Shelly PoV
"Lalala," I sang as I stroked my little brother's head. He wouldn't go to sleep without his lullaby. Toren was different from other kids. His mannerisms– or lack thereof– sometimes weirded people out, but to me, he was my little brother and the most important person in the world. And the only one left after our parents died in a freak accident.
Toren was always smiling and so easy to care for. As long as you gave him plenty of play time, he was happy. But I didn't know if I was doing a good job as his big sister. I loved him and cared for him the best I could, but I was a teenager and I knew there was something off about him. The social workers told me he might be on the spectrum. Asperger's, Autism, something. I didn't know anything about any of that. They told me to enroll him in some classes where he could interact with other kids.
But Toren was happy and I was scared to change things, so he stayed at home with me. He had his toys, his schedule and his routine. Everything was nice and predictable. Plus, it wasn't like I had money to send him to a special school.
"Good night, little guy," I whispered as Toren drifted off. I closed my eyes too, and soon, I was sleeping as well. Tomorrow it was another day at the diner, but for tonight, the world could wait.
----
I woke up after who knew how long, feeling a tug on my sleeve. "Toren? Is everything alright?" I said, half-asleep.
He smiled and hugged me, the way he did when he wanted to show affection. I yawned and returned the hug, then pulled away and checked the clock. 7 AM. Great, I still had an hour to get ready.
I turned back to Toren, a frown on my lips. "Is everything alright?"
He nodded and held up a plastic dinosaur. "Play!" he said.
I chuckled and ruffled his hair. "Not now, little guy. Big sister needs to get ready to work."
He frowned.
"Aww, don't give me that. How about this: we'll play later, and I'll take you to the park too. Does that sound good?"
Toren seemed to think it over, then he nodded and grinned.
"Alright, it's a date."
"Roar!" He made the dinosaur attack my arm, and I laughed and pretended to be afraid.
I got up and took a quick shower, then put on my uniform and grabbed a piece of toast. "Toren! I'm leaving now!"
"Roar!" He ran towards the door, holding the T-Rex high and making it bite the air.
"Bye, sweetie," I said, kissing him on the forehead. "Stay indoors, okay? I don't want a repeat of last time. Remember how shaken you were?"
Toren tilted his head and returned to running around.
He didn't, which was the problem. Last time he had gone outside, a big truck had honked at him and scared him so bad he had a meltdown. I couldn't let that happen again.
"See you later," I said, and went out.
----
I had been working at the diner since I was 16, and by now, I was a pro. I took orders, brought food, cleared tables, and even helped the cooks on occasion. It wasn't exactly the best job, but it paid the bills and I needed the money for the rent.
"Hey, Shelly, got the rent money?" Mrs. Catherine said, striking the stairs with her cane.
"Yes, Mrs. Catherine, I'll bring it to you next week."
"It better be on time, girl. Or else."
I gulped. She might not look scary, but that woman had the heart of a demon.
"Yes, ma'am," I said and fled before she could say anything else.
My shift ended at 4 PM, and I couldn't wait to return home. Toren had a full day on his own, and he didn't like being alone. And I didn't like leaving him behind either.
---
I sighed as I reached the old diner, a relic from fifty years ago. The paint was faded, the neon sign was busted and the parking lot was cracked and dirty.
"Shelly, get to work," the boss, a tall and grumpy man called Sam, shouted. "We're swamped."
"Coming!" I said and went inside.
I started taking orders and bouncing from table to table, trying my best not to mess up. When I had just started, I messed up more orders than I delivered, but I had learned my lesson.
"Hey, babe, what are you doing tonight?" A man leered at me, his eyes glinting with lust.
I tried my best not to throw up. "Sorry, sir, but I have plans."
"Aw, c'mon. What about a kiss? I can pay you extra."
I backed away, disgusted. "I'm sorry, sir. I can't do that."
He grabbed my arm and pulled me closer. "You can and you will. Now pucker up, princess."
"Get your filthy hands off me, asshole," I spat.
"Hey, is everything okay here?"
I looked up and saw Sam standing over us, a hard expression on his face.
"I was hitting on your waitress," the man said, a bit pale. "Don't worry, I'm not gonna cause trouble."
Sam hummed. "Rudy, I know you. You're a regular."
"Yup. Just wanted to buy the lovely lady here a drink. No harm done, right?"
Sam looked at me. "Shelly, is that true?"
I looked between them, my hands shaking. I had never wanted this, and I wasn't going to let them bully me. "He grabbed my arm and he tried to make me kiss him," I said, voice shaky but firm.
"Hey, that's not true," the man protested.
"It is. And Sam, if you let this jerk walk free, you'll be just as guilty as he is."
Rudy gulped and got up, putting on his coat. "I'm leaving, no need for violence," he said, then ran out.
I sighed in relief, glad to see him gone.
Sam sighed. "Shelly, we've talked about this. I don't care if you flirt with customers or not, but don't make trouble, okay? Or I'll have to fire you."
I felt the anger boil over. "I wasn't making trouble, Sam, I was being harrassed! Why do you think it's okay for men to hit on me? For them to grab me and tell me they'll pay for a kiss? Why am I supposed to be happy and grateful about that?"
"I didn't say you should," he said, his voice low.
"Then why did you threaten to fire me for it? Huh?"
He sighed. "Look at this place, Shelly. The rent's high, the clients are low. If Rudy decides not to come back, that's a loss of income for me. Can you understand that?"
"No," I said. "But then again, I've never ran a business."
"Just... Just be nicer, okay? We all need to do our part, and this is yours."
I huffed and shook my head. "Fine, Sam, whatever you say. I'll do my part and smile prettily while assholes grab me."
He looked at me, and sighed. "Go home, Shelly. You're not fit for work today."
"Yeah, I'll do that."
I grabbed my stuff and went out, furious. I had been working for years now, and I was tired.
Sam was a good boss, but he was still a business man, and that meant his first thought was always for his business. Never for the employees.
And he expected me to be happy and smile and act like nothing was wrong. Well, screw that. Screw the diner and screw all the creeps. I was done with this shit. But, I would need to find another job. Where would I find one in such short notice? Money didn't just drop out of the sky!