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

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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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