With A Cup of Coffee, Please

Vulnerability

"How's it been girly?" Faye asked enthusiastically. "Eh, you know, it's not bad," she replied, grasping at words. Seeing her past acquaintance made her feel uncomfortable, and the presence of her new friend didn't help to ease her.

"So, I see you've got a date going on," she teased. "Hope I'm not disturbing you ma'am!" she laughed at Miya, still trying to grasp the situation. "It's not a date, dumdum," scolded Raine in a whispering tone. "Ooh, is it like an escort date where the customer-" began Faye, only to be interrupted by a stern "No."

Faye was taken aback, looking confused. "What do you mean? What else could this," she said, referring to Raine being with a posh-looking person like Miya, "be? There's no way she's your friend, and you don't look related at all." The statement offended Miya.

"Excuse me?" said Miya, hoping to defend herself and her friend. To her surprise, Raine held up a hand to calm the girl. "It's alright," she reassured. Turning back to Faye, Raine sighed. "It's been months Faye. What brings you here?" she asked. Faye took out a stick of cigarette and began to smoke in front of her, bothering the other two.

"Well, I came here to bring you back!" she said, exhaling a cloud of smoke. The statement alarmed Raine, Miya noticing her demeanor changing. "This sounds personal, should I leave?" she thought. "Under whose order?" asked Raine coldly. "Well, who else? The boss, duh," Faye nonchalantly said.

The sentence made Miya's ears perk up. "Boss? Was she a member of a gang or something?" she worried. Miya was about to walk away when Raine said something that caught her attention.

"I am not going back to that place, Faye."

She felt the atmosphere get more tense, but was unable to gauge just how severe it was. "Ugh, it's not even that bad, Raine. It's just like any other job," argued Faye, seeming annoyed. "Job? Wanna call slavery an occupation next?" shot back Raine, her hands on her hips. Miya noticed her nails digging into her skin, worried as to the direction of this conversation.

"Come on Raine, grow up and come back, the boss needs you. We need you," reasoned Faye. Raine was on the edge of losing restraint, the atmosphere getting more tense. "Please Raine," she pleaded again. Raine's teeth clenched harder, and Miya noticing her jaw muscle bulge made her anxious.

To everyone's shock, Raine let her arms droop beside her and took a deep breath. "Is that a yes?" asked Faye with a smirk. "Faye?" began Raine. "Yes?" she responded, breathing out the smoke in her lungs. "Given our history, I'll only say this: Leave me alone. I'm not going back, and that's final."

Without missing a beat, she grabbed Miya's hand and began to walk away. Faye tried to call out to Raine, but was left ignored. Miya, on the other hand, stayed silent.

The pair made it to the bus stop, silence remained unbroken. They sat and waited for the bus without saying a word. Miya glanced over to Raine multiple times. Each time she contemplated on saying something, she thought it was inappropriate or insensitive.

After some time, the bus arrived. Boarding the bus, neither of them uttered a single word, yet they sat next to each other. Feeling nervous, Miya opened her mouth to say something, only to be cut off by Raine apologising. "Sorry you had to see all that," she said.

A crack in the voice. Worried, Miya glanced over to look Raine in the eyes, only to be met with a face struggling to stay neutral. "I-It's fine. If anything, I should be the one apologising. It sounded personal," replied Miya. Raine let out a small laugh, confusing the girl. "That's cute of you."

Realising what she said, Raine glanced away, trying to play off the embarrassment despite the proof planted on her face. Miya on the other hand, felt relieved to see the girl ease up. "I'll take it this time," she smiled.