Last Man Standing | Jack Manifold

| ɪɪ |

| antics |

I woke up the next morning to a black cat on my chest, glaring into my blue eyes.

"Good morning to you too, Zayn" I grumbled, leaning over to cease my alarm clock's annoying ringing. '09:01' the clock flashed. I grunted as I sat up in bed, Zayn tumbling onto my pillow.

"Zoe!" I called into the next room, "Time to get up!" 

I heard a random bang and a slur of incoherent phrases, signifying she was awake.

I stared at my grey wall, trying to wake myself up, following the trails of fake vines with my eyes. I felt something soft on my shoulder. Realising it was Zayn looking for attention, I picked him up and cradled him, tickling his tummy for a couple minutes.

When the clock blinked 09:10, I put Zayn down and walked over to my closet to grab my outfit for the day. I manoeuvred my way around school books, shoes, Coca-Cola and Monster cans.

"I really have to clean in here", I said out loud.

"Yes. Yes, you do." Zoe replied from the doorway. "That box hasn't moved since we moved in a year ago."

I glanced at the box she was talking about. The cardboard was full to the brim of posters, merch and memorabilia of One Direction. You can probably guess who my favourite was, based on the name of my cat alone.

"I know the box is there, I just don't have the heart to look at it. March 25th 2015 will always be the worst day of my life". My hand shot to my forehead, faking a long and painful sadness.

Zoe rolled her eyes, turning to leave ,"Okay, theatre-girl. Now get dressed, we're leaving at half past."

I grabbed a crimson oversized sweatshirt and ripped skinny denim jeans, slipping on my white converse high tops. I shuffled over to my mirror, tying my long black hair into a sleek, high ponytail. I dabbed a small bit of concealer, blush and eyeliner, before snatching my mascara. I threw on some hoop earrings, grabbed my phone and ran out the door.

When I got down to the kitchen, Zoe was feeding Rosa. Our flat was very nice for our young age of 18, and our kitchen was no exception. The fake marble countertops complimented the green theme in the house, and sported a grand coffee machine that provided breakfast every morning.

"Zayn!" I called, hearing the cat hit the floor upstairs.

He came trotting over a moment later. I pushed half a tin of his food into one bowl, and filled the other with water for him.

I flung my phone into my grey and white handbag and threw it over my shoulder,  following Zoe out to the car. I locked the front door and hopped into the passenger seat. The car was a vintage blue Fiat 500, a shared gift to the two of us from our parents, although Zoe usually drove the beauty. I looked at the cup holders to see two travel mugs of coffee.

"I really love you." I said, looking at the brunette with puppy-dog eyes.

"I know."

===

We walked down Greyfriars Road towards the cafe we worked in. We had just parked the car and could see Cardiff Castle at the end of the road.

The cafe was in an ideal spot. With the castle at the end of the road and Cardiff University only ten minutes away, it was quite busy. That's why Zoe and I got jobs the second we moved here.

A blue neon sign hung outside; "the Castle Antics". I smiled at the name. The ding of the bell above the door signalled our arrival. I took in a deep breath, inhaling the peaceful and homey atmosphere. 

The petite cafe was an aesthetic in itself. The red-brick accent-wall sent shocks of colour around the room. Fake vines clung to copper frames, dangling with triangular ceiling lights. Mismatched denim and faux leather couches littered the perimeter of the downstairs floor, tables leading the way to a copper staircase.

I leaned over the front desk to see our boss Joanne on her hands and knees, stocking a cupboard.

"Girls!" she squealed, "Oh, we are going to have such a good day."

Zoe and I laughed. "You say that every day, Jo"

"And we always have a good day!"

Zoe and I manoeuvred our way around the cashier to the back room, leaving the middle-aged woman to play with her coffee and baked goods. The back room was cluttered with cardboard boxes and smelt of blueberry muffins, probably due to the kitchen being just through the adjacent door.

I flung my handbag on a table and grabbed my apron from the metal hooks on the wall. The cherry-red material reminded me of a brothel and clashed with my sweatshirt, but I threw it over my head anyway. It was better than getting coffee grinds on my jeans. 

Zoe and I took it in turns tying each other's aprons, chatting about absolute bullshit, such as our theories on Carol Baskin's husband and whether we wanted to get Chinese or Indian food for dinner.

We strolled back to the front desk to find Jo still on the floor, surrounded by packets of coffee. I coughed slightly, cutting off her random mumblings about how blonde blends were too mild and needed to be made illegal.

"Girls!" she exclaimed, her hand flying to point at the two chalkboards hung on the grey walls. "I have today's tasks up there. I'll be leaving at 11 to bring my son to a dentist appointment and i won't be back till about 3. Are you two good for the day?"

Zoe and I sent each other silent looks of approval before answering Joanne.

"Mmhm" 

"All good"

"Perfect!" Jo jumped up off the floor, kissing both Zoe and I's foreheads, before shuffling into the back room. "Oh girls, I don't know what I would do without you!"

Zoe and I looked at each other and snickered, which led to a full blown giggle fit. The giggling continued until we realised we actually had to work.

I read the board, seeing a relatively long list of chores. Enough to keep me busy, but not enough to have me sprinting around. I sighed when I noticed zoe had already started her portion and fake banged my head on the desk, earning a chuckle from my best friend.

It was going to be a long day.