My shift’s over, and it’s time to go home and chill with Olivia. I strip off in the back room like my uniform’s burning hot as I feel pleased with myself. Everything’s going in the right direction, and I can’t wait to take it off as soon as possible.

Olivia is laughing as I stand in my underwear and take my time putting on my shirt and pants. “My, my something or rather someone’s put a smile on your face.”

I shake my head trying to get rid of what happened earlier with Marco. I know that he’s ready to take me and it’s all just a question of time. It was the way he was eating the apple pie. He was sucking on his fork so slowly, and for a second, I lost myself. I was thinking of him as a customer flirting with me, but he has no idea what’s going through my mind, destruction and not mine…only his. He may be over a decade older and could do things boys my age could only dream about, but that’s not why I started working here, and I need to focus on my plan. He may think he’s older and wise, but he’ll have no idea what’s hit him after I’m done with him. I’ve come too far to turn back now.

“Stop looking at me like that. I just want to go out. Maybe we could check out the new club you keep talking about?”

She taps her face as she lets her blonde hair loose as if it’s been in a cage all day and she’s dying for it to be free. “Or you could go out there and see your customer at table six.”

I laugh thinking she must have noticed that I spent a little too much time at his table and if it were anyone else then I would have walked away. Let alone, undone a few buttons and bent down so he could get a good eye of my cleavage. “I don’t know what you mean?”

She comes closer, “Everyone saw you. Even Mom noticed, and she said that if you stretch any further onto his table, then the whole diner could see your—”

I put my hand up thinking that she didn’t need to say another word. I knew exactly where this conversation was heading and it would start and end with the whole diner seeing my panties. “Are you going to be beating me up about the customer or are you going to agree for us to go out? Besides, it’s Friday night, our time to party.”

She looks concerned as she comes up to me. “But you told my mom earlier that you’ve been using all your money to send back home. You even wanted an advance on next week’s wage. How comes now you want to go out? Where did you get the money from?”

Fuck!

A lie I’d forgotten about and hate myself for saying it in the first place. When Marco walked in, I lost all senses. The idea that he’s asked me out means only one thing…he’s interested and so far, everything’s going to plan. Apart from one little detail, Olivia and her family. I never meant for them to be caught up in the web of lies. Maybe I’m selfish? I knew what they were like because unlike the rest of the New Yorkers, they reminded me of Townsville, the small town I’d lived in my whole life. The one that I left to come to work as a waitress at the moment I bumped into Olivia in the Black Bar, and we got talking. She offered me a job; I was low on cash. From that moment onwards, we sparked a friendship, one that I need, to stop myself from going insane. At times, I do that when I’m here, but now I feel as if everything’s working out, but I’m living this lie. To someone who’s been good to me.

“Yeah, but then my cousin said that he would help out. So, it’s not so bad at the moment. Sorry, I should have told you,” I say as I start to dress. I don’t want her to see that I’m biting my lip and hiding behind this lie.

Another one, they seem to draw out of my body so naturally. Before I arrived, I’d been working on a plan to bring him down. I’d gone to different cities such as LA, Chicago, trying to figure out how to appeal to the rich and the powerful. They’re all the same regardless of the city. They think they can use and get whatever they want all the time. No one offered me a hand, let alone a place to stay. I’m sure that once I tell Olivia the truth, the reason that I’m here, she’ll understand. I’m positive she would do the same for her family. Who wouldn’t want to stop what happened to us from happening to others?

The likes of Marco Raco should pay for things like that and boy, oh boy, am I going to make him pay.

“Sure, sounds like a plan. I was going to say that I’ll pay for tonight. I didn’t mean to make you feel guilty. Look I need to go before Mom sacks me. Catch you later,” Olivia says as she runs to the front.

I wave and sigh as I slump down on the chair. I don’t feel like getting ready as quickly as I did a few minutes ago. I may be enhancing my skills about lying, but I’m not feeling good about it. Not one bit.