Love Like Crazy

by Crystal B. Bright

Laz gritted his teeth before he spoke. “Miss Farook, I don’t know what you’ve heard, but—”

  “What I heard is that Universe just let someone go who dipped his pen in the company ink. Then all the sudden you’re coming to me looking for work. Maybe you’re looking to cast your net into a bigger pool.” She sniffed and shook her head. “I understand how the industry works. You are hot as hell.”

  Laz gave her a polite smile. “I get it from my father.”

  Sanaa smirked. “Don’t get cute. I appreciate your passion; however, I have no interest in bringing in drama.”

  Laz dropped his charming act and leaned in closer to her so that she could see the passion in his eyes. “I would say to not believe everything you hear. My only interest is in the music, always has been and always will be.”

  Sanaa rolled her eyes, and the expression made him realize that he lost her, both her interest and, possibly, her respect.

  She stood. Damn. Laz felt she would be dismissing him soon. He would wait to stand until Sanaa said it officially.

  “I have great A&R and enough managers. But I don’t want it to be said that I’m not open or flexible, even though I’m not.” She came around her large glass desk. “Since you’re doing work on your own, you’re more than welcome to contact me if you find that next big artist that’s going to blow me away and bump up Section Eight’s status.” She extended her hand to him. “Until then, good luck.”

  Fuck!

  Laz smiled as he stood. “Thanks for the opportunity. Hopefully, I’ll be back to show you some great artists for your company. I’m hoping to meet up with an artist who fits that bill.”

  “I’ll believe it when I see it, or I guess I should say, hear it.” She sat back down and brought her attention to her tablet.

  He took the elevator to the lobby. When he exited the elevator, he noticed the stares from the sour receptionist and the security guards. Damn, bad news traveled fast. He didn’t know if the looks came because he had been dismissed or because of the stories about him and Kat…or both.

  So much for the word not getting out. He didn’t know if Zinner said something or Kat or both. Either way, Laz knew he wouldn’t be able to redeem himself until he found the right talent.

  He had to show people his professionalism. For now, he would have to go home, change, and hit the road. Something good would have to come to him soon.

  Chapter 3

  “Miss Shields!”

  The raised voice got Avery’s attention before the snickering around her from her classmates registered. “Yes. I’m listening.”

  First lie of the day. Forget burning a candle at both ends. Avery’s candle had been thrown into a fire pit and melted all to hell. Going straight from cleaning toilets to a statistics class paled in comparison to being able to take a hot bath and then a long nap, one with the air-conditioning on while remaining bundled up under a cozy comforter.

  Enough daydreaming. Avery blinked and even started bouncing her knees under her desk to look alert when she caught her professor’s glare.

  “What did I say?” He placed his fist on his hip.

  Knowing Professor Klein, some sort of test or quiz would be on her horizon. She took a stab at the answer since she had almost zonked out a couple of minutes ago.

  “Quiz on Friday.” If she said it with confidence, maybe she would come off as attentive.

  Her instructor regarded her for a moment before saying, “I sincerely hope you’re ready for it.”

  Avery exhaled, but quickly realized she would be tested on subject matter she had no clue about. She needed to pay attention if she planned on graduating on time. For her final semester, she had to make this good.

  At the end of the class, Avery gathered her belongings and started to go.

  “Miss Shields, may I see you for a moment?” Klein waved his hand in the air to summon her to him.

  Damn.

  Avery slung her bag on her shoulder before she approached her teacher. Luckily, this class ended her day. She didn’t have to rush off to another class or lab. Sleep sounded good, but she couldn’t do that until she did some hard studying and finished a paper for another class. She hoped after all this hard work, it would be worth it in the end.

  “Yes, sir.” She stood next to the desk.

  “There’s a nice coffee shop downstairs.” The older man slowly loaded books and papers into a vintage-looking briefcase.

  Avery blinked at his statement.

  “And at the convenience store across the street, I understand they sell those energy drinks that are supposed to make your heart race.”

  She started to understand her professor’s agenda with this conversation.

  “And if you walk early enough in the morning time before the sun comes out, it might get some blood flowing so that you feel revitalized.” He pumped his fist covered in green and purple thick veins in the air.

  “I understand.” She started to walk away.

  “No. I don’t think you do.” Professor Klein adjusted his horned-rimmed glasses on his thin nose before he approached her. “You’re one of my better students in here.” He cleared his throat. “When you’re awake.”

  “I’m sorry for nodding off. It’s hard juggling a couple of jobs, bills, and school.” Avery looked back at the students milling out of the room. To her, they all looked like babies. “I’m not like the rest of these students. I have responsibilities.”

  “So do I.” He clasped his hand in front of his body. “I need to make sure all of my students are grasping the work. That’s my job.” He pointed to her. “Your job is to show up. I don’t mean just physically.” He pointed to his temple. “You have to be here in your head, too. You have to work hard to get what you want because no one else is going to give you anything.” He placed his hand on her arm. “If you need help or if you want to talk, my office door is always open.”

  The offer didn’t come off as perverted or weird. Professor Klein regarded Avery like she would be conquering the world one day. Too bad she didn’t feel that way.

  “Thanks for the talk. I’ll be more alert for the next class. I promise.” She headed to the door.

  “Chapters twelve and thirteen.”

  Avery turned back to her teacher.

  “Read those chapters in preparation for the quiz on Friday.” He met up with her at the doorway. “By the way, good guess on the quiz. I guess I’m a little too predictable.”

  Avery smiled. Yes, very good thing.

  “See you in a couple days.” He strolled down the hallway.

  Avery took the stairs down to the bottom floor and rushed across campus to the library. She would need to find a quiet corner to hide herself for a couple of hours before heading to her quiet, lonely apartment.

  She scaled the stairs up to the library’s third floor, her usual sanctuary. She burst through the door and headed to the reference section. Thanks to Google, no one used that part of the library anymore. Therefore, it remained serene.

  She got to the corner desk area where she normally sequestered herself, and had to stop in her tracks when she heard voices. Not voices really. Sounds. Moaning.

  Avery stopped at the end of a wall of bookshelves and peered around the corner. She spotted a young couple kissing and groping each other in the place where Avery wanted to hide herself and study. Who knew that she had been using a spot that must have looked like the sexiest area in the library?

  She watched the young man snake his hand up the woman’s T-shirt. Avery could only see motions as his hand moved around under the thin fabric, but that didn’t take away from the salacious nature of this impromptu show.

  The woman let out a small cry at one point. Avery imagined that the guy must have squeezed her nipple. She couldn’t see his other hand. Maybe he had moved it down her body to her backside.

  Damn. Had it been that long since
she had been in a relationship? Not even a relationship. Sex. Avery missed being intimate with a man. Touching him. Teasing him. Tasting him.

  She had to get out of there. Forget studying. As much as she didn’t want to because the place reminded her of her own loneliness, Avery would go to her apartment and attempt to study there.

  After a hefty trek across the college campus, she got to her car and took her time getting home. When she got to her apartment building, she sat in her car for a while in silence.

  Her mother hadn’t called her yet, but she knew that would be coming soon. Her father should be sleeping. He had worked hard last night alongside her. Her friends all had serious day jobs where they couldn’t call her like they used to when they worked at low-level retail or fast-food jobs.

  Avery went into her lonely apartment. At least she cleaned it. If her mother stopped by, which she did sporadically without warning, she wouldn’t have to hear her mother comment on the messy condition.

  Avery started to head to the couch in the living room and stopped. If she sat on that thing, with its brown, suede-like material and overstuffed cushions, she would be out like a light in no time. Right now, she needed to be alert.

  She set her items on the breakfast bar in her kitchen and sat on the stool next to it. Avery opened her book to the right chapter, took out her notes that she had managed to scribble during class, fired up her laptop, and stopped. Her thoughts kept tripping over the couple in the library.

  Reckless behavior like that could only lead to trouble. Avery had been there before. She rested her hand on her midsection for a moment before she slid her hand down her thigh.

  Come on. Get it together. Concentrate.

  Avery read the first line of chapter twelve in her statistics book, and then reread it again and again and again. Every time she blinked, images of that couple entered her mind. If she didn’t do something to purge the thoughts from her head, it would drive her insane.

  A typical woman might have gone to her trusty battery-operated boyfriend. Avery pulled out a notepad she always carried with her and removed the purple pen she kept attached to the spiral ring. She opened it to a blank page and wrote Secret Wish across the top.

  It took her no time to write a song based on lovers stealing away time to find each other. The more she thought about the song, the more she saw herself as the woman, hiding in a darkened corner with a sexy man. They would kiss and touch. As soon as it got too much for her to take, she would…run away.

  Avery slammed her pen down. She had to stop letting her past rule her present, particularly when it came to her art. Songwriting and singing gave her the freedom to be herself.

  She took a breath and leaned her head back for a moment before redirecting her attention back to her song. She ended the lyrics the way it should end. The woman in the song realized she could be stronger without him, and she got with the next man. Nothing lasts forever.

  * * * *

  “Come on, girl. You can make it.” Avery’s sputtering Ford rolled into the parking lot of Uncle Pig’s Diner.

  The slight sunlight in the early morning casted a faint glow over the restaurant. She exhaled as soon as she parked her old car by the back door. At least Avery made it to work on time.

  Avery started to go around to the front door when the back door opened and Jessie emerged with a cigarette in between his fingers. As the dishwasher, he had direct access to the back door.

  “Thanks, buddy.” Avery patted the short man on his shoulder as she bolted through the open door.

  “You know I’m here for you.” Jessie laughed.

  Avery deposited her personal items in a locker in the employees’ break room before she rushed to the kitchen. She found two other waitresses and the cook milling around.

  “Did you bring your books?” Bruno peered up at Avery as he checked out the flat-top cook top and grill.

  Avery did all she could to not roll her eyes. “Did you and my parents get together and decide how to torture me or does it come naturally?” She picked up an order pad and pencil as she regarded the older man.

  “I’m doing what I can to make sure you don’t end up working here the rest of your life.” He pointed to her with a silver spatula.

  “You say that like it’s a bad thing.” Mona winked before she draped her arm around Avery’s shoulder. “He is right, you know.”

  This time Avery did groan. “Not you, too. This diner is the only place I don’t have to think. I just want to work, collect my shitty tips, and go home.”

  “We can dig that.” Graciela strolled over to the group of them. “We also know that you have dreams. That’s more than the rest of us have.” She leaned in closer and lowered her voice. “You would get better tips if you wore the right uniform.”

  By uniform, Graciela referred to Uncle Pig’s request that the waitresses outfit themselves with what Avery called bootie shorts, shorts so short and tight that a yeast infection would definitely follow. Besides that, Pig also wanted them to wear tight T-shirts. At least Uncle Pig provided the shirts.

  “Respectable tips for respectable outfits.” Besides, if Avery’s parents showed up to the diner, which they have done in the past, she knew the lecture afterward would be legendary.

  “Hey, I don’t know what you’re talking about. I look like fucking Queen Elizabeth in this getup.” Mona nudged Graciela with her elbow. “Besides, my plan is to marry Mr. Wonderful.”

  “Good luck finding a guy like that at this shitty little diner.” Graciela shook her head. “Oh, wait. You did find your Prince Charming. Or should I say Prince Pig?”

  She reached back and pulled her hair into a high ponytail. In her assigned outfit, she showed off her womanly curves. That didn’t mean that Avery would be going down that route. She liked her jeans and normal-fitting Uncle Pig T-shirt with its tasteless slogan, “Eat like a pig.”

  “Hey, hey, hey. Don’t bad mouth the place that pays you.” Uncle Pig walked into the kitchen area. “We’re just about to open. You all ready?”

  Mona and Graciela stood up straight and saluted their boss. “Yes, sir,” they said in unison.

  “Smart-asses.” He shook his head. “Specials today are the pancake breakfast with a choice of eggs, hash browns or grits, and meat. We’re also doing a breakfast burrito.”

  “You mean with all the stuff you couldn’t sell yesterday?” Mona giggled.

  “Again, smart-ass.” Pig pointed to Mona.

  “Good thing you love this ass.” She turned her backside around to him.

  For as imposing as Uncle Pig looked with his massive height, large belly, and big, bushy beard that made him look like Santa Claus’s wayward brother, whenever he looked at Mona, his longtime, live-in girlfriend, he looked like he melted. Too bad to everyone else, he acted true to his namesake.

  Mona reminded Avery of an older sister. The African-American woman’s skin tone matched Avery’s, but she kept her hair natural, large and fluffy.

  “It’ll be a good day today.” Pig faced Avery. “Are you here all day or do you have classes?” He damn near rolled his eyes when he asked her about her classes.

  “You’ve got me all day.” She leaned against the large stainless steel sink. “I’ll even stay after we close at three to help clean up.”

  “Or you can let her go so she can study.” Mona nudged her man.

  “Or, even better, Avery can come with us tonight to Songbirds and blow us away.” Graciela nibbled on her lower lip as she stared at Avery with expectation.

  “Did I hear a Songbirds trip tonight? I’m in for some karaoke.” Jessie leaned his head back to corral his long, thick black hair before he covered it with a black-and-white scarf and tied it in the back of his head.

  Graciela sidled up next to him. “Are you going to sing this time?”

  He placed his hand over his heart. “I would, but I don’t t
hink you’re ready to handle the Filipino version of Justin Timberlake.” Then he proceeded to warble a few lines from one of the singer’s popular songs.

  Despite being a few inches shorter than Graciela, Jessie had more bravado than most men Avery knew. That also meant that he didn’t keep a steady relationship.

  “I would love to do karaoke tonight.” Avery didn’t have to think about it.

  “I hear a but.” Bruno shifted his weight to one side.

  “I have a quiz tomorrow.” With Avery’s professor’s warning, she didn’t want to mess up her chances of doing well.

  “So no staying late and definitely no club tonight.” Bruno wagged his finger at her.

  “And if you were my father, I would agree with you.” Avery winked at the surly cook.

  “Hell, even if Bruno was your daddy, you still wouldn’t listen.” Graciela bumped her hip against Avery’s. “I can come pick you up since your piece-of-shit ride is on its last leg.”

  “All of you will be on your last legs and out of here if you don’t get to work.” Pig pointed to Mona. “Open the front door.” Then he pointed to Avery. “I want you working the back tables.”

  Avery huffed and shook her head. Those tables equated to low if any tips. “Can I get the bar for part of the day at least?”

  “Sorry. Mona’s spot. Senior waitress gets first preference.” Pig snorted.

  Mona shrugged. “Sorry, dear.” She pointed to herself. “Ten years over your year.”

  Avery couldn’t wait to graduate and, hopefully, get a better job. “Fine. I’ll smile my ass off.” She started with one big enough that it hurt her cheeks.

  “Good girl.” Pig capped the statement with a pat on her backside.

  Yep, he definitely earned his nickname.

  “I told you about doing that.” Avery faced the big man.

  “Come on, honey.” Graciela pulled Avery out to the dining room area. “You know he doesn’t mean it.”

  “That doesn’t make it okay. I’m not a piece of meat.” She turned to Mona. “Or his woman.”

  Mona unlocked the door before she sashayed over to Avery. “Don’t get sensitive about it. He does it to everyone.”