“Maybe we don’t need to have it all figured out. We probably just need to go with the flow of life, whilst putting one foot in front of the other.”
---
~ Elizabeth ~
The café was busier than usual on this particular day. Usually, I would get a short break during my six-hour shift, but this time… there was none. I just had to keep going, despite my throbbing legs.
Six hours wasn’t a long time to be upstanding, but because I was emotionally drained—which added to my physical exhaustion—I couldn’t really blame myself.
I was tired. Really tired. Still, I kept going.
“Take this order to table sixty.”
I nodded, collecting the large tray from Yvonne—my new supervisor. Who even knew cafés had supervisors, anyway?
Slowly, I made my way toward the table… though my heart began thumping in my chest for reasons I didn’t yet understand—at least not until I got there.
“Oh… look who we have here!”
Sarah’s shrill voice caught my attention before anything else did, and I froze at the sight in front of me.
They were all sitting around a large table. And unlike the last time… Patrick wasn’t alone. Evelyn was with him—sitting proudly on his lap, his large hands wrapped protectively around her. The sight made me sick to my stomach.
“Elizabeth,” I heard her say—but I ignored it. The mockery in her tone was hard to miss.
“Oh, are you deaf now?” Rose snapped, just as I carefully placed the tray on the table and turned to leave. But her words stopped me in my tracks.
I looked up—intending to meet her eyes—but instead, my gaze shifted toward Patrick… and I saw it. They were making out. Grinding into each other like there was no tomorrow.
And in that moment, I wanted to scream. Get a room, guys!
Eventually, I escaped. My shift ended at long last, but for some reason, I just couldn’t get that scene out of my head. Patrick and Evelyn, all over each other. It haunted me.
I had just finished freshening up at home when I received a call from Anita Baker.
“Hey, Anny! What a surprise,” I said, a little breathless. I had practically jogged from the bathroom to my room to grab the phone.
For some absurd reason, I’d expected the call to be from Patrick—calling to apologize, to plead for a second chance.
But that was ridiculous… right?
“Yes, yes. Can you stop by tomorrow after school?”
Tomorrow was my only day off of the week, and I had initially planned to spend it bonding with Mom. We hadn’t had our girl time in days, and I craved it—almost desperately. Though I doubted she felt the same. She was always on the phone with Luke.
I get it. That’s normal when you’re in a relationship.
Still… couldn’t she at least try to make time for me?
“Sure, sure.”
“Okay! See you there!”
For some reason, I actually looked forward to seeing Anita. Maybe because she reminded me a little of myself… or maybe because it was the perfect excuse to see Dad and the twins again. Either way, I was excited.
---
The next day, during break time, I avoided the cafeteria—trying to spare myself the heartache that came from seeing Patrick and Evie being all lovey-dovey.
I went to the school library instead, where I read a random book I’d picked up: Blueberry Winter by Sarah Jio. The title didn’t sound gripping, but the story was emotional from the very first page. By the end, I found myself sobbing silently.
That’s when I remembered the saying: Don’t judge a book by its cover.
In this case, it wasn’t just the cover… but the title too.
My lunch had been a bagel and a milkshake I picked up from a restaurant on my way to school. Ever since Mom started working again, she hasn’t had time to make breakfast anymore, so I had to do it myself.
But I’d woken up a little late that morning, and takeout was the only option. Not that I minded—it tasted heavenly.
After lunch, I dropped my bag in my locker and quickly headed into the restroom. I had just shut the stall door when I began to hear voices from near the sinks. So I stayed still and listened.
“I don’t understand you at all, Sarah!”
Rose’s voice pierced the silence.
“Meaning?” Sarah responded, calm and composed as always. As expected of a queen bee, right?
“Patrick is your fiancé, isn’t he?”
“Yes?”
“Then why are you letting him mess around with that lowlife girl… what’s her name again?”
“Evelyn,” Blue chimed in.
“Yes—Evelyn. He clearly doesn’t like her. So why?”
“Well, well… isn’t it obvious?”
“What is?” Rose’s voice was sharp, impatient.
“This is like killing two birds with one stone. Evelyn and the newbie are best friends. And since both of them are clearly obsessed with my fiancé… shouldn’t I just let them destroy their friendship on their own?”
“Oh… so you’re only supporting Evelyn because you know Patrick will break her heart?”
Blue’s question echoed my own.
“We all know Patrick isn’t the guy that commits.”
“So you mean—”
“Yes. You’ll see what happens after he gets under her skirt.”
“Um… interesting.”
“Yeah, yeah. So let’s just sit back and watch them burn.”
“Tsk… Evelyn has no idea she’s digging her own grave by trusting Patrick with her heart.”
“She’s already pitiful enough. Not only are her parents divorced, but her dad now has to live the rest of his life as an amputee.”
The remainder of Evie’s situation made my heart ache. And I couldn’t help but wonder—what really led her to behave the way she did? Was it lust? Obsession? Loneliness?
“That’s none of our business. If she’s chosen to dig her own grave, let her.”
“Yes, yes.”
I remained seated long after they’d left—just processing everything I had heard.
Patrick doesn’t commit?
Then why does Sarah still like him?
Isn’t she afraid he’ll break her heart too?
“Well, he has. A couple of times.”
My subconscious whispered—and I nodded, remembering the longing I’d always seen in Sarah’s eyes when it came to Patrick.
But if she knew he couldn’t give her the love she truly wanted… why was she still holding on?
For some reason, it felt like I wasn’t just asking that about Sarah.
Maybe I was asking myself too.
Sigh.
---
A/N: What do you think of the chapter, guys?