Nothing in Between

01

Clyde James' face contorted from annoyance.

She had been annoyed the entire day from dealing with difficult customers, and now, she also had to deal with music that could cause her eardrums to bleed. A low groan escaped her throat, before she squeezed the broom and went to get a dustpan.

When Clyde peeked around the wall, she found her two coworkers, who were unfortunately also her friends, dancing around and singing to the music. She could only groan, her very slight annoyance swiftly building up and transitioning into complete anger.

Her feet loudly met the ground as she gripped the dustpan in her other hand, taking in a steadying breath. Though, obviously, that didn't work, as Clyde simply got more irritated the more she heard the music. She stomped over to the two, getting their attention.

"Can you stop playing her fucking songs?" Clyde yelled.

"What? We can't hear you!"

"Fuck off, Kate. This is a shared space, and you know I hate her."

"Got a long list of ex-lovers, they'll tell you I'm insane!"

"You are fucking insane," was all Clyde said, walking away.

Clyde shook her head. Whatever, it wasn't like she was getting hurt from Kate listening to her music. It was just annoying, really. But she could deal with it. She could deal with it for a few more years, maybe. Then, she would throw Kate into a ditch and bury her.

Okay, maybe Clyde was a little dramatic.

All Clyde truly wanted was to never hear her voice ever again, and she would be fine. But, clearly, having two friends that were insane fans made that really difficult. Honestly, Clyde was just happy that they haven't dragged her to a concert. She was so thankful.

Clyde was quite unsure of what to do if she was ever forced to see her face again. Would she stupidly cower behind the bodies of her friends as they excitedly danced along to her music, while she sulked around, seeming completely out of place? Probably.

Honestly, Clyde felt so stupid for even considering that as an option. She was supposed to not be afraid of anything. But there Clyde was, thinking about hiding as she swept the floors of the coffee shop, humming a vaguely-familiar tune under her breath.

"I think I know what song that is," a voice spoke behind Clyde, and she jumped.

"No, you don't. I don't even know what song that is."

Kate's brow quickly rose in question. "What—you know, I'm not gonna even ask."

Without even giving a verbal response to Kate's words, Clyde turned away from her and began sweeping again, pushing the dirt into the dustpan. She continued to hum the tune while throwing the dust and dirt into the garbage bin, sighing once she was done.

She left the broom and dustpan in a closet, her feet moving to a beat that was looping in her head as she walked back to the front. Clyde literally didn't know what song that came from, and it didn't sound like anything she had listened to within the past week.

There were no words spoken between Clyde and Kate when Clyde picked up a clean rag and ran it under some water. Her mind continued to focus on figuring out which song was stuck in her head, allowing her mind to wander, and her body to run on autopilot.

And as Kate rushed to the back of the shop, Clyde began wiping down the main counter, which had already gotten dirty. It was one of the first things she cleaned, but because of Kate and Beatrice, she literally had to wipe it again after cleaning everything else.

"Guys, come on. Stop stalling and let's leave," Clyde said, tossing the rag somewhere.

The two girls came running, exhaustion clear on their faces. They balled their aprons up and held them by their sides, and Clyde did the same. With everything clean and perfect, they headed out of the shop, turning off the lights and locking the doors.