Friday morning, Nikki and I woke up after being up half of the night. Josh had gone home close to midnight, and an hour after we both woke up, Nikki had to leave my house to take care of some things before heading over to Stone Creek later in the evening. I got dressed and spent most of the morning cleaning my house before taking a break to head to the Café House for a bite to eat and some conversation with Sophia.
Sophia greeted me with a friendly smile as I walked in. "I wondered when you would show up," she said in a pleasant tone. I returned her smile and went to my usual spot at the counter. I sat down, ready to enjoy our usual chat.
"I had to clean my house. It looked like I hadn't touched it in over a week." I told Sophia.
Sophia looked at me, smiling expectantly. "So what do you feel like having," she asked, "the same or something different?"
I reached for the pitcher of iced tea in front of me and said to Sophia, "I'll take a ham steak and two sunny-side-up eggs and no bread."
"Wow," Brenda said to me, "you usually order a big meal. What is the change today?" I looked at her as she walked past me with a stack of dirty dishes, and I realized that I was ordering a much smaller meal than usual. I smiled sheepishly, wondering why I had decided to go with the smaller order today.
"I'm not feeling very hungry right now," I stated as Sophia placed my food in front of me. Turning to Brenda, I asked, "Will you be joining us tonight?"
"Heck ya. There is nothing to do in this town on a Friday night. Who knows, I might get lucky tonight." Brenda laughed when she said that.
"Excuse me, Sophia and Brenda, but it seems that I'll be the only one closing the café tonight," Marcus politely informs the two.
I turned to Marcus and chuckled, "You know, this place is pretty much dead after 5 o'clock. Or, perhaps I should say, it starts to resemble a ghost town by 2 p.m."
I couldn't help but notice the lack of activity in the area, with only a few people lingering around. The once-bustling streets were now eerily quiet, with most shops and restaurants closed for the day.
"Beth," Marcus said with a hint of playful sternness, "you know I can't keep feeding you for free forever." His words were met with a chorus of laughter from Brenda and Sophia, who were both amused by the good-natured teasing.
"Don't sweat it, Marcus. Brenda and I will tidy up and pack up before we hit the road. No need for you to lift a finger," Sophia assured Marcus.
"As for me, I've gotta bounce. My ride needs a fix-up at the garage. But don't you worry, I'll be seeing you ladies at Stone Shack later tonight. Catch ya on the flip side," I quipped to Brenda and Sophia.
I had to leave the cafe to fix my tire and take care of some other errands before heading back home to get dressed. Despite the afternoon being quite busy, I was able to complete all of my tasks.
So, I finally got home at 4 pm and thought to myself, "Finally, some time to prepare for the evening!" Little did I know, it would take me a solid two and a half hours to actually leave the house. By the time I hit the road, it was already 6:30 pm and I had a good 45-minute drive ahead of me to Clear Field.
When I finally arrived, I saw a whole circus unfolding in the parking lot. Josh was there, looking like a lost puppy, fussing with Sophia over who knows what. Meanwhile, Nikki and Brenda were standing there, laughing their butts off at the whole debacle. I mean, it's not like Josh has a track record of making any sense, so I wasn't surprised.
I parked my car and strutted over to the group, ready to join in on the fun.
"What's the big deal now?" I asked Nikki, rolling my eyes.
"Oh, just the usual drama of who did what," she replied with a sigh.
I glanced over at Josh and Sophia, bickering like toddlers. "Seriously, you two need to grow up and stop making a fuss over nothing. We're here to have a good time, so let's get inside already," I declared, striding past them.
Brenda chimed in, "Yeah, don't blame us for this mess. We were just innocent bystanders," she said as she sauntered past the squabbling duo.
Upon entering Stone Creek nightclub, the lively music caught our attention. Josh's friend, whom he had previously mentioned, was seated at the bar conversing with someone. Josh headed towards him, while Sophia introduced Nikki to her own friend at a separate table. Brenda decided to mingle at the bar, and I chose to grab a drink and play some darts. As I retrieved my beverage, I noticed Richard chatting with another woman. I was pleasantly surprised and made my way over to them with a smile.
Well, well, well, look who we have here! It's Richard and his entourage of ladies. *cue eye roll*
I saunter up to the group, grinning from ear to ear. "Hi, Richard, fancy seeing you here. You look like you've seen a ghost!" I chuckle, taking in his shocked expression.
Suddenly, Josh pipes up. "BETH! How's it going?" he bellows, clearly excited to see me.
I turn to Richard, still beaming. "And who might this lovely lady be?" I inquire, nodding towards his companion.
Richard stammers for a moment before finally introducing us. "This is Tina, a good friend of mine," he mutters, looking pretty flustered.
I roll my eyes again. "Oh, Richard, you always did have a way with the ladies," I quip, smirking at Tina.
But wait, there's more! Tina drops a bombshell, revealing that she and Richard met online just a few days ago. Talk about moving fast!
I turn to Richard with a raised eyebrow. "Wow, buddy, you work quick," I tease, before introducing myself. "I'm Beth, Richard's side chick. Or should I say, side piece?"
Tina and I share a knowing look as Richard squirms in his seat. "We were supposed to meet up this weekend, but I guess we couldn't wait," I add with a wink. "Sorry, girlfriend, you're out of luck!"
All in all, it's safe to say that Richard is in a bit of a pickle. But hey, that's what you get when you try to play the field.
Ha! I'll tell you what, folks, when I saw the expression on Richard's face after Tina gave him a piece of her mind, I couldn't help but chuckle. Tina was not happy, let me tell you. She called Richard out on his BS and he didn't know what hit him. Classic!
"Richard," she said, "you told me you were single and not seeing anyone when we started dating a few days ago. But now I find out you're already taken and have someone on the side. Don't just sit there looking like a deer in headlights, say something!"
I swear, I was having a field day watching this all go down. Then Richard started babbling like a madman. "Wait, she's lying! Beth and I aren't together and I thought your name was Heather. I have a girlfriend, but we hardly ever see each other."
Yeah, right buddy. As if that wasn't bad enough, Tina pulled out the big guns. "Oh really? Because someone named Crystal with three hearts next to her name has been blowing up your phone with text messages saying 'baby, I love you,' 'miss you,' and 'can't wait for you to come home.'"
Ouch. Richard was in deep trouble now. And you know what? He had it coming. What a clown.
So, when Tina peeped at Richard's phone and caught a glimpse of those texts, she didn't hesitate. Nope, not even for a second. She picked up her drink, poured it over Richard's head, and told him to "FUCK OFF!" And let me tell you, I was standing right there, grinning ear to ear at the sight of it.
Tina gets up from the table they were sitting at and walks away. I am standing there laughing like a hyena, looking at Richard.
"That's what you get! You made me look like a total fool yesterday, lying to my face. So, peace out, loser. My friend Josh is waiting for me, gotta go!" I said to Richard as I strutted away, feeling pretty darn pleased with myself.