2 2. The Sour Lemons

"How much do you charge?"

Rachel's eyebrows crashed together in confusion as she stared at them cluelessly for a while before saying, "Elaborate."

The same guy who asked the question, broke into a grin and glanced at his tag-along who mirrored his expression.

"We were wondering how much do you charge for a night?" The guy with mint green hair explained.

Rachel, who now seemed to understand his query a little bit, tilted her head while thinking before blurting out, "10 dollars for bartending."

The guy nodded his head at her. He glanced back at his friend who mouthed him a 'go' and he did.

"How about one hundred dollars?" He asked her, eyeing her expression cautiously.

The girl now looked ever so slightly interested in whatever exchange was taking place as she tried suppressing a small smile.

"And what did I do to deserve this kindness?" She asked with a slight smirk raising the corner of her lips.

The guy chuckled a little, glancing at his friend. He took out a small slip of paper and scribbled something on it before passing it to the oblivious girl.

Taking the note from him, she looked at it to find a set of seven digit numbers written on it.

With an arched eyebrow, she gave the guy a questioning look, waiting for some sort of explanation to come her way.

But when it didn't, she finally got the message.

Sighing, she extended an arm and placed the note back in his hands.

"Sorry man, I stopped fuckin' around five years ago." She said with arms crossed against her chest, an apologetic look in her eyes.

Listening her reason out, the guy, along with his friend, bursted out into laughter while shaking their heads violently at her.

"Actually," the other one, with fiery-red hair spoke,"we're lookin' for someone who could volunteer to work for a friend."

The green eyed girl nibbled on her lower lip while thinking for a while.

Humming to herself, she looked back at the two guys and nodded at them, saying, "Fine. When and where?"

"That," the one with mint green hair spoke,"will be notified soon."

The girl furrowed her eyebrows at the statement but shrugged anyways, nodding in response.

The guys grinned to each other before the taller one reached out for her hand and shook it lightly.

Gulping down their shots at once, the guys left in an instant.

After a couple more hours of bartending, Rachel's job was finally done as she grabbed her bagpack and left the counter.

Once she was done notifying Dylan of her departure, she left the bar and stepped out into the lonely streets.

Humming to a song, she strolled up to a park, a few blocks away.

She climbed over the fence and landed on her all fours with a loud thud which she hoped nobody heard.

She made her way to an almost familiar bench, somewhere she'd spent nights on, trying to get some sleep and waking up with a sore back.

Laying down on the bench, she stuffed her bagpack below her head to serve as a pillow and stirred a little until her brain had approved of her position.

Hugging her knees to her chest, she let her eyelids which were getting heavier by the second, drop and in no time, soft snores left her mouth as she drifted off to dreamland.

*****

"Henry?"

"Hmm?"

"I don't get it."

While her ears were letting those voices in, her subconscious mind was being very naughty in the absence of her responsiveness.

Her mind manipulated the voices so that they were no longer coming from the outer world.

It painted such an illusion so that the voices now seemed to be the ones of the main characters starring in her dream.

"What do you not get, horseface?"

"How can someone sleep all squirmed like that?"

The voices were getting louder and clearer, waking her up in the process.

Sitting up on the bench with eyes still not opened, Rachel stretched her limbs before massaging her sore back a little.

Rubbing her eyes with the back of her hand, she finally opened them up to find a pair of oh-so-familiar men, both clad in identical black tracksuits, staring at her.

"Good morning sleeping beauty!" The one with fiery red hair and a smile brighter than her possible future chirped out.