Chapter 3: Ineffective
1592 Words
2 hours later...
"Bro, Jay, I'll go to class first... I'll come back in the evening," the slender figure told the shop owner.
"Okay... do you want me to give you a ride?"
"Oh no need. I'll just take the bus, it's just a short ride..."
"If you're tired from studying... you don't have to come in the evening. There are plenty of kids at the shop, I can have someone else do it."
"No, I don't want to take advantage of others... I'll come in the evening... see you later." She then took off the shop's apron and picked up a white bag with a kitten pattern to sling over her shoulder.
At the University
"Hey, you're out of breath. Here, have some punch to refresh yourself," Riz, a beautiful girl with wavy hair, greeted her. Feliz is Riz's only remaining friend. Why is she the only one? It's because Riz's brother hit on her other friends and then dumped her.
"Thanks..."
"Are you going back to the shop again?"
"Yeah. I am..."
"Do you want to borrow some money from me, Feliz? How much do you need for next term's tuition?"
"Over 500 bucks, but no, Riz. I don't want to bother you."
"Bother? It's just money. I could just give it to you. You're my friend, and I love you very much."
"No! I won't borrow!" Feliz replied with determination.
Riz sighed. "You... if you don't have enough or need anything, just tell me... and think of me first, okay!" Riz insisted.
"I know..."
"Why don't you move into my condo? I have two rooms. You can stay with me for free. No need to pay anything. Consider being my roommate."
"No. I don't want to bother you. I know you mean well... but really, it's okay." Many times she refused her friend's offers due to her considerate nature. She didn't want to be a burden to anyone. She wanted to rely on herself as much as possible. Her life was quite a struggle, but she never resented her fate. She hoped that one day she would be strong and resilient like her parents. But now, those two strong people are no longer here.
One year ago...
At that time, Feliz was in her final year of high school. On the day she graduated, she intended to bring her outstanding student certificate to show her parents. But on the way home, an unexpected incident occurred. There were two overturned cars in the middle of the road, and one of them was her parents' car.
"Fiona!"
It felt like a knife slicing through her heart. Her heart almost shattered, her body went numb, when her Aunt Mary shouted her mother's name loudly on the street.
"What did you say?! It's not true... it's not true, right? Aunt Mary called the wrong name, right? Right, Aunt?!" Her large eyes looked at the black car. She recognized it well; it was her father's car. "No! No!"
"You can't go in." The rescue team stopped her from running towards her parents' lifeless bodies. The two bodies were covered with white sheets. It was clear that they had passed away and would never return.
"Mom... Dad... no... it's not true, right... no... that's not my mom and dad, right... no..." Her slender body collapsed to the ground, trembling as she cried uncontrollably, her mind completely blank.
"Feliz... please, stay strong, dear. Fiona and Peter are in a better place now..." Mary consoled her niece through tears, understanding the unbearable pain she was going through.
"Aunt... please tell me... this isn't real... why... I haven't even had the chance to show them my success yet... why did they leave me like this... no..." The small figure spoke with a quivering voice, crying until she fainted in her aunt's arms.
Present...
~Aunt Mary Calling~
"Hello, Aunt."
"Will you be coming home this week, Feliz?"
"Of course, Aunt... it's the anniversary of my parents' death, why wouldn't I come back?" Her voice was noticeably saddened whenever she talked about this, and tears would always stream down her cheeks.
Since her mother and father passed away, she had been living with her aunt. Her aunt was like another mother to her. Whenever her parents went to work, they would always leave her in her aunt's care. Her house and her aunt's house were next to each other, and her aunt lived with her adopted son. Feliz's aunt loved children and wanted to have her own, but due to health issues, she couldn't. After her aunt's husband passed away, she adopted a child from an orphanage.
Her family's financial status wasn't wealthy, but they weren't struggling either. After her parents passed, they left behind land, a house, and enough money in the bank for her to finish her studies. However, being diligent, she decided to work while studying to save money for the future.
"See you soon, dear. I'll make your favorite dessert for you."
"Thank you, Aunt Mary."
"If you need anything, let me know... if you don't have enough money, you must tell me, okay?"
"Yes, Aunt..." Then the call ended.
Feliz sighed. "Another 500 bucks... will I make it in time?" she said to herself. Her salary at the coffee shop was just over 259 bucks. "Well, there's still two months. If it's not enough, I can use my mom's money first."
Evening...
"I'll give you a ride," Riz said to Feliz after the last class of the day.
"Why take me? Your condo and the coffee shop are in opposite directions... I don't want to bother you..."
"It's not a bother. I'm going to see my older brother anyway. It's on the way," Riz said before taking the petite figure by the hand and leading her to her car immediately.
"Okay, fine then."
And when she couldn't refuse, she had to agree.
At Jay's Coffee Shop
"Feliz, you're just in time. Customers specifically requested that only you make their drinks," Jay said as he saw the slender girl walk into the shop.
"Alright. I'll do it myself," she said, quickly setting down her fabric bag before putting on an apron and tying her long, silky hair into a ponytail.
"I'm counting on you. I have to go on duty... please close the shop for me today," Jay instructed before handing the shop keys to Feliz.
"One iced latte, please," a deep voice suddenly said while Feliz was busy making coffee after coffee, prompting her to turn and take the order while entering the details into the computer.
"Oh, it's you! I thought it was someone else," the small figure said with a smile. "Please wait a moment... there's a long queue... can you sit and wait? I'll bring it to you."
"Sure..."
"Let me ring you up first... it's 4.58 bucks."
"Here... keep the change, it's a tip," he said, handing her a hundred-bucks bill as usual before going to sit at the same corner table as that day.
She sighed. "Just another flirting tactic," the slender figure muttered to herself before turning to make more coffee as orders kept coming in. Fortunately, she had a junior staff member helping today, so it wasn't too hectic.
"Pim... please take this latte to the doctor at that table," Feliz said, sliding the latte to another junior staff member. She should have been the one to serve it, but knowing what Charles was up to, she chose to avoid it.
"Again?" Feliz asked Riz after Rai told her about her brother tricking her friend and then distancing himself.
"Yeah... and that girl, Monique, is really mad at me. I'm confused about why I'm involved when she fell for it herself... after getting dumped, she came to complain to me."
'"Your brother is quite the player, isn't he? Are you out of friends yet?" Feliz said, feeling troubled for her friend. She sympathized, really. Riz used to have a lot of friends, but one by one, they disappeared because of her brother.
"Honestly, right now, you're the only friend I have left... I don't want to lose you either... and I care about you a lot... if it was not necessary, I would never introduce you to my brother."
The words from past conversations with Riz floated into Feliz's mind. She had a fair idea of how Charles would charm women into falling for him. Of course, she was well-prepared and ready to handle him. For her, handling meant avoiding him as much as possible. She reminded herself not to accidentally engage in conversation with him.
"He's quite handsome... It's a shame he's a womanizer... He seemed so polite. If Riz hadn't told me, I might have been tempted to talk to him," Feliz muttered under her breath before turning back to making coffee.
"Why didn't you serve it yourself?" Charles suddenly asked, causing Feliz to quickly turn to the source of the voice. But since the crowd had thinned out, possibly because it was getting late, Charles found an opportunity to talk to her.
"Well, I'm busy. Besides, does it really matter who serves it?" she replied.
"How can you be busy? I gave you a tip," he said.
"Then take it back, Charles. I can't accept it," she said, handing the tip back to Charles, then turned back to her work. "Charles... could you please step aside a bit... other customers want to order," Feliz politely requested.
Her actions made Charles furrow his brow. Did she really dare to reject him? Why didn't his charm work?
- Writer
