Department 203

My God, I was going to be late.

Well, maybe that didn’t matter so much, if I didn’t arrive on time the appointment couldn’t take place, right?

Despite my thoughts, I was still restless.

My shift was supposed to have ended thirty minutes ago, however, the cafeteria had been packed with many people, who, apparently, had been invited to try Ainoa’s exquisite coffee: sweets and delicatessen.

None of my co-workers or I could complain, since after our boss saw the large number of people inside her cafe, she had very kindly told us that if we left, we would be fired. I understood her position, we were only fifteen people who serve twice as many tables, we couldn’t even leave her alone even if we wanted to.

So staying here meant overtime and that equaled more money. Although we had things to do—me—none of us had moved behind the bar, just to grab a piece of cake or coffee and deliver it to customers.

I sighed, as I finished the figure of the tree in the coffee foam, and then placed it on the metal tray along with two pieces of cake and a strawberry shake. I placed it on the palm of my hand, and placing it at the height of my head, I began to walk between tables to deliver another order.

After leaving things on the table, I showed my best rehearsed smile to the couple in front of me.

"Have a nice evening," I murmured.

"I like your hair," the girl replied. I let go of a short laugh, embracing the tray “Is it natural?"

I nodded before I heard the bell on the bar.

Another coffee.

I apologized to the girl and walked away from there to approach the bar. I had become accustomed to that kind of praise from clients, or rarely, from street children referring to my blue hair.

Yes, my hair was blue.

Previously I had been blonde for much of my life, but after I turned eighteen, I dyed myself on her. And today, at twenty-one, he was still in the same brilliant tone that always drew attention.

"Didn′t you have a very important appointment today?"

I turned on my feet to look at Josh, my partner from a few months ago, look up from my ass and then see my face, he had a shy smile.

”I have,” I answer looking at the clock on the wall. Five and a half, "I′m 30 minutes late. I guess. . ."

"Janine!" my boss shouted through the glass, I looked at her. "Relay! Finish that order and you can go."

I′ve been waiting so long for that little word.

My body had become numb, and after that, I felt it relax again. I nodded and looked at the boy with a big victorious smile.

"I′m going."

"Lucky,” he grumbled, drinking his coffee. 2Do you think. . . ?2

I raised my hand to shut him up.

”We′re not going out together,” I hastened to say, her smile faded. "I prefer to keep my dates far enough away from me that, if anything goes wrong, I can′t pour coffee on them. And, you and I work together. Impossible."

"Why do you think something will go wrong?” he insisted, leaning on the bar, bringing his face closer to mine.

"Because I like you, and you′re very sweet, I don′t like them like that. ”

I stepped back, to cross the service door, took off my waist apron and stuffed it into my locker.

My uniform was quite simple; a black shirt — two sizes smaller than mine — with the coffee logo on the side, and a ponytail, pants of the same shade, which looked spectacular, by the way. Oh, and a black hat, I loved it and hated it equally, brought out my hair a lot.

And the apron, of course, so as not to lose the nice habit.

I took out my cell phone, my keys and my jacket. I placed the last one by inertia, putting my cell phone in one of the pockets and leaving the keys between my fingers. I walked out the back door and practically ran to the front on my bike.

My nice motorcycle. Which she had taken several gray hairs from mom, but which, after a while, she managed to get used to. The truth is, I wasn′t going to stop running it either because of what she told me, after all it was mine, and I had worked for months on two jobs to get it.

My frown frowned, as I saw a large, flashy red pickup, impeding my exit. I didn′t take much notice of him, he could walk out of a small space between a trash can and that moving monster. I′d rather scratch one of your doors a thousand times than do something to the bucket and have it deducted from my salary.

I climbed on it, and after warming it up a bit, I adjusted the mirrors starting to recede. Just a little bit. Just a little. . . trash.

Shit.

It wasn′t so literal that I wanted to scratch the truck.

I looked both ways, suddenly nervous, my chest had accelerated. When I didn′t see anyone, I continued my mission to get out of there. Trash, trash, trash.

I got out of it when I saw the mess I had caused with the motorcycle grill on one of the doors. I′d made a huge dent in it. Three, specifically.

It′s my time to run.

The door opened, I knew from the other bell, and a scream echoed throughout the parking lot.

A dark-haired boy, quite tall and wide-muscled, came up to me frantically putting his hands on his dark hair. He had not yet noticed my presence, he looked directly at what he had done seconds before.

"I′m sorry. . ."

"Girl, what the hell is wrong with you?" she turned to me, her eyes were lost in my hair, then she seemed to remember why she was screaming, because I continue "If you don′t know how to drive, tell your parents to come get you."

Oh.

I meant to apologize. I was really going to, when I rarely did, but, this time, I knew it was my fault. However, after that, the blood burned inside my skin, allowing me to see the path of anger instead of peace.

"I know how to drive! "I shouted, striding "The one who doesn′t seem to know is you. You can′t park there!"

We looked like kids arguing in a parking lot, but I didn′t care

"Of course,” he snapped his tongue, as if he had understood something, ”it′s that the dye in your head has melted everything. I get it."

One more and he jumped on him.

"I′ve been melted since I was born!" I returned "It clearly says for the workers, are you one? Of course not, it′s your fault."

"Oh, my gosh, I didn′t see it!" he added, still with a vein marked on his forehead, putting his hands on his hips "Who can solve that for me?"

I was angry enough to give him a sensible answer, apologize, or just notice how extremely handsome he was. So I didn′t care what came out of my mouth.

"I′m not interested at all,” I let go, keeping a serious look. ”Now, either you take off your red shit or I′ll do something worse."

"I′ll call the police!"

Really?

I let out a laugh, which caused all the people who saw us inside the cafe through the glass, to look at me with strangeness. Because yes, we had made a big fuss, and now everyone was watching us as gossip they were while sipping coffee.

"Oh, yes!" I nodded frantically. Do it, and you′ll say this. ”A pretty pretty girl with blue hair scratched the door of my red pickup, because I parked where it clearly says only for employees" Let′s see who wins."

She clenched her hands into fists, as she squeezed her jaw firmly. Clearly we were both out of our boxes, but neither of us cared.

"Exchange pretty for crazy,” he said, opening the driver′s door, getting on his vehicle." Leave it like that, I doubt you have the money to pay for it."

"More than you, yes."

That′s a lie.

I had yes, but not enough to fix a damaged door. He didn′t know that. Some months I could with the rent of my apartment and the food, while others it was the food and I couldn′t with the rent. For the same reason, I was looking for a flatmate. So we can both afford the expenses.

I already had it. In fact, I was moving out today, while seeing for the first time the guy I spoke to on the phone. The process was pretty quick, so I understood he wanted to leave his parents′ house as soon as possible, and as Hook paid me three months in one fell swoop, even, paid both parts, both his and mine. Why? I don′t know, maybe he had a lot of money I tried to return it, but he claimed he never did that at any time.

Shit! I forgot. Again, I′m even later.

The guy in the van was gone, he left a few seconds ago without telling me anything but giving me a deadly look. I got back on the leather of my bike, and considering there was nothing I could break now, I left the parking lot and entered the race at full speed.

I circled some vehicles quite easily until I stopped at the first traffic light to enter the city centre. I lived in Los Angeles, and as I guessed the day I moved in, the streets were always very crowded.

Looking to my right, I realized once again that the universe was playing against me today. Next to me was, again, the van and the brown boy. His profile was quite enviable, even if I was driving, maybe at another time I would have flirted with him and got a date, but after what happened he was completely denied my attempts.

He hadn′t sen me, and he was praying he wouldn′t.

As soon as the light turned green, I squeaked my wheels on the ground, leaving behind the blissful smug guy.

What a day.