The Porcelain Kids (Achillean)

Chapter Three: Avery

Hey! So just leaving a quick message here to say that while I'll only be updating this once a week, the next couple of chapters will be released all of this week, as they're already in my drafts.

Enjoy!! And please leave a comment telling me what you thought <3

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4:30PM, St Kilda, Australia

Avery was tired. His shift had only started at 12:45 in the afternoon, and yet he was already ready for it to be over. He was sick of customers and of working on a weekend and of the loud noises of coffee grinders and obnoxious, loud people.

He wanted to go home and play on his PS4, maybe finish some of his math work, clean the dishes for his mother so she would have to when she got home — anything other than being here.

He didn't hate his job. Not really. But he was having a bad day; Sai hadn't texted him all day, and he was so sleep deprived that he had slept through two emergency wake-up alarms, which then meant he had to rush and stress to get ready.

Hopefully in another thirty minutes to an hour, he could leave. The café closed around five o'clock, and his shift was supposed to finish by then. He could help clean up, write his shift hours and pay into his work handbook, and then leave. Just another hour. He could last for another hour.

The café was unusually busy at today. Sundays were usually their slow days, and especially in the afternoon. But it was packed, with people filling the seating both inside and the front and back outside areas, and people were regularly coming in to take away drinks and food.

Avery finished up one of the orders (black latté , two sugars, a dollop of whipped cream), and started on the next one (iced tea, herbal green with vanilla incense and chocolate drops, more-than-average ice cubes), looking up to watch how the other three staff were doing. Two of them, Melissa and Andrew, had to be called in as an emergency when he and Brodie were overwhelmed. The four of them were just managing to keep control over the busy café.

Melissa brushed past him

"Are you doing okay with the drinks?" he nodded. "Good, I think Brodie needs help with serving the seated customers."

Avery goes back to the drinks; finishes one, calls out a name, and hands it to them. Finish, call, hand out. Finish, call, hand out. He repeats the mantra like a broken record, and occasionally breaks the pattern to remind himself what's waiting at home.

Just get through this.

Eventually, the tables slowly start to empty and people begin to file out. Friends hug each other goodbye, the few kids hanging out pack up their things and head home, and the few people who've stayed long enough get the message that it's closing time soon. It becomes quiet again as Avery wipes down the tables and counters while the others do their own jobs. It's okay, he can breathe again.

"Avery," Melissa calls to him from being the counter. "Fill in your shift hours and then get going. We'll finish the rest."

He wants to refuse, or at least offer to stay and continue cleaning up, but he's tired and emotionally exhausted, and can't find it in him to do the polite things. Avery walks to the staff room and gets out his work handbook, taking extra care to make sure his handwriting is legible. He stuffs it back in his front backpack pocket, swings it onto his left shoulder, and slips out of the door so Brodie and Andrew don't see him leave early.

The walk back home is long, and hot. He could take the bus, but he hasn't topped up his Miki card, and it isn't worth going to the Miki-friendly petrol station across the road just for that. He'll walk home, sticking to the shade of the trees and buildings, and maybe even make a quick detour to the beach. It's close enough to his house, probably a ten minute walk. Maybe he can even collect some more shells for his mother's weird Pinterest projects.

Avery tried to avoid the major roads and streets. Even though it was a Sunday, it was still busy, with people out with friends or going shopping or doing the errands they didn't have time for during the week. Thankfully, the path down to the beach was reasonably people-free, and Avery took his shoes off, shoving them into bag, and continuing on barefoot.

It's peaceful here. It was more dirt and gravel than sand here, so most beach-goers were somewhere further down, sunbathing or swimming or just walking along the sand. The exit path that lead to his street came long before the heavily populated areas of the beach, so Avery wouldn't have to worry about the crowd.

Today was not a people day.

It was twenty past six when Avery finally got back home. His mother was still out, and his father was on the couch watching TV.

"Hey," Avery greeted, his exhaustion ignored momentarily for manners. "How was your day?"

His father barley looked up. "Alright. Me and Davo did some work on his new house," his father cleared his throat. "Did you know they're building a new house? Missus is pregnant and everything."

"That's nice," Avery shot over his shoulder, walking into his room. Closing the door, he threw his backpack onto the ground and collapsed onto his bed, letting out a long sigh.

He should probably text Sai. He hadn't heard from them still and was begging to worry. But he was so tired, and besides, it'd be early over there anyway. And if Sai was awake still, they'd understand – they always did. Avery would text them when he woke up. He wouldn't sleep for long, just a quick nap. He had homework to complete, anyway.

Avery let out a long breath, and closed his eyes, letting the tension drain out from him.

He didn't wake back up until his mother came home at ten o'clock.