Black Coffee *NOT UPDATING*

Chapter One - "He Deserved It."

"You're fired!" Jason, my balding boss, yelled at my coworker the moment she walked in the door of The Black Box Cafe.

Customers quickly glanced at the bedraggled girl and continued on with what they were doing before the girl walked in.

Through the sobs that came out of her mouth, she managed to ask, "But why?"

"Eliza, you can't keep showing up to work reeking of alcohol and piss. Your hair is a matted mess and your uniform has unknown stains and rips. It's unprofessional," Jason replied.

By this point Eliza had long streaks of black down her cheeks and tears were dripping off her chin onto the floor.

Comfort her. I was frozen in my spot at the espresso machine and I felt completely useless as I watched the girl walked out. I knew all about Eliza's life and why she frequently came into work looking disheveled, but I was a terrible person for not providing her with help when she needed it most.

The usual chatter of people around me resumed and the door rang with a chime as one of the cafe's regulars walked in, Ryder Jameson, a bad boy who went to my school. He took his usual spot at a table in the front corner next to the big window.

I poured him a cup of steaming, hot black coffee from our freshly brewed pot and I walked it over to him.

"Here you go, one cup of black coffee as usual," I said as I placed the cup down in front of him.

He brought the mug to his lips and took a sip. "And it's just as good as usual," he claimed.

I took a seat across from him and we began our daily conversation with our usual questions - 'How are you?', 'How was school?' and him asking if I can helping him with his homework for one of his five classes.

On this particular day, a new question appeared that really caught me off guard, "How is your life at home?"

I struggled to string together words that described my home life, but all I could manage was a simple, "It's okay."

"I'm just curious because you seem perfectly happy all of the time," Ryder stated. "You prance around and I see the excitement on your face when you get a good tip or someone compliments you. It all makes me wonder what you go through every day."

"Do you really care?" I questioned, staring into his brown eyes that were almost as dark as the black coffee sitting in front of him.

He looked down into his coffee and shook his head as if he didn't believe that I was sitting in front of him doubting that he actually cared about me. "Callie, if I didn't care I wouldn't ask," he answered. "Why are you doubting me?"

"Because you're Ryder Jameson, the big 'ole bad boy who I've watched beat the living crap out of someone and leave them lying in the dirt, cut up and bleeding," I recalled the nasty memory that I had tried my hardest to push it out of my mind.

He chuckled, "Just because I occasionally beat the shit out of people doesn't mean I'm incapable of caring for someone and to be fair he deserved it."

"Well, I don't think he did, Ryder."

I scooted my chair backward and quickly walked away from the table to go help another customer.

Really Ryder? "He deserved it." Alright, so he deserved it for telling you to step away from his girlfriend and to never freaking touch her again. Okay, makes perfect sense.

I stopped at the table where an elderly couple sat, holding each other's hands and smiling. "Hi, what can I get for you two lovebirds today?" I sweetly asked, attempting to put on my best smile even though I felt infuriated at the words Ryder said.

"I didn't see you there, darling," the old woman spoke. "I'll take a black coffee, but can you bring out some creamer with it?"

I smiled, "Of course and for you, sir?"

"I'll take a black coffee," the old man said as he looked up from the menu.

"I'll be right back with those."

As I was walking to the back I heard Ryder's voice as he called my name.

"Callie," Ryder called. "Callie. Callie."

He kept calling my name even while I took the old couple's coffee to them.

"Is that your boyfriend, sweetheart?" The woman asked as I placed the piping hot mug down in front of her.

I let out a big sigh, "No, that's a guy that goes to my school and he's notorious for being mean to people."

"Let me give you some advice, sweetheart," she said. "Boys like that are one in a million and even though he is a bad boy, I have this feeling that he has a soft spot just for you. Don't judge him or take him for granted. You never know when something bad could happen to him. Don't wait to tell him how you feel because it might be too late."

"Thank you. I'll keep that advice in mind," I claimed. By this time, Ryder made the decision to leave the cafe.

I shuffled my way to the counter and I leaned on my forearms as I chatted with my other co-worker, Molly.

"Ryder left pretty pissed off," she told me. "I watched him get on his bike pretty angrily and drive away at an excessively fast speed."

Idiot. I can't believe he'd be so dumb to speed off like that.

"Please, tell me he at least put his helmet on," I mumbled as I rested my head on my arms.

She sighed, "He didn't as far as I saw."

Our eyes locked as the cafe phone rang. Both of us stood unable to move from our positions and we watched as Jason answered the phone.

He held the phone away from his ear and looked at me. "It's for you, Callie," he stated.

I felt my heart sink as all the awful situations ran through my mind.

I grabbed the phone from his hand and put it to my ear. "Hello?" I asked.

"Is this Callie Monroe?" The man's voice on the other end questioned.

"Yes," I replied.

"There has been an accident," he said.

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[Picture at top is current the cover made by @sloans]

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