The King Of Steeze System

THOMAS 

I parked my motorcycle in front of the lavish reception hall, my breath visible in the crisp evening air. 

My helmet still on, I took a deep breath and removed it

The hall was decked with twinkling lights and the hum of laughter and chatter floated out each time the grand double doors swung open. 

It was the kind of place I had never stepped foot in on my own—unless I was delivering pizzas and wine ,like today.

I glanced at my watch. I was a few minutes late, but nothing that couldn't be made with a quick smile and some charm. 

Clutching the bottles of wine in one hand and balancing the pizza boxes in the other, I hurried up the marble steps. 

"Excuse me, sir, where can I find the groom?" I asked one of the waiters passing by with a tray of hors d'oeuvres. The waiter barely gave me a glance before pointing towards the center of the room. 

I could already feel my heart drumming in my chest. 

I wasn't supposed to feel nervous—this was just another delivery. 

But I needed the money today more than ever. Sarah, my girlfriend had insisted she needed a new dress to "kill it " at her cousin's wedding in Michigan

 I had barely scraped together the cash to help her and now I was broke .

As I made my way through the crowd I noticed the caliber of people around me, polished, refined, expensive. 

The women wore gowns that glimmer like freshly polished jewels, the men in designer suits that probably cost more than my annual rent.

I felt like an intruder in my faded delivery uniform. 

"Just get in and out, Thomas." I muttered to myself.

Suddenly the room hushed , the MC, a sharply dressed man with a booming voice, took the microphone. 

"Ladies and gentlemen, please direct your attention to the dance floor. It's time for the bride and groom's first dance."

I felt a wave of relief. The groom could be easy to spot now. I craned my neck, eyes scanning the room searching for him.

But when I finally fell sight of the bride and groom, my heart stopped and my eyes almost bulged out in shock.

My hands trembled and the wine bottle slipped from my grasp, shattering on the polished floor with a deafening crash. The pizza boxes tumbled out of my hand, their content scattering like confetti. 

Gasps echoed around the hall as every head turned towards me.

There, in the middle of the dance floor was Sarah — my Sarah — in a stunning white gown.

Her hair was elegantly styled, her makeup flawless.

And beside her beaming with pride stood George, the son of the mayor , the heir to the Horizon Enterprises.

My Sarah, who was supposed to be in Michigan, was here marrying someone else, someone rich and powerful. 

Someone who wasn't me. 

Sarah's eyes widened when she saw me but she quickly masked her shock with a laugh turning to George. 

"Oh, I didn't expect him to show up here."she said loudly, her voice dripping with feigned amusement.

I stumbled forward, my face flushed with a mix of confusion and pain .

"Sarah..... What is going on? You said you were in Michigan." I said and swallowed hard."This is your cousin's wedding, isn't it?" I said in a very small voice hoping she had say it was.

But Sarah rolled her eyes dramatically."Oh, Thomas. Don't be so dramatic. I told you we were over. I just didn't spell it out because I didn't want to hurt your feelings." She looked at me with a cold smile , as if I was a pesky child interrupting a grown-up party.

George, who had been watching the scene unfold with mild curiosity , stepped forward. 

" So , you are the delivery guy she kept talking about." He sneered."The one who thought he had a chance with Sarah ."

I felt a lump form in his throat." I....I didn't know. I thought —"

"You thought what?"George cut me, off his voice booming.

"That she would actually stay with someone like you? A poor delivery boy with nothing to offer?"

Laughter rippled through the crowd like a cruel wave and I felt a hot flush of humiliation wash over me.

Sarah smirked, taking over George's arm.

"George , darling, he is just a delivery guy, in fact I don't really know him , we were once neighbors and he kept begging me to leave you."

Her last statement almost made me faint out of shock. . 

The shock and surprise on my face was enough to win an Oscar. It felt like a dream. Like I was in a movie ,I never wanted to be in.

George turned back to me, his face twisted with disdain. 

"Tell you what, why don't you take this," he said, pulling out a wad of cash from his pocket.

"Here, pick up the pizza you just dropped and maybe you can eat it too. God knows you need it more than we do." he flung the money at me , the bills fluttering like worthless confetti.

I stood there frozen as the laughter grew louder, echoing in my ears. The room seemed to spin, every face a blur of mocking smiles and sneers.

I wanted to disappear to vanish into thin air. I looked at Sarah one last time, my eyes searching for even a hint of the woman I thought I once loved.

But all I saw was a stranger, a woman who had played me for a fool.

"Get out , delivery boy!"George barked with a final , vicious laugh, he turned away pulling Sarah into his arms.

My hands clenched into fist at my sides.

The weight of the humiliation, The heartbreak, the betrayal, all crashed down on me like an avalanche burying me alive.

I glanced down at the scattered pizza and the shattered wine bottle .

Maybe I should do as he said, pick up the pieces but not in the way he expects. 

I bent down , my hands trembling not to pick up the pizza but to steady myself. My mind raced, thoughts spinning out of control. 

How did I not see this coming? How could I have been so blind , so foolish and to think I loved her so much, I could even give up my life for her.

I stood up slowly, the humiliation burning ,I wanted to run and hide.

I might be a delivery boy today but I knew I couldn't stay one forever , not after this.

I turned to leave, feeling the eyes of everyone on my back, the mocking laughter, still ringing in my ears.

But before I reached the door , a voice stopped him.

"Wait!"

I turned and there was George grinning from ear to ear.

"Why don't you stick around? You can clean up the mess you made,"George said nodding towards the spilled wine and scattered pizza.

"Or how about you join some of the waiters for some cash?"

I felt the fury rising again , my hands curling into fist at my sides.

I had a choice now: to enjoy the insult quietly or to

make them regret every word they had said. 

I was done being a pawn in their cruel game and I was done being poor.