| Maria continued home, the worries about the boy from earlier that day momentarily forgotten. She knew she should have never allowed herself to get into him for any amount. And it wasn't as if she couldn't have paid him at any point; a few moments alone with a couple of scraps of paper and she could create any amount of money she wanted. Not paying him wasn't an act of stupidity; it was indifference. When Maria returned from L.A., she was already so hooked on marijuana that she was just looking for a local dealer to hook her up. She hadn't cared much about what happened in any aspect of her life lately; so caring about whether she paid her dealer or not was pretty far from her mind. Now, however, she had a slightly different outlook on the situation. Last night, when she had picked up her latest bundle of weed, one of Johnny's regulars had warned her. "He wants his money, Maria, "she had cautioned. "He'll get it," she had responded. The junkie shook her head, almost losing her balance from the dizziness that the simple action brought on. "No," she slurred. "If he doesn't get it he'll take you instead." Maria hadn't needed any further explanation. She was well aware of Johnny Eagle's reputation for having his way with any girl he desired. She brought herself out of her reverie. Well, she was just going to have to pay him then � simple. She tore a blank page from her exercise book and ripped it into four pieces. Closing her eyes briefly, the paper transformed into hundreds. She tossed the money next to her uniform on the bed and starting getting ready for work. Undressing she stood in front of the mirror and swept her hair back into a ponytail. She pulled out two sections near the front and let them fall across her face. Sweeping her fingers along them she transformed them to jet-black. She waved her hand to reapply her makeup and stepped into her uniform. Stuffing the money into her pocket she turned to leave. She had more important things than one Mr. Johnny Eagle to worry about; she had to figure out the best way to work her feminine wiles on Mr. Mikey Guerin. ~~~~~ Maria worked steadily until 7:00. Not noticing what time it was until she walked up to his booth. "Welcome to the Crashdown," she said out of habit. "Can I�" her voiced tailed off as she raised her head to take notice of her customer. "Well, well� Mikey," she smiled at him. "You figured it out." "Yeah, and it's Michael, okay?" he responded. "Sure whatever," she said absently. "So what'll it be?" "Uh," he said, fingering the menu. "What's good?" "The waitresses," Maria deadpanned, bursting into laughter when she saw his face pale. He stared at her for a moment before laughing along with her. "Okay, okay, just bring me a burger and fries," he said. "And a cherry coke," he added. "Ahh, a man after my own heart," she responded at his drink request. Cherry coke was a staple among the alien trio. "Huh," he asked. "Nothing," Maria smiled, turning to pass his food order to the cook and filling a glass with cherry cola. Liz had watched the interaction between Maria and the guy sitting in the booth and curiosity overwhelmed her. Guilt had been plaguing her all day and she had been looking for an excuse to talk about last night. "He's cute," Liz said, leaning against the counter where Maria was working. "Yep," she responded. "Listen� about last night," Liz started. Maria turned about, her hand held up to stop her friend. "Forget about it okay? I have." Liz opened her mouth to continue, the closed it again. She looked at Maria hesitantly. Maria smiled, "Really, I be pissed at me too." She started to walk away when Liz said, "So do you wanna talk or�" "Don't push it," Maria said but with a smile still on her face. Liz smiled back, she could give her that much, it was a start at least. TBC |
| Part 6 |
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