1989

1- New Romantics

Rui Ninomiya never thought it would end the way it did. When they left... it was like three years down the drain. Rui didn't do anything with his life, just devoted to his ex, and then his ex left him. As a nineteen-year-old high-school dropout, there weren't many options for him. So, Rui decided that he might as well try to start over, make a new life. He's always been interested in fashion, so why not move to New York? After all, New York is the center for opportunity. So, Rui packed his bags, all of the clothes he owned, his wigs, and every other item he owns and made his way to the bus stop. With some of the cash he had in his wallet, he bought a ticket to take him as close to New York City as he could. It was his plan, he would hop buses until he finally got to his destination.

As soon as he was in the city, Rui could feel it. A strange sense of wonder had taken over his entire essence, it was a feeling of anticipation, like some future was finally in sight. Rui had felt worthy of something and felt confident in his fashion ability. In New York City, maybe he can do all that he aspires to do, live the life he wishes to live. In New York City, dreams can come true.

Unfortunately, Rui's dreams didn't come true right away. Due to his lack of income, he was forced to buy a really cheap apartment in a bad neighborhood. He never let himself leave the apartment, only for necessities, like groceries and job searching. Unlike the rumors, there weren't many job opportunities in New York. Rui walked around searching every day and only ever found one. It was an opening at a cafe, just a simple barista job, but it was a job nonetheless. Rui applied, and a week later they mailed him back, a letter accepting his employment and when he was supposed to start. He had until the end of the weekend, then was to start on Monday, arriving at the coffeehouse no later than 5:30 a.m. Perfect!

On Sunday night, Rui set an alarm for 4:00 a.m. in order to get up on time, he would take the subway to the street closest to the coffeehouse like usual, which would take half an hour alone. This left Rui half an hour to get ready for work, which was perfect. Just enough time to will himself out of bed, wash his face, do his makeup, and choose an outfit and wig for the day. He made sure to be asleep by 10 so that he wouldn't be utterly exhausted when morning rolled around.

Soon, the loud sound of beeping could be heard in Rui's otherwise silent apartment, prompting him to get out of bed. "Yeah, yeah," he grumbled to the phone, as if it would hear and turn off his alarm. He hit the lock button on his phone twice, deactivating the alarm until the next morning, when it was set to go off at the same time; trade secret that works perfectly every single time.

Before Rui knew it, it was 4:30, and he had to leave. Fortunately, he was all decked out in a pretty blue sundress with white heels, his shorter blonde wig on today with black, round glasses. He walks outside, making his way to the subway station, riding to his destination before walking to the cafe. When he walked in, he was met with the scent of coffee beans and vanilla, causing him to smile.

"Aye!" Someone called from behind the counter. Their nametag revealed that their name was Alan. "Are you Rui?"

Rui turned his attention to the pastries in a display on the counter before he met eyes with Alan. "Yeah," he says. "I'm Rui."

Alan grinned, approaching his new coworker and holding out a hand. "I'm Alan. Apparently, we share this shift now. That's relieving, it was always too many people for one man to handle."

Rui shook Alan's hand briefly before dropping it. He felt a little shy, not wanting to come off as too weird or something. People often called him a freak, apparently it wasn't normal to wear dresses and heels in public. "I'm glad to help," he tells Alan. "How do you use these machines?"

"Well, first you need to get dressed in our uniform, silly," Alan says. He leads Rui behind the counter and through a door. Inside the new room were lockers and tables, a couple couches as well. Was this the employee lounge? "Here's where you can keep your things." Alan approaches the lockers, unlocking his number code lock and opening his locker, taking out two aprons before closing it and locking it again. On Friday, he was given an extra apron for Rui, because Rui would be his new work partner. He was going to have to mentor him. Things will go well. Alan handed one of the aprons to Rui, then put his on. He adjusted his nametag, then went to help Rui.