm fine," I blew vapor in his face. You should know what's bothering me you dick. CAUSE ITS YOU!

"You can talk to me, you know that right?" He leaned down closer to the window.

"I could but it won't change anything so can I please enjoy my break in peace?"

"Are you mad at me over... Miley?" There was a long pause. That was exactly why I was pissed.

"Does it matter Dean? It's not your fault, I'm jealous. And I really have no reason to justifiably upset. Y'all fucked around or whatever and now she quit working here and I don't have to see her anymore. But yes, it hurt seeing her on the back of your bike, her flirting with you, the looks she'd give you. But I really shouldn't be upset because I'm 16 and you were 21, she was 26. Me and you couldn't be together anyway," My eyes began to burn with tears. Fight it damn it, don't be a little bitch and cry.

"It was just sex," his tone was cold and sad. Dean turned and went back inside. I don't care if it was just sex for him, seeing it killed me inside.

I finished my lunch and walked back inside. It was getting close to 10pm, when everyone else leaves. I gathered all the trash and dirty dishes and brought them to the back. I cleaned the main food line and bagged it so when we closed there'd be less dishes.

Dean, Pope, Levi, and Jack were outside smoking a joint and Macie came over to me. "How you doin?"

"What'd you mean?"

"Seen you and Dean outside, is everything ok?" She whispered.

"Yeah."

Then a loud yell came from the back, it was the boys. Jamison had the hose we used to clean the floor and spraying the guys with it. Pope and Levi shot out of the back soaked and Macie and I ran out the front door to see without gettin sprayed.  Dean was soaked and came running toward us. Dean's shirt was stuck to his body and I have to admit I would've been ok if he had ran into me and fell on top of me. Sure the concrete sidewalk would've hurt a little but I'd live.

"What the fuck boys?" I yelled, "Dean! What happened?" I grabbed his soaked hand has he ran past me he almost pulled me with him.

"Jamison told us to get back to work while we were smoking. Jack flipped him off."

"So he got the hose?" Macie said.

"I'm not surprised, but how are y'all gonna work dripping wet?"

"Figure it out sons of bitches," Jamison laughed.

"Hey don't talk bout my momma like that," Dean puffed his chest up acting tough.

"Dean, you're the only one other than Macie who likes their momma," I squeezed his arm, it was so big.

At 10 Levi, Pope, and Macie went home. The remaining four of us continued our jobs. We cleaned up, got our shit done and went home by 2:15am. But before we left Dean pulled me to the side as the Samuel brothers left. 

"Hey, I know that couldn't've been easy. Seeing me with her."

"It's whatever Dean. I'm tired and goin home." I got in my truck and started to just leave but I opened my truck door and walked over to Dean in his motorcycle helmet that looked like a red dragon. I hugged him tight, "be careful on that bike on your way home. I wanna see you again ok?"

"I will."

That was a normal wild night at work. I love my coworkers, things are never boring that's for sure. But I wish things with Dean were different, but I do come home to Kiara fast asleep in the bed under mine.