Chapter 15: Friendship
887 Words
The small room behind the bar smelled faintly of cheap perfume and harsh disinfectant, a scent that had long since settled into the walls and become part of Aria’s reality—something she could never escape.
She sat quietly on the edge of the narrow bed, her shoulders slightly hunched as Mia pressed a cold cloth gently against her cheek. The alcohol she had forced down earlier still lingered in her system, leaving her body heavy and her thoughts slightly unfocused.
“Hold still,” Mia murmured softly, her movements careful.
Aria tried to smile, though even that small motion sent a sharp ache across her cheek. “I’m fine.”
Mia lowered the cloth and studied her face. “You’re not fine,” she said firmly. “That woman had no right to treat you like that.”
Aria lowered her gaze. “This place… no one has rights.”
Mia’s expression softened immediately, guilt flickering across her face as her grip on the cloth tightened. “I’m sorry,” she whispered, her voice trembling slightly as she looked at Aria’s cheek. “You took the slap for me… and then you drank all that because of my mistake.”
Her eyes began to glisten. “I should’ve handled it,” she continued, her voice breaking just a little. “I shouldn’t have let it get that far… I shouldn’t have let you step in.”
Aria shook her head gently. “It wasn’t your fault,” she said softly.
Mia looked at her, guilt still written clearly across her face. “But it was my tray… my mistake,” she insisted quietly. “You didn’t have to do that for me.”
This time, Aria held her gaze, her expression calm but steady in a way that carried quiet strength. “No one was going to stop her,” she said. “And I wasn’t going to stand there and watch you get hurt.”
Mia swallowed hard, her chest tightening as the weight of those words settled in. “Still… you could’ve walked away.”
Aria gave a faint shake of her head. “No,” she said simply. “I couldn’t.”
There was no hesitation in her voice, no regret—only certainty. “I made that choice,” she added. “So don’t blame yourself for it.”
Mia stared at her for a moment, something shifting in her eyes. The guilt didn’t disappear, but it softened, making room for something else—gratitude, respect, and something deeper that felt like loyalty.
“…Thank you,” she whispered.
Aria didn’t respond, but the small, tired smile that touched her lips said enough.
Then the door slammed open.
Both girls flinched as Lexi stepped inside, her heels clicking sharply against the tiled floor as she walked in with exaggerated confidence, her arms folded across her chest.
“Well, well,” she said mockingly. “Look what we have here.”
Her gaze slid over Aria slowly before settling on the faint red mark still visible on her cheek. “The poor little victim.”
Aria said nothing. Silence had become her shield long ago.
Lexi’s lips curled into a cruel smile. “So tell me,” she continued, tilting her head slightly, “did it hurt when she slapped you… or did you enjoy the attention?”
“Lexi,” Mia snapped, her voice sharp. “Leave her alone.”
Lexi scoffed loudly. “Oh, please.”
“Everyone here knows why she’s really working at this place,” she said, her voice dripping with venom. “You think the manager keeps looking at you because you’re special?” She stepped closer, her gaze cutting. “You’re just the new meat.”
Aria’s stomach twisted, but she didn’t react. She wouldn’t give her that satisfaction.
Before the tension could rise any further, another voice cut through the room.
“That’s enough.”
All three girls turned toward the doorway.
The manager stood there.
Lexi straightened slightly but rolled her eyes. “We’re just talking.”
“Then talk somewhere else,” he replied coldly.
His gaze shifted to Aria—and stayed there, lingering.
Aria felt her chest tighten. The way he looked at her always made her feel exposed, like prey caught under a predator’s watch.
“You should rest,” he said quietly. “Back to work in thirty minutes.”
Without another word, he turned and walked away.
Lexi smirked at Aria before following him out, clearly satisfied she had said enough.
The door closed again.
Mia let out a long breath. “I hate this place.”
Aria leaned back slowly against the wall, exhaustion settling deep into her bones. “So do I.”
But hatred didn’t change anything.
Didn’t set people free.
She had no choice.
She had a family to protect—and survival was all that mattered.
For a moment, the room fell quiet again, something unreadable passing through her expression, because deep down, she knew something had changed—the way the manager looked at her, the way Lexi watched her, the way everything was beginning to shift around her.
This place wasn’t just dangerous anymore.
It was becoming something worse.
And if she wasn’t careful, surviving it might no longer be enough.
- Writer
