Hosie Stories

Story 31 - 'A shot of Hope'

Authors note: 

This is a story that I plan to continue over on ao3, so if you want to see it continued I suggest you search for me on there, as it will be staying as a oneshot here! Other than that, hope you enjoy :)

Josie moves to New Orleans for a new job, and comes to find a favorite local coffee shop.

Josie graduated high school three years ago. From then, she got a music and teaching degree at a local college, something that she recently finished. She then searched for a job in New Orleans, a place far away from Mystic Falls. She's not sure why she'd set her heart on there, only that she wanted to expand her horizons, but she received a job shortly after applying. All she knew was that she had to get away from that town. While she did grow up there and she made beautiful memories with her friends and family, there's also so much darkness tied to it. So much loss. So many bad memories of battles and monsters, things she'd much rather forget, or leave in the past. It had been a hard decision for her parents to come to terms with, especially so soon after the Merge, but it just felt right. It felt like something she had to do, for herself, for her future, and her career. A fresh start in a new and exciting city, with so much to explore. Hundreds of opportunities right around every corner. And she reminded her mother that is she misses her she can compel herself onto flights or even run there and arrive in the same amount of time, or less.

This brings her to now, unpacking the last of the boxes she had brought with her to the new apartment. Assembling her furniture had been an effortless task, thanks to some basic spells. The decorating she's chosen to do by hand, giving herself more control to ensure it ends up being perfect. She puts a few picture frames of her with her friends and family on the shelves in her bedroom, her ukulele and guitar next to her couch, and scatters plenty of plants across the apartment (too many, by some people's standards). She hangs up some posters and a calendar, as well as a few other things to transform this place into her perfect home. It's the right size for one person, with plenty of room to do all of her daily things, like cooking delicious meals in the kitchen.

When she's satisfied with how her apartment looks, Josie grabs her jacket and heads for a stroll down the streets, eager to discover the wonders of her new city. There seems to be plenty of bars, clubs, restaurants, and some coffee shops. People fill the streets, engaging in various artistic pursuits that she feels fortunate to bare witness to. It's magical. Her first impression is that it's a lively place, with so much going on, so many stories to tell, and so much heart and soul. She thinks she will like living in New Orleans, it being a stark contrast to the town of Mystic Falls that she used to live in. Where that town was small and everyone knew everyone, New Orleans is large and you'll meet a new face everywhere you go. It fills her with anticipation, with hopes of meeting future lifelong friends, and maybe one day finding love.

She walks down another road, finding a small, yet charming coffee shop. Looking in through the window, she can see it has plenty of plants and simple pieces of artwork around. It feels welcoming like it is drawing her in. And so she goes in. The smells of various hot drinks and food items hit her senses immediately, both sweet and savory, asking her to buy them. She walks to the counter, reading the menu on the board above. The layout itself is enticing enough, written on a blackboard in a swirly cursive font. There are separate ones for each type of item - hot drinks, cold drinks, sandwiches, baked goods. So many choices, making it all the more challenging to narrow it down.

"Hi. What can I-" A staff member comes out from the back, pausing mid-sentence. Josie looks down from the board, having now decided on what she'd like to order, wondering why they've stopped speaking. The girl, short, early twenties, is looking at her wide-eyed. Most people would find it creepy, and definitely write a complaint, but for some reason, Josie doesn't. She simply looks back, observing the ocean-blue eyes that are staring at her so intensely, with a sense of curiosity. "W-what can I get for you?" The staff member finally finishes what they had been saying.

She seems friendly, also possibly nervous, but there's a chance Josie's reading her wrong.

"Can I get a peanut butter shake, a croissant, and a roasted veggie sandwich, please?" Josie asks. Peanut butter shakes have become a new obsession for her over the past few years. She had been at the Mystic Grill once when the sudden urge to order a peanut butter blast overwhelmed her, and she hasn't looked back since. Peanut butter milkshakes of all kinds became her new all-time favorite drink then, and they still are now.

"Not a problem. Sit in or to go?" She follows up.

"I think I'll sit in, thank you."

"And that'll be 16.28." Josie lifts her phone to the machine that the staff member has presented to her, tapping the back of it against the screen. It beeps. A receipt prints which the girl hands to Josie. "It'll just be a few minutes." She clarifies.

Josie can feel the eyes on the back of her skull, watching, waiting for her to take her seat. She sits at a table by the window. She looks back around, the girl's eyes widening even further before she hurries to the back to likely make up Josie's order. Next to her table is a few piles of leaflets, one of which is titled "Discovering New Orleans". She guesses this sort of thing is common for large cities like this. With so much to do, guides must be rather useful for tourists, and for people like Josie moving to a new area and needing to find their way around. She reads through it carefully, googling anything that appeals to her. She comes across a few parks and museums that may be worth visiting, which she adds to her bookmarks.

No more than ten minutes later, the same girl is walking back in her direction, holding two small plates and a tall cup.

"Here you go. One peanut butter shake, one croissant, and a roasted veggie sandwich." Whatever look had possessed her earlier has disappeared, now leaving a warm smile in its place. One that reassures Josie.

"Thank you," Josie answers.

"Can I get you anything else?" She asks, setting the items down on the table. Josie glances at her food quickly, each piece with an incredibly appealing appearance.

"No, I'm that's all. Thank you." Josie says.

She loses track of time, enjoying her food and looking at what the city has to offer. She leaves no crumbs on her plates and sucks every last drop of her milkshake up through the straw. Once she knows for certain that it is all gone, she picks up her belongings and carries the plates and cup to the counter. The same girl is there again, thanking her for cleaning up after herself. Josie says it's no problem (she worked in hospitality during college to help support herself, so she knows how much difference small gestures like that can make).

"It was delicious."

"Glad to hear it." The server responds with another bright smile, almost too bright, in a way that would have a lot of people questioning if it is hiding something else. That doesn't bother Josie though - she likes mystery sometimes, when there are things about people that she doesn't know.

Reaching into her pocket, she pulls out her purse, checking if she has any spare change that she can offer as a tip. She finds a lone ten-dollar bill, deciding it would be more than enough given what she ordered. "Thank you for your service..." Josie looks down at her name badge. "Andrea." She concludes, handing over the tip, and walks away as soon as it is in Andrea's hand, giving her no opportunity to hand it back over.

Josie leaves the coffee shop with every intention of coming back.

Authors note:
What do we think this means? Why is this girl so odd? Who is she? If you want to find out, head on over to my ao3 where a second chapter will be posted in the coming week!