Coma (Paranormal Romance) (6 page)

“Hop in, working girl,” she said, opening the
passenger door.

“Thank you, ma'am,” I grinned.

“Hope you don't mind. I arranged a support to
meet us there,” Maya giggled.

“Maya! You didn't! I'm nervous enough as it
is!” Great, I thought, more material to stress over.

“Yes, I did. And no-one's gonna make fun of
you while you serve us.”

Serve them? I cringed. “I don’t think I’m
gonna get to serve anyone today, let alone you guys,” I forced a
smile. Thinking of serving them made me reevaluate my decision to
work in a place full of familiar faces. Was I up for that
challenge? “Besides, I’m just going in for an interview.”

“You never know,” Maya winked. “That's
exactly why we decided to come. If you can handle us, you'll be
able to handle anyone,” Maya flashed a confident grin, and she was
right. It would be some sort of a controlled experiment.

Entering Mario's beach bar felt as if I had
never been there. Suddenly, I noticed so many things I overlooked
before. It seemed a lot bigger and unfamiliar. Maya hugged me in
support, looked significantly into my eyes, nodded, and then joined
the rest of the gang waving toward us from our usual table. My
pulse picked up, and I had to wipe clammy hands before entering
personnel area. I took several deep breaths, and knocked.

“Come in,” a male voice said from behind the
door.

“Hello, I called you earlier about a job—” I
said, still holding a door knob.

“Yes, yes. Lyra, isn't it? Please, enter,” a
slightly bald, round faced, middle-aged man I never saw before was
sitting at his desk, motioning for me to sit across him.”You're one
of the high-school kids that come here all the time, right?”

Was I so up in the clouds that I never
noticed people who clearly watched me? “Yes, that's right. I just
finished high-school and am looking for a job.”

“Is this your first job?”

“It will be if you give me a chance—” I
smiled, and he returned a smile.

“Well, I don't know what you've heard, but I
believe in giving chances to people without experience, so you've
come to the right place,” he stood up. “As a matter of fact,
whether someone is fit for this job or not can be seen in first
half an hour,” he motioned for me to follow him.

“Like now?” I was confused. Did he mean I
should start right away? Fear spread through my veins.

“Yes, no better time than now. Let's see how
you handle this kind of pressure. Lisa, give this girl an apron and
fill her in on the basics. We have a trainee!”

A girl named Lisa smiled and took my hand.
Her voluptuous body rhythmically swayed in front of me as I
followed her to a changing room. She handed me a small, white apron
and said: “Relax, it's easy. Just focus, try to write down
everything a table orders,” she handed me a pen and a scratch pad,
“and give it to the bartender. The only thing you have to remember
is which table to deliver it to.”

We went back, and she introduced me to the
bartender. “Jake, this is Lyra. She's on trial run here, so take it
easy on her.” Yeah, that made my ears start buzzing again. Like
Lisa, Jake seemed thirty-something, with the exception of fresh
shaving cuts on his left cheek, and not at all likable face. He
nodded, and continued to wipe a glass in his hand. “Lyra, which
table would you like to start with?” She pointed out those in need
of service. Immediately, I remembered Maya's comment and picked her
table. What the hell, if I can't do it now, I never will.

My heart thumped hard on my way over, but I
held a confident expression and walked firmly, clutching pen and
paper in my hands.

“Hello guys,” I grinned, proud of myself for
not fainting midway. “May I take your order?”

“Wow, Lyra! Did you get the job?” Helen
asked. Seeing a mix of hopefulness and pride on my friend’s faces
melted what was left of my fear, and boosted my self
confidence.

“Not yet. I'm on probation.” They each
proudly recited their orders, I wrote them down, and went back to
the bartender, feeling kind of good about myself. I broke the ice!
Meeting Jake's cold expression wiped the grin off of my face,
though.
Not your friendliest bartender
, I thought. Moments
later, he filled my tray with drinks, and second test had begun.
Lifting it of the bar without spilling the darn thing all over.
Wow, it was heavy! I had to carry it with both hands, but I managed
to get it to my friend's table without making a mess. Good thing I
already knew what each of them liked to drink, because I would have
been in trouble if I had to remember who ordered what. I made a
mental note to pay attention to that next time.

Several other tables went smoothly, and I was
thankful to Maya and the gang for coming. If it weren't for them, I
would have failed. Now, Mr. Thompson, the manager, congratulated me
on passing the test and becoming one of Mario's team members. I was
starting first thing in the morning. It was time to call Mom.
She'll be thrilled that I got the job.

After phoning Mom, I went to join my friends.
As I was walking over, Maya mouthed silent “you got it?” and I
nodded. The entire table stood up and cheered. They all patted my
back as I was sitting down, and congratulated me on my first
job.

“I owe you guys,” I confessed.

“For what?” Brad asked, putting his arm
around Maya.

“For being here. You have no idea how much it
meant to me,” happiness and pride filled my chest.

“Nah, it's what friends do,” Helen said,
slurping the last of her smoothie.

“I was freaking out, and seeing you all here
grounded me enough to make it through. Drinks are on me,” I
signaled Lisa to come take our order. She smiled, and came right
away.

“Are these your friends?” She said when she
came to our table.

“Yeah,” I grinned.

“Good choice for table one,” she winked.
“What will it be, little one?”

“I'll have an ice tea,” I said and looked at
others. Pride on their faces told me how lucky I was to have such
support. Priceless!.

We stayed at Mario's longer than ever.
Although Brad and Shawn were new additions to our trio, their warm
personalities and genuine care fit right in. It didn't feel at all
awkward exposing my fears and doubts about the job in front of
them. Both of them encouraged my decision to explore this path
before college, which earned them shoulder punches from my
girlfriends. Looking at our group, I felt sadness due to their soon
departure, and the solitude of my chosen path. At the end of
summer, they'll be gone, and new faces will call Mario's their
home. Good thing Maya and Helen didn't know that adrenalin fueling
my emotions at that moment could have made me change my mind about
going to college.

~*~

Mom worked graveyard shift again. I came home
from Mario's just as she was about to leave. She squeezed the soul
out of me, and her eyes watered.

“My little working girl,” she said, caressing
my cheek. “Fresh clothes for the morning are on your bed.”

“Aww, Mom. You didn't have to do that,” I
kissed her on the cheek.

“Oh, yes I did! On my first day, I would have
gone out in pajamas if it weren't for my mother,” she giggled.
“Never underestimate first day jitters!” She kissed my forehead,
and was out the door.

Adrenaline wore off, leaving me tired as
hell. I went upstairs, and crashed on the bed next to neatly folded
clothes. Fabric softener spreading from it gently lulled me into a
half dream state. My eyelids felt heavy, and I fought to keep sleep
away. Squinting, I traced the outline of a white blouse two inches
from my nose, when I heard knocking on my bedroom door.

“Did you forget something?” I called out
thinking it was Mom.

“May I come in?” A slightly hoarse, male
voice jolted me into high level of alertness. I cleared my throat,
and sat up, saying:

“Sure.”

“Congrats on getting a job,” my ghost stalker
said, closing the door behind him with a silent click.

“Thanks, I guess.”
Was he there?
Good
thing that never crossed my mind.

“You'll be great at it,” he said, leaning his
back against the door. I expected him to fall through just like
ghosts do, but he didn't. His body remained comfortably in place,
filling my room with his presence, and a hint of vanilla mixing
with my room’s usual scent. No doubt, he was incredibly good to
look at. Otherworldly beautiful. Paranormal creepiness aside, I'd
give my all to have him. That prompted me to say, “Can I help
you?”, regretting it immediately. How stupid of me, knowing he
wanted something from day one.

He cracked a smile, and crossed one foot over
the other, “My name is Zack.”

“Oh-kay,” that was weird considering our past
conversations. “I'm Lyra, but you knew that already.” He nodded,
maintaining a mysterious half smile, so I asked, “What's
funny?”

“Oh, nothing,” he sucked in both lips for a
split second.

“It must be something since you're smiling.”
Was this the same guy? Where did that stern soldier go? He
seemed...relaxed. Almost normal.

“The way you frowned when I introduced
myself,” he said, throwing a bland look my way.

I rolled my eyes, “Glad to see I amuse
you.”

“It's a nice change,” that patronizing
attitude he maintained irked my bitchiness, making me want to smack
his Royal Smugness. He practically begged for it!

“What do you want?” I said, gruffly.

“Back to your old self, I see,” the smile
disappeared from his face. Detaching his back from the door, he
pushed himself toward my bed. And me.

“
Excuse mua
, but you're the one who
came into my room. Not the other way around,” I said, watching him
approaching me dangerously close.

“True. Cut me some slack, will you? I'm
trying to be polite here,” he bent, and placed each hand next to my
thighs, our noses almost touching.

“Would you mind removing yourself from my
personal space? I got to breathe,” I raised one eyebrow, and stared
in those easy-to lose-myself eyes. He chuckled, and straightened
up.

“Look. I really need your help. Put yourself
in my position for just a moment,” his expression revealed a hint
of vulnerability, melting my guard down. For a moment, I was able
to forget what he was, and saw in front of me just a regular guy
that needed my help.

“Zack, is it?” He nodded. “Right. Zack, I
don't understand your position, so I can't put myself in your
shoes. All I know is that you're stalking me, supposedly cannot
leave me, and we verbally attack each other whenever we speak. You
need to explain more, if my understanding is what you seek.” Wow,
that was weird to hear coming out of my mouth. He let out a deep
sigh, crossed to the other side of the bed, and sat down. “You can
sit?” I asked, amazed by that fact.

“Maybe we should start at that. My current
existence is exactly like yours. I have to walk, ride the bus, open
doors, put bartenders on fire,” he chuckled, “—everything like a
normal person.”

“Thank you for that,” I said, but then his
words sunk in. My mouth dropped from shock, that couldn’t be true.
He couldn’t be like me. He’s a freaking ghost, for crying out
loud!

“Don’t mention it,” he smiled,
over-confidently.

“But you're hovering, not walking,” I
challenged his prior statement. If what he said were true, it would
be a game changer. He would, in fact, be real. That thought sent a
heat wave down my spine. I swallowed a knot. Did someone turn up
the heat in my room?

“I'm not hovering. That's how you see me
because we don't share exactly the same realm. That's how I see
you, too.”

“No way!”

“That's what I was trying to tell you, but
you wouldn't listen,” he shook his head.

“Wait a minute! If everything is
normal
, how do you get
snapped
next to me? That's a
bit contradictory, don't you think? In my world, we don't get
snapped no matter what,” I frowned, suspecting foul play.

“Exactly!” He jumped up, excited, as if I had
struck gold, or something. That confused me; not a typical reaction
for a liar. “Now, imagine if that happened to you in your otherwise
normal world. Wouldn’t you think it had something to do with a
person you get repeatedly snapped next to?”

“Hmm,” he had a point. I would. But I wasn't
gonna fall for it until all puzzles fit in. “And what about
vanishing in the middle of a conversation, or appearing out of thin
air when I called you the other day?”

“Imagine two overlapping circles,” he formed
circles with his thumbs and index fingers, and then cuffed them.
“We can both move inside our own circles, but see each other only
in the overlapping parts. I don't vanish, I just move out of your
visible spectrum,” he sat back down on the bed, but I jerked up,
and started pacing up and down my room with hands crossed behind my
back.

Everything sounded so logical, and I was
quite willing to believe it all. Replaying all the events in my
head, I couldn't find a flaw in his story. Suddenly, I was aware
there was an incredibly handsome twenty-something guy on my bed.
Real. Flesh and blood. Not a ghost, not a paranormal apparition,
but a person. The room suddenly felt small, suffocating me.

“Lyra? Please, say something,” he said, his
words stopping me in my tracks. There was only one way to put an
end to that story. If what he said was true, I must be able to
touch him. For real. “You've got a crazy look in your eyes,” he
said, studying me carefully. “What are you up to?” His head tilted.
I clenched my fists. “Lyra?” His voice took on a pleading tone. I
took one step closer, staring straight into his eyes. “You look
like a mad woman,” he added, nervously grinning. One more step, and
finally determination took over me, and I found my finger clashing
against his stone hard abs.