𝐂𝐑𝐀𝐒𝐇𝐄𝐒 || atsv - miles 42

𝟎𝟒.

𝙢𝙞𝙡𝙚𝙨.

I woke up in my bed after a long night of working and playing video games. Thankfully, it was the weekend and I had nothing to do. I stepped out of bed and turned on the speaker in my room, grabbing my phone and scrolling through it for a song to play. I finally found one and walked to the bathroom to begin getting ready.

"Miles! Vas a llegar tarde!" My mother's muffled voice yelled from outside of my room. I didn't hear her due to the music I was playing, along with the fact that I was in the bathroom.

It took me a couple times of her calling out my name before she came and knocked loudly on my bedroom door to actually understand she wanted to talk to me. I rushed out of the bathroom and paused my music, opening the door to see my mom glaring at me with her hands resting on her hips.

"What's up, Mamí?" I spoke, giving her an awkward smile. She stared at me for a little longer before narrowing her eyes. "Don't 'what's up' me. You're late," she quipped, poking me in the chest.

My face immediately switched from its usual stoic look to a more confused expression.
"What are you talking about?" I questioned, my brows furrowed together.

She pinched her nose bridge and sighed deeply. "Ay, ay, ay, mijo. The job I told you about. ¿No te acuerdas? It's on the calendar!" she exclaimed, I could tell she was upset.
"Ma, you know I don't look at the calendar," I replied, trying to reason with her. I dropped my hands to my sides and kept my eyes on her as she began to walk away; mumbling something under her breath.

"Well, start looking at it. Get ready," She said finally, waving a hand back in my direction. Once she was out of sight, I closed my door quietly and resumed my music; playing it at a lower volume this time. I threw on a pair of baggy jeans and a graphic tee — something casual for the job I was supposed to be at.
I grabbed my phone off of my desk and opened up the calendar app to see what my mom was talking about. Sure enough, it was right there: "Miles - Café"

I sighed deeply and shut off my speaker swiftly leaving my room. I quickly slipped on my shoes and went into the kitchen to grab some snacks to shove into the backpack I was taking. Before I left the kitchen, I gave my mom a kiss on the cheek and a quick hug; then I was off on this strange adventure.

✁ ✃ ✄

I parked outside of the café and walked inside. The interior was very minimalistic, but it was pleasing. Soft music was playing in the background and I couldn't help but slightly bop my head to the beat of it. My eyes were darting everywhere around the café until they settled on a full set of dark curls behind the counter. They slightly bounced with every movement she made and-

"Hey, are you gonna move up in line, or..." A female voice spoke behind me. I glanced back at her quickly. "Sorry," I apologized quietly. I kept my eyes glued to my shoes as I moved up in the line I didn't realize I was in, before stepping out of it and walking behind the counter. I crept up on her quietly and suddenly gripped her shoulders just as she was about to turn around.

"Holy shit," She jumped and turned to me. I couldn't hold back the slight grin that had appeared on my face. She narrowed her eyes at me quickly before calling out an order. "Iced Americano for... Isabella?" she announced, swirling the cup around gently and placing it on the counter.

I watched her as she worked, taking more notes about her work demeanor. Iris had a sassy and playful personality, but that seemed to disappear while she was here. Although she was still upbeat, it wasn't the same as when she was at school. Nothing could distract her from doing her job, not even the fact that I scared her — she brushed it off and went back to normal.

I guess nothing was gonna stop her from making bank. I ain't mad at it, though.

A hand suddenly clasped my shoulder and spun me around. It was a guy who looked around my age, with short curly hair and sleepy hazel eyes. "Miles, right?" he asked, patting my back. He had already made a huge impression on me, I was sure we might be able to be friends.

"Yeah, and you are?" I questioned, raising an eyebrow as he guided me to what seemed like a break room. He sat me down on a soft, plush couch before settling down next to me; chuckling. "Ian. Ian Perez," he answered, holding his hand out. I dapped him up and started to examine the room, noticing how it was decorated similar to the main area of the café.

"Nice to meet you," I spoke, not making eye contact with him. He bent down and got close to me, narrowing his eyes.

"Uh-uh, no empieces esa pequeña charla. I know why you're here," he pointed at me and that immediately caught my attention — my eyes met his. "You know my cousin, and you came to see her."

My brows furrowed. His cousin? Who was he talking about? "Who's your cousin?" I asked before it clicked. "Oh."

"Iris," he said, backing away from me. "Before you start messin' with her, I need to know every—" He got interrupted by Iris walking into the room, a confused look on her face.

"Ian, please," she scoffed, chuckling to herself. My eyes darted between her and Ian, wondering how this interaction would play out. "You're not gonna fight him — you're 16 and much smaller than him. Go out to the counter, it's your turn now." Ian stormed out of the break room with a loud sigh; rolling his eyes. Iris plopped down into a chair across from me, the coffee table in between us. Awkward silence hung heavy in the air, besides the intense smell of coffee brewing.

"I didn't know you work here, I've never seen you... like ever," her words cut through the silence in the room and I didn't feel my stomach knotting out of nervousness anymore. I felt her gaze on me, anticipating an immediate response. I took a second or two to get myself together before I spoke up. "Well, maybe cause I've never been here — my mom put in an application for me to work here on the weekends and today's my first day."
I saw her eyebrows raise slightly as she heard those words leave my mouth. She nodded her head slowly, probably thinking about what to say next.

"Alright then," a sigh left her lips. She sat up in her chair, leaning forward as her gaze became slightly more fierce. "Welcome to Lava Java, Morales. I'll teach you the ropes — but let's get you an apron, yeah?"

-kelpnseaweed