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English
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Published:
2020-05-24
Completed:
2020-06-01
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1,641
Chapters:
2/2
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Jade West, Hooters Girl

Summary:

Jade has an after-school job and she wants to keep it a secret.

Notes:

This was just a for-funsies piece that came out of a conversation. If you were there, you know. ;)

Chapter 1

Chapter Text

Her first week is a breeze. It's an acting job, she's just playing the role of the chipper, cheery, big breasted Hooters girl. The tips are great, as long as she can repress the urge to punch some (most) of these creepy old dads in the teeth. The frat guys are whatever because they don't want to get kicked out. And the rest, the rest is just families who come in with the less-creepy dads, guys who probably think this is porn-adjacent and can get away with a peek at some cleavage while ordering hot wings with the kids. Whatever. It all pays the bills. Or, it will. She still has a semester left at Hollywood Arts and then she's moving out on her own. She would have already done it when she turned eighteen at the beginning of senior year, if she'd had the money. Which...well, that was why she even applied for the job in the first place.

At the end of her first month, she's doing really well.

Until Tori shows up.

Tori, who she still sees every day at school. Tori, who could easily tell everyone they know about this. Jade cares less about the stigma of the uniform and more about how she has to play nice for the entire duration of her shifts. If word gets out, anyone could just walk in and she'd have to smile at them or lose her job, that was why she'd applied at the location Burbank, because it was in the Valley and away from most people she knew.

But some how Tori was here, alone in a booth in her section. Fine. Whatever. It was all just acting, anyway.

"Hi, welcome to Hooters. I'm Jade and I'll be your server. Did you want to get started with a classic teaser?" She stared at a spot just past Tori's head.

Even without looking right at her, Jade could tell Tori was smirking at her. "It's so weird, you look just like a friend of mine."

"We're not--" Nope, Jade, keep it together. "Something to drink, then?"

"Lemonade, please."

"Be right back with that." Jade took her time at the drink bar, waiting the maximum amount of time she could without seeming like she was dragging her feet, then took the drink to Tori's table. It was a slow Tuesday, so she didn't have anyone else in her section, at the moment. "Ready to order?"

"I'm trying to decide between the..." Tori poked around at the menu, "Fried pickles or the lots a tots."

"Maybe live a little and do both." Bigger sale, bigger tip. She at least knew Tori always tipped twenty percent.

"Fine, then. I'll do that. But can I get those to-go?" Tori asked, sipping her lemonade and looking up at her.

Jesus, Vega. Why even come in at all? And why was she looking at Jade like that? "Great. I'll put that order right in."

Fifteen minutes later, the appetizers were ready, boxed up, and dropped off at the table. Jade slid the check, face-down, along side the bagged up food. "Whenever you're ready." Ugh, all she could think about was Tori leaving the restaurant and telling everyone they knew about Jade West, Hooters girl.

Of course, now was when she got another table, a family of three, in her section, so she couldn't hover over Tori and threaten her through her smile. As she took the drink order for the new table, Jade kept glancing back at Tori, who seemed wholly occupied with finishing her lemonade. By the time she'd pulled the drinks and delivered them, Tori's table was empty, a small stack of cash on top of the receipt. Damn, she'd tipped practically fifty percent. And on the back of the receipt she'd written, "I'll keep your secret if you'll keep mine. - T."

What secret? Jade cashed out the check as another server, Patrice, waited to punch in her own order.

"Lucky you," Patrice said.

"Why?" asked Jade, still trying to suss out what the chiz Tori meant.

"The sweet brunette. She comes in about once a month, gets an eyeful of Hooters and leaves a huge tip. Easiest customer ever."

Wait. Tori. Came here. To the Burbank Hooters. Once a month. To check out women.

Tori Vega, you little perv.

After her shift, once she'd climbed into her car, Jade opened up a text on her PearPhone and tapped out three words.

"It's a deal."

Okay, plus one emoji.

;)

 

 

Jori-Hooters-Au-thing-1

Awesome art by Tofu.

Chapter 2

Chapter Text

Normally, Tori only went to Hooters once a month. It was kind of expensive with the drive into Burbank plus the overpriced food, so she'd budgeted both the cash and the time for it so she could at least have it on her regular schedule (the first Sunday afternoon of the month). But she was here, only two weeks after the last time, the time when she'd been seated in Jade's section, the time she'd learned that Jade's after-school and weekend job was as a server in the Valley. At Hooters. Which, well, made a lot of sense.

Not that Tori was looking at Jade's...assets.

She'd actually come out to Burbank for an audition, one she was sure she hadn't landed, mostly because she knew hadn't prepared enough. Professional auditions were so different than the ones at school where people knew her, this had been a room full of strangers who were nice enough but also kind of...not nice?

Anyway, she wasn't even that invested in the role, she was really just looking for experience and she'd gotten it. In the form of rejection. But whatever, she was working on expanding her resume. Which was what she was planning to work on now inside of her booth in the corner of Jade's section. She'd bought a a few different card tricks from Hattie McRabbitt's and wanted a chance to practice them without Trina barging in on her.

"Here's your stupid lemonade," came Jade's voice from the edge of the table. She was smiling, but not with her eyes.

"But I didn't order, yet," said Tori.

"So you don't want this?" Jade held the sweating glass in her hand, midway between her tray and the table.

Tori reached for it, but Jade moved it away from her. "No, I do." Finally Jade set it down.

"You want the same teasers, again?" Jade asked.

"Uh, sure?" Tori nodded.

"Good, I already put the ticket in," Jade said, dryly, before walking away.

Tori pulled a deck of cards form her bag and walked through the steps she'd already learned. The memorization of the steps was easy enough, the hard part was smoothing out the motions of the trick.

She caught the eye of Patrice, one of the older servers, who was crossing by with a tray of drinks. "You're back early."

"Had an audition nearby," Tori said as Patrice continued on to her table. She continued studying the steps of her card trick, working on the particular lift that made the illusion possible.

Another server, Jessipa, a blonde who was closer in age to Jade and Tori, lingered at the edge of her table. "Working on something?" Jessipa asked.

"Trying to," Tori said. She reset her deck and fanned out the cards. "Pick a card." Jessipa complied and drew from the deck. "Okay, so... you're sure you'll remember it?" By now, Patrice was back and peeking at the card in Jessipa's hand.

"I think I can handle that." Jessipa confirmed. "Back me up, Patrice."

"Go ahead and slip it right back in there," Tori said, offering the deck. "Anywhere." She glanced past the two servers in front of her to see Jade glaring at her as she stood next to the kitchen window. Tori worked her fingers over the deck, tossed her hair, and produced a card in a flourish. "Was this your card?"

Both Jessipa and Patrice responded with delighted gasps of confirmation. Even from fifteen feet away, she could sense Jade's eye roll. The other women dispersed to their own sections when Jade stormed over with Tori's to-go bag and her check.

"Wow, such prompt service," Tori mused. "Though I'm eating here today."

Jade's eyes widened in frustration. "So what then? You want a plate?"

"Nah, this is fine." Jade was about to walk away, but Tori grabbed her wrist. Which, actually, was probably against Hooters customer protocol, but it was a natural inclination with Jade.

Fortunately, no one else noticed and Jade just groaned, "Whaaaat?"

"Pick a card." Tori fanned out the deck.

Jade crossed her arms. "Why, so you can flirt with me like you did half the servers on the floor, already?"

"I'm just trying to practice."

"Flirting or lame card tricks?"

"I guess both?" She prodded at Jade's elbow with the deck. "Come on."

"Whatever." Jade pulled a card, glanced at it, then stared at Tori. "Now what?"

"Now," Tori worked the cards again. "Put it back in. Anywhere."

Jade's eyes narrowed as she focused on placing the card somewhere she likely deemed impossible. Then she watched Tori's hands with an intense focus as Tori casually withdrew a card from the deck, tossed her hair, and held it up to her. "This your card?"

"Okay, how in the hell did you do that?"

"Can't go giving away my secrets."

"Then show me, again."

"A good magician is never supposed to repeat a trick."

"Well, you're just practicing. I'm just trying to help you get better."

"At the flirting or the lame card tricks?" Tori asked with an eyebrow quirked.

"Just do the trick, Vega."

"Don't you have other customers?"

"Not at the moment."

Tori shuffled the deck and began the trick a second time. She still needed practice at the sleight of hand, but it seemed she sure had Jade's attention. "Pick a card."