52 Reasons to Hate My Father by Brody Jessica

Author:Brody, Jessica [Brody, Jessica]
Language: eng
Format: epub, mobi
Publisher: Macmillan
Published: 2012-07-03T06:00:00+00:00

OFF WITH HIS HEAD!

I’m beyond humiliated. And surprisingly, it has nothing to do with the huge straw sombrero strapped to my head. I’m trying to block out the splintered memories from last night but they keep burrowing their way back into my mind.

Luke Carver.

I kissed Luke Carver!

What the heck was I thinking?

And I’m sorry but being drunk is not a good enough excuse this time. I mean, I’ve done some pretty embarrassing, front-page-worthy things under the influence of alcohol before but this is something else. This is in an entirely new category of shame.

Fortunately, when I get into the car on Tuesday morning, he seems just as averse to talking about it as I am. So when I plop down in the passenger seat, I mumble something that sounds like Good morning, then stick headphones in my ears and blast my music. Luke fumbles to get a CD into the car stereo and then peels out of the driveway.

For the first time in the three months that we’ve been doing this same routine, he doesn’t take five minutes to check all his knobs and buttons. He just goes. I imagine we’re both equally eager to get this car ride over with.

And I’d be willing to go out on a limb here and say that we’re also probably equally eager to get this year over with.

I guess we do have something in common.

Well, how do you like that?

There seems to be a universal sentiment of surprise when I walk back through the doors of Don Juan’s Tacos. Everyone gives me the same bewildered look, like they’ve never seen me before.

“Hey.” Jenna approaches cautiously as I hang my bag on a hook near the door. “You’re back.”

I glance down at my god-awful uniform. “Unfortunately.”

She peers back over her shoulder at the room full of inquisitive faces looking in our direction. “Some people thought you might have quit after yesterday.” Then softer, in a whisper, she hastily adds, “Or gotten fired.”

I wish.

I paint on a bright smile and announce to the rest of the kitchen, “Nope. I’m still here!”

I see one of the employees sourly slip a twenty-dollar bill to the guy named Rolando, who grins and pockets it.

“Good!” Jenna sounds like she’s trying to be bright and upbeat about it. “I hate being the only girl here.”

“Where should I go?”

She glances around the kitchen. “Why don’t you help with the prep work?”

I reluctantly trudge over to the counter where Rolando is dicing tomatoes with a large metal contraption. He’s tall and slender with a boyish charm about him. His hair has been sheared short. Like a marine’s.

“Hey,” I mumble, sidling up next to him. “I’m supposed to help you.”

He offers me a kind, genuine smile and pushes the carton of tomatoes toward me. “Okay, why don’t you finish dicing and I’ll start on filling the lettuce bins.”

“So you bet I would make it past the first day, huh?” I ask as I grab a tomato and place it under the blade.

He blushes, evidently realizing that I witnessed his little cash exchange.

Download

Copyright Disclaimer:
This site does not store any files on its server. We only index and link to content provided by other sites. Please contact the content providers to delete copyright contents if any and email us, we'll remove relevant links or contents immediately.