A Kiss from the Bad Boy

“Halsey! Table 21 is still waiting for the coffee!”

“Y-Yes!” A bespectacled girl squeaks from behind a counter. She hurriedly fixes her glasses and rushes over to the coffee machine. Putting the steamy cups of coffee on a tray, she heads for the table.

“Here are your coffees, sir and madam,” Halsey says with a small smile.

“We’ve been waiting for over an hour!” The man exclaims. “Why were you late? This is just bad service!”

Halsey gulps nervously. The man is quite intimidating and she’s too scared of him at the moment. He looks as if he is going to hit her.

“T-The cafe is packed today, sir,” she says. “I am sorry-”

“The coffee is too cold!” the woman with him complains.

“Cold?” Halsey asks blankly. I just poured it though, she adds in her thoughts.

“Get her another cup!” The man yells at her. Halsey jumps in shock but nods. She picks up the coffee cups and goes back to make a fresh cup of coffee.

It seems as if the whole town of Bayers’ Coast is there. The cafe was completely full that day thanks to the end of the school vacation. Several high schoolers have barged into the small shop, occupying all the tables. They are eating and drinking without any restraints. Halsey recognized many of her classmates but they barely took any notice of her. She doesn’t mind; she prefers the company of books anyway.

Her clear chocolate colored eyes are carefully scanning the temperature. She's gonna turn 18 in a few weeks and works part time at the cafe to make extra bucks.

The cafe is bustling with people that day. Halsey wipes the sweat off her forehead. Her long brown hair is tied into a scruffy bun while her usually pale face is damp with sweat. Her pale skin turns too red whenever she is exasperated.

Just like it is turning beetroot red at the moment, partly due to the heat.

She picks up the tray and goes back to the table again.

“Here are your cups of coffee, sir and madam,” she says and is about to put one of the cups on the table when the woman violently pushes the table. Halsey’s hand slips and the hot coffee splashes on her palm.

“Ah!” Halsey hisses but the man rounds on her.

“Look what you did!” the man shouts at her. Some of the students turn around to see what the commotion is. Unbeknownst to Halsey, a pair of dark eyes are on her, watching her with curiosity.

“Isn’t that the nerd from 12B?” One of the girls sneers.

“Looks like she’s stupid!” Another guy chortles. They are all relishing her humiliation. 

“Such a bloody klutz!” A red headed girl scoffs. “Isn’t she, Nate?”

She turns to a dark haired boy next to her. Nate has been observing Halsey randomly. Upon hearing his name, he lazily glances at the red head he has been dating for the past few weeks. 

“Let’s go outside,” he says in a moody tone. The redhead smiles in excitement and follows him to the back door.

Meanwhile, Halsey is aware of all the eyes on her and she is trembling.

“I-I…” she stammers.

“Let’s go, dear!” The man tells his date. “This place is a dump!”

The woman also scowls at Halsey and leaves with her boyfriend. Halsey sighs sadly and clears the table.

“Halsey! Go and take out the trash!” Her manager barks at her. “Don’t cater to the customers tonight. You’ll just end up chasing them away with your clumsiness!”

“Yes, Mr. Smith!” She says and hurries off to take care of the trash. Inwardly, Halsey is a little glad that she doesn’t have to deal with customers that night. She is too shy to talk to people and after her parents’ death, the only people she is comfortable around are her godmother Charlotte Wright. Charlotte’s son Lincoln is Halsey’s classmate and best friend.

Maybe I should look for another part-time job, she thinks miserably. She picks up the trash bags and makes her way towards the back door.

Once outside, Halsey throws the trash into the garbage and is about to walk back in when something catches her eye. 

Two people are standing a few feet away from her but they seem to be too engrossed in their conversation to notice her. It seems that they’re arguing.

Halsey recognizes one of them instantly and a shiver runs through her spine.

Nathan Jacobs?

“You f*cking pig!” The girl yells at the boy. “How can you dump me? We’re the IT couple! Everyone is jealous of us and our popularity! If you dump me then…then…”

The boy raises his perfectly arched eyebrows. His dark eyes are cold and unfeeling as if he doesn’t care about any of her words. The handsome features are marred by pure disdain for the worthless girl in front of him.

The girl is a cheerleader from Halsey’s school and she recognizes the redhead as Lydia Adams, Nathan’s current girlfriend.

I shouldn’t be here, Halsey thinks. She turns to open the back door but to her shock, it’s jammed!

“Oh no!” She moans and fervently tries to open the door. “What if they spot me?”

She tries to open the door again but to no avail.

Nathan leans against the wall and snorts at his girlfriend.

“Lydia, do you really think that you meant anything to me?” He sneers. “We’re done! I’ve lost all my interest in you.”

Oh, and he’s a playboy too, Halsey recalls.

“I’ll lose my reputation!” Lydia begs. She is tearfully pleading with him which makes Halsey feel really bad for her. “Ever since we’ve started dating, everyone has been scared of us! They are envious and want to be as popular as us. But if you break up with me, everything will be ruined! The cheerleaders who were jealous of me are going to make fun of me! I’ll be doomed!”

“Not my problem,” Nathan says in an indifferent tone. His eyes fall on a small window in the building behind Lydia. The nerdy girl he saw at the cafe is near the back door, unaware that he noticed her.

“Nathan-”

“I cheated on you,” he lies smoothly. “I’ve got another fling now.”

Lydia is stunned. “Another girl?” She shrieks. “Who? Who is she?”

She is outraged. Another girl stole her spot in Nathan’s heart? That can’t be!

Nathan smirks and casually walks towards the cafe’s back alley. Halsey is mortified when she hears footsteps approaching her way. Her eyes fall on Nathan’s tall figure which is coming closer. She looks for a way to escape but her feet are completely frozen to the spot.

Lydia is confused as she watches Nathan walk towards the plain looking girl. 

Halsey’s heart beats loudly when Nathan stops only a few inches away from her.

“What’s your name?” His deep voice resonates in her ears.

“H-Halsey S-Scott!” She manages to say. “We’ve got-”

“Is that girl looking at us?” he asks, slightly tilting his head to motion at Lydia.

“Yeah…”

“Good.”

Without another word, Nathan swoops down to kiss Halsey full on the lips.