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1321 Words
"I’m Late!"
Nicole shouted loudly as she sleepily glanced at the clock, seeing it was only a few minutes before seven o’clock. She quickly jumped out of bed, hastily folded the blanket she had used, and carefully placed it inside a wooden cabinet along with a single thin pillow. She also rolled up the old sleeping mat, which she had probably been using for about seven years, and neatly tucked it under the broken couch.
After tidying up her sleeping area, she grabbed a change of clothes from a small cardboard box she’d gotten from a nearby convenience store. She also took the towel that was neatly hung up and rushed out the door to her Aunt Norma’s house to take a quick shower.
As expected, a flying washbasin was the first thing to greet her as soon as she stepped inside.
Fortunately, just like the day before, she was quick enough to dodge it today. Instead of hitting her face, she caught it mid-air.
With how skilled she had become at catching flying objects, she thought she might as well join a football or rugby team.
After all, every single day, her aunt would greet her with something flying at her. If it wasn’t a basin, it would be a pitcher. If not that, it would be a bucket—sometimes even a mug or a fragile glass.
Nicole had long learned to brush off her Aunt Norma’s behavior, convincing herself that maybe this was just her aunt’s way of saying “Good morning.”
She entered through the back door, where the kitchen was. It was the quickest route to her aunt’s house from the tiny storage shed she lived in.
Yes, a storage shed. Her Aunt Norma had kicked her out of the main house at the request of her spoiled cousins, who didn’t want her around. They claimed she was an eyesore.
Well, Nicole figured they were probably just jealous because she was undeniably prettier than them.
To be honest, it was actually better living in the storage shed. At least she had some peace and quiet, compared to when she lived in their fancy house, surrounded by her cruel cousins. Back then, even in the middle of the night, they would wake her up just to get them a glass of water.
Moving to the shed had been tough at first. There was no electricity, and it was full of rats and mosquitoes, probably due to the darkness and the clutter. But after a few months, she got used to it. She cleaned up, got rid of the pests, and eliminated the awful smell.
Now, at least, she could sleep peacefully without anyone disturbing her.
“Good morning, Auntie!” Nicole greeted her aunt with a big smile.
Instead of returning the greeting, her aunt simply shot her a nasty glare.
“There you are. Go find a job so you can finally be useful around here! You’ve been freeloading for years!” Aunt Norma shouted at her.
Nicole forced a smile and nodded.
Her Aunt Norma wasn’t that old—probably in her fifties—but she was incredibly grumpy. Not a day went by without her shouting.
Then again, like the flying objects, Nicole had grown used to the insults and harsh words. Even when she did nothing wrong, she was always bombarded with curses.
She tried to understand her aunt. Maybe she was just bitter because she’d been single for so long. Maybe she just needed some love.
Nicole knew she was fooling herself. The truth was, her aunt had always been this way toward her—even when she was a child.
At least this time, her aunt didn’t scold her about the fight she had with her cousins, Luciferia and Lizabelle. Instead, her aunt just pushed her to find a job, saying she needed to be useful now that she’d graduated.
Nicole had been tirelessly searching for a job for days. Even though she was a summa c*m laude graduate from a prestigious university, work was hard to find. She applied everywhere, even at a gas station as a pump attendant.
But today was different. She’d received a call from the company that had sponsored her scholarship. They wanted her to come in for an interview!
Nicole felt like this was the opportunity she had been waiting for. She nearly jumped for joy when she got the call.
Her interview was scheduled for eight o’clock, and now she was sitting in a coffee shop near the company, anxiously waiting for her coffee. She kept glancing at the time, worried about being late and missing this life-changing opportunity.
She could’ve skipped the coffee and gone straight to the company, but she hadn’t eaten since the night before. She was out of food, and her aunt had been in one of her bad moods, so Nicole didn’t get breakfast either.
Plus, she didn’t want her breath to smell bad during the interview.
A smile spread across Nicole’s face when she finally heard her name being called at the counter. She eagerly stood up and was just a few steps away from her order when a tall man in a business suit blocked her path.
Her eyes widened in shock as the man casually took her coffee.
“Miss, I’ll take this. I’m in a hurry,” he said coolly.
The man repeated himself, “I’ll take it, thank you.”
“Oh no, look at the name written on the cup—Nicole. I’m sure your name isn’t Nicole. That’s mine!” Nicole said, clearly annoyed.
But the man just raised an eyebrow at her, staring at her seriously.
“You’re keeping me late with this nonsense,” he said, irritation evident in his voice.
He bent down slightly, reached into the pocket of his black slacks, and pulled out some cash.
“Here’s $60. Get as many coffees as you want. I don’t care, I have to go,” he said, shoving the money toward her.
Nicole’s temper flared even more at his arrogance.
“You’re so rude! Just because you’re more handsome than any movie star, taller than professional athletes, and smell better than anyone doesn’t give you the right to be a jerk!”
Her cheeks flushed with anger as she grabbed the bills and threw them back at him.
The man looked utterly confused, furrowing his brows as he stared at her. Then, his gaze dropped to the money scattered on the coffee shop floor.
“What I’m saying is, you have an ugly attitude! Just because you’re rich doesn’t mean other people’s time is worthless. If you’re in a hurry, so am I! I need my coffee because I’ve been starving since last night. I have an interview at eight o’clock in that building over there, so give me my coffee and keep your money!”
Nicole pointed toward the building she was heading to, still fuming. But instead of looking guilty, the man just smirked.
“Don’t worry, Miss Loudmouth—you won’t get hired,” he said seriously before turning on his heel and rushing out of the coffee shop.
“What a rude man! I hope you trip, you jerk!” Nicole stomped her foot in frustration.
She was about to leave when her eyes landed on the $60 still lying on the marble floor.
She hesitated for a moment before bending down to pick up the bills. It would be a waste if someone else took them.
Nicole quickly folded the money and stuffed it into her pocket.
But even as she walked out of the coffee shop, she couldn’t shake off her irritation at that arrogant man who stole her coffee. And what did he say? That she wouldn’t get hired? The audacity!
With a deep sigh, she decided to focus on her interview instead of her hunger. That was more important now.
- Writer
