Dormant

Chapter 19

Natasha

It's been weeks since I sprained my ankle and I developed a limp in my walk. Violet and Emelet have been helping me look for jobs surrounding the campus to get back up on my feet, seeing as my mother still refuses to pay for my housing. I'm on the waitlist for on-campus housing, and as far as I know it, they're not getting back to me anytime soon.

Everyone forgave Tristian for bailing on me and she has been finding more ways to seep into our friend group without a problem. I can't say that I don't mind it, but it's not really my place.

The way she laughs with them ticks me off. The way she seems to be at every single hang out we go to. They have even went so far as to add her to our group chat. I don't know if this is her way of trying to get closer to me, but I hate it.

"How's your project for photography class going?" Monte asks Tristian with a bright smile on her face.

"It's...going," She chuckles, twirling her spoon in her hot mug. "I'm still struggling with a few factors."

"Like what?"

Her smile falters and soon falls as she stares into the liquid in her cup. "I don't really want to talk about it." We all take it as a sign to move on and change the subject, but my stare lingers.

As I tune out all the conversations surrounding me and stare ahead, I notice a poster by the window that says 'Hiring'.

I smile to myself and excuse myself from the table. I wait in line for a few moments before shyly asking for a job application. I'm met with desperate eyes of the baristas before me as they pass me an application.

It took me nearly all night to finish it due to the length and details of the questions. I had never worked a single job during high school, so I had absolutely no work experience. I had to call Violet over and help me, but eventually stopped asking out of embarrassment.

The next day, I made a stop at the Cafe on my way to class to drop off my application, when I ran into Emelet.

She had two cups of coffee in tray, and looked like she was in a hurry, but she still took the time to stop and talk to me.

"Hey sweetness," Her shiny brown hair fell over the side of her face as she made an abrupt stop. "Meeting somebody?"

I felt my heart warm a little when I noticed the pink tints in her cheeks. I chuckle as I hold up the packet in my hands. "No, just applying to work here. What about you? I see you have two coffees there."

"Actually, I was just leaving to see you." She says, with a flirtatious smile. I gently take the cup from her hands, my fingers tingling at the sudden heat.

"Wow, how generous of you." I bite the edge of my cup before taking a small sip. The taste is surprisingly better than the coffee I usually make.

"Does it taste good?" I now notice how close she is to me when I feel her breath hit me in the face. My eyes nearly flutter shut when I catch a hint of her perfume.

We hold eye contact for a nearly a minute when I finally speak. "Yeah..it tastes nice."

"Are you two in line?" A sudden voice from behind the counter asks us. I timidly hand the person the application before walking out the store with Emelet.

I hung out with her all day after my morning classes to steer clear of Tristian when I learned she was with everyone else that day.

A few days after, I got an abrupt call from the cafe manager asking me to come in for an interview. I was butt naked with soap already lathered all over my body, but I sure was jumping for joy.