Just By Chance

Reed's

I was trying to be hopeful as I turned in my application. I had wanted to work at Reed's Cafe and Bookstore for at least 3 years. It was the cutest cafe in all of Chicago, with a small coffee shop in the back corner, a few small tables and chairs, and a couple of shelves full of books by local writers. It was the one place in the world that I always felt happy and confident in.

I had tried to apply before, but Adam, the store owner, said that you had to be 17 to apply. He said that he liked to have mature staff that would be able to handle the job. So, the day after I turned 17, I dressed in my favorite Fall outfit (a dark maroon sweater and black jeans) and took a taxi over to Reed's. I put on a polite yet excited persona and asked the familiar barista for an application form.

She cracked a sweet smile as she grabbed me a form. I was usually here a couple of times a week, so we'd talked a few times. I had told her that I'd apply as soon as I was old enough. "Happy birthday! Finally able to apply, then. Good luck! I'd love to work with someone as kind and energetic as you."

On my way out, I decided to buy a new book called "The Girl in the Corner". The cover was beautiful and the summary on the back was intriguing. It wasn't too expensive, so I thought I'd give it a try.

On my way back home, I heard my phone's alert from my back pocket. It was a new tweet from Phil Lester, an adorable YouTuber from England. I'd seen all of his and his friend Dan's videos and I had a bit of an obsession. When I saw the tweet, my face lit up. Reading his perky and cute tweets always sweetened my day.
"Dan and I just arrived in The United States at a mystery location... where could we be?"

I sighed. His mystery location was intriguing, but they were most likely in Los Angeles or New York City. They were definitely not anywhere within decent distance of me. Them being within a few states of me would be a miracle.