Read The Reason I Stay for Free Online

any remorse. And I blame it all on the surge of bad luck that started yesterday.
    “Rookie’s gone and set the patties on fire,” Jimmy’s gruff voice reaches me, though his large body is nowhere in sight. “New patties are on the grill. It’ll take ten more minutes.”
    I groan as I retrieve the baskets of fries and buffalo wings waiting at the window, and place them on my tray. “Fine, but make some complimentary spicy fries. Forty minutes for burgers is just ridiculous, and I’m in no mood to be yelled at in the last thirty minutes of a ten-hour shift.”
    By the time his reply—a reluctant “okay,” followed by “Rookie’s paying for them”—makes its way to me, the tray is already balanced on my shoulder and I’m making my way to the bar to get the beers for The Snake Pack .
    They are a group of nine local douchebags and idiots who have made my life a living hell since high school. I’ve never understood why they called themselves that, since there’s no such thing as a pack of snakes. I’ve also never cared enough to ask, even though—much to my everlasting shame—I used to date one of them, and have made out with two others. I call those three unfortunate souls The Three Stooges.
    Almost three years have passed since I last allowed any momentary lack of judgment and depreciating self-esteem to push me in one of their directions. I’m very proud of it, and have since given them nothing but snarky comments and my best fuck-off attitude. However, my ex, Kyle, keeps trying to get back under my skirt—something that, for the love of all that is holy, will never happen again.
    The order was placed by Damian, the leader of the group, and the father of my goddaughter, Kodee. We have a less-than-friendly relationship, but due to the nature of it, he doesn’t look at me like he’s envisioning me naked, and he tries to keep The Stooges from messing with me. That’s the primary reason why dealing with him alone is miles better than having to deal with all of them.
    “Here y’all go.” I start setting their food and drinks on the table.
    The first pair of horny eyes to turn my way belongs to Kyle. His friends don’t take long to follow.
    “My sparkle,” Kyle coos.
    I take a deep breath, and order the wave of vomit to recede. The amount of hate I have toward that nickname has no measure. “I’m not yours, Kyle. Haven’t been for four years, so will you stop with the sparkle crap? I’m not fireworks or glitter.”
    “No baby, you’re a diamond,” Buck—Stooge Number Two—retorts from across the table, and gives me a wink that makes me wish I were blind.
    I roll my eyes, place the beer bottle in front of Kyle and move on to the idiot on his left, James—Stooge Number Three. He turns to me and, with a cocky grin on his lips, says, “I don’t know how you ever dated that prick, Lexie, especially after having a piece of this.”
    “You’re right. I should have gone lesbian after the spitty mess you were.”
    The whole table erupts with laughter and idiotic comments. A renewed sense of urgency to get away from them motivates me to place the last of their order on the table quickly. Between the jackass from yesterday and these dumbasses, I’ve had my yearly quota of this crap.
    Without another word, I turn to walk away, hoping I’ll finally have some peace. After one step, Kyle’s voice reaches my ears again. “You’ll always be my sparkle, and I’ll always be your first. And one day you’ll come back to me.”
    My blood boils. I turn around and glare at him. It’s hard to say if it’s because of my current bad mood, or the revolting feeling I get at the thought of being with him—or any of them—again, but I almost break my tray on his head. Luckily for my job, a hand touches my shoulder at the right moment.
    “Lexie, you have burgers waiting,” Jen, my coworker and friend, says.
    On a deep breath, I follow her toward the kitchen and look at the empty window, frowning.