I wake to the faint sound of my phone ringing. I try to ignore it, then reality smacks me in the face. Fuck, I have work this morning. The thought alone shoots me out of bed. I search around my room for it and just when I find it…it stops.
Sitting back down on my bed, I scroll through the call log. It was Sasha, one of the girls I work with. Dammit! Quickly I jump into my work clothes and then call her back. Her phone goes to voicemail and then a voice mail chimes in.
“Hey, girl, I’m sorry, but I overslept and am running a bit late. I’ll be there as soon as I can. I hope you got the store open okay and it’s not too busy.”
Fuck. Fuck. Fuck. I fly out of my apartment and hop into my car, driving as fast as I can. Since it’s five in the morning, there are barely any cars on the roads and I push the speed limit. Goddamn Brady for making me drink so much last night. I was fine ’til I left his place, then the mind-fuck began, and I had one too many drinks at home. Beating myself up, worrying about the what-ifs.
It’s not long ’til I pull up to the newly built Starbucks that I manage. I’ve worked my ass off to get this job and I truly love it. Some might say it’s not much, but to me it’s the world. I wasn’t fortunate enough to go to college, so I’m proud to be in the position I’m in, especially at the age of twenty-three.
Thankfully, there is only one car waiting in the parking lot, and it’s Roger, one of our regulars. I smile and wave to him as I run by and unlock the door. Then I make quick work of the opening process, turning off the alarms, and powering up the place, from the lights to the machines, everything has to be brought to life.
As I get my headset on and ready for any cars coming through the drive through, Jason comes in with Roger and they are both laughing. “Morning, A,” he says as he breezes by me. “Where do you want me?”
I smile looking up at him and take two gallons of milk out of the cooler. Then start to brew our daily roasts. Jason is about my age, tall with messy, brown hair and works his ass off. Well most of the time. We have fun here, that’s one of the reasons why I love my job so much. “It’s up to you. Sasha’s late, so you can have your pick.”
“Hell yeah, drive through,” he says.
I can’t help, but laugh at him. I know with my headset on, I’ll have to listen to him joke and make customers laugh all day. But that’s the job of the manager. Just then Roger emerges from the restroom. “Good morning. How’s the beautiful Arion this morning?” he asks with a warm smile spread across his face.
“I’m tired,” I respond, holding back a yawn.
“Late night?” Jason asks me, handing me Roger’s coffee.
“You could say that.”
Our attention is diverted to Sasha as she comes through the front door with her massive mound of brown hair piled atop her head. Even running late, she’s gorgeous. My hair, on the other hand, is stringy. I pulled it back into a ponytail on the drive.
“Morning,” she says. “Arion, I’m sorry that I’m late. I’m so sorry.”
“It’s fine, it happens.” I can’t really come down on her considering that I wasn’t on time myself. “Let’s have a good day, guys,” I say as the first customer chimes in on the drive through and another walks through the front door. Roger goes to pay me, and I politely hand him back his twenty-dollar bill. He always over-tips us, so the least I can do is take care of his drink this morning. My gesture backfires, as he takes the whole twenty and leaves it in our tip jar. Before I can tell him to keep it, he is walking away and I am faced with another rich New Jersey customer. Work keeps me busy for a good part of the morning and once it finally dies down, I step outside to take a break, enjoying the cold chill on my skin. I check my cell phone and notice a missed call from my roommate, Aubrey. I dial her back, and light a cigarette. God, I really need to quit smoking. Isn’t that what all smokers say?
“Hey, girl,” she answers in a bright tone.
“Hey, sorry I missed your call, works been a B.”
“No problem. How are you feeling?”
I laugh, exhaling a puff of smoke. “Uhhh, I’m hanging, but I’ll get over it. How ’bout you?”
“I’m good. I drank my hangover remedy and feel like a million bucks.”
“You bitch, you should’ve made me some.”
She snorts and says, “Hah, yeah right. You leave at the ass crack of dawn.”
“Whatever, that’s no excuse.”
“So Brady, you really gonna break it off with him?”
“Aubrey, there is nothing to break off. We fuck and that’s it. I told him no feelings and he’s been pushing it. So I just won’t answer his calls anymore when he wants to fuck.”
“Hmmmm, we’ll see how long it lasts. Wanna go out tonight and see what trouble we can get into?”
“If you’re driving, then yes.”
“Fuck no. I picked you up last night. You drive.”