Cara nervously opened the door to the house she had lived in for the past five months. She ran her tongue over the studs she just got. Snake bites. Her mother was going to have a heart attack. At least that's what Cara intended. Lately her mother had been more strict than ever. Everything Cara ever did was wrong. When she was younger she tried so hard to do the right thing. She tried to cater to every one of her mother's whims. She was still not good enough.
By the time they moved to Indiana, she had given up on being good enough. She gave up on trying to make her mother happy. She embraced her 'wrongness'. She started doing what she wanted instead of what her mother wanted. She decided it was better to have her mother hate her than to hate herself.
It was little things at first. Cara wore skinny jeans instead of slacks and skirts. She wore loose tee shirts instead of blouses. This just made her mother cringe and wrinkle her nose. Then she started to rip her jeans. She started to wear more black. This inspired a few negative comments from her mother. Then came connecting chains to her jeans and cutting her own hair. This earned a few groundings. Then the hair dye. From very light brown to a dark violet purple in just half an hour. Her Mother grounded her for one month for that one. Little did her mother know, when she went and bought the purple hair dye, she bought a plethora of other wild hair dyes as well. She started dying her hair based on her mood.
Every new color made her mother that much angrier. Once or twice her other tried to confiscate her hair dyes, but Cara hid them well. Colten, Cara's brother tried to convince her to give up the 'rebel' act. He didn't get it. He was always Momma's perfect little boy. She wasn't being rebellious, she was realizing she didn't deserve to be treated like trash.
Cara might have gone to far this time. Not only did she sneak out, she used her allowance to get her lip pierced, twice. If her mother didn't like her dying her hair, she definitely wouldn't her daughter putting holes in her face. When she opened the door, her mother was perched on the couch, waiting to see what mistake Cara made this time. When she saw what mistake Cara made, her jaw dropped in the most lady like way possible.
"Caramel May Densmore. What have you done?" Her mother asked in her powerful, virtually emotionless voice,
Cara kept her face as apathetic as possible. Poker face was key when talking to Marissa Densmore. "I got snake bites because I wanted them, Mother."
"Caramel. Are you trying to tell me that you poked holes in your face for fun?"
"Yes, Mother." That wasn't exactly what she meant, but it was best not to disagree with her mother.
"Caramel. I don't know what has gotten into you in the last few months, but I do not like it. You are being ridiculous and childish and I will have none of it. You are grounded for the next three months after the groundings you already earned for your ridiculous hair choices. You will keep doing your chores but you will not get an allowance. If you would like any money, you will have to get a job. And if you choose to get a job, we will get a bank account in my name and it will alert me with any transactions being preformed. I expect you to ask me before purchasing anything. Do you understand?" Her mother raised a single eyebrow, daring Cara to disagree with her.
Cara never could give up on a dare, "No. If I get a job then I will be making my own money. Why should you have control over my hard earned money?"
Her Mother's jaw tightened fractionally, "I will have control over your money because I am your Mother. I will not do anything with your money except keep you from doing something ridiculous, like that obnoxious jewelry." Her mother wrinkle her nose slightly in disgusted. "Now I expect you to take those monstrosities out of your face."
"No."
"I am your mother. You will do as I say." Her mother hated people questioning her authority.
"No. It is my body and I will poke as many holes in it as I please." Cara didn't like being told what to do.
"I am your mother." her voice was tinted in anger. Cara knew she was screwed when her mother actually showed emotion
"I know. You have said it repeatedly, Mother."
"Caramel. I do not have time for your childish acts." she began to tap her shoe against the hard floor.
"I do not have time for your tyranny, now if you will excuse me, I have a job to find." Cara turned on her heel and stomped lightly up the stairs to her room. Her mother didn't yell after her. Yelling wasn't ladylike. Cara's room was clinical and unlived in. She had a few posters placed on her walls. Her clothes were in her drawers or her hamper. Her bed was made. There was nothing personal in the room.
Cara laid down on her bed and pulled out her laptop. She pulled up google and quickly searched for a job in the area. The only option she qualified for a barista at some coffee shop called Cafédium. Sounded interesting enough. She called the number listed for the manager.
"Sup." A male voice answered.
"Hey, I am looking for the manager of Cafedium?" Cara tried to sound both official and laidback at the same time.
"You're talkin to him." there was a silent laugh in his voice.
"Is the barista job still open?"
"Yup. Tell me about yourself Mamasita."
"My name is Cara Densmore. I am a sixteen year old junior in high school. I need a job to make so money. I am free before and after school everyday and school doesn't start until 9 am." she explained.
"Cool. You got the job. Come in Monday morning at 6 am and ask for Penn." he hung up before she could say thank you. Strange man.
Cara then proceeded to spend the next hour on youtube and writing on her laptop. Her mother tried to confiscate her laptop the first time she got grounded, for her purple hair. But then Cara snuck into her room and took her stuff back. Her mother tried to take them again but Cara took them back. They continued to do this Cat and Mouse game. Her mother kept trying to hide them in new places but Cara always found them, always picked the lock. Her mother eventually gave up trying to stop her. Cara wished her mother would give up on trying to make Cara more like her. Cara didn't want to be perfect and ladylike. She wanted to be happy. She wanted to be fun and reckless while she was still young.
Cara snuck downstairs for a small plate of spaghetti, before hurrying back upstairs to aviod having to hear her mother rant some more. She curled up on her bed and quickly ate her meal. She put aside some clothes for her first day at work tomorrow and sets her alarm for 5:30 AM aka way too early. Most days she wake up around 8 but because of this stupid new job. Then she played on her laptop until around midnight when she went to bed.
She woke up exhausted. Five and a half hours was apparently not the optimum amount of sleep. Cara had survived on less before, so she would be fine. But it still sucked. She rolled out of bed and stumbled to the shower. She turned the water freezing cold and jumped in. Once she was done showering and dressing she hurried out the front door, leaving a note for her mother telling where she was.
It was still dark out when Cara began her walk to her new place of work. The darkness made her uncomfortable. It was October, so it was chilly enough for her jacket. She tightened it around her and walked faster. She hated going outside in the dark, especially alone. She felt incredibly uneasy. It always made her feel like a murderer or rapist was around every corner. She clung to the strap on her backpack.
Within a few minutes she was thankfully in front of a small coffee shop with a hand painted sign that said 'Cafedium'. It wasn't going to be open for another half an hour, so she knocked on the door. She was right on time for her meeting with Penn.
A boy who looked about her age opened the door, "We're closed. Come back in half an hour." he started to close the door but Cara grabbed it to stop him.
"I'm here for the barista job. I called Penn last night and he told me to come here at 6 AM and ask for him." She explained.
The boy sighed, "Fine. Come in." He held the door open just long enough for her to get in. He led her to the very back of the of the small shop. He knocked on a door behind the counter.
A man with long blond hair kept in a ponytail opened the door, "sup Black. Is this my barista?" He looked Cara over. She wondered what she looked like in his eyes. Her hair was currently crimson, because of all her arguments with her mother. She had two black studs in her lips and kohl around her eyes. Her hair was also in a loose braid. She was was wearing black skinny jeans and a black shirt with a wide neck that said 'I look better in black than the widows of my enemies' a reference to a book series she liked. She had ratty black converse and chains hanging off her jeans. She knew people based their opinions a lot on how you looked.
"Ya, she's the barista." 'Black' half shoved her into the room. Cara could see where his nickname came from. He had emerald eyes and pale skin but that was just about all the color on him. He had black hair which was just long enough to lay haphazardly on his head and around his face. He wore black jeans that fit him well and a black tee shirt that she couldn't read because it was hidden by a black apron.
The man with the ponytail closed the door and sat at the cluttered desk in the back of the room "Sit, Red." he nodded to the chair in front of his desk.
Cara followed the instructions, "Hey, I'm Cara, we talked yesterday?" she asked.
"I know, Red. You got the job. 6 to 8:30 in the morning and 5 to 9:30 in the afternoon. 7.50 an hour. Tuesday and Thursday off. I give all my worker nicknames with colors. Your uniform is just an apron that matches your nickname. Here" he tossed a red apron at Cara, "Does that work with you?" Cara just nodded, there were too many numbers for her to fully understand. "Cool. Go up to the only girl out there. I call her blue but her real name is Amy." Cara just nodded and put on her apron before going back out side, "By the way you can leave your backpack under the counter."
Cara dropped her back pack under the counter and went up to the black haired girl leaning against the counter texting, "Hey Penn told me to find Amy and have her show me what to do."
The girl looked her up and down before rolling her eyes, "Go ask Zach. He's the goth in the black apron." rude. Cara thought before walking up to the only other worker, black. Zach, that must have been his name.
"Excuse me, can you show me what to do?" She nudged Zach should to get his attention.
He turned around and looked her up and down, "Sure Red, whatever." He nodded his head in the direction of the register he was standing next to. "It's pretty easy to work this. You just type the price for the drink. You press this button to open the register and you can figure out how to give change. The coffee machines work just like one you might have at home so you can work it out. For teas you just drop the tea bag in the cup of hot water. The juices and lemonades are labeled. Ask if they are for here or to go. Here, give them a mug, to go give them a paper cup. When they come up to the counter, put on a happy face and ask 'how may I help you today?' when they leave tell them to have a nice day. Today I'll shadow you while you work but tomorrow you are on your own. Okay?"
Cara nodded, mentally memorizing it "Sure so how long do we have until we open?"
"About three seconds. Get ready." He grabbed her shoulders and turned her to face the doors that Amy was opening.
An old man was waiting just outside. He walked up to the counter, "Hello young lady, I haven't seen you around here before." he gave her a charming old man smile.
"Hello sir. How may I help you today?" She smiled politely at him. She loved old people, they were so sweet and open.
"I would like a large black coffee for here, and your name." he gave her a charming wink.
"I'll have your coffee right up, and my name is Cara." She turned and quickly poured the premade coffee into a big red mug. "Here you go sir. That will be 2 dollars please." She said quickly typing it into the register.
"Thank you dear." He handed her a two dollar bill and sat at a bar stool next to the register. "Is Cara short for something?"
"Yes..."
"Are you going to make me guess darling?" He smirked. It was amusing to see an old man with white hair act like this.
"Yes. It starts wit A" She smiled and leaned on the counter, there wasn't any other costumers yet.
"Is it Caramel?" He guessed.
"Yes sir. What's your name?"
"Well Caramel, I guess its only fair if I make you guess my name. It starts with J E R" he had a twinkle in his emerald eye.
"Jeremy?"
"Nope."
"Jeremiah?"
"Good job!" He gave her a small applause. Then he frowned at something behind her. "Zachariah..." he whined. "Don't glare at me, I'm making friends with this sweet new girl with the lovely crimson hair. It is like blood!" He said cheerfully. Cara turned around, Zach was glaring slightly at the old man. How could anyone possibly be mad at such a sweet old man?!
"Grand father. You cant flirt with sixteen year old girls. It's creepy and illegal." Grandfather? Cara looked back and forth between Zach and Jeremiah. They had the same basic body structure but Zach was a few inches taller.
"I am not creepy!" Jeremiah didn't deny the flirting, a twinkle still in his eye. "Am I creepy Cara?" He pouted a little at the red head.
"Of course not! You're lovely Jeremiah." She smiled at him sweetly. He was acting adorable. She really did love old people. They acted in the best way possible.
Zach just glared, "She is just putting up with you so she gets a higher tip."
Cara whipped around and glared at Zach, "Excuse me Zachariah." she growled out his name. "I am not being nice just to get tips. I am talking to your grandfather because he is kind and polite. Unlike you. Also you should be kind to your elders."
"Ya! What she said!" Jeremiah cheered.
Zach glared write back at her, "Do not call me Zachariah, Caramel." he said her name in the most condescending way possible. "Don't tell me how to treat my grandfather."
"I am trying to be polite, now if you would excuse me I was in the middle of a lovely conversation." Cara turned back to Jeremiah. "How are you Jeremiah?" She gave him her award winning smile.
"Better now that you are talking to me." He pretend to flutter his eyelashes. He looked about 80 years old and fragile. You could see his age in his face. His eyes told stories his voice never could.
"Thank you. Excuse me for a moment. Hello sir, how may I help you today?" A business man with a glare on his face was standing in front of her.
"You can help me" he spat the words out. "By getting me some goddamn coffee with two sugars and a bagel and a banana before I turned 30.
Cara turned and made a face to herself before quickly making the coffee in a to go cup, she put a fake smile on her face before turning back to the man in a rush, "Here you go sir. That will be 4 dollars and 5 cents." He threw a five at her before turning and stomping off. She put it in the register and turned to Zach who still looked grumpy. "What do I do with the extra 95 cents?" She growled out.
"You put it in this jar." he pulled a mason jar out from under the counter and wrote across it 'Caramel' before forcing it roughly on the counter. Cara dropped 95 cents in the jar and turned to the fresh customer.
"Hello Ma'am, how may I help you today?" It was a 40 something year old woman with a maybe 17 year old girl next to her. Cara could feel her patience slipping away already. She didn't want to act happy all day.
"I'll have a plain coffee with 3 sugars and a decaf with 3 sugars and a dash of milk. Two Bagels." she ordered, her daughter rolling her eyes.
"Alright ma'am. For here or to go?"
"Here." the woman sighed like speaking was the greatest inconvenience on the planet.
"Small, medium or large?"
"Mediums." her daughter said in a duh voice.
"Ok, that will be 7 dollars please. And it will be right up." The woman gave her a five dollar bill and two ones before crossing her arms and tapping her foot.
Cara quickly made and stirred the drinks before turning and setting them on the counter, "Here you go ladies." the women grabbed their drinks and sat in a booth next to the door.
"So Jeremiah, what would you like to talk about?" She held her head in her hand and leaned on the counter.
"Life, love, the universe but for now you can tell me about yourself." He smirked and leaning back.
"My name is Cara Densmore. I am sixteen years old. I go to Jackson's high school." She gave the simple details.
"Oh! That is where Zachariah goes!" The man said jollily. "You guys could be friends!" He sounded so cheerful that Cara didn't want to disagree.
"Probably not. He's got his friends, I got mine." Cara didn't actually have any friends but that was besides the point.
"Psh! Zachariah doesn't have any friends. And definitely not a girlfriend." he gave Cara a huge wink.
"Uh.. I am not really interested." she looked at her shoes and blushed slightly. Was this old man really trying to set her up with his obviously uninterested grandson?
Jeremiah pouted adorably "Aww... For me?" he fake fluttered his eyes.
She laughed, "No, not even for you." The next hour went by in a blur of costumers.
Jeremiah gave Cara warm smile, "I must be off now. Goodbye Cara. Here is your tip," he stuck what looked like a five dollar bill in her tip jar.
"Bye!" She said excitedly as Zach came up behind her.
"I got the register until we're off. Go and wipe tables and see if anyone needs anything." he instructed. "Amy went home, she was only on the morning shift until we found a replacement.
Cara nodded at him, it was already 8:30 somehow. She went around the shop, cleaning tables, checking on people, occasionally making more coffee or bagels.

Hey :) it's Dez. A new story for ya'll. Love it? Hate it? Tell me the deets in a review!

Question of the chapter: What do you get at the coffee shop?

Xx