The Purple Iris

chapter three: le livre perdu

The school day was finally over, and I'd never been so happy to leave school.

I received a group text from my friends, them both asking to meet at our usual morning and evening spot. I happily complied, walking with a sure skip in my step. My headphones were placed in my ears, music lightly playing while I enjoyed my short walk to the campus' main building. As much as I hated this school, I tended to become dependent on moments like these—walking alone in leisure, while listening to music. It was peaceful, and I could never get enough of it. 

My three minute walk ended, and I was welcomed by Kaylen and Billie. We continued our walk together, to the student parking lot. We discussed trivial matters, such as who liked who and other alike topics. Out of the corner of my eye, I noticed Mr. Morris walking through the teacher parking lot. A sharp elbow nudged in my ribs, awarded by Billie. She gave a subtle wink, and Kaylen soon caught wind of the situation.

"I wasn't staring, you know."

"Sure you weren't." Billie smirked.

"I wasn't! I just... Noticed him. Okay. You should always be aware of your surroundings." I retorted quickly.

Kaylen clicked her tongue at my reply, and I couldn't help but playfully roll my eyes. "Oh yes, one should be aware of their surroundings. However, it doesn't mean one should flat out stare." 

"Yeah, okay. Fine! I guess I looked at him a little longer than I should've." I replied sheepishly.

"Right." Billie teased.

I was finally home, but only long enough to get changed for work. My workplace was at a local coffee shop, one that was located in the downtown vicinity of town. Being in the downtown district was the most favorable part of living here, and working there was just a plus. It made forcing myself to work a bit easier, although the nagging sense of dread still lies above the surface. I needed as money as I could manage to earn, as I still desired to get the hell out of this place as soon as I crossed that infamous stage to receive my high school diploma. Complaining did nothing for me, but I still consider myself lucky to be able to have a steady job and friends that care about me. Life wasn't exactly the easiest for me, but I still managed to make it through each day in one piece.

One foot after the other, one day at a time. 

I arrived to work with no issues, walking with ease into the quaint coffee shop. The chime of a bell rang throughout the entire store, as I opened the door. Two of my coworkers greeted me, one of them maiming the cash register and the other brewing a fresh batch of coffee. The aroma filled my senses, and I felt a comforting warmth. With fifteen minutes left before my shift began, I darted to the employee only breakroom. I placed my belongings in my assigned locker, shoving my backpack onto the single metal hook. During my break, it'd be a waste to not take advantage of extra study time. Towards the bottom, sat my neatly folded apron. I slung the navy blue fabric over my neck, securing the ties around my waste in a sloppy bow. Just as I was about to check the time, the breakroom's door opened. I flinched at the intrusion, not expecting anyone.

"Woah, Ms. Jumpy. It's just me." 

I rolled my eyes, a bit annoyed at the nickname. The shithead that interrupted my quiet time, was Daniel. He had a slight infatuation towards me, or at least that's what goes around the shop. I paid no mind to it, seeing as how I had one goal in mind: earn a paycheck and go home. 

"Don't be a creepy, Danny." I sneered, locking up my belongings. 

He walked over to where I stood, mockingly folding his arms over his chest. Standing at 6'1'', with short black hair and piercing blue eyes, was Daniel.  He was a relatively attractive guy, but his personality was what made me gag whenever he was within a two meter radius. Daniel worked at the shop a few months longer before I had gotten hired, alas it didn't show in his work ethic. He was constantly late, always on his cell phone or steadily flirting with any pretty female customer that walked through the shop's threshold. 

"How am I being a creep? I'm just saying hi. I saw you come in and just had to greet my favorite coworker." Daniel remarked with his signature smirk. 

So this is how women simped over this man...

"Oh, so you were staring at me? Sounds like something a creep would do, if you ask me." I retorted as I placed my hands on my hips.

Danny laughed with ease, probably at how I tried to appear intimidating. I scoffed at the failed attempt, then made a beeline for the door. Just as I was about to turn the handle, a hand slammed above me. I turned around to push Daniel away, but he was mere inches away from my face. 

"Why do you act like you're so much better than me? I honestly don't get your deal, Rainie." He spoke with malice as he said my name. 

Giving my best poker-face, I completely faced him. "My deal? My deal is that you act like an ass and think that I'm supposed to flock to you just because you're sort of hot." 

Daniel's arm limply dropped to his side, blush creeping into his face. "Wait—you think... You think I'm—"

Before he could muster another word, I exited the breakroom with the door slamming in his face. 

A little over two hours passed, and the crowd of customers began to go from moderately busy to steady. It was the fall and the more popular drink of the day would be our version of the pumpkin spice latte. It was a fall classic, but I preferred the pumpkin infused iced coffee. The shop produced pretty quality coffee, but we were also better known for our baked goods. Once we made them early in the morning and we sold out, the goods were no longer baked for the day. 

I walked into the lobby, organizing the chairs to their corresponding tables. Placing a dampened washcloth onto the table, I began scrubbing at its surface from the previous patrons' use. It was difficult to keep the lobby tidy while it was busy, but since it's gotten slow, this was the perfect opportunity for cleaning. Shifts changed, leaving me and one other person in the store. I was a closer, but I couldn't be left alone since I was still a minor. 

Only for less than a month, though. 

After observing my work, I walked behind the counter to wash my hands. A familiar bell chimed, notifying me of an incoming customer. Quickly drying my hands off, I readied myself at one of the registers. 

"Hi, welcome to Moon Brews. What can I get for you—"

Wait. Is it... Him?

"Rainie? Wow, such a pleasant surprise." Mr. Morris spoke in a pleasant tone. 

Oh god, what the hell? 

"H-Hey, Mr. Morris. Um. What can I get started for you?" I replied, fingers tapping all over the touchscreen monitor. 

"Oh, yeah—coffee. Well. What would you recommend?" He asked with a curious expression.

My eyes widened, my brain sputtering at his question. What if I recommend something he doesn't like? 

"What do you like? Flavors, I mean." I quickly corrected.

His lips quirked, biting his lower lip in contemplation. 

Stop staring, dumbass.

"I'm not particularly fond of overly-sweetened things, so nothing too sugary. But I do enjoy chocolate." He explained. 

He tapped his finger against his chin, his eyes scanning over the handwritten chalkboard menu above my head. Mocha, is that what he meant? Gross, mocha in coffee? 

"How about a mocha frosted coffee?" I pondered.

His eyes met mine, seemingly interested in my suggestion. "Oh yeah? Is that your version of a Frappuccino?" 

I simply nodded, mentally kicking myself for not just saying yes. "Y-Yeah. We can add whip cream, along with other toppings." 

Mr. Morris' eyes shined after mentioning the whipped topping, producing his wallet from his back pants pocket. "Sold! How much do I owe you?" He excitedly asked.

My heart clenched, enjoying his childish wonderment over a simple frozen coffee beverage. "Sure, but. What size?" 

"I guess that'd also be important, huh. Hm. Whatever your largest size is, please." Mr. Morris added.

After tapping away on the screen, I added together his total. "That'll be $6.32" 

He handed my two unfolded bills, internally screeching at the contact. 

Just chill, man.

Before producing his change, I realized he handed me two crisp twenty dollar bills. My brows furrowed together, about to remind Mr. Morris of his mistake. Before I could muster a syllable, he shook his head no. "Don't worry about the change, consider it a tip."

A $33 tip?! 

"No, I can't accept this sir." I spoke flatly. 

This earned me a frown, which was quickly replaced with a genuine smile. "Don't worry about it. You're a high school student probably earning minimum wage, while saving for college. You need it more than I do." 

More than he does? I can't tell if he's been kind or just pitying my crummy situation. "Yes, but... That's beyond a tip. It isn't necessary." I politely explained.

Mr. Morris studied my features, intently listening to my grief. I probably sounded dumb, but those were my actual thoughts. I began to squirm under his gaze, fumbling with my hands on the counter. 

"But you earned it. You gave great customer service so it's fine, really. Do people really not tip that often?" He pondered. 

"They do, but at least ten percent of what their order costs." 

Mr. Morris shrugged his shoulders, then gave me a brightened smile. "Maybe that'll change soon, yeah? This place seems like a serene enough environment to grade papers, so maybe you just earned yourself a new regular."

My cheeks burned, hopefully not visibly. The idea made me gleeful, yet nervous all at once. How can I work with such a distracting person in the vicinity? 

"C-cool." I stammered, not even bothering to meet his eyes. 

As I placed the due amount of money into the drawer of the cash register, I watched him stroll over to table. It was placed at fair distance from the counter, cozied up in a neat corner of the store. There were bookshelves lined with several novels, some classic and new. In the very back of the shop was an area dedicated to kids, with children's books and playthings decorated in the colorful space. It was appealing enough to encourage kids to actually read, so it was probably one of the coolest nooks it the shop.

My coworker read Mr. Morris' drink order, and immediately began prepping. The raw sound of a blender sounded, a bit deafening if you were up close like I was. A hoard of customers walked into the store, removing the once quiet setting. I frowned as I realized that amongst the rapid chattering, that one of those voices belonged to Daniel. 

The aftermath of his stunt in the breakroom was him taking his leave, not once bothering to speak to me. Maybe from embarrassment, or to protect his ego, I sighed with relief.

Daniel and his tumultuous group sat down a few tables away from Mr. Morris, using extra chairs from neighboring tables. I quickly tore my eyes from where he sat, as I felt Danny's gaze on me. Turning my back, I decided it was time to take my break. But before then, I wanted to personally ensure Mr. Morris received his coffee. 

"A frozen mocha coffee for Morris!" I exclaimed from behind the counter. 

I couldn't help but smile as Mr. Morris stood from his seat, gracefully walking over to grab his order. He picked up his drink, all thirty-two ounces of pure chocolate. 

"There's napkins and straws here if you need them." I added.

"Thank you, Rainie." He spoke softly, adding a flirtatious wink as he walked away.

The time was nearing to 8 p.m., in which Moon Beans closed. It was roughly fifteen minutes left in my shift, and I began to start my routinely closing duties. My other coworker began cleaning behind the counter, along with storing goods and taking out the trash. Like earlier, I tidied up the lobby but most of it was cleared from the lack of customers. It wasn't a slow evening, which made my shift practically fly back without realizing it was already time to go home. Mr. Morris still sat, uninterrupted in his work, in his corner of the room. Numerous sheets of paper were strewn across the table, red marking being made at the very tops of the pages. 

I kept my fair distance, yet occasionally made subtle glances towards his general direction. He finished his frozen beverage, then ordered a second. Then a few pastries. Each time he approached the front, my chest fluttered with bashfulness. Daniel's group of friends and Mr. Morris were the only people left in the store, which slightly annoyed me at Daniel's ignorance to just leave. Why would you go hangout at a place you work at, for hours? I enjoyed visiting the shop on occasion for coffee on my off days, but it seemed out of character for him to stay this long tonight. 

Finally, it was time to lockup, leaving me to escort the remaining customers out. Mr. Morris left first, thanking me after the already numerous times for my service, then Daniel's crowd. 

Daniel, of course, was the very last person to leave. My eye twitched in irritation at his thoughtlessness, as he knew well that he should've left sooner. I began to sweep and mop the floor, taking each step with care over the wettened tile. Just as I was heading to the janitor's closet to drain the dirty mop water, I heard a knock at the door. Hastily, I made my way to the front of store only to see it was Mr. Morris standing behind the glass. He awaited before the door, waiting for me to open it. 

"Yes?" 

"I'm sorry, I know that you're closed now. But I forgot to give you this." Mr. Morris explained, handing a textbook to me. 

It was MY textbook, at that. How the hell did he get it?

"Thanks...?" I perplexed. 

"You're probably wondering how I got this." He added, as if he read my thoughts.

"Well, yeah. Where did you find it?" I simply asked.

"You left it in the library, at the table you were sitting at." He elaborated.

Crap. Must've forgotten that I even took it out of my bookbag. 

"Wow, uh. Thank you, Mr. Morris. You actually just saved me an earful from my teacher." 

"Don't mention it. See you tomorrow, Ms. Gray." Mr. Morris smiled, returning to his car.

I proceeded to relock the door, then shut my eyes in thought as I leaned against the wall. Why did he have to call me by my last name like that? What happened to just calling me by my first? I huffed, straightening my back as I returned to the janitor's closet. The jittery feeling slowly dissipated as I cleaned, constantly reminding myself not to forget about how I'm so stupid for having such a delusional crush on my new teacher. 

Refolding my work apron, and gathering my belongings, I left work with my French book clutched to my chest, feeling my heart race with hope for school tomorrow.