“Monticlaire! We have to hurry! NOW!” I yelled, grabbing Novella’s hand and rushing off towards the restaurant.
No… no no no… I can’t be late, my father’s going to go nuts…
I’ve never been late to The Nook before, and I didn’t know what to expect as far as a punishment. He never liked anyone being late. He wanted everything in The Nook to go perfectly. Even if he knew something was going wrong, he would take care of it.
What am I even saying? Focus, Novella. Keep running.
“Novella! Please slow down, you’re going to pull my hand off at this rate!” Monticlaire yelped, trying her hardest to keep up.
We turned a corner, and there was The Nook. I busted through the doors with Monticlaire in tow. Skidding over the counter, I ran straight over to my dad. He didn’t seem to be phased by my movements.
“Your shift started twenty minutes ago, Novella. You know that,” Mr. Nook spoke with authority.
“I know, Dad, and I sincerely apologize.” “Did you come here after school?”
“I did! In fact, I left a few minutes early,” this struck a chord in the man.
“If you left early, then how did you get here twenty minutes late, Novella?” I could feel the heat outpouring from his body. He angrily flipped a patty on the grill and turned around to gaze at me. Small towers of flame flickered around behind him. He was angry.
“I-I, uh…”
“That’s not an acceptable answer, Novella. You know your expectations around here. I’m glad and happy that you’re getting an education, but this is where you work. This is where you earn your money, Novella. We don’t accept lateness around here. And another thing—”
Mr. Nook’s eyes widened as he spotted another girl behind me—another person cowering
in fear.
“Hmph. This must be why you were late.” Mr. Nook straightened himself out, tucking his checkered shirt back into his pants.
“We’ll finish this conversation later, Novella. Enough stalling, get to work. Your friend here can either stay in the break room or go home,” he stated bluntly, going back to the patties.
Walking away from the kitchen, I heaved out a huge sigh of relief. Honestly, I expected my father’s reaction to be about ten times worse.
“Man, your dad is super scary. Like, almost unapproachable. How do you handle that?” Monticlaire commented, dusting off her dress. I simply shrugged, heading over to the ice cream counter. My mother was delighting herself to a small bowl of chocolate ice cream as she noticed us from afar. She leaned away from the wall, placing the bowl on a small stand next to her.
“Novella! There you are! Did you—”
“Yes, I already talked to Dad,” I muttered, looking down at the ground.
“It’s okay, I understand. I’ll talk to him as well,” my mother looked past me to spot Monticlaire.
“Monticlaire! It’s a pleasure to see you again,” she did a small bow. “Are you staying for a while?”
“P-Probably, Mr. Nook said I could stay in the break room if I wanted to…” her voice was starting to peter out. She was probably shaken up by my father. Poor girl.
“Nonsense! You can sit in a booth if you want to. But, if you truly wanted to sit in the break room for a while, you can. Get some homework done,” she stated graciously. My mother knew always how to make someone feel welcome.
“Novella! To work!” I could hear a voice yell from across The Nook. I opened the break room, threw my things inside, and slammed it shut, signifying that I was ready to work.
“I have to go, Monticlaire. That was a nice walk we had, you and I. See you later,” I grumbled, storming into the dining area to gather plates. Monticlaire was left next to my mother, who offered a bowl of ice cream of her own. She accepted it gratefully.
-~-
Another uneventful shift. That seemed like the average description for a Monday in The Nook. My hands were surprisingly behaving themselves, and that made me happy.
I took refuge in the break room, opening the door to find my mother quietly conversing with Monticlaire. There were papers strewn across the table, and they looked strangely familiar.
“Hey! Are those the receipts with art on them? H-How’d you find them?” I dashed to the table, scrambling them up so that they couldn’t stare at them any longer.
“They were just sitting out! I didn’t know you could draw so beautifully, Novella,” Monticlaire complimented. “I’ve been trying to delve into some art as well, but I could never find the time…”
My cheeks started to red as I assembled the sheets of paper into a hefty stack. “W-Wow… you never told me that over the phone… but it’s more of a hobby, honestly,”
I mumbled out. My eyes crossed with my mother’s, who was smirking at me.
“Monticlaire, sweetie, why don’t you text your mother and ask if you can spend the night over at our house? We can all have a wonderful dinner together, and you can sleep in Novella’s room or on the couch,” she squealed, clapping her hands together. “Oh, this’ll be wonderful!”
My eyes widened, making me blush even more.
A sleepover? Aren’t we too old for that? Oh Mom, why’d you have to embarrass me like this… this is the one and only friend I’ve made… Ugh…
Monticlaire was overjoyed by the sudden offer, almost shocking me entirely.
“Then it’s settled! Text your mom and see what she says, Monticlaire,” my mother spoke, getting up from sitting on the table. “I’ll go talk with Mr. Nook about our situation.”
“A-Ah…” I stammered as I watched the door shut. A quick “ding!” sound could be heard from Monticlaire’s hand.
“My mom said yes! Novella, this is going to be fun! Now we can spend more time together!” the girl happily exclaimed, pulling me into a hug. I quietly and nervously laughed to myself. I pulled my hands up behind her, watching as both emitted a dull blue and red glow. I closed my eyes.
“Yea. Now we can spend some time together.”
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