AllFreeNovel
Share Us
“Hola tia! Como estas?” A perky girl around my age, with shiny black hair practically jumped behind the counter. It was obvious she was Suzie’s niece. They could have been twins.
I was so distracted I almost didn’t notice Chase leave the shop with Olivia.
“Grey, this is Roseanna Mariella Fernandez. We call her Rosie for short… Unless she’s in trouble.” The coffee shop was calming down again. Suzie handed the last dine-in customer’s daughter a cake-pop.
“Nice to meet you.” Her name sounded fancy, I wondered if I should bow.
“She’s going to be your roommate,” Suzie added.
Most girls would have already had plans for their roommate. I’d overheard college students asking their best friends to move in with them in the shop all the time. Rosie wouldn’t want me, a stranger, for a roommate.
“Muy bien! That’s perfect! My first practice starts this afternoon. There is no way I’d ever have time to find someone on my own.” She made the sign of the catholic cross over her shoulders and neck. “Answered prayers.”
Practice?
“I’m a majorette.” She answered my silent question.
A what?
She rolled her eyes. “A baton twirler. It’s an Olympic sport you know, and most of us are also gymnast.”
Oh boy. At least she didn’t say cheerleader.
“Aste Luego, roomie.” She kissed each of my cheeks before darting out of the shop.
“Told ya. It’s perfect! I’ll grab a key for you before we close the shop.” Suzie took off her apron and placed it on a hook.
I walked around to empty tables collecting dirty dishes. It used to be a part of my job I hated. It was peaceful to have an inch of normalcy.
It gave me a moment to breath, to think. How did I feel about seeing Chase and Olivia? Together? Should it devastate me? Was I even allowed to have any feelings either way? We’d grown up apart. It had been several years. Was it really fair for me to be mad at him?
He didn’t even acknowledge my existence.
What the fuck was I supposed to do with that little nugget?
Chapter 5
Meghan
People.
Not my strong suit.
Friends… what’s that?
Girl drama gave me the cooties, and don’t get me started with cat fights.
If Rosie thought we were going to be BFFs who shopped together and did all the girly shit, she had another thing coming. Trouble was, I didn’t really know anything about her. Did she squeeze her toothpaste from the top or bottom? She wasn’t using my toothpaste. Some things aren’t meant to be shared.
A single car passed the small, quiet house. I hesitated at the door with my hoodie pulled over my head. The only light flashed from the porch light. Whether the police and my mother were looking for me was still a mystery. I didn’t want to stand out in the open for longer than necessary.
As soon as I jiggled the key and opened the door, fresh paint hit my nose. “We made a few small upgrades last week,” Suzie had mentioned fixing up the property. Light gray tones covered the wall. Somehow, it made the room bright and calm. A fluffy blue sectional faced a TV mounted on the wall. I followed the flow of the house, down a corridor, past a bathroom and a few closets.
It was quaint and cozy, the type of place I could curl up and read a good book.
Suzie must have spent quite a deal of time customizing the kitchen. Enormous windows framed around a breakfast nook had the potential to brighten my mornings. The stove was brand new, blue tape covered all the knobs. A stainless-steel fridge, too!?
I opened the refrigerator to find it empty. Each cabinet was sparse. The pantry had rows of shelves with nothing on them.
