Coffee's For Closers (And Also Romantics)

Chapter 3: Cheryl

Cheryl was up early the next morning- she had spent the whole night drifting in and out of sleep, tossing and turning in her new bed, which had been washed of dust and grime while she had been gone. Rain storms usually had a soothing effect on her, but that night it had seemed to drone on and on so loudly that it only added to the causes of her sleeplessness.

But she was up now, and the sun was rising, which she could see through her window. She sat at the edge of her bed watching the sunrise, still dressed in her pajamas and her long hair tangled up and piled haphazardly on top of her head.

After the sun had finally lifted up above the horizon line, Cheryl stood and went into the bathroom. She got dressed, brushed her hair, did her makeup and brushed her teeth, all taking about twenty minutes.

She finished and came back out into the bedroom and sat back down on her bed in the same spot as before. What now? She didn't have anywhere to be, she didn't even know where she could be, because she knew nothing about this town.

Nothing except that there was a girl who worked at a cute little coffee shop. And the coffee shop wasn't the only cute part there.

Cheryl laid back on her bed, the comforter rumpled and unmade beneath her, and she replayed her conversation with Toni for probably the millionth time.

She wasn't sure what it was, but Toni just had such an... intriguing air about her. The way she was dressed, the casual way she talked and acted, it made it seem like a quaint cafe was the last place Toni belonged.

Cheryl shook her head. In the real world, life usually didn't bend itself to work with your aesthetic. And she was definitely glad Toni had been there, so that she could meet her.

Cheryl had noticed before that people who thought they were "punk" usually just wore black and tried way too hard to seem cool. But Toni? She owned it. And with the pink streaks in her hair, she made the look entirely unique.

Cheryl wanted to see her again, that was for sure. She wished she could just walk to the coffee shop now, sit down with a latte, and have another, longer conversation with Toni.

But it was way too early- there was no way the cafe was open yet, and there was no guarantee that Toni would be there when it opened, or if she was even working today at all.

Cheryl sat up. What was wrong with her? When was the last time Cheryl had devoted her time and feelings to obsessing over a single person? The answer was- she didn't. Cheryl was the girl that other people obsessed over, and she knew it.

Back home she could do pretty much anything she wanted, and she never really had to worry about being alone. She was cool and popular, and also rich, and almost everyone wanted to be her friend, or more than that.

Just because she didn't have those guarantees anymore didn't mean she had to start depending on people she barely knew. Cheryl could just walk outside, into the middle of the town, and see what was there.

And that was exactly what she got up to do. She grabbed her earbuds, shoved on her shoes, and left the house, setting off down the road once again.

This time the rain had already fallen and was now behind them, but it had left everything without a roof dripping wet. There were puddles everywhere, and the tall oak trees near the road had leftover raindrops dripping from every branch.

Cheryl walked through it all, avoiding puddles and staying out from beneath wet trees. Soon enough, buildings began to line the street on either side of her, and she saw a few other people walking around, though not very many, considering how early it was.