A Life Less Average

twenty

poppy 

My first shift at the cafe had gone better than I could have possibly imagined. I recognised the other girl on shift, Jasmine, and it turned out she had been in the year above me at school. She showed me everything there was to know and I tried to remember everything, though I knew it would take me a couple days to get used to the eb and flow of the place. 

I arrived before opening and Jasmine showed me round. I shoved my belongings in a locker in the staff room and introduced myself to the two chefs, both called Ben, who were locked in the kitchen all day, slaving away over the vegan menu. I was surprised that most of the baked goods arrived daily, baked fresh through the night by a lady who lived down the street. 

"You get your pick of a drink and one item from the counter for your lunch," Jasmine told me. "But since you've been here before, you know what's good." 

My mouth had immediately started salivating over everything in the counter. If it was free, I wouldn't know where to start. 

I had been in the cafe enough to know most of the menu, which helped me when customers started rolling through the door. Jasmine stood behind me for the first dozen people, making sure I put in the numbers correctly and gave the right change back. But after the first hour had passed, and there was a stream of people battling through the door, I was left to my own devices. 

I had a lot of fun. And I knew telling my mum that my first day had been great would ruin whatever evil plan she had cooked up for me. Work was great. Jasmine was friendly and the Ben's were hilarious. And I got a free coffee and a free muffin. What more could I ask for? 

The cafe closed at five. After the last of the stragglers had finished their coffees and headed home, Jasmine and I started the clean up. We collected all the glasses and plates, scrubbed the tables, swept the floor and realigned all of the furniture for tomorrow. I loaded the dishwasher in the back while Jasmine sorted out everything behind the till. 

The Ben's were finishing cleaning up in the kitchen as I finished up with the dishwasher. 

"Fancy coming out with us tonight, newbie?" Tall Ben asked. He had dark hair that was still hidden beneath a hairnet and cap. I saw the top of a tattoo peaking up through the black t-shirt he was wearing, though both of us arms were clear of ink.

"There's a band playing a couple streets away," he continued. "Jasmine's got us all hooked on them lately." 

"I can't," I said. I was exhausted. I needed to go home and sleep for a year. "But next time, definitely." 

"Too bad," he said. 

Small Ben ran a cloth over the surfaces one final time before throwing the cloth into a full bin, removing the black bag, and taking it out through the back door. 

Jasmine joined us in the kitchen a short while after, after I assumed any money had been locked in a safe somewhere. 

She looked at me. "You in?" 

I shook my head. "Next time." 

"Shame."

We all headed out through the front door. The Ben's pulled shutters down over the glass windows while Jasmine locked the door. The three of them headed down the street as I crossed the road to wait for the bus. 

I rummaged in my backpack for my headphones and stuck them in my ears as a group of teenagers approached the bus stop. The only thing worse than being approached by a group of youths, is being approached by a group of youths in the dark with nowhere else to go.

I shrank against the wall and chose my autumn playlist, drowning out their obvious repetition of the word 'fuck' and their obnoxious body language. 

I was excited to go home and tell my mum about my day. I knew it was going to drive her crazy how much I had enjoyed it, but this is what she wanted. Me out of the house, earning minimum wage for some crappy job. I maybe wouldn't tell her about the free cake. I'd let her have the power for a couple more days before I dropped how great my new job was on her. 

The bus came to a stop right in front of me, and I hopped on first, choosing a seat downstairs at the back. Thankfully, all the teenagers all hurried up the stairs, leaving me and a few elderly passengers to enjoy our journey in peace.

I grabbed my phone and sent the same message to Faye and Lewis. 

First day was amazing. 

Faye replied almost immediately, which didn't surprise me. The only time her phone wasn't in her hand was when she was in the shower. 

YAS QUEEN!!! I am so happy for you. We need to celebrate ASAP as possible...

I watched the screen, hoping for Lewis's reply, but after a minute of waiting I tucked my phone away and rested my head against the window. It was almost December, which meant the night bus ride home from work would involve Christmas lights. 

They were bound to be hung around the town throughout the week. Stars and reindeer lights usually hung from lampposts, and multicoloured bulbs would be strung across the streets. 

Maybe having some spare money in time for the holidays would be a good thing. 

And I thought of all the places Faye and I could get to with some extra cash. We'd be able to try out all the cool cafes and bars she's seen on Instagram lately. 

I sent her a reply: Drinks on me!!!!

Lewis still hadn't reply and it was making me antsy. He usually spent his Saturday evenings with Paul playing video games. He was probably too distracted by the cartoons on screen to realise his phone had buzzed. 

I shook my head, throwing any doubts away. Of course he was with Paul. And he didn't need to reply instantly. 

When did I become so insecure? 

Hell, Lewis and I hadn't even properly become boyfriend and girlfriend. There had been no question asking, and we had never actually used those titles. And I guess until then, he was free to do whatever he wanted to do.

I knew he wouldn't be doing anything, though. After Monday night, things had definitely moved forward with us. 

I had fallen asleep at his house, in his bed, and when I had woken up during the night, he hadn't been beside me. He had slept in the spare room, and had left a note on his bedside table to text him when I woke up. I had, and surprisingly, moments later he had crept back into his own bedroom. 

I didn't know whether my message had woken him up, or whether he had just been waiting for my message. Either way, he had slipped beneath his duvet next to me, and we had spent the rest of the night whispering to each other in the dark until we fell back asleep. 

His parents didn't seem to notice that the two of us had left his bedroom together. Nor did they realise that I had been wearing one of his hoodies. 

As much as I knew that people at school wouldn't question my outfit repeating, especially if I wore the same hoodie two days in a row, I had picked up his by mistake and then refused to take it off. He had laughed, and a part of me had thought he would have called me his girlfriend, or made a comment about how girls usually steal their boyfriends hoodies. But he hadn't. He had let it slide past as though it happened every day. 

With minutes to spare before the bus pulled into my stop, I sent one more message. The same message to a different person.