Despite himself Derek was thankful for the coffee. He nodded as Conner talked to him, catching himself as he tensed underneath his touch. He wasn't used to his personal space being invaded- touch was never really apart of what Derek experienced. Now that he thought about it when was the last time he hugged his mother? The thought was out of the blue- came from nowhere really, but the more Derek dwelled on it the more uncomfortable he felt. Affection had never been apart of his childhood.<br/><br/>"yeah, that seems simple enough." He said, a little part of him wanting to please Conner. It was unbidden for him; he had never wanted to please<i>anyone</i>, and yet here he was, feeling as though his failure would lead to Conner having a bad opinion of him. The idea didn't sit well with him. Besides, it was his second day of work, he'd pick up on stuff fast. wouldn't he? On his way out he passed a couple of servers who were chatting and they immediately stopped talking when they say Derek. He only caught a snipit of what they said.<br/><br/>"...snob out by the end of the wee-.."<br/><br/>Derek glared at them and they mirrored his expression. Going out onto the floor Derek couldn't help but feel as if everyone was starring at him. Normally being the center of attention was never a problem for the man. In any other circumstance he'd relish in the attention even going as far to say that there was no such thing as bad attention. But now something was vastly different: he was on a level playing field and it seemed that the work place gossip and rumors ate the room up, everyone having metaphorical daggers at his throat. They still didn't think he could do shit. Derek straitened his back, his pride still getting in the way. There was only one thing to do now.<br/><br/>He'd prove every single one of them wrong.<br/><br/>Clearing his throat Derek made his way to the server station, immediately filling up glasses of water and putting on his best mask as he approached the regulars with Derek. It started out good. Derek smiled, asked how they were doing even if he didn't care. He had to admit the kid was cute and surprisingly well behaved if only a little loud. He missed things here and there, still fresh out of the gate but with Conner's help he was able to rectify any mistakes he made. By the end of the table he was actually feeling pretty proud of himself. Maybe this whole working for a living thing wouldn't be so bad?<br/><br/>Of course the universe wouldn't be so forgiving as to actually give him a good day. Almost immediately after his smoke break Derek was greeted by a two topper. They were from out of town, just stopping by. It was supposed to be easy. Simple. Derek knew immediately his expectations were dashed when the woman looked him up and down, raising an eyebrow and addressing him in a condescending manner. She said something about his lip piercing but Derek was content to ignore it with a tight laugh and a, "What kind of drink can I get for you today?"<br/><br/>It only went down hill from there. The woman had him running back and forth non-stop. He didn't even have any time to keep up with the other table he'd been given. Every time Derek went back something was wrong; there was one too many lemons in her water, the salad was slightly wilted, the dressing was too acidic,<i>her steak was done wrong <b>two</b> times</i>. He damn near imploded but all the while he kept smiling and nodding and saying, "Sorry about that ma'am," and she'd write him off like he was a speck of dirt beneath her shoe. Derek could feel the servers eyes on him more intently ow then ever, like he was the entertainment at some sort of comedy show. Jason especially seemed to bask in Derek's misfortune.<br/><br/>After the table left Derek went to the table, at least looking forward to his tip, only to find they hadn't let a cent.<br/><br/>"feels good, doesn't it?" Jason chimed as Derek stepped outside, lighter in hand and stogie pressed to his lips.<br/><br/>"Don't you know when to stop talking?" He shot back. Jason only offered him a laugh, going back through the door and leaving Derek alone outside. It wasn't until he was packing up from his shift that he realized why Jason looked so familiar; He'd done the<i>exact</i>same thing to the man as the woman had done to him. Guilt settled into the pit of Derek'd stomach like wet cement. Fuck. No wonder that man was so malicious towards him.<br/><br/>"Is it always like that?" He asked Conner, catching him on the way out.