Condemned

6

BLAKE

Opening my eyes the following morning, there was a whole new light ignited inside of me. It was a drive, a motive, a reason to roll out of bed and live on to see the next day.

Sitting up, I leaned my back against the bed frame and gathered my thoughts.

My mind was consumed of Jude, and the night he has provided me with. I felt entirely different from the Blake Rosenthal I was the previous morning. Sure, my eyes still flickered open and my body leaned against the same bed frame, yet still, nothing was the same. Panic grew inside of me as I glanced at the digital alarm clock on my nightstand.

Exactly what I feared it to be. 9:00 AM.

"Shit, shit!"

I threw the covers off of me and ran into the walk in closet, fishing around for my uniform. Rose had given me the 8:30 shift, since it was a Monday and on weekdays, Lava Java opened up earlier for the morning birds off to work. I ran all throughout my apartment, gathering my keys, shoes, and a hair tie. I pulled my hair back into a low bun, the keys bitten down between my teeth, and running for the door.

It took me less than five minutes to make it across the street to Lava Java. It was extremely busy in the morning. I was located in the heart of the Piscean city, and with most desk jobs, it required early mornings.

Busting through the doors to the cafe, I was discombobulated and nearly stumbled by the entrance. Rose was behind the front counter, a hand going on her hip as she watched me. I knew the look on her face. Her lip was pursed in disappointment. It reminded me all too much of my mother's.

"Rose, I'm so sorry..." I was out of breath. I came behind the counter with her to clock in. "There's no excuse for being late. I promise, this won't be a regular thing..."

"You bet it won't be. Come with me."

Her tone sounded firm, but not in a threatening way. She ushered me aside, leading us into the back room and away from customers and coworkers. Her dark skin was glowing today, her hair pulled back in a bun to match mine. She wore it the same way yesterday, on my first day here.

"Listen, Rose, I—"

"No, no. I don't need to hear an apology. Words don't mean anything to me, Blake, I'll tell you that right now," she said, using a hand to dismiss whatever excuses were going to come tumbling from my lips. She sighed out. "If you're sorry, you'll prove it to me. That's how things work around here. It's only your second day, I'm not gonna fire you over being late once."

Relief had stricken me. "God, thank you. Thank you so much."

As much as I wasn't thrilled to be serving cranky customers coffee and pastries for the time being, I needed the money. This job was to get me on my feet and situated in this endless cycle of a society. And I couldn't imagine being fired on the second day.