I Didn't Know I Could Break Your Heart

Marrietta sat alone in the empty apartment, absently folding down the edge of the page in her book. A few seconds later she flattened it and then folded it again. The words on the page were not interesting enough for her to focus on. Not when she felt completely empty inside.

It was a funny feeling she had when she had found out the one person she had believed herself to be head-over-heels for, she had known nothing about. He had fed her crap for years and she had eaten it up. And after she had left him, she had never been able to let go the feeling that she loved him, even though it had all been a lie.

She sighed. There was something seriously wrong with her and she could not figure out what. It was now six in the morning and she still had not figured out what it was. Soon she would have to go to work and forget all about it. It was hard to act like an object when she had a lot on her mind.

Putting down the book and sliding off of the couch, she thought about skipping work. But that definitely was not an option. Rodger had been out with Steven all night, trying to convince him to go home and they were both going home in just a few hours' time. Since Rodger would be taking leave from work for a couple weeks in case things went wrong, they needed every penny she could make from rent.

Why does Rodger's family have to be such a mess? She thought as she changed into her bright orange Hooter's top. Why am I such a mess? She added silently, grabbing the keys from the hook on the wall and heading out the door.

It was weird to be able to change into her uniform at home rather than in her car. And she did not like the looks she got when she was stopped at red lights. Even traffic early in the morning was terrible and whenever she was in a jam, some guy seemed to be in the other car staring at her. It was freaky.

I should have just stayed home, She groaned when she finally pulled into the parking lot of the restaurant. Checking her watch, she swore and ran towards the kitchen entrance. It was never good when she was late for work, even though she had left an hour early.

"Where have you been?" One of the girls shrieked as she came barrelling through the door, "I've been covering your tables for the last half hour and I'm not used to that kind of work!"

"I'm sorry!" Marrietta replied half-heartedly, "The traffic was horrible."

"Should've walked," The cook tsked.

Marrietta shot him an angry glare, grabbed a pad from the counter and headed out in the restaurant. With a quick scan of her customers, she headed for the nearest table and smiled brightly. "Hello and welcome to Hooter's! What can I get for you today?"

One of the men shrugged absently, "Pancakes."

The other said, "Water. Just water. And make it quick."

"Of course," She said brightly with a fake smile.

Turning to her next table, she opened her mouth to greet the customers and froze. There was a second where neither of them looked at her. A second where she easily could have turned and run. And then there was a moment where only one of them looked at her. She could have left then too and maybe the other would not believe him. But in the third second, the other man looked at her and she swore. Loudly.

Rodger shook his head slightly, not able to believe what he was seeing. Steven merely smiled a lopsided grin. She could see in that moment why Carlos hated him so much.

"Marrietta?" Rodger asked carefully.

For a moment, she considered telling him that she had no idea what he was talking about. That her name was Amber or Ashley and that she had never heard of a girl named 'Marrietta'. But she was wearing a black name tag that stood out sourly against the bright orange top and she knew he was reading it. Slowly, she nodded.

He swore. She winced slightly. Years of living in such a dysfunctional family had taught him words even the most rebellious kids in her school would not have dared to say in the hallway. Several people at other tables glanced towards them curiously, but most kept their heads turned away.

"Come on, Steven, we're going," Rodger said in a gravelly tone. Grabbing his jacket, he stalked towards the entrance of the restaurant without another word.

Steven let out a low whistle before he got up, "You clean up nice. But that won't be enough for him so... good luck." He said, winking before he headed after his brother.

"Go to hell,"

Marrietta groaned. Her option of running after them had been shot down less than half a second after it had appeared in her head. The boss would never let her go right after she had arrived. And Rodger would be far, far away by the time she got home. So she turned to her next table and offered to take their orders.

***

In all honesty, she had expected the locks to be changed by the time she had gotten to the apartment. Rodger was not big on face-to-face confrontations and breaking-up definitely counted in that category. She had also expected him to be long gone by the time she got home but he was standing in the middle of the apartment, pacing aimlessly.

He heard the door shut and spun around quicker than he should have, causing him to grab at the counter to regain balance. Marrietta let a small smile play across her lips, but kept quiet. She had learned a long time ago that if Rodger had stayed to confront her, it was better to let him yell than to interrupt him.

Rodger did not say anything. He simply gave her a disapproving stare; one that sent shivers up and down her spine.

"Where's Steven?" She asked, almost conversationally. But her voice shook, showing the fear she felt. The end of this relationship scared her, because he had been her rock for so long. Realization flooded over her and she felt as if she was drowning. A single tear slid down her cheek.

"He's on the plane," Rodger said, "He's going home."

Marrietta nodded, sniffling. Somehow she had to convince him to stay with her. She had to force him to yell at her, to get mad, even if it was just so he would stop looking at her like she was so cheap. "Rodger, you have to understand that-"

"That what? You're a f*cking stripper?"

"I'm not a stripper!" She shouted, "None of them are! It's just a job, Rodger. It's how some people make money and I'm sorry if that upsets you!"

"You're still an object that guys stare at while they're eating food so that they can get off to your image later!"

"I am not! None of them are!" Marrietta cried, "We're all just girls who need money and they hire us and pay us well. It's not our fault what the customers do and not all of them do that! You've got to grow up!"

"I've got to grow up? That's really rich Marrietta, because last time I checked, I'm the one with the respectable job here and you're the one dancing on poles with-"

"I'm not a f*cking stripper!"

Rodger glared at her, "Fine, you're not a stripper. But you still didn't tell me what your job was. You told me you worked at an office. You told me that you were doing something for that world! What are you doing? Given drunk guys food? Because I don't consider that helping the world!"

"F*ck you," Marrietta whispered. She rose her voice and said, "F*ck you, Rodger, f*ck you to f*cking hell because you don't understand anything! You don't understand that there are no jobs out there in my profession and that I still need money! Money to live. And you don't understand that I had to lie to you because I knew you would react like this!"

"How am I supposed to react then? Am I supposed to be happy about this? Am I supposed to be overjoyed that you're working at this restaurant? Because I'm not, okay? I'm just not!" He shouted.

"You're supposed to understand!"

Rodger paused. Running a hand absent-mindedly through his hair, he said, "I think you should leave."

Marrietta did not reply. She simply turned on her heel and left.