Cup of Roasted Coffee

17; a small loan

this chapter did not want to be written at all, so if you're wondering why it's incredibly short, there ya go

"You did what?!"

For the record, this was Emma's final resort.

She tried applying at Starbucks, but they didn't want her. Then she got an interview at the frozen yogurt place and, again, it didn't work out. She tried to ask her professor for some help, and while he was able to get her a scholarship to lower her tuition costs, it still wasn't enough to stabilize her. So here she was, the home of Audrey and Michael Perkins, her parents, after they had gotten home from church.

"Mom, I swear it was a mist-" Emma cut herself off when the older woman flipped around with a nasty look on her face, "all my fault, it was all my fault, uh huh. Listen, I just need some help. You still have Jane's college funds and I thought-"

"Oh no! Just because you can't hold a job doesn't mean we're giving you your sister's money, Emma!" Audrey had lost any cool she had when her daughter first arrived. It used to be a sight that scared the shit out of Emma, but now she knew that there was someone behind her whether or not they were actually there at the moment. Having friends was cool like that.

"Mom." Emma breathed the word out, feeling the tension in the room settle. "Jane is dead."

The two women sat in silence. Not a word more said, not another footstep taken. They needed to calm down and that's exactly what they were going to do.

Audrey wiped a tear she didn't realize she'd let slip before turning back around to her middle child. "Promise me you'll get a job soon."

"Your mother's right, Em. I hate to say it." Her father walked in with a smartphone in his hands. Emma tried her best not to roll her eyes. The man had been in the room for less than a minute and he had already managed to annoy her.

"I promise, mom." Emma saw no point in getting a job. The amount of money her sister had saved up for travels, retirement, and children was enough to pay full expenses of a small family for ten years. Jane was always the responsible one, saving her money more than imaginable. It was just another reason Emma's parents thought so little of her.

Audrey smiled though. "I'll make sure the funds are transferred to your account tonight."

"You're joking, right?" Ted was beyond confused. Emma and Ted were in one of the local Starbucks together as the college student tried to explain what had happened at her parents' house. "I'm supposed to believe your parents kept almost a million of your dead sister's saved up money just for nostalgia?"

Emma took a sip of her latte. "You've met my parents! They're insane. And she has a name, you know."

"Yeah, sorry." Ted leaned back in the wooden chair, avoiding the urge to kick his feet up for dramatic purposes. "I just really fucking hate your parents."

"Oh, I know," she laughed at the thought, "Remember closing night of Brigadoon?"

"When your mom yelled at me in front of everyone in the lobby? How could I not?!"

Both had thought that night, when Emma's mom had yelled at 17-year-old Ted in the lobby of Hatchetfield High's theatre, was one of the most awful and embarrassing moments of their lives. Looking back on it now, however, they laughed at the incident. That was one of the joys of growing up.

"At least the senior show went better!" Emma pointed out. Their senior show, Little Shop of Horrors, was an absolute success. Emma was a golden Audrey and Ted did an excellent job at playing Mr. Mushnik.