Diner Girl

I was running, the faint whisper of my shoes hitting the ground with a football safely tucked underneath my arm, as I was making my way for a touchdown. I saw the defenders running towards me ready to attack, I met their grunts as they collided with the ground unable to stop me. I then heard the crowd chanting my name all the way from the bleachers, but then slowly everything starts to fade away. The field, the crowd, and the players until it was only me and the darkness. I heard a man's voice calling out to me, followed by a women's cry and then sirens so loud that it can burst your eardrums. I was scared as the darkness slowly closed in on me and then there was nothing. I slowly opened my eyes, I blinked at the sunlight that was peeking through my curtains. I looked at my clock and realized I've woken up before my alarm. I threw the blankets off me and sat upright. Every single night since I was four-years-old I was caught in that dream that made no sense to me. I pushed the hair from my face and pushed myself to my feet. I avoided the mirror as I climbed out of the shower, it was a bad habit of mine, call it what you want but I hated the person staring back at me. I was definitely not your kind of girl who will stand out in a crowd, instead, I turned out to be a girl who worked at a Diner taking your orders and hear you complain about the watered-down coffee or that it is not fat-free. I grew up in an orphanage from the age of four, nobody had a clue how I got there or who I was. I was given a surname that obviously didn't belong to me, probably my parent's way of not wanting me to find them. The Orphanage found me wrapped in only a blanket, a name card, and a book. A normal girl would've mistaken the o's en x's to be hugs and kisses, only they were plays of American football. It looked about as if it could've belonged to my father, maybe he was a football player back then or a coach. It still didn't explain who I truly was. Growing up with everyone knowing that you are an orphan was hard, I was the target of being bullied by boys and girls. Girls told me that I was ugly and boys faked gagged whenever they laid eyes on me. I was told by them that no one will love me and that the best thing I could do for myself was to just die. Instead of listening to them and continued being a victim of being bullied, I kept my eyes trained on the future where one day I will have a successful life filled with greatness. When I was old enough, I started working at the Diner with Brenda who turned out to be a mother figure to me. She looked after me when I forgot to look out for myself. I graduated from school with honors which helped me to apply for a bursary. They paid in full for my course, including my workbooks and food except for the accommodation that was provided for by the College. I was able to take care of it by myself as I had money saved up over the years from working at the Diner. During my time at College, I continued working at the Diner. It was a way of helping me save up to help me out with my future. Maybe one day I can afford to buy myself a house and have the life I've always deserved. I didn't want to stay a Diner Girl forever.  I made my way the stairs once I was ready to get to class, I took a bus that dropped me off a few blocks away. I walked the few blocks and grabbed myself a coffee and a breakfast muffin from the cafeteria once I arrived. I wasn't in a hurry to get to the lecture room as I still had a few minutes to spare. I was focusing on putting my leftover change away in my wallet when I was too late to sidestep whoever wasn't watching where they were going and walked right into me. The styrofoam cup broke instantly from the contact and burst the hot coffee all over me. I was ready to give the person a piece of my mind, but when I looked up my body went into shock. Duncan Jones was standing in front of me with a scowl on his lips. "Aren't you going to at least apologize?" He asked trying to shake the coffee from his shirt. "Excuse me, what? You could've at least watched where you were going, pal." I didn't care if he was the captain of the football team or how good-looking he may be. He had no right to talk to me like that. He seemed to be taken back with my comment or so I thought. "Same goes for you. If you haven't had your eyes trained on your purse you would've seen me coming." He replied. "I was putting my money away. Now I have to look around to see if it is safe not only for me but for you too, to put my change away so that you can have a clear path to walk on?" Zoey, you are way out of line. He even looked astonished. "It's just coffee." He insisted. I almost squashed the forgotten muffin in my hand when I clenched my hand to stop myself from slapping him. "You know what, why don't you stuff your face on this since you insist that it is just coffee." I threw him with the muffin and walked out of the cafeteria. I tried not to think about his surprised face when the muffin hit his chest. I also tried not to think about my stained shirt from the coffee that spilled over me and I certainly don't want to think about what I've just done.