The Bell Of The Damned

Ella's POV

Amber had just humiliated me with that stupid bell, but I wasn't going to give her the satisfaction of seeing me crumble. I walked back to the counter, pretending like I wasn't fazed. But inside, the frustration was bubbling. My fingers twitched, itching to toss both those drinks in her face, but I took a deep breath and focused on making it through the shift.

As I prepared the latte and cappuccino, I could feel her smug eyes on me, probably thinking of more ways to make my life hell. And of course, her little clique was whispering and giggling from across the diner, adding to the tension.

I brought both drinks to her table and set them down with the most forced smile I could muster. "Here you go. One latte, one cappuccino. Anything else?"

Amber looked up at me, her expression dripping with mockery. "Hmm…" She took a slow, exaggerated sip of the cappuccino, then wrinkled her nose like she'd just tasted poison. "This isn't right," she said, pushing it away. "Did you make this? Because it's awful. No, I'll just have a tea. Earl Grey. Hot."

Before I could turn to leave, one of her minions piped up. "Actually, make that two. I want to change my order too. A matcha latte for me."

I nodded, already feeling the frustration bubbling up. It wasn't the first time they'd done this, and it certainly wouldn't be the last. I made my way back to the counter, my feet dragging with exhaustion.

As I prepared the new orders, I could feel their eyes on me, and I could almost hear the smug giggles from Amber's table. The entire shift had turned into a nightmare. Each time I delivered a drink, another one of Amber's friends would change their order, sending me scurrying back to the counter. It was like a twisted game to them.

I clenched my teeth so hard I thought they might break, but I nodded and turned to head back to the counter. Just as I reached the counter, she rang that damn bell again.

Ring, ring.

"Waitress!"

I turned around slowly, doing everything I could not to snap. "Yes, Amber?" I asked, keeping my voice even.

She flashed that infuriating smile. "You know what, forget the tea. I'll have a chai latte instead."

"Of course," I said, my voice strained. I went back, made the chai latte, and brought it to her table. By now, I had no doubt she was enjoying every second of this. I wasn't even two steps away when I heard her call out again.

Ring, ring.

"Waitress! Actually… I think I'll just stick with the cappuccino."

I could hear the snickering from her friends. My hands were shaking with frustration, but before I could respond, someone spoke up from the table next to hers.

"That's enough, Amber."

I turned and saw Dylan standing up, looking at Amber with a rare expression of seriousness. Max, who had been lounging lazily in the booth next to him, straightened up too.

"Yeah, cut it out," Max added, crossing his arms. "She's just doing her job."

Amber blinked, her eyes narrowing in disbelief. "Excuse me? I wasn't talking to you."

Dylan ignored her, looking directly at me instead. "You don't have to put up with this."

I froze. This was exactly what I didn't want. The last thing I needed was Dylan and Max getting involved, because now everyone was watching, and the other girls in the diner were glaring at me with even more jealousy than before.

Amber scoffed, leaning back in her chair. "Seriously? You're going to defend her? Please, Dylan, don't lower yourself."

Max stood up, his face a mix of annoyance and amusement. "How about this, Amber? You want to act like royalty? Go ring that bell somewhere else. You're annoying everyone here."

Amber blinked up at them, surprised for a second, but quickly recovered. Her eyes narrowed as she looked between the two of them. "What, suddenly you two are playing the hero for the help? Since when do you care?"

Max shrugged, still smiling. "We're just not into girls who treat people like crap, you know? Kinda ruins the whole attractive thing."

Dylan added, "Yeah, besides, the way you're acting, it's starting to look like you're the one embarrassing yourself."

Amber's face turned red, and I could see she wasn't used to being put in her place, especially not by two of the most popular guys in school. She huffed, snatched up her purse, and stood. "You two are pathetic," she spat, glaring at me one last time before storming out with her posse.

Great. Just what I needed: two jocks coming to my "rescue." 

I turned to Dylan and Max, my jaw clenched. "I didn't need your help," I said flatly. "Now, every girl in here is going to make my life a nightmare."

Max raised an eyebrow, clearly not expecting that reaction. "Wow, someone's ungrateful."

"I don't need you to play the knight in shining armor," I snapped. "You've just made things worse."

Max raised an eyebrow, completely unfazed. "What, you wanted to deal with that all night?"

Dylan shot him a look before turning back to me. "We were just trying to—"

"Yeah, well, don't," I cut him off, my voice sharp. "I can handle it. I don't need a rescue team."

I stormed back to the counter, ignoring the burning stares from all the girls in the diner. And of course, just as I predicted, the rest of my shift turned into pure hell. Every girl who came up to order gave me that smug little look, like they were silently judging me.

One by one, they ordered ridiculous things and then changed their minds halfway through. "Oh, sorry, I meant a vanilla latte, not caramel. Oh, can I switch to almond milk? Actually, just make it a smoothie."

They were making me run around like a headless chicken, back and forth, up and down. I could practically feel the smirks on their faces as I hurried to fulfill their endless requests. Sweat was dripping down my back, and my feet were aching by the time the diner finally cleared out.

The bell over the door jingled as the last group of girls left, and I slumped against the counter, utterly exhausted. My shift had been a nightmare, just like I knew it would be. All because Dylan and Max had decided to "help."

As I locked up for the night and headed out into the cool evening air, I sighed in relief. Another day down. But something told me this wasn't the end of the trouble with Jason and his crew. Not by a long shot.