After Elaine called me to finish up a few booth tables, Izumi was gone and I was stuck with her cute little face and long hair in my mind. I looked up to see the Mayor and Kevin and the cute new girl quickly got replaced by annoyance. I quickly slipped into the kitchen so that he would not call on me. Unfortunately, he did send Matt to do it for him and it didn't take long before I came face to face with him and his Mayor smile, the one I dreaded seeing knowing how fake it was.

"Yes? You called for me?", I said as expressionless as a blank canvas. "Just wanted to see how you're doing now that you've started living on your own, you know my offer still stands." I knew he would bring it up again, there's no way he actually wanted to see how I was doing. "You would be a great asset to my company and you'd be treated like a king, you're my son after all". Son my a$$, not a single drop of blood in my body contained his DNA in anyway and even if it did, I wouldn't be proud of it. "You look tired. Are you keeping up enough to pay rent? You know you could still come back to the house." He pressed on and I was losing my cool.

"I know Kevin ordered two of momma's breakfasts to go, so if you're not going to start another order or ask me something I'm not going to say no to, I'll be leaving because I have work to do." I turned around and walked to the kitchen fuming. I quickly calmed myself down and started bring out more food to the customers at the booths. I'm glad the Mayor's at the serving counter. The audacity he has to think I'd ever work for him again. This town thinks he's so perfect, if they knew the illegal things he allowed to happen in this town. The things he made me do to survive in that house, the things I did just to please him!

"Mason...", I felt a hand on my shoulder as I walked towards the kitchen. I turned around to see Matty looking at me with that puppy face and soft smile. "You look like you're about to murder someone and that's not a good look to serve customers with", he said jokingly. Matty wasn't scared to say what was on his mind, as timid as he was. "Sorry man and sorry you had to fetch me just because that egotistical jerk asked you to", I looked at him chatting up Wendy, acting all mayor-like. "Woah, that's a lot of hostility buddy", I looked at Matty's confused expression. I totally forgot Matty never knew me before I worked here, he doesn't know what it was like staying with the mayor and I never told him. He's always respected my privacy.

"Hey, you wanna take a break with me? Breakfast is coming to an end and it seems like everyone has been served." Again, Matt has to be the nicest person I've ever met. He was always taking care of people in subtle ways and nobody ever knew why, but he'd even speak to Kevin like they were friends and Kev was a total a-hole. "Sure." We went back to the side of the diner where me and Elaine were earlier. I got out a cigarette and lit it. Matt never smoked, I don't think I've ever seen him drink either.

"So I know it's none of my business, but I see how you're always avoiding serving the mayor or Kevin whenever they take a seat at the booths. Can I ask why?", I know he only asked because it was strange to the rest of the town who praised the mayor. People saw what he wanted them to see and the company they thought he owned made it that much easier." Hey Matty, you know the Mayor raised me right?", Matt's eyebrows shaped in confusion but he gave a small nod.

"My parents abandoned me here, in this town, in a small cardboard box. He found me, took me in and raised me as his own. Him and aunt Amelia. I had a great childhood and those were the happiest days of my life. It didn't last though. We lost aunt Amelia the day she gave birth to Kev. I lost her too but I guess the Mayor loved her the most so he took her death the hardest. He wasn't the same after and the things I had to experience growing up with him since then, it ain't pretty." Matt listened to me the entire time and nodded while silently supporting me with a small smile.

I stopped the story there, I didn't want to spoil the opinion Matt had when it came to the Mayor or Kev. "I'm sorry you had to experience so much when you were so little," Matt came up to me and gave me a hug. It was weird and awkward because I never expected it. I knew the emotional build up was going to overflow and I was afraid it would come out as tears. "It was a long time ago, I barely remember it", I said as I pulled away from him.

"Look, I know I can be harsh with both the Mayor and Kev but it's just a personal thing. I'll try and be more professional." I wanted to end this heart to heart as soon as possible before the memories start coming back. Before Matt could give any kind of response I quickly put out my cigarette and opened the door to the locker room. Before heading inside I turned around to see Matt giving me what I could only assume was a sympathy smile.

"Urh...thanks for listening Matty", I said before heading inside. It was a simple gesture but Matt helped me calm down and fortunately for me when I went back to work the mayor was gone. The rest of the day I made sure my customers received service with a smile.

Before I knew it, the day was over and I was packing up chairs with Matt and Trent. We all preferred to leave together to make clearing up easier. After we all packed up and hung up our aprons, we locked up and went our seperate ways. Trent and Wendy in their car, Matt and Elaine in his and me on my bike.

10 minutes later and I was pulling into the drive way of my grey painted home.

...