Of Mochas and Macchiatos

one. chalk bodies

Coldly glaring at Rafe I quietly told him, "You utterly obliterated my croissant". But it was more than that, he not only threw 23 of my precious and hard-earned dollars down the drain but also flushed away the twenty minutes of reminiscent happiness the pastry would have brought me. Twenty minutes of forgetting about the stresses of my current situation, the strain of study and work and life, per se.

"I didn't utterly obliterate anything."

I quite honestly felt like dousing my hot coffee all over him. But before I could reach such extremes, Barney reached me.

"Miss Leger," she snarled. Okay, she didn't really snarl at me. Nobody in Astoria snarls at anybody but I could sense that if she weren't so concerned about the Stepford Wives-esque persona she projected to the world and what the precious townspeople would think of her, Barnes would definitely be acting like a class A reptile towards me.

"Why are you causing a ruckus and intentionally disturbing our sanctuary?"

Are you serious?! Me... intentionally disturbing the sanctuary? Trust me, the library is my little slice of Eden in Astoria.

"Mrs Barnes! I'm so sorry! It was never my intention to disturb-"

"You have desecrated our haven with your incessant and inappropriate shouting." Why would I ever desecrate the one place in this entire town where I feel safe?

"I-"

"No, Miss Leger. don't interrupt me. I'm going to have to ask you to vacate the premises." Barnes stretched her lips into a thin smile which looked a bit like a grimace to me. Seriously?! And I had such high hopes for today too! The injustice of it all. And Archer gets away scot-free after not only stealing my spot, destroying my breakfast and causing my expulsion from the library?! He's not remorseful whatsoever. I mean, he's quirked his eyebrow up in an obviously contrived effort to be empathetic, a façade of sympathy, but I can see the way his eyes sparkle. He thinks that it's hilarious that I've just been kicked out.

Narrowing my eyes at him, I hastily shove my books into my satchel and accidentally knock over most of my pens. They clatter noisily to the floor beside the remnants of my croissant. Oh, the humiliation. Cheeks burning, I crouch to pick them up before sliding them into my satchel and looking Mrs Barnes in the eyes.

As my ex-best friend would say, "Make like Machiavelli," i.e. suck up.

"Mrs Barnes, I would like to apologise for my inappropriate and unnecessary behaviour." I know it's wayyy over the top but I hope it works. Oh, how degrading. "Please know that I regret my actions and won't ever repeat them. Will I be allowed to return to the library anytime soon? I absolutely understand if you wish to... uh, wish to..." I trail off after hearing Archer's suppressed snigger and Barnes raises her eyebrows at me before turning to Rafe who immediately resumes his passive façade.

She speaks short clipped words. "A one month ban. For the both of you."

Rafe immediately straightens up and opens his mouth, no doubt about to launch into some ludicrous tale that results in him being a victim and me being the perpetrator. But Barnes swiftly cuts him off.

"No, Mr Archer, no objections. Yes, I do know who your father is and I am well aware of his various donations. No. Do not trouble yourself, I do feel quite inclined to let him know myself. Now leave. Please."

Damn Barnes. I flash her and Rafe a quick smile before I flounce out of the library, clutching the crumpled bag containing the sticky shreds of my croissant in one hand and my still untouched coffee in the other. Of course I am not pleased with the recent turn of events and I'm already lamenting my library ban, but to see Rafe humiliated! Oh, a spiteful pleasure courses through me.