Coffee with Wilde

Chapter 3

"If you expect nothing from anybody, you're never disappointed" - Sylvia Plath.

The Thursday ritual of the train ride to the city, and getting off a stop early, due to train works, was now second nature to Athena. Except the one disagreeable part of her week, Klade, was not present. Instead of him sitting on the plushy red booth seat at the back of the cafe, Kwan stood on it hanging a picture of Omar Sheriff on the wall, with thumbtacks in his mouth.

Taking the last one out of his mouth he finished attaching it to the wall, before turning around.

"Where's your grumpy friend?" he asked, jumping down from the seat.

"I don't know, I was going to ask you," she said, sitting down and taking her notebook, and government issued school laptop out.

"Why me?" Kwan asked.

"I thought you'd have his number or something. You're the only one in this place that Klade remotely likes."

"Are you kidding? That's you. He's moved tables six times because someone attempted to sit opposite him."

Athena said nothing, the boy seemed to dwell in the shadows, peering out through his hair, observing but not speaking.

"Don't worry he'll be back next week," Kwan said, flicking his dyed brown fringe out of his eyes.

Athena stared at the newly decorated walls. Posters of old movie stars and bands only found on triple j decorated the once white walls.

"Are you going for 1950's fusion with 21st century, or ultra-hipster?" she asked.

"Ultra-hipster, if we went 1950's that cafe in Astwright would sue us, and I wrote my Society and Culture major project there, so I love them."

Athena laughed before logging onto her computer, beginning to type up her manuscript of 'My Muses' Eyes' as it had been affectionately dubbed, (instead of working on her Society and Culture major project of which the introduction was due next week). Meanwhile Kwan rolled up a poster of Airling and moved to the other side of the room.

Athena's eyes darted around the cafe in the bid to find Klade, and chastise him for avoiding her. He wasn't there. The closest person sitting next to her was a teenaged girl, not any younger than her, with a red beret placed precariously on her dyed green hair, making her look like a badly decorated Christmas tree.

'How to Write a Successful Screenplay' by Howard Lovgain, sat next to her high brand laptop, with the white coffee cup on top of the book. Her highlighter was marked with a green label, reading Lena Chidike and it's fluro yellow lid contrasting the black table top.

"So...your boyfriend isn't here today," the girl said, placing an ebony hand on Athena's pale arm.

"Klade's not my boyfriend," Athena said, with a laugh.

"Oh. Do you know if he's single? Would it be a bad idea to ask him out? He's got that sexy discontented look going on," she said, smiling in idyllic bliss.

"He's an interesting character..." Athena started. "He wouldn't make a good boyfriend...at least for a girl."

"Well...oh...forget I asked," Lena stuttered, letting out an anxious giggle.

Lena went back to typing, her flowered Doc Martens tapped on the wooden floor, whilst nervously scratching her arm. She shifted the coffee cup off the book, before picking it up and flicking through it.

"At the risk of sticking my foot in my mouth, I'd go for the film editor sitting under the Elvis poster," Athena said.

"I might try my luck, he might be able to get my movie made," she said, with a cheeky smile, flashing most of her white teeth. She packed up and moved three tables away.

Ten minutes later Lena caught Athena's eye, and held up a piece of paper with ten digits written on it.

A/N: I've finally read the Bell Jar and really liked it...on a completely unrelated note. Have a nice day. Thank you for reading please vote and comment if you liked it :)