Jaded Read Online Free

that lately. Don’t suppose you’ve got a backup plan?”
    Syeesha looked around the restaurant. The oblong-shaped eatery was completely white with recessed pink lighting and metal chairs. The place had a soft yet futuristic feel. All of the staff that she could see was of Asian descent. The bartender, however, was not. He was tanned and wore his blond hair closely cropped; his arms—visible beneath the white button-down shirt with the sleeves rolled high—were tattooless; his ears unpierced. He looked more like a young exec chilling in jeans on the weekend than a bartender of a trendy Manhattan restaurant.
    “Backup plan.” Syeesha rolled the glass between her fingers. “My father used to say that the only kind of people who made backup plans were those who were committed to failing.”
    “Does overachieving run in the family?”
    Syeesha downed the shooter. Its sweetness belied its potency. She wanted another but decided that slurring over noodles in her sister’s presence would only solidify Trina’s opinion, often stated to Syeesha, that she had a total lack of discipline. This lunch was Syeesha’s idea. The least she could do was stay sober through it.
    A young woman slipped behind the bar. She pressed a few entries into the cash register, put a bill inside, counted out a few singles, then apologized as she scooted back around the bartender and left. She’d addressed him as Chuck.
    Syeesha said, “My father retired as a midlevel sergeant in the U.S. Air Force. He considered himself a failure, but he was determined not to raise one.”
    Chuck wiped down the countertop. “Ever thought about bartending? Make a little extra cash?”
    “You know how long I’ve lived in New York?”
    “No idea.”
    “All my life. And you know how many black bartenders I’ve seen in Manhattan in that time?”
    Chuck leaned against the bar and shrugged.
    “One. But the club was owned by a rapper and the bartender was a relative, so it doesn’t count.”
    He smiled and squinted his sleepy blue eyes. “How ‘bout you order some lunch?”
    She shook her head and fumbled with the sleeve of her sweater until the silver dial of her watch appeared. “My sister should be here any minute.”
    “Gonna hit her up for some cash?”
    Syeesha chuckled. “Oh sweet, naive little Chuck. I’d rather call on Judas. At least he’d be kind enough not to use a dull knife when sticking it in my back.”
    “That bad?”
    “I exaggerate.” Syeesha rested her chin on the palm of her hand. “Big sisters were put on earth to test the mettle of their siblings. She’s just living up to life’s expectation of her.”
    Chuck laughed before excusing himself to take care of another patron. Her eyes followed him as he grabbed three liquor bottles by their neck and sloshed liquid into a cocktail shaker. He was cute, and if she were in better spirits she’d let him know she thought so. But surviving off the three hundred bucks she’d get from unemployment was enough to worry about. Syeesha threw a few bucks on the bar and let the hostess escort her to a table.
    Ten minutes later, still alone at the table, she received a complimentary shooter from Chuck. She caught his eye from across the restaurant and lifted her glass in a toast, then tossed it back. It was better than the last.
    Syeesha checked her watch. Another ten minutes had passed and still no Trina. The restaurant was filling up quickly with the noisy lunch crowd. A waitress shot sharp glances at her so Syeesha ordered a house specialty drink.
    Finally, Trina entered in her usual cool, businesslike manner. She dismissed the hostess with a wave and tight smile, then weaved through the waitstaff toward Syeesha.
    There was little resemblance between the two. Syeesha always thought that Trina’s complexion resembled hot chocolate whereas hers looked more like cappuccino. Trina’s eyes were chocolate morsels—small, hard, and dark while Syeesha’s were caramel chews—bright, soft, and