Photograph

Twenty One

me: boreddddd

me: come over?

Kates 🔮: be there in a few.

I was still alone in my house. My mum and dad hadn't returned from wherever they were previously before I got back, and it was a bit later now.

And, I still didn't return Rob's big fiddly camera to him. He had something against me. I just knew my presence made him feel iffy towards me, but I just swept it under the rug.

He told me he was going to come and chat to me about something, but I simply ignored his message.

Kates 🔮: meet me @ the coffee shop round the corner, k?

me: see you

Guess I was getting coffee.

/

I pushed the handle of the coffee shop so aggressively I felt a tiny electric buzz rip through my hand, shaking up my bones in a split second and causing a loud creak of the old door, making heads snap up to figure out who was causing the sudden ruckus.

The bell of the small shop chimed happily and the smell of fresh coffee beans lingered in the vintage air, as if they were greeting me. My loud entry got death glares, but the daggers died down as the few people who were looking at me slowly melted back into the lighthearted buzz like before I had entered.

I've never really been that mad on coffee, but the smell was to die for.

Katie wasn't here yet, so I sat myself down on a tiny chair in the corner, next to a girl with her head stuck in a book.

She was wearing a Billie Eilish hoodie.

Before I could get up and sit in another spot, she looked up at me and her face lit up.

"Alex, right? You're the one on Billie's insta story all the time! I love your photos!"

She was cute.

"Um, th—"

"What's Billie up to? Is there new music? Apparently she's dyeing her roots red! I can't wait to see it! Has she done it already? Oh my GOD, I bet she's done it already. I bet she looks hot."

She said that all in one breath.

I couldn't keep up.

"Is it true she's paralyzed and that's why the tour was cancelled? People are saying she just wanted a break, but I saw online somewhere that she had a boot and was actually paralyzed from when she fell in Miami. What was that li—"

"I'm afraid Alexandra can't answer those questions at this moment." A familiar deep voice voice called. A shadow of a tall man was shown on the small coffee table, and I looked up to see a scruffy, big-bearded Rob standing right in front of me.

I sighed.

I leaned over to the girl and whispered. "Hagrid's come to take me away."

She ended up in a fit of laughter. "I suppose he does look a bit like Hagrid."

Hagrid rolled his eyes and sat in the chair opposite me, completely blocking my view from the girl and he folded his huge arms together impatiently.

"You broke her."

"Who?"

"She's broken now."

"Who?"

"You know who." He hissed.

"Rob, what are you on? If this is about the camera you let me borrow, I can assure you: she's just fine. If I knew you were even in the area I would have brought her." I said, leaning back into the hard chair.

I had found that a way he passed the time was drumming his fat fingers against his furry arm. He absolutely stunk of whisky and he looked like he was on a whole other planet, yet talked in a formal manner, which shocked me.

"Billie. She's not willing to do another album because she's too sad."

"And that's my fault, is it?"

"Quite frankly if you two weren't... kaboodling or whatever, she wouldn't be in this situation."

I snorted.

"I haven't spoken to the girl in days. I'm not her responsibility. If she's sad, that was because of you, not me. And, I literally got home a few hours ago— can't we save this drama shit for the weekend or something?"

He shook his head. "I don't believe you for a second."

I opened my mouth to speak before hesitantly shutting it.

"Leave her alone. That's all I'm asking." He spat.

"I am leaving her alone! Leaving her alone is what caused this supposed 'problem' in the first place! If she doesn't want to make an album, that's something I can't control."

I stood up, still maintaining eye contact with him.

"Listen to me, girl—"

"I'm sorry, man, but this is something you have to take up with Billie and Finneas." I said, before making my way out the shop, the cute bell chiming and the old door squeaking.

I just left Billie's Hagrid looking tour manager in a coffee shop.

He looked astounded. Like, he was shocked that me of all people would walk away from him.

As I was walking back in the direction I came, I saw the blue haired girl walk towards me. I had noticed she was walking towards me with more sway in her step as she saw me, as if to impress me.

"Woah, what happened? Caitlyn's Coffee is that way." Katie said, a huge grin on her face.

I kept my neutral gaze.

"Sorry, Katie. You caught me on a bad day."

"Can I just come back to yours?"

"My mum will be back soon. She'd probably want me on my own. We can hang out soon though!"

And with that, I walked straight past her as she wandered into Caitlyn's Coffee.