Collateral Damage

Coffee crazy

Who didn’t love waking up to phone calls and texts telling her to get out of bed. Serenity groaned and opened up her phone. Three missed calls and five texts all from Angel saying the same thing. That she needed to get up and meet him for coffee at their favorite coffee shop Cool Beans. 

Angel's mom ran it and she was the sweetest woman ever. She always made a fuss about Serenity like she was her own daughter. At the thought of a cup of coffee, Serenity's stomach growled and she decided to get out of bed. Grabbing her last pair of clean skinny jeans she made a note to do laundry later. She loathed laundry, her friends would always try to talk s**t about how her clothes were everywhere and she told them if it mattered so much why didn't they come do her laundry and everyone stopped messing with her after that. Back when she had friends. While brushing her teeth in the mirror she stopped and looked at herself again. 

Long dark hair she swept into a ponytail and threw over her shoulder. Blue eyes that didn’t seem to have any life in them today. She sighed and splashed some water on her face. Why couldn’t she look and see something amazing or nice about herself, her brain was her worst enemy. Grabbing the eyeliner from behind the mirror she lined her eyes and decided not to keep Angel waiting any longer. 

Serenity walked to the kitchen where she put her keys every night and swooped them into her hands as she stepped out the door. Heading outside she thought it would be a nice day for a walk in the warm summer air since the coffee shop wasn’t very far. She noticed the clear blue sky, the kids playing across a few yards and she wondered what made them so happy. Feeling her phone vibrate in her pocket she pulled it out reading the text that flashed across the screen, mouthing the words as she read them.

where r u???

She sighed, this boy seemed to have no patience at all though he was always one of the sweetest guys she knew. She texted him back,

I am on the way sheesh. What’s got you all worked up?

This boy had flying fingers. Another text popped up right after sending the last one

Will you just hurry up, woman? The walk from your apartment to here isn’t that long.

Serenity sighed and hoped he had a good reason for rushing her. She got to the cross walk and pushed the button for the sign to cross. Serenity enjoyed people watching. Kind of like when she was bartending but she didn’t have to interact with anyone. She was just another wallflower in all of their stories and she didn’t mind at all. 

The signal finally popped up and she started crossing, not realizing she had a crossing buddy. She turned her gaze so slightly to the left just out of curiosity and it felt like her heart stopped. That woman from the bar? Serenity shifted her gaze away, that was crazy talk she told herself. There are so many people in this town there’s no way that was her. Keeping her eyes forward she finished crossing the street and walked over to the coffee shop. 

Taking a deep breath as she stepped inside. Coffee beans, cinnamon and hints of vanilla hung in the air and serenity felt like she was at home. Walking up to the counter she saw Angel's mom at the register and she felt the smile come on her face. Knowing his mom loved to laugh, Serenity walked to the counter and tipped her head as if she was wearing a hat. In her best southern drawl she spoke, “Why excuse me miss I heard you make the finest cup of joe this town has ever seen, would you mind letting me be the judge of that?” 

Angels mom smiled and you could see the love in this woman's eyes. She pulled out the biggest cup she had because she already knew how much Serenity loved coffee and asked what she was having today.

“Oh wait, you have got to try this blend I came up with, you like vanilla and caramel right?” She paused, waiting for Serenity to answer. 

Serenity chuckled, “You probably know what i like better than i would, i’ll try your concoction today. I love the stuff you come up with.” Angels mom gave her a knowing look and fixed her coffee for her. When Serenity went to pull out money, Angel's mom just pushed the cup at her and shook her head. “You know better than that Serenity. You are more than welcome to some coffee in my shop anyday so long as you help clean up every once in a while”. 

Serenity picked up the coffee and gave her a quiet thank you. This woman was honestly the mom she had always hoped for but didn’t exactly get. Bouncing around in foster care left her a little broken if she was being honest. She had a few rough homes and a few great ones. Nothing she wanted to focus on right now. She made her way to her favorite table where she saw Angels head hanging over his phone as if it was sucking him in. She chuckled to herself at the thought of it. 

Hearing her chuckle, Angel shot his head up, his smile shining bright as ever. Girls always seemed to fall over him. He was what Serenity thought of as the almost perfect guy. Tall, perfect smile, would bend over backwards for everyone he cared about. Serenity knew she made a friend for life the day they met.

 “Well look who finally decided to crawl out of bed today!” He said, his smile grew wider as she sat across from him at their corner table. 

“You’re lucky I got out of bed at all, do you know how comfortable I was?” Taking a sip from her coffee she looked around the shop. Not too busy today. She recognized a few people who worked in the neighborhood around her. 

Hearing Angel snap his fingers brought her attention back to him. 

“Earth to Serenity? Man I should’ve just let you sleep longer if this is how I knew you were gonna be.'' He laughed as she sighed and sipped from her coffee again. 

“It was just another late night at the club and I think i’m just getting bored of seeing the same thing over and over." 

Angel leaned back with his tea in hand, Serenity knew it was sweet. Only like a handful of ice cuz he could be so weird about things sometimes. One of the many things that had brought them together through the years. 

“Well, have you thought about maybe trying something different then? Or maybe Try something different in your life. Spice it up a little. I never see you do anything besides work,or wherever I practically drag you to go. Maybe you just need some fun.” at the word fun he gave a wink Serenity has seen girls fight over, literally. 

“Don’t start a fight in your mom's coffee shop. She’ll have your ass and probably one of your eyes.” They both burst out laughing at the thought. 

“Ok but no really, I brought you in here for a reason” Angel sat up  straighter and leaned in “So my mom hired this new girl who just moved here and I wanted you to meet her. Moms has her in the back doing stock stuff but she’s new around here and I figured we could be her first friends. Plus, she’s definitely a looker” He laughed again as he said the last part and it made Serenity smile. 

He was always trying to help her make a friend. He had a great radar for finding people with similar likes but it never really seemed to stick. Serenity had no problems with that but it seemed to bother Angel so here he was again trying to play best friend matchmaker. 

“Will you just trust me please? When have I ever mislead you?” he opened his arms wide as if that would convince her any harder to make a new friend. 

She thought about the time he tried teaching her how to make a paper air plane and she ended up with so many paper cuts because she kept folding it wrong. The day she scraped both her knees because he had suggested she wear heels and it totally backfired that night. The time he ditched her at a bar for this cute girl who was all over him all night and he had been the ride there. 

So many memories oured through her head as he said that and noticing the expressions on her face he cleared his throat. 

“Ok so maybe that wasn’t the best way i could have said it but still, would you just give me a chance here to look out for you. You seriously need a girlfriend or something dude.” 

She nearly choked on her coffee as she remembered the woman at the bar knowing Angel hadn’t meant it in that sense. He looked at her with worry.

“Serenity are you ok? Where was your head just now?” Angel asked, his face gave her a worried expression.

She shook her head as she coughed out the coffee that went down the wrong tube. She didn’t want to tell him about her. He’d probably tease the s**t out of her and while she knew he would mean it in good fun she still didn’t want to deal with that feeling right now. Besides she’d be over her two second crush by the end of the day. It was easy to find someone attractive and not act on it or be overly freaked out about it. 

To distract from that moment Serenity waved her hand “Fine I guess I'll give it a shot. I mean what’s the worst that could happen really? I actually try to make a friend and it totally fails again? I’m all for it.” 

Angel swatted her on the shoulder as they stood up from the table. “I’m gonna need you to be a little more positive than that, you debbie downer. She is quiet and shy and I don’t want you scaring her away. Just wait till you see her you’ll probably drop that whole mood you’re in.” 

Serenity followed Angel to the back of the shop. The smell of coffee beans and tea followed them as they walked to the storage room. She took in Angel's six foot two inch height and his toned body. She remembered when he looked like a bean pole still just as sweet back then. 

Watching him grow over the years has been so much fun. She snapped back to reality as she heard him clear his throat. 

“Alright get ready to meet your new best friend. Oh and I kinda already told her all about you” He ducked into the storage room as soon as he finished that sentence and 

Serenity didn’t even stop and think before she charged in after him. “What’s that supposed to mean?!” She started growing louder with each word until she saw her standing by Angel. Hands crossed over her chest full smile that instantly drew her in. Serenity could feel her throat constricting a little and sweaty hands? 

She took a slow deep breath and managed a soft hi she wasn’t even sure they heard. What was wrong with her? She managed a small smile and slowed her pace into the room. She came to a stop at Angel's side. Slow steady breathing she told herself. She knew why though, it was her. The girl from the bar, her bar. What the hell were the odds. 

“Serenity, I'd like you to meet Alex”. He waved his hand over her as if she was the letter board in jeopardy and he was the one that revealed letters. Alexis stood there with a smile on her face as if she was ready to laugh but still holding back. She reached her hand out. “It’s short for Alexis but I prefer Alex. I’m guessing you are the famous Serenity?” 

The way she heard Alexis say her name made her heart race even faster. Serenity didn’t realize she hadn’t said anything back and lifted her hand. It seemed like the moment was frozen in time but only a minute or so had passed. In an effort to stop the oncoming anxiety attack she pulled out her phone and pretended to look something up. 

“Hey Angel I forgot I have to go run and do something before I work tonight” turning towards Alexis she gave a small smile “ It was nice to meet you sorry I can’t stay longer maybe another time?” hoping she wasn’t coming off as rude she slid her phone in her pocket. She really hoped Angel picked up her anxiety and wouldn’t be so hard on her later. 

“Well at least you got to stop and say hi. That’s all I really wanted. We can all go out for a drink or something at some point. Go do your thing, it’s all good” He shooed her away gently and Serenity knew she would be forgiven. 

Now if only she knew what was going on. This wasn’t normal for her. This wasn’t like the normal anxiety she dealt with everyday. This was the start of madness. Exiting the coffee shop and standing outside for a minute helped. Her lungs finally felt like they were actually taking in oxygen again. 

She took a deep breath and exhaled slowly. She probably just made the worst first impression in the history of the world. She thought back to it and cringed inside. How long was that? Less than a minute? Feeling ashamed at such a poor greeting, Serenity made her way back to her apartment. It was her safe haven and she didn’t have to be at work till six tonight. It was just going on eleven thirty in the morning. Her blood was already pumping and she no longer felt relaxed and calm. Nothing felt okay anymore.