Read Online White Trash Beautiful by Teresa Mummert - Free Book Online Page A

everything in the world I wasn’t privileged enough to have, a reminder I didn’t need.
    He looked at me as if I had lost my mind. I felt as if I had.
    “No . . . Why would you say that, Cass? Of course I don’t want to hurt you. I want to help you.” He reached for me but I put my hands up to keep him back.
    “You’re not a knight on a white horse who can whisk me away to fairyland and save me, Tucker. You’re just some prick on a motorcycle who’ll disappear as quickly as he came. My life isn’t your problem.” I swallowed hard as I prepared for a low blow. “I’m not your mom.”
    He flinched at my words. He threw up his hands in defeat, dropping a small piece of paper onto the ground.
    “Have it your way, sweetheart.” He walked back to his bike and turned to face me, “I’m only walking away because it’s what you want. I’d never do anything you didn’t want, Cass. I don’t want to hurt you, and if that’s what I’m doing right now, then I will gladly leave you alone.” He turned away from me and straddled his motorcycle, starting it angrily. It roared to life and he took off, leaving me in a cloud of dirt, confusion, and sadness.
    “Just fucking great,” I mumbled as I kicked a pile of gravel and picked up the small stub of paper. The front read Damaged. It was a concert ticket for tonight in Savannah. Could this day get any worse? I shoved it in my apron and forced myself to forget Tucker ever rode into this town. He would be gone before I knew it anyway.
    “Hey, Larry,” I yelled as I made my way into the diner. Larry looked out the kitchen window at me and gave me a nod. I cranked the radio and began rolling the silverware. We didn’t have any customers yet . . . at least none I hadn’t run off.
    I sang along as I rushed through my busywork. A few minutes later, Larry appeared with two hot plates full of eggs and toast.
    “Thanks,” I said, giving him a smile. He nodded but didn’t smile back.
    I devoured every bite.
    “Jesus, Cass. You ain’t knocked up now, are ya?” He laughed, but I knew he was seriously asking.
    “Fuck, Larry. No. I’m not pregnant. You have to actually have sex to get knocked up.” I rolled my eyes and popped the last bite of toast in my mouth. I couldn’t remember the last time Jax and I had been together, and I was thankful for that. I no longer had a say in the matter, and the only thing that saved me was his ramped-up drug abuse.
    “Why are you still with that worthless boyfriend of yours? He ain’t no good.”
    As if Larry were telling me something I didn’t know. But it wasn’t any of his business. I shrugged and grabbed both of our plates and took them to the kitchen. I washed them up quickly and set them on the drying rack.
    It wouldn’t be long before people started rolling in for coffee. The bell above the door chimed, and I threw the old dishrag onto the sink and made my way back out onto the floor.
    A woman sat in a booth with her son. I didn’t recognize them. More people who took the wrong exit off the highway. I plastered on my biggest fake smile and grabbed a couple of menus. We didn’t have kid menus, but I had made it a point to pick up a couple of coloring books and packs of crayons from the dollar store. It made the kids happy and less likely to make a mess.
    “Good morning and welcome to Aggie’s Diner. My name is Cass and I’ll be your server today. Can I start you off with something to drink?” I gave the boy a wink and handed him the crayons. His face lit up. He looked to be about five years old. I remembered how great life was at that age, so full of promise. It goes downhill quickly.
    “I’ll have an orange juice and chocolate milk for him.” She didn’t even look at me. This was going to be a great day.
    I rolled my eyes as I headed off to the kitchen to get their drinks. The bell above the door went off repeatedly before I could take the beverages out to my customers. I stuck my head out of the kitchen door