33 Night shift ( 1 )
33 Night shift ( 1 )
L
After my ‘ heroic ‘ act in the cafeteria , I tried to remain as invisible as I could .
Someone had recorded me in action and the video was making rounds in our social chatwork .
I was so ashamed of myself .
I wanted to stop them from bullying me and not be like them .
So , when the final bell rang , I hurried out of the school building , ignoring pleas from some of my ssmates ‘ who were trying to offer me a ride .
It was a weird feeling , to be poor .
As I made my way out of the building , my mind was still reeling from the day’s events – my confrontations .
with Marissa , the new transfer student , Xander who had a weird aura around him and the unsettling presence of Mr Dupree his father .
But there was no
time to dwell on those thoughts .
I had a shift at ‘ Coffee Nook ‘ to get to .
The quaint coffee shop stood on the corner of a sleepy
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33 Night shift ( 1 )
vige ( I liked to call it that because most of the residents around the coffee shop were mostly seniors and were our main customers ) .
As I pushed open the door , the familiar scent of freshly ground coffee beans and pastries greeted me , bringing a sense offort I
hadn’t realized I missed .
“ L ! You’re back ! ” the enthusiastic greeting came from Sarah , one of the baristas working in the cafe .
She was done with high school and was applying for college , so the café was just her trying to save up enough money before her admission .
She was one of the many human friends I liked who genuinely liked me back .
In the past , we would greet with a hug but today I felt out of sync , so I managed a
small smile .
“ Hey , Sarah … yeah , I’m back .
”
I made my way to the back room to change into my uniform when I caught sight of my Nanny , Miriam or Mrs Grayson , as she was known here – peering at herptop with sses perched on the bridge of her nose .
Mrs Grayson was a name we hade up with and the story was ; that she was a single mom , with a
10-24
33 Night shift ( 1 )
runaway husband .
Humans always loved the sob
stories , so ours always sold .
“ You’rete ! ” she called out with a teasing smile .
“ I’m sorry , ” I said ducking into the back room .
“ I had a weird day at school .
I’ll give you the detailster .
How are you ? ” I called over my shoulder as I pulled on the dark green apron with the café’s logo .
The uniform was simple – ck pants and a white shirt – but it felt like a shield , a way to blend into the normalcy of human life .
Here , I wasn’t a freak or a girl on the run from myplicated past .
I was just L , the friendly barista .
“ It will be fine as soon as I figure out these Excel
Nanny replied in our
sheets .
Humans are so we
native tongue drawing augh from me .
“ Just say you need my help , ” I chuckled and went over
to her .
I spent the next ten minutes , showing her how to enter data on the Excel sheet and to perform simple
calctions .
Finally done with her , I took my ce behind the
counter noticing immediately that the café was
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< 33 Night shift
bustling with regrs .
“ Hey , look who’s back ! ” said Mr Howard , an elderly man who always ordered the same thing – a ck coffee with two sugars and a slice of lemon pound cake .
He sat at the window table every afternoon , reading the newspaper .
“ Thought you’d gone and disappeared on us , Kiddo .
”
I smiled warmly .
“ Just took some time off , Mr H.
Went to see my grandparents , ” I lied .
“ But I’m back now .
Usual ? ”
“ You bet ,” he gave me a wink before going back to his
paper .
Next , I made my way to Mrs Nguyen , a middle – aged woman who always came i
a cup of chamomile tea after her yoga ss .
“ L ! ” her over – penciled
eyebrows arched dramatically “ Where have you been ?
I was asking your mom the other day and she said you were taking a break ? ”
Iughed softly , preparing her tea .
“ You know me – I never stay away for long .
”
After that , a gruff but friendly voice belonging to Mr Thompson , one of our regrs , reached my ears .
33 Night shift ( 1 )
“ Well , look who’s back ! “ .
The retired teacher came in every day at 4 pm for his afternoon cappino .
“ I missed you around here , kid .
Everything alright ? ”
I felt a warmth spread through my chest at his genuine concern .
“ Everything’s fine , Mr Thompson .
I just needed some time off to deal with … family stuff .
” The lie alwayses easily and smoothly for me , practised over months of evading questions about my past .
“ Well , d you’re back .
Now , how about that cappino ? ‘
As I prepared Mr Thompson’s drink , I fell into the familiar rhythm of the job .
Steam hissed , coffee dripped and milk frothed .
I lost myself in the process , findingfort .
I worked my way through my shift , stopping to greet customers .
There was Mrs Rodriguez , the local librarian who always ordered a chaitte .
Then came the group of college students who practically lived at the corner table during midterms refueling their study sessions with endless refills of
ck coffee .
In this world , I felt in control , grounded , needed …
33 Night shift ( 1 )
But not all customers were always weed .
I narrowed my eyes as I spotted a group of young men enter .
They were new , not regrs and had an air of trouble about them .
The kind that came with too much confidence and not enough experience to back it up .
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It was rare to see people like them around this side but I’ve dealt with their type before .
“ I’ve got this , ” I murmured to Sarah who looked apprehensive .
I approached the group , my face a mask of professional politeness .
“ Wee to Coffee Nook .
What can get I for you ? ”
The leader of the group , anky guy with a nose ring , leaned on the counter .
“ Well ello there , sweetheart .
How about your number to
art with ? ”
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