when we collided [e.s.]

Four

When I reach the apartment, the door is wide open. "Cass?" I call through the seemly empty house. "Audrey? I'm in the bathroom," she calls from somewhere in the house. "You have to close the door when you walk in," I remind her with annoyance. My books are kicked to the side of the door, which reminds me of my backpack behind the plant. I quickly run to the end of the hallway and retrieve it, then run back and shut the door. "And thanks for kicking my books out of the way," I continue, picking them up and setting them on the coffee table. I hear something hit the bathroom door and jump. "Cassie?" I ask nervously. I only hear heavy breathing in return. I set my bag on the sofa and walk to the bathroom door. "Cassie are you okay?" "Fine," she says, but it's breathy. I open the door to see Andrew pressing Cassie against the wall, his shirt and her pants off. "Oh my god!" I scream. "Audrey," she says, her cheeks getting pink. "What the fuck is wrong with you!" I scream at both of them. I stomp in and hand them both their articles of clothing. "You get out," I say, pointing to Andrew. "Audrey, since when did you become my mother?" Cassie says with anger in her voice. I ignore her as I shove Andrew out the door. "This was our first kiss! Don't you know that?" She screams. I shut the door and lock it. "Cassie, you are not going to have sex with him in the bathroom, in our apartment!" I scream with rage. "Ugh, god!" She screams, following Andrew out.

She doesn't come back that night and I sleep restlessly.

When I wake up Cassie is in her bed. I almost thought she wouldn't come back. It's not like she was paying the rent. I feel like going to my new job all day. College, man. First day and I've already found a way to embarass myself. I lug my tired body out of bed and slap on a pair of jeans, a grey tee shirt, and a red plaid flannel. Is that really unprofessional for college? Probably. But I'm really tired.

I put a piece of toast in the toaster Cass thought was "nessecary" and it the toast burns. I glob peanut butter on it and scarf it down, not really minding that it's completely charred. Maybe today I'll be on time. My bag is still sitting on the table and I pick it up just as I hear Cassie wake up. My mind instructs me to leave as soon as possible to avoid drama. Just as I'm opening the door I hear my name. "Audrey?" I turn around. Cassie is standing in the hallway, makeup smudged everywhere. "If it's more insults-" I begin. "It's not. I just wanted to say you were right. This is our apartment and it was wrong of me to bring him here. I should have told you a long time ago," she says apologetically. "Oh. Well, thanks," I say, brushing my hair over my face to avoid eye contact. "I'll meet you at school," she says, as if suddenly all her problems have gone away. "Mhmm," I answer, closing the door and quickly diving into an elevator.

I reach the campus five minutes early and smile to myself as I walk into my classroom. Today's a new day, maybe things will be better. Suddenly my phone buzzes. "Hello?" I answer, opening my blue spiral and jotting down a few notes written down on the board. "Audrey," a male voice says with satisfaction. My stomach threatens to bring my toast back up. "Ian, stop calling me," I choke, hanging up. Damn it, he must have used a payphone. Someone must have given him my new number. My thoughts are interupted as a few more people walk in, as well as the Professor. "Goodmorning, class. Hopefully this morning we won't have any tardies," he says, taking a jab at me indirectly. A few people look back at me and I pretend to laugh. Ugh god, this is going to be a long day.

I reach "Celeste's Coffee and Pastries" three minutes before five. Ed's there already, filling up two cups of coffee for a cute couple sitting at the table nearest to the window. They're young, late twenties maybe. I notice a glimmering ring on the woman's finger and a gold band on the man's. How adorable. "Hey," I greet Ed as I walk past him to get my waist apron. "Angie and Mike," he calls, even though they're the only two in the store. Mike stands to retrieve both cups of coffee. They sit in silence as me and Ed talk. "So, do you think you could show me the ropes?" I ask him, no longer caring about being flirty. I don't need a boyfriend right now. I don't even know how old he is. "Sure. We're open from 7 to 9, supposedly to catch the morning rush. Having a starbucks only a few blocks away doesn't help with that fantasy," he begins. "There's a starbucks around here?" I ask in disbelief. Who thought two coffee shops in the same neighborhood was a good idea? "I wouldn't be offended if you wanted to try for a job there instead," he chuckles. But I can tell he's serious. "Actually, I kind of hate starbucks," I admit. "Wow, wait, an american girl hates starbucks?" He says with disbelief. "I know. It's kind of insane over there. They don't ever just serve a good coffee. It's kind of annoying with all the popularity they have," I say, pulling the sleeves of my flannel down. "Agreed. Anyways, our cash register is unlocked during work hours, but before you leave the room always lock it, even if there's another employee with you," he says. "Got it," I say, making a mental note. "Emma comes in once a week, unless we need repairs or have new employees coming in. That's pretty much it. There's a chart in the back with all the recipes needed to make the pastries, but that's usually the morning employees' job. Sometimes we need to make more if they go fast though, which to be honest, never happens. I'm surprised this place is still running after all these years," he continues. "What about the coffee?" I ask. "No real science to it. The recipes are taped everywhere. I'll take the customers today and you can watch if you want. Tommorow we'll get you started," he smiles. "Sounds good," I say, smiling back. "So how old are you? I'm 18," I say, trying not to sound pushy or nosy. "I'm 19. College dropout, before you ask," he says, sitting in his signature stool. "Feeling pressured?" I assume. He nods. "It was some of that. Part of me just felt like I wasn't happy," he says, leaning over and resting his elbows just above his knees. "What did your parents think of that?" I ask with a smirk. "They weren't too happy," he says with a breathy laugh. "What about you? What's your story?" He asks casually. "There's nothing too exotic here, trust me," I say, leaning against the counter. He gives me a that's-no-excuse look and encourages me to open up. "Okay, um, I moved here from America two days ago with my best friend Cassie. We live in the apartment complex a few blocks away," I start. "I just got out of a relationship. His name was Ian, and as much as I wanted to convince myself he didn't, he abused me," I continue, "Um, my Dad is an alchoholic and a druggy, I'm an only child," I finish, because I've run out of things to say. Ed looks at me solemnly. "Audrey, you didn't have to tell me that," he says. "It's okay. It's not like it was a secret," I smile to hide my pain.

Ed's POV:

I sit in awe, feeling pretty awful for pressuring her to open up. She smiles, but it doesn't reach her eyes. "Anyways, my best friend Cassie couldn't pay her half of the rent so I guess you could say a job was sort of mandatory," she continues, looking down at her chipped black nail polish. Before the conversation can continue, the couple sitting at the table nearest the door aproaches me. "Can I get two blueberry muffins please," he asks, taking his wallet out of his back pocket. "Um, yeah," I say, my mind still preoccupied with what Audrey just told me. "£3.00," I murmur as he hands me exact change. Audrey opens the glass display case and uses a napkin to take out two muffins, and then drops them in a to-go bag. "Thanks," the man says as Audrey hands him the bag. The couple leaves after that, giggling as the man tells the woman a joke. Before the thought leaves my mind, I run in to the back room and reach behind the refrigerator to grab my orange compsition journal. I like to write lyrics and songs in this notebook, so I keep one here and one at home. I just have to be stealthy about where I put this one or someone will find it. I grab a pen from my back pocket and quickly scribble down "Tuesday in a coffee shop, she's got me laughing..." I hear Audrey walk in and quickly drop the journal back behind the refrigerator. "Ed, are you feeling okay?" She asks with a slight smile, her amusement stemming from my suddenly squirrely attitude. "Yeah. I thought I smelled something burning back here but it turns out I was wrong," I say, leading Audrey back to the counter. She laughs.

She knows I'm lying. Her laugh is beautiful, it's this feeling. I can't describe it. But it's the best thing I've heard all day.