Chapter 1

It’s a busy Saturday at Westfield Carousel. The summer break has just begun, and the mall is thick with teenagers enjoying freedom from school, and parents exasperatedly preparing for the next six weeks with their children home and in their space. Behind the counter at Big Robs Western Ribs, sweating and red under the harsh heat lights, Leanna Roberts serves her fiftieth customer of the day.
“Hi there, welcome to Big Robs, how can I serve you today?” she said cheerfully, looking up at the large bearded man otherside of the counter.
“I’ll have a Rob’s special with extra chips thanks, plus a Coke to drink.” Leanna types in the order to send back to the kitchen, gives the man his number, and noticing the line is empty for a moment, uses the opportunity to go to the bathroom.

Washing her hands, Leanna studies her reflection in the warped mirror the staff bathroom boasts. Despite working five hours so far and sweating buckets, she still looked presentable. Re tying her short blonde hair back into a bun and putting on her cap, she saw how her fit body was snug in her button up polo and shorts, which were long enough to be modest but short enough to show off her lithe legs. Green eyes sparkled against the many earrings she wore, and her plump pink lips sat peachy on her heart shaped face. Leanna was happy with what she saw, over a year of working at this greasy rib house and she had managed to avoid putting on too much weight. She saw how huge the men and women were who were regulars at Big Rob’s and she did not want to join them! It’s so surprise how much weight people gained from eating here though, considering how much oil and lard and sugar was in all of the menu items, thought Leanna. Flashing herself a smile and checking out her pert butt as she walked out the door, she returned to her shift.

“Hey, tubby! Share some of your chips with me, surely you can’t eat all of them!” teased a low, cruel voice across the food court. “Check him out boys, have you ever seen a gut like that before?!” The cruel voice continued to jeer at the man, who happened to be the customer Leanna had served before her bathroom stop. Looking over, she saw the man hurriedly finish his meal, leaving some remaining chips which the bully and his friends decided to throw after him, laughing while they did. If there’s one thing Leanna couldn’t stand, it was bullies, and she wasn’t going to stand for it again this time. Untying her apron, she threw it onto the service table and sauntered over to where the boys were sitting. As she neared closer, she stifled a groan. She thought she had recognised the voice of the teasing, and when she saw his face Leanna knew she was right. Standing at 6”2, lean muscled and with a face that could get away with anything, Brayden Nicholls was a fellow senior at Leanna’s school, a star runner and football player. Rumour around the school was that he’d been offered a scholarship for a prestigious college overseas. Good riddance, Leanna thought.