The Fox and the Hound

Him.

I hate Mondays. 

Rolling out of bed, I checked my phone, nothing a message from my brother as well as another one from my best friend Olivia. 

I didn't have class today, which meant I had to work from 7 until closing at my colleges local coffee shop. 

I was only six, so I had plenty of time to get ready for the day. leaving my room, I walking into the kitchen and popped a slice of bread into the toasted before getting dressed. I put on a pair of loose jeans and a green pullover my dad had given me when I got accepted to Cornell. Days like this were hard without him.

Slipping on my jacket, I stuffed by keys and my phone into my pocket, snatched my toast and began walking to the bus stop. Most mornings, Olivia would drive me but she had spent the night with her boyfriend last night.

I reached the bus stop almost choking on my toast as I read the sign above me.

BUS CLOSED FROM THE 4th-19th

I began to run, not knowing what else to do. The cafe was a ten minute bus ride, that made it like a 30 minute walk, right? I was already running late, now this?

A heard someone yelling and turned to see a black Ford pulling upon next to me.

"you need a ride, kid?"

I recognize the boy from my school, Simon, maybe. "I'm fine," I called back.  I ain't about to get kidnapped bro. 

"You sure, those tiny legs aren't covering much ground," Shawn or whatever his name is called. "Coffee shop, right? Buy me a cookie and I'll call it even."

I thought about it for a moment. Getting kidnapped was not worth going to work, but what other choice did I have? 

--

I enter the building and throw my long red hair into a messy bun and pull on my apron and my name tag. 

"You're late," Kevin, my manager, said, staring me down. It was easy to look down on me because he was like 8'7, but I' short so who knows.

"I-I-I'm sorry sir," I said, his loud voice giving me flashbacks to when I used to live with my mom. "It won't happen again, I promise."

"It better not," Kevin said, looking me up and down with disgusted "Or else you're fired."

I hurried to the counter, blinking away the tears filling up my green orbs. It was around 7 am, so the early morning rush had just started. I began taking orders as quickly as I could.

"He's going to molest you next time," My best friend Olivia said, brushing passed me as she went to make a Venti Iced Caramel Macchiato with almond milk and an extra shot of espresso with pumps of mocha syrup, 2 pumps of toffee nut syrup, and a sprinkle of cinnamon on top.

"He's going to fire me next time," I mumble, handing an cute blonde dude a mocha

Olivia was a popular girl, with long blonde hair and bright blue orbs. All the guys loved her and always overlooked me.

"I SAID NO WHIPPED CREAM," the ugly dude yelled at me, throwing the coffee at me and staining my dark green sweatshirt that my dad gave me before he died.

Distantly, I could hear Olivia calling for Kevin and the customer leaving, but I couldn't focus on the particulars as the tears started streaming down my face.

"Are you ok?" an older guy that was at least 6'11 was standing in front of me. He led me to the backroom and helped me sit down on the floor.

I began sobbing so hard I couldn't reply. "It's ok, Ruby," he said, trying to sound kind but his voice was too low for that.

"How do you know my name?" I asked between crying.

"Your name tag," he said brushing a loose strand of hair behind my ear. "Here." He took off my apron and then my shirt, spending a good 7 minutes staring at my lingerie that I wear on a day-to-day basis. Despite having a perfect hourglass figure, I always thought my body was hideous but this stranger's drool was saying otherwise. The mystery man then took off his own shirt, revealing so many muscles, and gave it to me.

He helped me to my feet, breaking his neck to look down at me. "I believe in you, get back out there and kick ass, foxy."

Shirtless, he walked towards the exit.

"Wait!" I called after him, snapping out of my stupor. "What's your name?"

His smile screamed Rich! And it made him even hotter. "Odis."

What a hot name.