The Aesthetic Question

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[Tennis Court - Lorde]

It was a Saturday night, which could've been any other day of the week for all it mattered to this household. Weekends or weekdays did not matter as long as they had jobs. The girls were huddled in the painting room, sharing a pizza while doing a Harry Potter marathon.

'Maple, I got the job!' Alex's loud voice boomed right after the sounds of his leather shoes.

'Congratulations! You are no longer broke!' Maple smiled half-heartedly, which Alex didn't notice. He was too busy wallowing in his success.

'What job?' Aurora asked curiously.

'A place in a huge dance production.'

'And which dance company is that?' Aurora's voice had become suspicious.

'Royal Dance Studios.' He gingerly placed his violin next to the sofa before grabbing a piece of pizza. 'Why'd you ask?'

'Oh god.' Aurora shivered deliberately, exchanging a glance with Maple. 'Please don't let that be true.'

'What?' He squeezed into the spot between Maple and Berkley, ignoring Berkley's murderous expression.

'By some evil force of nature, we're collaborating.' No one spoke for a second, Alex just stared at her open-mouthed.

'Are you serious?' He eventually broke the silence. 'You work there?'

'Yes, unfortunately.' She sighed, picturing the disaster ahead.

'Why? Why do you have to work there?' He started whining again, to which everyone groaned in resignation. They were all accustomed to his complaints by now.

'This will be interesting.' Aurora washed down her pizza with a bottle of guava juice. Against the other girls' belief, she actually didn't hate Alex that much. She just felt a weird mix between self-consciousness and mild annoyance at his self-centered behaviour. She did not look forward to cooperating with someone of his childish nature but she liked the job enough and was not about to back down.

'What is the theme of the production?' Maple asked to ease the slight tension.

'It's a modern version of Swan Lake. Hey, why don't you guys go watch it? I can get you tickets.'

'Sure.'

'Not my thing.' Both Maple and Berkley spoke at the same time. Berkley shrugged and took another bite of the cheesy pizza. 'What? I'm not interested in dances, or music for that matter.'

No one really knew how to reply to Berkley' sharp comments most of the time, so they let Harry and Ron carry the conversation instead. After a while, Alex dusted off his hands and went upstairs. Maple followed soon afterwards, having to get ready for work.

She switched her favourite sweatshirt for a black loose-fitting T-shirt and her white shoes with tassels. Not many people noticed, but she had an undying love for tassels of any kind. Just because her hair would never stay down the way she told them to, she ran a brush through her hair and hoped that the short curls would stay in place until the end of her shift. Lifting the strap of her bucket bag up to her shoulder, she left the house and walked briskly towards the café two blocks away.

The café was a small haven for people that wanted a piece of quiet. On one side there was a display case for pastries and a coffee machine. On the other, there was a long table and stools. She tied a blue apron around her waist as per usual and stood by behind the cash register. While she waited for customers, she inhaled the aroma of caffeine. The mere smell made her muscles relax. She never forgot that although she hated working all the time, as least it was working in a place she loved. If she didn't work here, she would've spent all her spare time enjoying the ambiance in the exact same spot.