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Anastasia had gotten a late start. She had been distracted when school had gotten let out and she didn't realize she had taken the wrong set of stairs than she normally took. So, she had hurriedly changed in the downstairs bathroom and was now running zigzag through the people on the sidewalks. Ana was hardly ever late, but she hated the idea of losing a penny. She needed all she could get.
Her books were held tightly in her hand, hair flying about off her bun while her white shoes squeaked loudly as she ran. She glanced at the tall clock in the sky. 3:57. Her breath was heavy as she ran, the people stared at her oddly as she muttered quite excuse me's. When she rounded the corner of Palm Street, where the restaurant was located, she crashed face first into a large, hard chest.
Her books and herself went flying to the ground. "Shit!" Ana looked up. "I'm so sorry! I'm running late for work and I didn't-"
"It's okay." A blond boy awkwardly smiled at her. He leaned down to help her to her feet, collecting her books off the ground to hand them to her. "I'm Michael Langdon." He smiled.
Ana breathed in sharply, her knees slightly scraped from the fall. He was a tall fellow, his blond hair shined in the sun and his eyes were the clearest blue she had ever seen. It put her pale ones to shame. His smile was warm and welcoming. And as much as Ana wanted to sit and stare at him, she was running very much late.
"And I'm late. I'm sorry, I have to go!" She quickly ran past him, feeling embarrassed from her accident.
She made it in one minute late, and the girl was mentally kicking herself for it. It was only four, so it wasn't that busy. Just the usual everyday customers that sat in their usual spots. "Hey, Fiona. Hey, Jasper. Been busy today?" Anastasia greeted breathless as she clocked in through the back.
"Nah, just the usual. Gee, what happened to you?" Fiona spun around in the office chair, cigarette hanging from her fingers.
"Running just a bit late." She shrugged her shoulders, opening up the first aid kit that sat on the wall and grabbing two bandages for her bloodied knees.
Jasper scoffed as he re-tied his apron. Four o'clock was always their slowest times, so they generally hung out in the back and smoked. Everyone except Ana. "You're a minute late, A. You're not late."
"Well, you know I like to be punctual." She smirked, exciting the break room and into the dining room.
"Hey, Terry." Ana smiled, putting her notebook and pen into her uniform. "More coffee?"
He grumbled in response and Ana smirked. He always grumbled, never talked. She looked over her shoulder as Fiona and Jasper came out of the break room, fixing their uniforms for the new shift. "We have any reservations tonight?" She asked as she refilled the mans coffee.
"Not that I'm aware of." Jasper replied, taking a sip of his drink that sat on the counter.
"So, how's your mom, Ana?" Fiona asked, eyes scanning the room for any new customers.
